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Forking Fantastic!: Put the Party Back in Dinner Party
The innovative hosts of a hot-ticket underground supper club invite you to crank up your oven, break out the vino, and save the dinner party from extinction
Twice a month, two veterans of the New York food world prepare a big meal in a tiny kitchen, serving heaping plates of spectacular cuisine to twenty diverse people (or more). Friends old and new at their Sunday Night Dinners supper club make spirited conversation while feasting on sumptuous cooking. Never obsessed with perfect place settings or fussy details, Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds instead focus on the practical joys of down-to-earth entertaining at home. In Forking Fantastic! , they showcase their very best recipes for making mouthwatering dinners-and for having the time of your life.
With a healthy dose of irreverent attitude and infectious spirit, here Tamara and Zora take the pressure off and encourage us to reclaim the lost art of cooking delectable meals for the masses. Forking Fantastic!
Food-forward but always realistic, Tamara and Zora celebrate seasonal, local ingredients while also extolling cornbread mix and the frozen pea. Quirky, funny and fresh, this book arms intimidated cooks everywhere with the courage, confidence and tools they need to have people over for the sake of food and community, not for the prize of being the best hostess on the block. A manifesto for bringing back a time-honored ritual one mind-blowing feast at a time, Forking Fantastic! makes dinner parties rock.
Twice a month, two veterans of the New York food world prepare a big meal in a tiny kitchen, serving heaping plates of spectacular cuisine to twenty diverse people (or more). Friends old and new at their Sunday Night Dinners supper club make spirited conversation while feasting on sumptuous cooking. Never obsessed with perfect place settings or fussy details, Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds instead focus on the practical joys of down-to-earth entertaining at home. In Forking Fantastic! , they showcase their very best recipes for making mouthwatering dinners-and for having the time of your life.
With a healthy dose of irreverent attitude and infectious spirit, here Tamara and Zora take the pressure off and encourage us to reclaim the lost art of cooking delectable meals for the masses. Forking Fantastic!
Food-forward but always realistic, Tamara and Zora celebrate seasonal, local ingredients while also extolling cornbread mix and the frozen pea. Quirky, funny and fresh, this book arms intimidated cooks everywhere with the courage, confidence and tools they need to have people over for the sake of food and community, not for the prize of being the best hostess on the block. A manifesto for bringing back a time-honored ritual one mind-blowing feast at a time, Forking Fantastic! makes dinner parties rock.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Zora O'Neill
50 books39 followersI'm a travel and food writer, with a particular interest in languages and traditional cuisine.
I grew up in New Mexico, and now live in Astoria, Queens, in NYC. I chose the neighborhood because I hear so many different languages spoken in the streets, and I can buy fresh produce 24 hours a day.
For years, my main gig was writing travel guides. It has always been a pleasure to give a great restaurant recommendation, and have someone come back and tell me how much they love it.
My first travel memoir, All Strangers Are Kin, was published in 2016. It took me back to the Middle East, to study Arabic again--a lifetime project.
I grew up in New Mexico, and now live in Astoria, Queens, in NYC. I chose the neighborhood because I hear so many different languages spoken in the streets, and I can buy fresh produce 24 hours a day.
For years, my main gig was writing travel guides. It has always been a pleasure to give a great restaurant recommendation, and have someone come back and tell me how much they love it.
My first travel memoir, All Strangers Are Kin, was published in 2016. It took me back to the Middle East, to study Arabic again--a lifetime project.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 29, 2009
I won this book from the firstreads program, and am happy to have been chosen. It's completely different than any book I've ever read in that it was written very much like the authors would speak. It was a very quick read...only 200-some pages which I easily did in two days.
I enjoyed it largely because it gave me a look into another lifestyle. A lifestyle of thirty-something singles and couples who live in the city and love to party. A far cry from my simple country life with a husband, dog, two kids, and three mortgages. However, it gave me a new perspective on dinner parties. I am the opposite of what this book "promotes" - I am that matching-china, beautiful-seasonal-centerpiece-loving Martha Stewart wannabe.
