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Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 2 Review
I grew up with a mother who could make homemade pies from scratch and delectable pastry without having to consult a cookbook But, from time to time, she also gave us frozen pot pies and canned tomato soup..and I still like both types of foods - homemade and "not so homemade".
In short, she was like many parents - a perfectly good cook who had days when she didn't have enough time.
Like her, I enjoy cooking and prefer to make my meals from scratch. But I also have plenty of days when I don't have the time or I'm short of crucial ingredients (butter, cream, milk, parsley, whatever) to spend much time in the kitchen.
On those days, this book has been a great help, allowing me to fix something quickly that my family will still enjoy (and I DO mean enjoy, NOT just barely tolerate). They don't know I'm pulling a fast one. I confess that the first time I tried some of these recipes I felt a twinge of guilt but that quickly passed when my husband and kids raved about the results and actually believed the recipes were STILL made from scratch (!). Okay, okay, so a little guilt remained...but the extra time in my day was worth it.
Having said that, there are some "recipes" here that are nothing more than taking a packaged mix and adding a few spices. Don't kid yourself, folks... a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with some buttered Italian breadcrumbs on top STILL tastes like Kraft. Nothing wrong with that if you like Kraft macaroni and CHeese (I do, my kids do) but don't expect it to taste like homemade.
Other recipes in this book became instant famiily favorites, recipes like Pork Roast with Sherry cream Sauce (cream of mushroom soup is one of those convenience items that is remarkably versatile, making an acceptable base for all sorts of sauces - and, of course, a cup of sherry wine adds quite a bit to that base).
There is a special section on recipes for slow cookers but I found every one of those recipes easy enough to adapt to a regular oven.
I particularly appreciated the variety of tasty appetizers (many of which have been featured on Sandra Lee's television show). Now only are they quick and easy to prepare but most are TRULY from scratch, including Chive Roasted Poatoes with horseradish sour cream, Deviled Eggs (unless you always make your mayo from scratch; I do not) and Lox and Cream Cheese stuffed cucumbers - the latter incudes a great mix of cream cheese, salmon and sour cream with just the right amount of herbs).
ALthough some ingredients are costly (prime rib, lox) there are many others which are well within anyone's budget, using chicken, pork, onions and other routine ingredients. Since my husband is on a low carb diet, I was thrilled to find hte recipe for Mushroom Salad in Cheese Crisps, which took less than 15 minutes to throw together and would have taken less if I hadn't had to briefly cook the cheese crisps. The results looked complicated but were a snap to throw together.
If you are a total food snob and you have the time and energy to plan and make EVERY meal from scratch, no matter how complex the recipe, you probably won't be crazy about this book. For the most part, it contains exactly what it says it does "Semi-Homemade recipes" that take a minimum of time to throw together. As I've discovered, there is nothing wrong with that. Just be sure you pick the right recipes.... then stand back and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the results.
I also discovered that this book is a WONDERFUL way to get your kids into the kitchen and one son, who now lives on his own, has used his copy so many times that it is practically falling apart and has impressed more than a few dates with his cooking "prowess" and "creativity" (if only they knew his secret).
If you want to introduce your children to cooking, this would be a fine start. From there, you could move on to more complex recipes...but even if they stopped with this book, they'd be far ahead of the average child...and WAY beyond peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
MY KIDS HAD ME ADD THIS: "Tell people that if they make the cheese crisps that they taste really, really good...but they can smell terrible while they are cooking"
They are right. So if you make these, leave plenty of time for your house to air out because the smell does linger.
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