The Working Stiff Cookbook: Great Food! Easy Recipes!

Someone who thinks of kitchen prep as foreplay is clearly ready to have fun cooking. Sloan wants his readers to enjoy cooking, too, even if their skills are limited and time is short. Although he aims his minimum work/maximum flavor recipes at working people, others--grad students, June brides and desperate moms included--will appreciate his snappy take on simple favorites like Chicken Parmesan and Superfast Fudge Brownies. Most of the 50-odd selections in Sloan's Instant Dinners, One-Pot Dinners, Pasta, Soups, Salads and Sandwiches chapters are entr es, but he adds a few tasty side dishes and desserts (a four-ingredient Lemon Pie is outstanding). Supper selections can be as elementary as Sole In Foil, as exciting as Stir Fry Furioso or as sophisticated as (still easy) Spaghetti with Portobellos, Prosciutto and Cream. From Pancakes to Piccata, there's something for everyone--not always low-calorie, but definitely high-quality. Sloan explains techniques, ingredients, timing strategies and pantry-stocking with enthusiasm and humor, cheering on even the most timid cook. The text's quirky humor is deftly complemented by Michael Klein's amusing retro illustrations. (June)