Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-togethers

I love the way Pam organized this book. Not only are the recipes excellent and easy to follow, but she gives you the appetizer, salad and dessert for each main course. This is such a great idea and it makes it so much easier to entertain when the menu is planned out for you.

I am a lazy cook. I have 4 kids. I'm a vegetarian as are my kids. My husband loves meat and works long hours. Did I mention I'm a lazy cook?Yet somehow Pam Anderson's dishes have made me appear as if I should be on Top Chef. Most are easy, healthful and quick. And trust me, if I can do it, so can you. Yeah, you'll need to make some dough, but it's not rocket science. And either you make the dough, or you buy the stuff with all the preservatives in it. I'd rather go with the more healthful option. You just need to get the right ingredients.And I've even substituted tofu or faux meat in some dishes. I made Pam's Coq au Vin Blanc, and right next to that in another dutch oven, Tofu au Vin Blanc. I swear the dear hubby loves me more because of how delicious the Coq au Vin was. And the Cassoulet-style sausages? So easy, so fast, and so satisfying. I make that dish for big groups, one platter with faux sausages and another platter with meat sausages. I have seen grown men groan in ecstasy at the dinner table over this dish. I made the Spicy Coconut Shrimp (and of course Spicy Coconut Tofu next to it), and that came out fresh and fantastic!So why the 4 stars? A couple of dishes weren't too good - the creamy lasagna had too much cream cheese flavor. The dumplings in the chicken and dumplings dish were too dense and mealy. The enchiladas were soggy. And there is just too much emphasis on meat - even my steak-loving hubby thought so too.That said, skip the heart-stopping meat dishes (most of the time) and go with the fresh ingredients recipes, and buy this book. Then invite your friends over for dinner.

I love the recipes, but that's a matter of personal taste. I think the big issues some people have with this book have to do with expectations. So let me give a run-down:Difficulty:The recipes are in-between Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart in terms of difficulty (not content, though). Leans toward Rachel Ray in most recipes. If you can do Ray's recipes, you can do this. On the other hand, if you are just learning to cook, I highly recommend the Betty Crocker Cookbook, Bridal Edition (the sexist phrasing is not my fault). Those recipes are generally easier, somewhat more familiar, and she has a lot more instructions about things like what "browned" means, and so on. And there are plenty of ideas for Sunday dinners there, too. If you use that for a year or two, cooking a real dinner at least once a week (let's be realistic :) and go through most of the basics, you should be ready to move up to this.Time:These are dinner party recipes, so many of them take between 30 minutes and 2.5 hours *including cooking time*. This is not a "feed your family every night for the week" cookbook! We use this book for having guests and for Sunday dinners.Ingredients:Assuming that in your family the kids "get what they get and don't throw a fit", the majority of these recipes will please most diners, and a few of them will definitely please almost everyone. You can always not add the jalapenos, right? You might have to buy one or two spices, namely, saffron and cumin, if you don't already have them. Overall however it is extremely accessible.This is a GREAT book for the semi-experienced home cook who wants to cook food that guests will enjoy, without going to Martha-Stewart-level intricacy.It's not a great book for a beginning cook who needs something really 100% surefire, or for someone looking for all the old Sunday dinner staples.That said, you absolutely must make the paella. I believe every adult at the table uttered, "oh my god" at least once.

We enjoyed the chicken pot pie recipe when friends had us over for dinner. It was so fantastic we bought the cookbook. Can’t wait to try more recipes from this great book. Many of them use rotisserie chicken so they are easy to assemble.

I previously purchased another book by this author and really loved the recipes. This book is even better. I have tried just one recipe, but have bookmarked dozens more that sound delicious and pretty easy for a beginning to intermediate cook. I can't wait to try them. This one is a winner for me!

I have several of Pam Anderson's books, and always considered "How to Cook Without A Book" my favorite. But Perfect One-Dish Dinners is quickly moving up the ranks to the top. We've made three recipes out of this book in a week, and each one was as good as the last. Even better, both the turkey feta meatballs with penne and the coq au vin blanc were actually BETTER as leftovers, leading me to think that I should make ahead on Sunday nights for delicious meals all week long with hardly any prep.I can't say enough about the coq au vin blanc. It was so yummy I was dreaming about it long after we'd finished the pot. The photos are gorgeous, and I love that Pam includes optional wine pairings, appetizers, and desserts for almost every dish - so if you're entertaining a crowd, you've got your menu planned already.None of the ingredients are foreign or hard to get, and we (a family of 2) are easily getting 4 meals out of each dish. That makes for a super economical dinner, even if you're splashing out for really nice prosciutto or wine.Next on my list to make: the pecan pie sundaes. This Texan approves of any meal that ends with pecans!

The title accuratley reflects the content.