Pillsbury

I am a sucker for pretty cookbooks. For example, my fingers started itching the moment I saw Pillsbury Good for You: Fast and Healthy Family Favorites with its perky orange spine peaking out from amongst the other library cookbooks. Yes, the perky orange spine with the cheery yellow lemon clip art got me all fired up – the lemon-chicken cover art just sealed my fate. It looked like food I could make and the cookbook “packaging” suggested this was a low-key cookbook in which I would show more find recipes which wouldn’t push the limits of my culinary skill set or pantry and, yet, which would also be healthy and interesting. Yes, I fell for slick packaging. Do I regret it? Not in the least.

Over the last six weeks, I have made five recipes from this cookbook and have been very pleased with the results. All the recipes I’ve made have been for supper -- completely ignoring the breakfast and grilling chapters. It’s not that those recipes didn’t sound appealing; it’s just that I am not a breakfast person at breakfast time and we haven't had the weather for grilling . These have all been tasty suppers with a definite hearty stick-to-it-tiveness about them which I wasn’t quite expecting from a “healthy” cookbook. I had to keep reminding myself that this isn’t a diet cookbook. It’s not for people trying to loose weight -- it’s for those who wish to make better food choices (most recipes use low-fat or non-fat ingredients)

Overall, I feel this cookbook would be excellent for family cooks looking for tasty, nutritious, time-saving meals. show less

During the first six months of my engagement to be married, I thought selling Pampered Chef products would be a brilliant way to earn a little extra money as we prepared for the big day. ....I don't think I ever made a profit. I sold the product for a little over six months, and I really never did make much money. But I definitely supplemented my limited recipe supply, and I became far more confident in the kitchen. Plus, I still have 99% of those products I picked up in my starter kit! show more (Along with several years more worth of Pampered Chef products!)

I mention Pampered Chef because a good portion of the recipes I learned included some product made by Pillsbury. I always loved that using Pillsbury products was kind of like giving myself a little shortcut, but it also *almost* guaranteed the end result would be a success! (Any time a recipe flopped, it was my fault, not that of the Pillsbury products!)

This book took me down memory lane, but it also got me adding a whole slew of new recipes to my collection. The thing about THESE recipes (and the ones I practiced from Pampered Chef) are some that I actually will make, quite possibly often. They're easy, they're inexpensive, and they're tasty! show less

One of my most used cookbooks. The basic muffin, with variations, appears at the breakfast table about once a week, and we are also particularly fond of the banana mini muffins, pumpkin pecan bread, sour cream coffee cake, and popovers. Well-written and easy-to-follow recipes, with lots of helpful tips and suggestions.

Hurray for pie any time of the year! Whether you are looking for a sweet treat or a savory pie that serves as a main dish, this book is for you. The rewards will be plentiful when you follow the Pillsbury pie formula which is so easy to remember: "140 simple recipes + 1 readymade pie crust = sweet success".

Pies come in lots of different sizes and the Pillsbury editors were clever to include recipes for 8" or 9" pies, 4" or 10" tarts, and mini-tarts. The recipes are divided by type: Chapter 1 show more - Fruit and Berry Harvest, Chapter 2 - Creamy and Chilled Favorites, Chapter 3 - Holiday Pies and Tarts, and Chapter 4 - Savory Pies and Quiches.

There is also a short introduction which covers basics like how to handle pie crusts and freezing pies. Additionally, "Pie Tips" are plentiful and provide handy "trivia" information such as freezing rhubarb, substituting walnuts for pecans, and peeling peaches. Finally, this book comes in an easy to use spiral-bound hardcover which lies flat and includes a handy Metric Conversion Guide and an Index.

Recipes that caught my eye include Amaretto Peach Tart, Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie, Pear-Cranberry Pie with Eggnog Sauce, and Chicken Enchilada Quiche. Some of the best Bake-off recipes are included as well.

The Bottom Line: Each recipe in this cookbook has clearly written directions and ingredient lists; the lists are divided in sections for the crust, filling, toppings, layers, and sauces. Most of the recipes include beautiful, full-color photos; however, it would have been great if a photo were included for each recipe. Highly recommended for beginning bakers just learning and accomplished bakers looking to save a little time.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review site: http://minibookbytes.blogspot.com/ show less