Book DescriptionRobin Miller is the host of the new series on Food Network, Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller, which provides viewers with recipes, time-saving tips, and strategies for serving up fresh, healthful meals every day with the least possible effort.
In Quick Fix Meals, Robin shares her best time-saving strategies for putting fresh, delicious food on the table every night. Her recipes are organized by these techniques, which include Meal Kits (pre-prepping the ingredients for a weeknight meal on the weekend, bagging them, and having them ready to go in the fridge; the result--meals that can be on the table in literally 10 minutes); Morph-It Recipes (enjoy Herb-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin one night and you've got the makings for Chili-Rubbed Turkey Medallions or Pan-Seared Turkey with Apples and Melted Blue Cheese another night), and Greased Lightning, unbelievably tasty recipes that can be put together and on the table in 20 minutes. There are also Simple Sides that go together in no time, as well as, for those who just can't live without dessert, a collection of In-a-Snap Sweets.
Customer Reviews:Review #1: Exactly what it says2007-03-17
I'll admit, I was raised to believe that anything not completely homemade "from scratch" was to be frowned upon but as a woman working 40 hours a week outside the home, holding myself to that standard has caused me more than a little stress! What a treat to discover Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals. Her recipes use a well balanced combination of pre-packaged and pre-prepared convenience foods--such as salad mixes and ready-made pie crust--and fresh ingredients. Her approach is to use convenience foods, not as a replacement for homemade fare, but as time saving tools that allow a person to quickly prepare complete, good tasting meals at home without having to fall back on fast food during the busy work week. So far, I've enjoyed each recipe I've made. I've also found it easy to alter the recipes to reduce fat and sodium. This one is definitely a keeper for me!
Review #2: I love this book!2007-03-16
I pre-ordered the book and I figured there would be a few ideas I could use from it...and I would have been OK with that..This book pleasantly exceeded my expectations. I have almost all of Rachel Ray's cookbooks and I thought this would be similar to them....the imaginative use of flavors and ingredients in this book far surpass anything Rachel has come up with to date. I am excited by these recipes. I have loved the ones I have tried so far...Apricot and Jalapeno Chicken is amazing! The Banana Raspberry Bread was so easy and so flavorful...give this book a chance...try the recipes....this book isn't just a Quick Meal Cookbook, although her tips are easy to do and really do make a difference if you are short on time..even if you are not short on time, you need this book, the flavors are bright and new, its not just a book full of the same old casserole recipes that tell you to you change the meat or the sauce...this cookbook will let your imagination help you in the kitchen...you can travel the world with the recipes here... I am so happy I added this book to my collection and I am going to buy one for my best friend.
Review #3: You will get exactly what you wanted: Quick Fix Meals.2007-03-15
The book itself is pretty and very easy to follow.
The recipes are delicious (I've made a handful already in the last two days). The whole concept is amazing especially for busy people like me.
I had fun reading the book and checking out her tips.
If you have other cookbooks and want to add to your collection, do not hesitate to purchase this book. If you want to buy a present for a new bride or someone just learning to cook, this book is perfect.
However, I wouldn't buy this for a food snob because its not really geared towards being sophisticated (although many of the dishes are fancy yet very easy to make).
Review #4: Robin Miller or Rachel Ray??2007-03-14
I preordered this book (placed my order on Feb 21), and it arrived Mar 13 (it didn't hit the stands until Mar 12, so I was impressed with the Amazon delivery service -- especially since I did the Super Saver shipping). But anyway, about the book...
I was looking forward to this book's release, since I enjoy the show. I compare Robin Miller to Rachel Ray's "30 minute Meals" series, so I'm also comparing their cookbooks. The recipes in this book are very similar to Rachel's recipes. If you're looking to spice up your dinner time, you'll find little difference between Robin's book and Rachel's series (they have the same types of recipes with interesting ingredients and flavors that "normal" folks like me would never think of trying). Most recipes don't have tons of ingredients, but they do have ingredients that require everyday folks to make a special trip to the grocery store. Don't expect to open this book and just start having dinner.
Both cooks claim to have the secret to great dinner in a flash. I sum up the difference between Robin and Rachel as this: Robin just takes you a few steps back and tells you HOW to make it quick, not just how to cook. She comes out the winner because she gives you the secret: pre-planning, prepping, and a well-stocked kitchen.
The first chapter in the book explains her strategies, such as "In the Bag" -- creating meal kits and storing them in fridge or freezer for later use, and "Morphing It" -- using one dish to create many others. Not exactly rocket science, but if you're a full-time working mom like me, you just never quite heard or saw it put this way.
She also includes a section on how to get your kitchen to be "quick fix" friendly. Prepping, storing, freezing, 5 basic sauces to prepare and store, her top 10 never-without pantry and fridge items.
The recipes include time-saver tips, ways to "quick fix it" your way. The Morph It section starts with a main recipe, and the "morph it" recipes follow (no searching through indexes to find the matching recipes -- a BIG PLUS). All the recipes include timing guides for prep and actual cooking time, so you can plan when you want to prep and when you want to cook. The index is complete, but is organized like the indexes in those coooking magazines at the grocery store.
The print in this book is small! It's in a green ink and a brown ink, which is sort of easy on the eyes, but it could be a bit bigger. Also, all the recipes that are on the left page have the ingredient list on the inside of the page, near the center fold. I don't know why they did this, because I found myself pulling the book apart to see the recipe list. This will definitely wear the book out quicker than normal.
I'm leaning more towards Robin's book, only because of her overall strategy included in the book (prepping ahead, morphing one dish into many). The authors did a good job of trying to make the book organized and not chaotic or daunting. The language is very friendly, not formal. It stays true to the whole concept of de-stressing the dinnertime dilemma. Rachel's great too -- this book just speaks more to women like me, who feel guilty about how many nights I put $5 pizza on the table when my family deserves better.
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