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In the Mood for Quick Family Food: Simple, Fast and Delicious Recipes for Every Family
'Home-cooked food that's tasty and stress-free - this is Jo's guide for busy parents.' --Jamie Oliver Oh, how Jo Pratt's life has changed over the last few years! Gone are the days of spending a day or two preparing for elaborate dinner parties, using ingredients she hunted down in back-street markets and fancy deli shops. That was all pre-children - now things are very different. She's a busy mum who has to juggle work, children and all the associated chaos. She lives in a madhouse! Bestselling author Jo has devised a cookbook full of delicious and healthy food that addresses one of the most challenging problems experienced by busy finding time to cook meals for their family. The recipes are simple, easy to shop for and quick to make, with shortcuts and prepare-ahead tips. But there's much more to the book than this - there are also Lifesaver mini-recipes that give you staples for your freezer and store cupboard, and Leftovers mini-recipes too, to show you how to be clever and get more value out of time spent in the kitchen. There are three chapters - 'Monday to Friday Survival', 'Busy Weekends' and 'Cling onto your Social Life'. These chapters feature recipes for every meal and eventuality, including weekday kids' teatime recipes that will go down a storm, dinners that will wow your friends, and Sunday lunches to make the most of those precious moments of relaxation with your family.
224 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 15, 2016
New mom or dad? Soccer mom hauling kids to practice and games? College student without much cash — and even less time? Newly married couple with little time to spare from long hours on the job? If you’re pressed for time and don’t want to eat out all of the time, In the Mood for Quick Family Food has the answer for you.
Jo Pratt — working mother, mom to Oliver and Ross, wife to Phil — came up with a strategy for getting a healthy meal on the table, despite everything. She divides her cookbook into “Monday to Friday Survival” for everyday; “The Busy Weekend” in which Pratt points out that, even though parents aren’t working, they usually have even less time due to museum outings, athletic practices, and more; and “Cling on to Your Social Life” (a.k.a. even parents can have the occasional dinner party).
The recipes never call for esoteric ingredients, and, even though Pratt is English, she thoughtfully includes American measurement as well as metric. And, darling mum that she is, Pratt includes pudding recipes — desserts in American-speak — for the tots (and us, too!) What a gem this book is! Whether or not you’re not in a hurry.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was given this book by NetGalley and Watkins Media Limited, in return for an honest review.
Jo Pratt — working mother, mom to Oliver and Ross, wife to Phil — came up with a strategy for getting a healthy meal on the table, despite everything. She divides her cookbook into “Monday to Friday Survival” for everyday; “The Busy Weekend” in which Pratt points out that, even though parents aren’t working, they usually have even less time due to museum outings, athletic practices, and more; and “Cling on to Your Social Life” (a.k.a. even parents can have the occasional dinner party).
The recipes never call for esoteric ingredients, and, even though Pratt is English, she thoughtfully includes American measurement as well as metric. And, darling mum that she is, Pratt includes pudding recipes — desserts in American-speak — for the tots (and us, too!) What a gem this book is! Whether or not you’re not in a hurry.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was given this book by NetGalley and Watkins Media Limited, in return for an honest review.
July 26, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this easy to follow cookbook which has simple and unique recipes. I love how the author makes sure that the recipes can be followed no matter where you live and I especially love how there were many recipes I had never seen before but looked delicious and easy to put together. I highly recommend this cookbook!
January 16, 2018
The recipes are indeed simple, although quite chaotic. And you must know that family for Pratt is short for "2 adults, 2 children".
