GREAT READS

Weeknight with Giada

Giada De Laurentiis.

I'm a fan of Giada's recipes and my hubby is fond of looking at Giada. So it's no hardship for him to go through her cookbooks and find something that he might like to try for dinner. I get so tired of making the same old recipes over and over again that I've asked my guys to help me plan menus based on what they might be craving. I've tried some of the recipes from this cookbook and have met with some pretty good success. Bruchetta with Lamb, Fontina and Greens - but I used ground beef instead of lamb; Ham, Gruyere and Apple Panini; Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine; Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce; Broiled Tilapia with Mustard-Chive Sauce - all were successes. The fish dishes are never complete successes since my teen boys don't like fish, but the hubby and I have been happy with them. The only thing made from this book that bombed was the Carrot and Yam Puree. I do sometimes have to modify the recipes for my guy that suffers from Crohn's Disease, but that's usually just leaving out or switching up a particular ingredient that I know is not within his tolerance - easy enough to do with this book. It's definitely a book to try for something new that will be as good if not better than most restaurant food.

Recommended by Ella Bottomley

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