The premise of this book is that dinner parties don't need to be so complicated. Scrubbing the house beforehand, fretting over matching silverware and table linens, and loads of experience are of the least importance. Dinner parties are about gathering, togethering, and enjoying! This book urges readers to break free from social stigma and learn to relax, allowing you to truly experience what a dinner party is all about ---- the opportunity to bring Sunday dinner to any day of the week. I really feel that this book gave me the courage to think outside of the box a little and not be so strict with the guidelines of perfection I've put on myself as a hostess in the past.
The recipes: truthfully, they are not my taste and I will likely maybe only try a handful of the 50 or so recipes included (of the ones I may try, four out of five are desserts). But, I have loads of great cookbooks that ARE my type of food. This book was about something else for me. The food was secondary. This book was about finding the courage to loosen up when planning a gathering of friends or family. The book has layed the groundwork for that courage, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the party ideas contained within.
To me, at times the girls who wrote the book seemed a tad rough around the edges for my taste, making dirty jokes that truthfully seemed almost forced in an attempt to make the reader laugh. They also used the "f-bomber," quite a bit, and although not my style, all-in-all, it really only contributed to the flavor of their entire book. It was also very meat-centric with gross sketches of animal bodies and which parts to eat. ICK!
This book also talks about methods of preparation, effectively pairing wines with food, and the best ways to shop. Definitely a quick, fun read that I would recommend. I think most people could gain something worthwhile from at least parts of the book.
I enjoyed it largely because it gave me a look into another lifestyle. A lifestyle of thirty-something singles and couples who live in the city and love to party. A far cry from my simple country life with a husband, dog, two kids, and three mortgages. However, it gave me a new perspective on dinner parties. I am the opposite of what this book "promotes" - I am that matching-china, beautiful-seasonal-centerpiece-loving Martha Stewart wannabe.
The premise of this book is that dinner parties don't need to be so complicated. Scrubbing the house beforehand, fretting over matching silverware and table linens, and loads of experience are of the least importance. Dinner parties are about gathering, togethering, and enjoying! This book urges readers to break free from social stigma and learn to relax, allowing you to truly experience what a dinner party is all about ---- the opportunity to bring Sunday dinner to any day of the week. I really feel that this book gave me the courage to think outside of the box a little and not be so strict with the guidelines of perfection I've put on myself as a hostess in the past.
The recipes: truthfully, they are not my taste and I will likely maybe only try a handful of the 50 or so recipes included (of the ones I may try, four out of five are desserts). But, I have loads of great cookbooks that ARE my type of food. This book was about something else for me. The food was secondary. This book was about finding the courage to loosen up when planning a gathering of friends or family. The book has layed the groundwork for that courage, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the party ideas contained within.
To me, at times the girls who wrote the book seemed a tad rough around the edges for my taste, making dirty jokes that truthfully seemed almost forced in an attempt to make the reader laugh. They also used the "f-bomber," quite a bit, and although not my style, all-in-all, it really only contributed to the flavor of their entire book. It was also very meat-centric with gross sketches of animal bodies and which parts to eat. ICK!
This book also talks about methods of preparation, effectively pairing wines with food, and the best ways to shop. Definitely a quick, fun read that I would recommend. I think most people could gain something worthwhile from at least parts of the book.
February 12, 2012
I want to throw a dinner party. I feel like I have about 2 good years of experience cooking with good, seasonal, healthy food. I can honestly say I love cooking and I think I'm pretty good at it. I also love my friends, and I want to cook for them. I'm just not good at the planning part. Who do you invite? How many people? How do you time a meal? Do I have to do 5 courses? Which course comes first?
This book cleared it all up for me. While it's got recipes and meal ideas, I probably won't use them (many of the reviews I read say they don't turn out good anyway) but the party planning, menu ideas and execution ideas in this book are absolute winners! They are funny, laid back, and addressed all my questions. Did I mention they were funny? That makes this book worth the read even if you don't ever want to throw or attend a dinner party.
So now I just need some a few willing friends to come over to eat!