December 19, 2016
Title: In the Mood for Quick Family Food - Simple, Fast and Delicious Recipes for Every Family
Author: Jo Pratt
Published: 80-23-2016
Publisher: Watkins Media/Nourish
Pages: 224
Genre: Cookbooks,Food & Wine
Sub Genre: Quick & Easy; Health, Fitness & Dieting
ISBN: 13-978-1848992948
ASIN: B01KE3VMB8
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For:NetGalley
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
I receive a copy of In the Mood for Quick Family Food from the publisher & NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Jo Pratt, a well known chef, now centers her world around her work and family. Her cookbook In the Mood for Quick Family Food reflects the need for a working parent to make good tasting meals quickly that tempt their family with taste and flavor. That is something all of us can identify with. She also has a section on working with left-overs and another with tips on doing ahead of time prep to cut down on time constraints even more. This is a cookbook for the busy individual trying to fill the multiple rolls a parent must fill.
With simple recipes that are easy to follow and recreate you will come to love this cookbook and be glad to have it on hand in your culinary library. My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. The cover shows it all --- even young cooks can help prepare these dishes. Looking at the photographs are enough to make your mouth water.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Mood-Quick-Fam...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-th...
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
Author: Jo Pratt
Published: 80-23-2016
Publisher: Watkins Media/Nourish
Pages: 224
Genre: Cookbooks,Food & Wine
Sub Genre: Quick & Easy; Health, Fitness & Dieting
ISBN: 13-978-1848992948
ASIN: B01KE3VMB8
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For:NetGalley
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
I receive a copy of In the Mood for Quick Family Food from the publisher & NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Jo Pratt, a well known chef, now centers her world around her work and family. Her cookbook In the Mood for Quick Family Food reflects the need for a working parent to make good tasting meals quickly that tempt their family with taste and flavor. That is something all of us can identify with. She also has a section on working with left-overs and another with tips on doing ahead of time prep to cut down on time constraints even more. This is a cookbook for the busy individual trying to fill the multiple rolls a parent must fill.
With simple recipes that are easy to follow and recreate you will come to love this cookbook and be glad to have it on hand in your culinary library. My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. The cover shows it all --- even young cooks can help prepare these dishes. Looking at the photographs are enough to make your mouth water.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Mood-Quick-Fam...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-th...
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
October 14, 2016
I received this book, for free, in exchange for an honest review.
This book contains recipes that are simple to cook and can be prepared with minimal prep time.
The book bridges the gap between cook books that produce not particularly healthy food for picky kids and adultcentric cookbooks.
This book is more fancy than cookbooks geared at kids. There are many recipes here that I can't imagine my 4 year old trying. On the other hand, I'd guess that somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of the recipes are things she might reasonably be expected to like. This is much better than my other cookbooks and even better than most kids cookbooks. My guess is an 8 year old would find closer to half of the recipes approachable.
The book is also in the middle ground between kids cookbooks and adult cookbooks in terms of health. The meals are more complex then you'd expect in a kids book, having more veggies, more interesting meats (lamb!) and spices. That being said, there are dishes like Moroccan recipes that are probably pretty out there for kids in most western households. Personally, I'd love to try these recipes (and normally cook similarly interesting foods) but can't imagine convincing most young children to try them. The recipes are also more simple flavorwise than I'd like to see in a cookbook.
This may have understandably been done to make things easier to cook and to keep kids happy.
Speaking of health, the author seems to have a reasonable understanding of health but errors like the usage of sunflower oil do crop up that cause me to question her knowledge. It does seem to be pretty good in this regard, but mistakes like this make me lose trust pretty fast.
This book contains recipes that are simple to cook and can be prepared with minimal prep time.
The book bridges the gap between cook books that produce not particularly healthy food for picky kids and adultcentric cookbooks.
This book is more fancy than cookbooks geared at kids. There are many recipes here that I can't imagine my 4 year old trying. On the other hand, I'd guess that somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of the recipes are things she might reasonably be expected to like. This is much better than my other cookbooks and even better than most kids cookbooks. My guess is an 8 year old would find closer to half of the recipes approachable.
