Kitchen Life: Real Food For Real Families -- Even Yours!

by Art Smith

The indispensable new cookbook for today's busy families from the New York Times bestselling author of Back to the Table . From James Beard Awardwinning chef Art Smith comes a book that gives readers more than 150 simple and delicious ways to feed -- and enrich -- their families. in Back to the Table , Art Smith, the New York Times bestselling author and personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, showed readers how to gather at the table to celebrate special occasions with food. In his new book, Kitchen Life , Smith shows today's busy families an altogether new approach to everyday dining by staying ahead of the mealtime jam while learning to prepare simpler, more satisfying meals. This is a Practical, indispensable book that America's busy families can turn to every day of the year. Kitchen Life's unique organization and tools teach readers to identify what type of cook they are, based on how they eat, shop, and manage their hectic schedules. Divided into helpful sections, it demonstrates how --Create more efficient and comprehensive kitchen pantries
--Simplify and organize for cooking efficiently
--Create weekly menus It also offers solutions to "real-life" family case studies based on actual examples drawn from people in everyday situations -- from working, stay-at-home, and single parents to families with teenagers or a new baby in the house. Interactive questionnaires will help readers evaluate their own individual cooking style and then tailor recipes and meal plans to make their kitchen life easier than ever. At the heart of Kitchen Life are more than 150 of Smith's delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes from snacks, soups, and salads to casseroles and desserts, Art's Macaroni and Cheese Soup, Taverna Pasta Salad with Roast Lamb, Curry-Crusted Cornish Hens with Red Peppers, Chili Shepherd's Pie, and Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2004

Reviews

[Kellea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitchen Life by Art Smith is a great resource for anyone who is trying to develop a serious relationship with food, cooking, and their kitchen. I appreciated the pre-quiz, Art's Kitchen Life Quiz, at the front of the book that asks the novice chef questions like, What type of shopper are you?, What are your time challenges?, What kind of cook are you?, Are you eating right?, and What are your food preferences? At the end of the quiz, you have the opportunity to make an assessment of yourself as a cook for what Art calls "Real People, Real Solutions". The cookbook overall is a great colorful book, however, I'm a sucker for lots of photos in a cookbook and this book, while the text is vibrant and easy to read, there are definitely not enough pictures of finished food product. I would have really appreciated that.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes here are solid (though a little heavy) and his advice is sound. I thought this would be a good book for someone who was just starting to cook for a family. The quiz in the beginning and the prep tips are helpful.

This is pretty beginner-oriented. I've already got standbys for most of these dishes, so I wasn't that thrilled with the recipes. I wish there was more nutrition information here, too. And I thought he could have used a slow cooker or pressure cooker section - those can be huge timesavers for busy families.

Overall, a good basic cookbook with excellent advice for those just starting to cook for families or groups.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes in this cookbook. A good one for your collection. I believe Art Smith was Oprah's personal chef.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tasting, easy to follow recipes.