What I Give My Wife for Supper When She Comes Home from the Office

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

This definitely isn’t a cookbook for cooks. There were times, during the ten minutes it took to read it, when I questioned whether it is a cookbook for anyone. For example, would anyone consult a cookbook if they wanted to prepare apple pie via the Geller method (open freezer, take out pie)? In addition to such witticisms, Geller presents a small handful of serious and semi-serious recipes, about 40 cartoons and a lot of miscellaneous ramblings.

The recipe collection focuses on various things to sprinkle on or pour over chicken breasts. Brisket gets second billing, and beyond that there’s a smattering of soup, salads, main dishes, sandwiches, and vegetable dishes. All the recipes are presented in an off-hand manner that implies that the reader, when hungry, is much more likely to phone for a pizza than to venture into the kitchen. Some of the recipes have the touch of absurdity which will appeal to the person who wants to remind everyone that cooking is beneath him.

The cartoons are okay, occasionally even funny, if you accept the premise that a man in the kitchen cannot be expected to cope.

The ramblings are rather blatant padding for a very slim book, but sometimes they do merit a smile. The humor component — cartoons and ramblings — is not great but not bad. It’s good for a few minutes of relaxation and a couple of brief grins.

It’s hard to imagine anyone so desperate for recipes they’d consult this work. It belongs not with the cookbooks but on the coffeetable with the pet rock and other conversation-starter oddities.