Fast and Fabulous or Are You Hungry Dear

Fast and Fabulous: Flavor Secrets

Author: Judy Gilliard

Fast and Fabulous: Flavor Secrets is one of three titles in the new Fast and Fabulous Series! This book shows readers how to use herbs and spices to put flavor back into low-fat, low-calorie, low-cholesterol cooking People often fear that just because food is deemed "healthy," it probably doesn't taste very good or is missing flavor and richness. One thing we do know is that Americans are have become unhealthy eaters, so the challenge is to change bad habits to good ones without losing taste and flavor to inspire us to eat well. Fast and Fabulous: Flavor Secrets does just that, while keeping in mind that people are busy and harried and don't have lots of time to devote to preparing meals. One of the best ways to make healthy foods appealing is through the use of herbs and spices, and this book spends lots of time explaining how to use them to get the most out of food. It guides you through the different available herbs and spices and provides charts on how best to use them. The book also gives the reader creative ideas on how to make their own special herb blends, and includes useful information on harvesting, drying, and storing homegrown herbs and spices. The book is organized by food types such as salad, pasta, poultry, vegetables, breads, and desserts, so it is simple to find what you are looking for and provides limitless options. Each chapter opens with a helpful introduction and each recipe has side notes that include stories behind the recipe and/or suggestions for how to serve. This book full of simple, flavorful recipes and valuable information about cooking with herbs is a must-have in any kitchen.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Starters

Chapter 2: Salads

Chapter 3: Soups

Chapter 4: Beans.

Chapter 5: Pasta

Chapter 6: Seafood

Chapter 7: Meat

Chapter 8: Vegetables

Chapter 9: Potatoes, Orzo, Rice

Chapter 10: Breakfast

Chapter 11: Breads

Chapter 12: Desserts

Interesting book: Democracy and Social Ethics or Legal Environment of Business

Are You Hungry Dear?

Author: Doris Roberts

Warm, funny episodes, each complete with the perfect recipe from the life of America’s favorite mother-in-law from the hit comedy Everybody Loves RaymondIn Are You Hungry, Dear?, Doris takes her signature line from the show and makes it her own in a program that pairs hilarious stories and dramatic turning points from her fascinating life with delicious recipes from her kitchen. She shares the lessons learned in two marriages and numerous love affairs, her struggles with her own family, and her heroic efforts to build a career and raise a son on her own. Those who love feisty, judgmental, opinionated Marie Barone will see how Doris is all that and more: tough, sweet, brave, direct, and vibrant. Listeners will embrace the unforgettable life of this very open star, and relate to the issues--like ageism in Hollywood, sex in the senior years, and her daughter-in-law’s imperfect meat sauce--that Doris cares about passionately.Are You Hungry, Dear? is for everyone who loves a laugh, a great recipe, and a true inside glimpse of a very approachable star.

Publishers Weekly

Roberts, who plays Marie Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, uses her TV character's preoccupation with food to underscore her own needs in this memoir. Her autobiography isn't a sexy tell-all, but it's honest and life-affirming. Roberts was desperate for love and attention. What she got was a hardscrabble childhood, two tough marriages and a career she adored. She repeats her mantra-"I am a survivor"-throughout the book, along with her recipes. These delectable treats-lasagna, chicken crepes, flourless chocolate cake-match moods or milestones in her life. It's a cute, though not innovative, way of breaking up her tale. Roberts's dad left at her birth, her indifferent grandparents raised her in the Bronx, and her mother never paid her a compliment. Still, by age 11, she decided to be an actress, and she got some terrific breaks, due as much to talent as tenacity. That she pursued her dreams while raising a son is laudable, especially with little help from her family. A hardworking actress fond of peppering her prose with homilies (e.g., "If you want life to surprise you, you've got to be open to it rather than defending against it"), Roberts saves the best part of her saga-the early years, the struggle, the triumphs-for the last third of the book. Still, readers will applaud her victories, even if the recounting is less than stellar. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Best known for her role as Marie Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Emmy-winning actress Roberts gathers anecdotes from her life as an entertainer for this warm, revealing memoir. She recounts her childhood, being raised by undemonstrative grandparents in the Bronx while her mother tried to earn money after her husband left. Deciding at age 11 to become an actress, Roberts clung tenaciously to her dream until it came true. With a fortunate break she landed a role on Broadway (Last of the Red Hot Lovers), moved to film (A New Leaf), and then on to television (Remington Steel), all while raising her son alone. Having opinions on such topics as spaghetti sauce, ageism, getting along with daughters-in-law, and trying to lose weight, the author expresses herself with humor and enthusiasm that make up for the occasional platitude. Part of this memoir's charm comes from Roberts's reading; with her Bronx accent still evident, she sounds like a mother talking to her children. Her fans will love this book. Tape and CD quality are excellent. Recommended for large public libraries.-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

With wry humor and good sense, the Emmy-winning Italian-American Mom of Everybody Loves Raymond offers advice, recipes, and reminiscences about personal and professional good and bad times. This is not one of those linear memoirs that proceed from humble birth to exalted present. Instead, Roberts sidetracks here, detours there, but cumulatively offers up a lively if discursive account of her life. She accompanies each chapter with an appropriate recipe, usually an example of good Italian home cooking like her potato salad or lasagna. Beginning with an assessment of Marie, the character she plays in the hit comedy, Roberts revisits particular times, experiences, and relationships. Now in her 70s, expected when young to marry early and stay home raising the children, she admits to loving Marie because if things had turned out differently she too could have been such an overbearing mother. In other chapters, Roberts describes the unusual annual Christmas party she throws for the cast ("the greed party, where guests scheme to get the gifts they want"), recalls how she landed the part; and expresses the satisfaction she gets from still being able to work. Without self-pity she describes a lonely childhood: her taciturn, critical, and divorced mother had to work, and Doris was left with grandparents who regarded her as imposition. Only an uncle gave her a sense of worth that enabled Roberts to survive her first marriage (to a man she supported while he went to law school) and difficult early attempts to become an actress. Her second husband was the love of her life, she has one son and three grandchildren, and she happily details the joys of motherhood. She seasons everything with insights shepicked up along the way: the value of perseverance, a positive attitude (think pink rather than angry red), and accepting who you are. An agreeable visit with a chatty old friend.