Perfect Recipes for Having People Over

by Pam Anderson, Rita Maas (Photographer)

The author of The Perfect Recipe shares the secrets of fine entertaining while presenting two hundred of her favorite recipes, all adapted for large numbers of guests, along with a selection of more than one hundred mix and match accompaniments, f
Perfect Recipes For Having People Over
Anderson, Pamela
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication 2005/09/14
Number of 304
Binding HARDCOVER
Library of 2005046370

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2005

About the author

PAM ANDERSON is the author of the best-selling The Perfect Recipe, Perfect Recipes for Having People Over, and the New York Times bestseller The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great. She has been the food columnist for USA Weekend for the last eight years, is a contributing chef to Fine Cooking and Runners World, and writes a weekly blog for the Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times.

For more about Pam, please visit www.threemanycooks.com."

Reviews

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way that this cookbook is composed; basically, it is an effective entertaining menu preparation guide.

Each dish has a long introduction, and a large amount of information on what to serve the dish with, how to vary it, when it should be served, how far ahead to make it, how it should be stored, and optional shortcuts for making the preparation easier. It is a wealth of information that will help anyone preparing for a dinner party, or for making a complete menu for family dining.

One stew, aptly named "One Stew, Many Variations," has a total of nine variations. I really admire the amount of work and the organization skills involved in writing this book.

Perfect for those who like to entertain or host dinner parties, and also for those who would like advice on how to cook perfect meals for their family.

[Sundry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yes, I really did read it. The intro and the headers to the recipes, and skimmed or read all the recipes. Have already tried four of them.

The perfect roast chicken wasn’t at all, so that has shaken my confidence a bit. And although there are lots of details regarding how far in advance you can make each recipe, there is no info regarding how much prep and total cooking time are required. Seems a rather big flaw in a book about planning ahead!

An interesting tip, though, for getting poultry skin crisp is to sprinkle kosher salt over it and put it in the fridge for 4 hours to 4 days (!) uncovered to dry it out. But, really, do I want crisp delicious skin that I won’t eat because it’s still too salty and fatty? Sigh.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a well-written cookbook. There are color photos for almost all recipes. All recipes come with helpful information, such as shortcuts for making the recipe, drink and other course pairings, how to prepare ahead of time, and ideas for what to do with leftovers. It's a four-star as opposed to a five-star because not a lot of the actual recipes appealed to me, but I would look for other books by this author.

[Jane Dugger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This recipes are OK. I can't envision myself making any of them.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this collection of recipes and the helpful tips and advice.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Pretty pictures, good ideas for "extra" info like shortcuts, variations, companion dishes and what to do with leftovers. But many of the recipes use ingredients that I just never have on hand. Apple jelly, hominy, cornichons? And while the recipes mentioned how far ahead you could make elements of the dish (which could definitely be useful), none of them said how long the recipe would take to prep, assemble, or cook (which would be even more useful).

I did jot down about a half dozen recipes that I'll probably try at some point, but this just isn't the cookbook for me.

For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.

[Anastasia Tuckness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, one of the top cookbooks I've ever come across. Most recipes have pictures, and each recipe has extensive notes that are really helpful when entertaining and otherwise--menu options, makeahead ideas, leftovers, shortcuts, variations--and that's for every single recipe.

I tried several recipes from the book and they were all good. I found more of them online and bookmarked them for future times. I would buy this book if I saw it for sale used, and I don't buy many cookbooks (although I love to cook!).

[Leah Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wise words from Pam Anderson: "Deciding when to have people over can be a little like waiting for the perfect time to get married or have a baby or buy a house: you may never get around to doing it if you delay until all the conditions are right."

The Oven-Barbecued Pork for Sandwiches (p. 17) is probably the best pork barbecue I've had. Very simple with no processed ingredients (except for Dijon mustard). Her Chicken Chili recipe looks very promising. I'll probably try that next.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Pam Anderson's approach here. Figure out the big stuff, what tricks may make it easier to prepare for your entertaining plans, and then fill in with other noshes, sides, etc. I've made a lot of the recipes here and liked them all. Nice photography, useful book. Definitely recommended.

[Miss Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs more photos to go with the recipes, much of it was not the type of recipes that I would use, but my favorite recipe and one I would recommend was Molten Chocolate Cakes with Sugar-Coated Raspberries.

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook for entertaining and simply for family recipes. The author includes a lot of sides, salads and desserts that are simple and interchangeable with the main dishes. Another great book form Pam Anderson.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought three Pamela Anderson cookbooks based on a positive review and cookbook list on Amazon. I must say that they were all just okay, nothing special .

[Mary Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

My new favorite cookbook

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this cookbook!

[Manintheboat · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your guests are people who eat meat and pork....

The multiple versions of soups and suggestions for sides made this book.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some to try.

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to be making SO MANY THINGS from this...
Pam Anderson is amazing. Her recipes are so approachable, and actually sound good, too. Can't wait!

[Heather Key · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13206036