Make-Ahead Meals

Susan Cleyle is a systems librarian in the QEII Library at Memorial
University of Newfoundland.

These three titles are recent additions to Jean Paré’s famous
Company’s Coming series. The books have easy-to-read fonts and their
spiral binding allow the pages to lie flat. Each recipe has a one-line
description below the title. Metric and imperial measurements are
provided, and the ingredients (basic and not complicated) are listed in
order of appearance. The concise instructions are presented in short
paragraphs.

For the healthy minded, nutritional values are provided at the end of
each recipe. Interspersed throughout the books are TIPS sections that
offer helpful, practical cooking advice. More irritating than valuable
are the Paré Pointers consisting of cute sayings, proverbs, and
one-liners.

Each of the three books covers its respective topic thoroughly. The
Potato Book has sections on getting started, cooking basics, appetizers,
breads, soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Recipes
include Cinnamon Buns, Dilly Potato Salad, Sweet Potato Cheesecake, and
Sour Cream-Stuffed Potatoes. In addition to excellent basic recipes,
there are a variety of unusual ones.

Stir-Fry has sections on getting started, ingredients, terminology,
beef, chicken, desserts, fish and seafood, pork, salads, sandwiches,
sauces, vegetables, wok deep-frying, and wok soups.

The standout title is Make-Ahead Meals. An excellent resource for busy
families, it provides base recipes followed by several recipes that use
the base recipe. Tips are provided for almost every recipe, and a
select-a-meal section helps the cook make menu choices. There are
sections on planning ahead, storage tips, freezer storage, progressive
recipes, beef, breads, chicken, cookies, desserts, eggs, seafood, pasta,
pork, salads, soups, and vegetables.

Wonderful pictures (complete with page references for the accompanying
recipe), great recipes, and thorough indexes make these titles
worthwhile additions to any cook’s library.