This book cleared it all up for me. While it's got recipes and meal ideas, I probably won't use them (many of the reviews I read say they don't turn out good anyway) but the party planning, menu ideas and execution ideas in this book are absolute winners! They are funny, laid back, and addressed all my questions. Did I mention they were funny? That makes this book worth the read even if you don't ever want to throw or attend a dinner party.
So now I just need some a few willing friends to come over to eat!
November 17, 2009
I must preface my review with the fact that I love throwing parties. We have people over just about every week. So, a fun book on throwing parties seemed like a great idea...until you actually cook out of it.
I enjoyed the writing, the style and the punk that Zora and Tamara exude. But, after making multiple dishes out of the book I cannot sincerely recommend it to anyone. I feel that they used too expensive ingredients for dishes that could be made for a lot less ($50 for 2 dishes; pot roast and a pilaf, with the meat on sale) and did not test the recipes. I spent a disastrous afternoon trying to salvage the results, and still ended up disappointed. The chickens got to eat the remains.
I enjoyed the writing, the style and the punk that Zora and Tamara exude. But, after making multiple dishes out of the book I cannot sincerely recommend it to anyone. I feel that they used too expensive ingredients for dishes that could be made for a lot less ($50 for 2 dishes; pot roast and a pilaf, with the meat on sale) and did not test the recipes. I spent a disastrous afternoon trying to salvage the results, and still ended up disappointed. The chickens got to eat the remains.
December 19, 2009
Not being a cook I still had a watering mouth after looking at the many recipes. I passed it on to my daughter the cook of the family. I still give it two forks up and can not wait to try some of the recipes.
October 3, 2009
Forking Fantastic is forking fantastic!
When a book says, "Put the party back in dinner party," I expect great and funny things, and the authors do not disappoint.
Perhaps the book is best read with a glass of wine to hand (and mouth). I read the book in smorgasbord format, delving in here, diving in there, pausing in slight consternation (over the lamb, I don't do lamb--but hey, I might try it for a party. One could certainly use two meats at a big enough party!). I read the Intro, then jumped in; only now as I write this review did I discover the first chapter, "Pep Talk," in which the secret powers of cooking for others are revealed: Sex! Art! Power! But I am the cook in my household; I knew that.
Quotes: "Spatchcock: Another word we put in just because we like saying it." (It's Britspeak for butterflying.)
"Raw chicken=napalm." From the recipe for Passion Fruit Curd: "Contrary to all cooking logic, more jam does not make it better--believe us, we've tried." "...give a few shakes, just to the point where you start getting embarrassed about the jiggling in your upper arms." Is this too many for reviews? "If only 'Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown' were just an awesome song by the Rolling Stones (re: entertaining.)"
I have two favorites, one that is too long to retype but involves sausage gravy and a kindly farm wife--and: "... this is probably the secret of entertaining in a truly grand style: Jump in blindly." Julia would have approved. (Though be warned about the F-word, there's lots of it.)
The authors write both to cooking and entertaining novices and those with experience. They provide wine advice, definitions, and the lovely "learn from our mistakes" asides. There are lots of asides in this book, but I like that. There are also tips on "horde management" and kitchen equipment. I enjoy the relaxed style, as if one of your neighbors were there in your kitchen with you. The design of the book is great as well, allowing you to pay attention to the recipes only or to divert to other matters. Especially great is the fried chicken recipe, formatted for a few friends (1 chicken) or thirty (8 chickens) under the heading, ARE YOU INSANE?
My top recipes to try: Spanish Tortilla with Saffron (amazingly, this is not a flat substitute for bread, but a riff on a frittata!). Overnight Chuck Roast. Fish with pomegranate molasses (okay, the recipe's not in the book, but the suggestion is. I can wing it.). Baci di Ricotta.
Step by step recipes, step by step party set-up, this book revives my dreams of the international cooking club I started with my friends in middle school. Please, please please, Tamara & Zora, come over to my house & play! I, too, keep Jiffy Cornbread mix in my pantry. Behind the wine. And please bring Dapper Dan.
I have recommended the book to my local library system and friends, but I will not be loaning it to anyone. It's mine, all mine.
