The Girl Can't Cook: 275 Febulous No-Fail Recipes a Girl Can't Be Without

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Victoria, B.C.

Cinda Chavich is a seasoned professional food writer. This was not
always so. She left home with almost no cooking experience, and muddled
her way through many how-to cookbooks. Obviously, there was some hidden
talent, and Chavich has conquered the “I don’t cook” zone with
this manual on stylish cooking.

She divides her book into three sections: Sustenance (salads, soups,
pasta), Decadence (party fare, barbecues, foreign foods), and Observance
(holiday dinners, reliable potluck dishes, bake sale yummies). Each
section includes some classic recipes, such as Suicide Chicken Wings,
Apple Crisp, Turkey Roast, Chicken and Dumplings, and Nuts and Bolts.
Exotic fare such as Roti Wraps, Tandoori Chicken, Gyros, Quesadillas,
Thai Salad, and vegetarian dishes keep a cook from sinking into tired
routines. For those who miss Grandma’s specialties, there are recipes
for Christmas Stollen, Borscht, Hamantaschen, Tortiиre, and Shortbread
Cookies. Health food be gone! These recipes indulge in the old-fashioned
tradition of high fat, high sugar, and low fibre.

The Girl Can’t Cook is an excellent primer on fancy cooking. And
handiest of all—for those of us who dread hosting a birthday party, a
dinner soiree, or a brunch—there are menus galore.