Description:

Review

"The recipe section made me as happy as my favorite cooking shows do... Don’t lump this in with other books on food and cooking. It’s creative, funny, and a quick read. Think about putting it near the register as a potential impulse purchase."
—Anna Jedrziewski, New Age Retailer, June 2011

"As a "frugal party girl," and busy working mother, I love good recipes I can throw together without a lot of fuss and complication. The Lazy Gourmet is making my life much easier, but the great thing is, the resulting delicious dishes don't LOOK EASY!
—Lara Starr, author of The Frugal Foodie

"_The Lazy Gourmet_ is one of those rare cookbooks that also feeds the mind. I love this book for the savvy secrets and food facts that show Juliana and Robin are fabulously passionate about great food. The real "joy of cooking," is sharing meaningful meals with family and friends and The Lazy Gourmet shines a light on doing just that."
—Margie Lapanja, author of Romancing the Stove: Goddess in the Kitchen, Food Men Love and Food That Rocks!

"Each member of my family is very social; we have people dropping over frequently. I often need to pull together a quick meal to share with our dear friends so The Lazy Gourmet is now my go-to resource for marvelous recipes that "impress for less."
—Billee Sharp, author of Fix It, Make It, Grow It, Bake It

"I LOVE to entertain and I am always searching for great recipes. Juliana Gallin and Robin Donovan have created delicious recipes and easy ideas for parties I will be using for many years. The Lazy Gourmet brings the fun back into the kitchen and puts it right on the table."
–Nina Lesowitz, author of The Party Girl Cookbook and Living Life as a Thank You

"Whether you're a nervous newbie or a skilled cook with utmost confidence, you're sure to appreciate this smart recipe collection that allows you to put an impressive spread on the table even when you're time-pressed—which for most of us is 24-7. With The Lazy Gourmet, cooking turns relaxed and satisfying. Imagine that.'
—Carolyn Jung, James Beard Award-winning food writer and creator of FoodGal

“This book is filled with food that’s simple, seasonal, fresh, and doable. Here you’ll find recipes that are perfect for family dinner on Tuesday night but fun, hip, and cool enough to serve your friends when you’re entertaining on Saturday evening. And it’s easy enough for even the novice to do.”
—Joanne Weir, James Beard Award-winner, popular television cooking show host, and author of Tapas to Meze

"I have always considered myself a lazy chef. For me, that means choosing seasonal, local ingredients and relying on simple preparations to allow those ingredients to shine. In The Lazy Gourmet, Robin and Juliana have taken this approach to a whole new level, transforming 'lazy' into 'quintessentially elegant.'"
—John Scharffenberger, Founder, Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

"Whether you're new to the kitchen or an experienced home chef, you'll love The Lazy Gourmet. With its good-humored approach, engaging style, useful culinary information, and delightfully easy and delicious recipes, it takes the stress out of cooking. If you want to prepare sophisticated, exceptional meals for your friends and family but are busy, kitchen-phobic, or just plain lazy, this is the cookbook for you."
—Sally Bernstein, Editor-In-Chief, Sally's Place

"That cooking is fun is one of the best-kept secrets in some circles, but not here. With infectious enthusiasm, The Lazy Gourmet will inspire both the neophyte and the well-seasoned home cook toward making meals that show how easy it is to love cooking from scratch."
—Cheryl Koehler, Editor/Publisher, Edible East Bay

Product Description

The Lazy Gourmet is for anyone who dreams of dazzling guests with fabulous home-cooked fare, but fears that such a feat would require Thomas Keller’s talent, Martha Stewart’s ingenuity, Gandhi’s patience, and Charles Manson’s free time. The goal of The Lazy Gourmet is to conquer the misguided belief that preparing an elegant meal requires spending hours—or days—in the kitchen. With the help of an army of volunteer testers—regular people with no culinary training—Robin Donovan and Juliana Gallin developed this collection of recipes that can be prepared using readily available ingredients and common kitchen appliances, and without any previous cooking experience or training. With our recipes, anyone can prepare delicious and sophisticated, yet surprisingly simple dishes that will impress fussy in-laws, placate implacable bosses, and seduce sexy strangers through the proven method of knocking their socks off at the dinner table.

As the lazy gourmets themselves like to say, “Cooking a great meal can be just as easy as cooking a crappy meal!” So relax! Stop fretting over elaborate recipes and cumbersome techniques and start cooking the Lazy Gourmet way.