Disclosure: I won the book from the goodreads giveaway signup.
Thanks!
When a book says, "Put the party back in dinner party," I expect great and funny things, and the authors do not disappoint.
Perhaps the book is best read with a glass of wine to hand (and mouth). I read the book in smorgasbord format, delving in here, diving in there, pausing in slight consternation (over the lamb, I don't do lamb--but hey, I might try it for a party. One could certainly use two meats at a big enough party!). I read the Intro, then jumped in; only now as I write this review did I discover the first chapter, "Pep Talk," in which the secret powers of cooking for others are revealed: Sex! Art! Power! But I am the cook in my household; I knew that.
Quotes: "Spatchcock: Another word we put in just because we like saying it." (It's Britspeak for butterflying.)
"Raw chicken=napalm." From the recipe for Passion Fruit Curd: "Contrary to all cooking logic, more jam does not make it better--believe us, we've tried." "...give a few shakes, just to the point where you start getting embarrassed about the jiggling in your upper arms." Is this too many for reviews? "If only 'Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown' were just an awesome song by the Rolling Stones (re: entertaining.)"
I have two favorites, one that is too long to retype but involves sausage gravy and a kindly farm wife--and: "... this is probably the secret of entertaining in a truly grand style: Jump in blindly." Julia would have approved. (Though be warned about the F-word, there's lots of it.)
The authors write both to cooking and entertaining novices and those with experience. They provide wine advice, definitions, and the lovely "learn from our mistakes" asides. There are lots of asides in this book, but I like that. There are also tips on "horde management" and kitchen equipment. I enjoy the relaxed style, as if one of your neighbors were there in your kitchen with you. The design of the book is great as well, allowing you to pay attention to the recipes only or to divert to other matters. Especially great is the fried chicken recipe, formatted for a few friends (1 chicken) or thirty (8 chickens) under the heading, ARE YOU INSANE?
My top recipes to try: Spanish Tortilla with Saffron (amazingly, this is not a flat substitute for bread, but a riff on a frittata!). Overnight Chuck Roast. Fish with pomegranate molasses (okay, the recipe's not in the book, but the suggestion is. I can wing it.). Baci di Ricotta.
Step by step recipes, step by step party set-up, this book revives my dreams of the international cooking club I started with my friends in middle school. Please, please please, Tamara & Zora, come over to my house & play! I, too, keep Jiffy Cornbread mix in my pantry. Behind the wine. And please bring Dapper Dan.
I have recommended the book to my local library system and friends, but I will not be loaning it to anyone. It's mine, all mine.
Disclosure: I won the book from the goodreads giveaway signup.
Thanks!
November 30, 2009
First, I have to admit that I've been to Zora and Tamara's dinner parties and they are fucking fantastic. The book conveys well their approach to entertaining, which is relaxed and much more than fun. And, as a very occasional cook who is intimidated by the thought of feeding others, reading FF was inspiring. I found the menus and recipes clear and easy to follow. But, more importantly, the approach to how to plan and execute a dinner party was priceless. Great book!!!
February 8, 2010
I received this as a christmas gift from my brother in-law, because I love to entertain. The book was geared at beginners, but it had some good things to say and was pretty entertaining. They lay on the "we're new yorkers and we're not afraid to drop the F bomb" schtick a little thick, but it did get some chuckles. And I can appreciate their stance that vegetarianism ought to include a bacon clause. So, I would recommend it for anyone that appreciates the art of cooking for friends.
February 21, 2010
These girls rock. Love the tone, style, and sheer grace with which Tamara and Zora tickle us into wanting to host our own dinner parties (and not pull our hair out.) This book is for newbies, busy bees and people who want to own cookbooks that will make them laugh out loud.
October 6, 2009
I like how this book gave you step by step instructions on how to prepare the meals for a dinner party and the recipes look delicious.
Want to Read
March 3, 2010kudos to green tree library - the only library in the county that owns this one. GT rocks!
September 22, 2011
Heard these ladies on NPR and I thought they were great. The book has some good recipes and lots of advice for entertaining.
December 22, 2009
I like their style.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews