Hoping to trump their own highly successful A Dinner a Day, Sondheim and Sloan have turned out another year's worth of weeknight meals, planned and formatted down to the smallest detail. With their weekly shopping list, two-page spreads, and meticulously sequenced prep instructions, the authors have once again taken all of the planning and pain (some may argue much of the fun) out of deciding what's for dinner. Readers can cook straight from Monday's Silence of the Hams to Wednesday's Orson Beans with absolutely no forethought or last-minute trips to the corner deli. Nowadays, the word "gourmet" in a title more or less guarantees something from a can or a mix on almost every page, and this volume is no exception. Anyone frightened of whipped toppings, instant pudding mixes, canned nacho cheese soup, pre-seasoned stuffing or canned fruits had better steer clear. Still, the book is a godsend for its target audience: busy working people or oversubscribed family cooks whose only quick alternative is a frozen TV dinner or takeout. For these, the horrendous puns ("Dancin' Chick to Chick" and "I Get a Cake Out of You") and scary desserts (peanut butter and jelly cake; marshmallow crème fantasies) will be a small price to pay for a home-cooked meal made a little easier. (Dec.)
