As you'd expect from Oprah's personal chef, this is self-help in a cookbook package. Reacting to input from readers of his first book, Back to the Table
, and Oprah.com
, Smith instructs those who are responsible for the care and feeding of children on how to organize, save time and simplify their lives by getting it together in the kitchen. He begins with a quiz meant to direct home cooks to the recipes that'll be most helpful. The book's first part is devoted to solving the problems of overtaxed parents with young children and beginners on a budget who are overly reliant on take-out, with tips for shopping in a supermarket with a list, planning ahead, freezing, and using leftovers. In the book's second portion, familiar, easy recipes are accompanied by simplistic sidebars (e.g., "What does it mean when a recipe calls for shredded cheese?"). With more than 150 recipes, including kid-friendly suggestions such as Macaroni and Cheese Soup, the book also instructs readers on how to make meal-worthy salads (such as Roast Chicken Waldorf Salad with Pecans and Rosemary) and inventive main dishes, like Skirt Steak with Red Wine Butter Sauce. Finally, this supremely basic book divides recipes into useful categories: "main courses with fewer than seven ingredients," "company fare" and "simple chicken suppers." Photos. Agents, Jan Miller and Michael Broussard. (Oct. 6)
