Sam the Cooking Guy or South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook

Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes

Author: Sam Zien

"'I can't cook,' I hear that all the time. And it's not that you can't—it's that you don't. It's that we've been wrecked by cooking shows with their millions of complicated steps and crazy-ass ingredients. Ingredients you can't find, let alone pronounce. That's not how I want to cook. I want to eat well, but I don't want it to take a year. Who's making stuff like 'Truffled Peruvian Mountain Squab with Chilled Framboise Foam' anyway?

"So this book is about food that's big in taste and small in effort. Just great-tasting stuff with no fancy techniques and definitely no over-the-top ingredients, as in everything-comes-from-a-regular-supermarket—cool concept, huh? It's just a bunch of recipes you'll easily be able to make and enjoy."
—From Sam the Cooking Guy

Look inside for great recipes like these:

• Cinnamon Pull-Apart

• French Toast Mountain

• One Dank Tomato Pie

• "Whatever" Spring Rolls

• Five-Minute Stir-Fry Noodles

• O.F.R.B.P.J.G.O.

• Awww Nuts!

• BBQ Chicken Pizza

• Halloween Chicken Chili

• Fridge Fried Rice

• Sam's Sticky Sweet BBQ Ribs

• Stuffed Burgers

• Pesto BBQ Shrimp

• Chili Salmon

• Motor Home Meatballs

• Spicy-ish Sausage Pasta

• The Great Potato Cake

• Brussels Sprouts You'll Actually Eat

• (Fake) Crème Brûlée

• Chocolate Toffee Matzoh

• Peanut Butter Ice-Cream Cup Things

Publishers Weekly

Zien, creator and host of the television show Sam the Cooking Guy, is very clear from the onset that he is not a chef; he also believes that certain things, like measuring ingredients (unless baking), are a "waste of time" and that 350 degrees is the "universal temperature" at which to cook everything. A self-proclaimed "regular guy," Zien thinks that people have "been wrecked by cooking shows with their millions of complicated steps and crazy ass ingredients." His recipes are for people who want to cook, but want to spend as little time and effort in the kitchen as possible. Two of his favorite ingredients, which show up frequently, are prebaked pizza crust (used in his pesto pizza recipe, which also calls for ready-made pesto) and "ready bacon," which simply needs to be microwaved. Other dishes include a Tomato and Potato Chip Sandwich and Stir Fry Noodles made with Styrofoam cup instant ramen. Some dishes, though lacking originality, call for fresh ingredients and explain simple techniques, like the Adobo Chicken or Ginger Scallops. Foodies won't be impressed, and even those with mild interest in putting together their own meals might want to be challenged a bit more. (Mar.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

School Library Journal

Zien is the host of Sam the Cooking Guy, a popular series that began airing in San Diego in 2002; his new show for the Discovery Health channel, Just Cook This, premiered last fall. He's not a chef, and he describes the food he makes as "great-tasting stuff with no fancy techniques and definitely no over-the-top ingredients." Recipes are quick and simple: "Whatever" Spring Rolls, for example, and Mac and (Blue) Cheese with Bacon (made with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese). Zien's style is in your face, and some readers may find his somewhat sophomoric sense of humor wearing, but his fan base is definitely increasing. Buy for demand.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents:

Thank You.

Introduction.

Basic Stuff to Know.

I Love Brunch.

Appetizers.

Soup and Salad.

Fast Food.

Just Chicken.

My Favorites.

Outside Food.

Seafood.

The Weather Blows, But the Food Doesn't.

Don't be Mean to Vegetables.

Desserts.

Index.

Interesting book: Immoveable Feast or Superfoods for Babies and Children

South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook

Author: Arthur Agatston

What better way to enjoy the relaxed, healthy South Beach Diet lifestyle than with a cookbook that celebrates the best foods of summer from garden and market? The 150 all-new quick and healthy recipes in The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook capture the casual, sunny essence of Florida’s popular South Beach--and other warm climates around the world.

Whatever phase of the diet you’re on, you’ll find ideas for breezy breakfasts; crisp salads and light summer sandwiches; innovative grilling ideas for meats, poultry, fish, and shellfish; tempting vegetarian entrées; refreshing desserts; and cooling summer drinks. Imagine sitting at an outdoor table with family and friends enjoying Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, Grilled Shrimp Caesar, South Beach Diet Tiramisu, and Iced Pom-Mojito Spritzers—just a few of the refreshing recipes to be found in this book.But this is more than just a summer cookbook. Tips throughout remind readers that grilling is a year-round pastime and that many of the recipes can be easily adapted to what’s freshest in the season. You’ll also get Sample Meal Plans for Phases 1 and 2, a glossary of key ingredients used in the book, and dozens of ideas for maximizing the bounty of the garden. The 60 beautiful full-page color photographs show just how appealing summertime recipes can be.