Robin Miller is the host of the new series on Food Network, Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller, which provides viewers with recipes, time-saving tips, and strategies for serving up fresh, healthful meals every day with the least possible effort. In Quick Fix Meals, Robin shares her best time-saving strategies for putting fresh, delicious food on the table every night. Her recipes are organized by these techniques, which include Meal Kits (pre-prepping the ingredients for a weeknight meal on the weekend, bagging them, and having them ready to go in the fridge; the result--meals that can be on the table in literally 10 minutes); Morph-It Recipes (enjoy Herb-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin one night and you've got the makings for Chili-Rubbed Turkey Medallions or Pan-Seared Turkey with Apples and Melted Blue Cheese another night), and Greased Lightning, unbelievably tasty recipes that can be put together and on the table in 20 minutes. There are also Simple Sides that go together in no time, as well as, for those who just can't live without dessert, a collection of In-a-Snap Sweets.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robin has been a food writer and a nutritionist since 1990. She is the author of the best-selling cookbook Quick Fix Meals. Her popular show Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller currently airs on the Food Network. Her primetime show Robin to the Rescue premiered on the Food Network in March 2007. Robin's recipes and nutrition features can be seen regularly in a variety of media outlets, including the Today show on NBC, The Early Show on CBS, Good Morning America on ABC, Live! with Regis & Kelly, Fox News Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Guideposts, Cooking Light, Health, Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's World, and Parade. Robin has a master's degree in food and nutrition from New York University."
This book had a few different methods for easy food prep - making frozen meal kits, using leftovers to morph into another dish, and recipes that are just simply quick to make. I did grab a good number of recipes but was confused about why there were so many pictures of the author doing random things, or pretend cooking, like peering into an oven we can't see into, stirring a pan you can't see food in, typing into her laptop, or even just sitting on her porch staring pensively into the distance. The recipes on those pages could have benefited from actual pictures of the finished food - otherwise it seems like some recipes alongside a photo shoot of the author. And the dessert section was just too small! Aside from that, it was overall pretty useful.
I found Robin Miller and her cookbooks some time ago and used to tape the shows on the DVR. I like her and this cookbook is not one of my favorites but there were some decent recipes that appear easy and tasty and as the title suggests... Quick Fix!
Whenever I buy a book (ie cookbook) it is usually based on a decision from taking out library books to pass my test. In the past I had bought / collected cookbooks with hundreds of recipes where maybe 5-6 recipes were recipes that I would try. Therefore this is one of few that I bought because of the number of recipes that appeal to my personal scoring system. Nothing aggravates me more than recipes with bizarre ingredients that require a bank loan to purchase like in some of the more gourmet chef's cookbooks and/or hours and hours of prep or cooking time. My wife and I need to feed ourselves... we are not out to impress dinner guests nor compete on MasterChef. I have no regrets on having purchased this book and it's in front of me now not only for the purpose of this review but because we were using it for our menu plan for the week ahead.
Some of the recipes in this book which peaked our interest include: Spinach Fettuccine, Seafood Pomodoro, Angel Hair with Sausage, Jambalaya, Cashew Lime Chicken, Asian Beef Salad, Thai Chicken Salad, Oven Fry Chicken, Beef Stroganoff, Cabbage & Apples, and the Soy Sesame Green Beans to name a few; however, the list that I made from the book includes about twenty more recipes on my "to do" list.
This cookbook is a "keeper" but don't take MY word for it. Check it out from your local library before deciding if you will use it or just let it sit on your bookshelves.
I love Robin Miller's show on the Food Network, but I didn't like the cookbook quite as much. There were some great recipes, but I have a thing for pictures and there weren't many. I like to see what I'm making. I did like the advice on prepping the meals ahead of time and then the instructions on how to assemble everything so dinner takes the least amount of time. I wish other cookbooks would include similar suggestions for their recipes.
It's not technically fair for a vegetarian to be reading non-veg cookbooks and expecting much, but I often find a good cookbook will at least give me some new ideas that I can tweak. This is not one of those books. I felt like I was reading a book written twenty years ago somehow. The recipes seemed very same old, same old.
This book has some really quick ideas as well as easy to follow instructions even a guy like me can't screw it up. Most of these recipes are delicious, and gives you a variety when it is "Dad's Turn" to cook.
I am at work two and a half days a week, and when I get home I do not want to spend another hour and a half getting dinner ready. I read Quick Fix Meals in hopes of further streamlining the dinner making process so I can have more time to do things I enjoy like read to the kids.
I tried several of the recipes and some were not as good as they sounded (like “Artichoke-Steak Melts with Smoked Provolone and Basil Mayo”) but most were quite good (like “Coconut-Lime Chicken with Chiles”). They really are fast meals, largely owing to some creative uses of batch-cooked meats.
I loved this book so much that I bought copies for my brothers.
The real jewel was the section of 'cook your meat now, cut before storing, use it for other meals in the next few days' recipe sets. These recipes frontload the preparation into one cooking session, but get around the monotony of huge amounts of leftovers.
Robin's instructions are easy to understand for non-cooks, and she even includes useful directions for how best to refrigerate or freeze the results.
Love this cookbook. Robin has a great concept of cooking one meal and morphing the leftovers into something different. I've made many recipes from this book and they are all delicious. Plus, I got to meet Robin at a cooking demo/book signing in Scottsdale, AZ and she seems just as nice as she does on her show.
Love the three meal prep concepts she presents to get meals to the table quicker. There were some great new recipes, some classics with a twist... and some that are too gourmet-ish I don't ever see myself making. I'm not familiar with her Food Network show.
The recipes looked okay, I just really didn't enjoy the format of this cookbook. I prefer a lot more pictures and for them to be with the recipe, not just in the middle.
Love this book. All the recipes I have made from it have been winners. I like that there are so many time-saving techniques in it, too. Much appreciated from this busy mom.