The book is also in the middle ground between kids cookbooks and adult cookbooks in terms of health. The meals are more complex then you'd expect in a kids book, having more veggies, more interesting meats (lamb!) and spices. That being said, there are dishes like Moroccan recipes that are probably pretty out there for kids in most western households. Personally, I'd love to try these recipes (and normally cook similarly interesting foods) but can't imagine convincing most young children to try them. The recipes are also more simple flavorwise than I'd like to see in a cookbook.
This may have understandably been done to make things easier to cook and to keep kids happy.
Speaking of health, the author seems to have a reasonable understanding of health but errors like the usage of sunflower oil do crop up that cause me to question her knowledge. It does seem to be pretty good in this regard, but mistakes like this make me lose trust pretty fast.
August 29, 2016
This cookbook was written to be good for the family that's very busy. The author, in her introduction, talks about going from life, pre-children, yo life now with children
I looked at the recipes, the table of contents is set up nicely beginning with Monday -Friday meals then other chapters later are ex. Breakfasts, drinks etc. more weekend type ideas.
To me, with or without children, it looks a bit complex. It doesn't seem like very easy meals M-F plus, she uses foods I personally never heard of such as naan bread. Perhaps I'm stupid, or maybe this is a common type bread in certain areas, but not mine. I dont know what it is, where to even buy it, where to look, or what it looks like. This already has me in cookbook overload & doesn't make me feel real at ease, with these easy weekday, busy time meals, as I'm stressed over bread
Nice family pictures included, her young children are either A) smart for their age or B) making them look as if they're helping, when they're just playing pretend cooking, to stay out of mom's way while cooking. I personally wouldn't buy this type cookbook. There are many many more out there that really are easy meals for busy families, I just wouldn't consider this one of them
I'd actually consider 3.5 stars, but since not half stars,Mathis didn't impress me enough to push it to that 4 star rating
I received a digital copy from net galley & nourishbooks.com in return for an honest review
I looked at the recipes, the table of contents is set up nicely beginning with Monday -Friday meals then other chapters later are ex. Breakfasts, drinks etc. more weekend type ideas.
To me, with or without children, it looks a bit complex. It doesn't seem like very easy meals M-F plus, she uses foods I personally never heard of such as naan bread. Perhaps I'm stupid, or maybe this is a common type bread in certain areas, but not mine. I dont know what it is, where to even buy it, where to look, or what it looks like. This already has me in cookbook overload & doesn't make me feel real at ease, with these easy weekday, busy time meals, as I'm stressed over bread
Nice family pictures included, her young children are either A) smart for their age or B) making them look as if they're helping, when they're just playing pretend cooking, to stay out of mom's way while cooking. I personally wouldn't buy this type cookbook. There are many many more out there that really are easy meals for busy families, I just wouldn't consider this one of them
I'd actually consider 3.5 stars, but since not half stars,Mathis didn't impress me enough to push it to that 4 star rating
I received a digital copy from net galley & nourishbooks.com in return for an honest review
September 14, 2016
This is a handy cookbook for families, split into useful sections such as 'Monday to Friday Survival', 'Busy Weekends' and 'Cling onto your Social Life'. It covers main meals, snacks, treats and desserts.
I'll update this review once I've had time to test out some recipes. At the moment I'm just debating what to make first. But on the surface they look like solid recipes for family tastebuds. Instructions are clear and ingredients seem easy enough to shop for (which can be a problem in some cookbooks). Pictures are fun and appealing, though there isn't one for every recipe. It's not an extraordinary out-of-this-world book, most of these recipes you will have seen variations of before. But I think that's sort of the point with a family cookbook. You look through it when uninspired and get reminded of what you can try/already like.
Only minor disappointment for me is that I'm currently (temporarily!) dairy free and the majority of recipes do include this ingredient in one form or another. But hey, I know that's a me-issue, not a this-book-issue.
I received a free e-arc copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'll update this review once I've had time to test out some recipes. At the moment I'm just debating what to make first. But on the surface they look like solid recipes for family tastebuds. Instructions are clear and ingredients seem easy enough to shop for (which can be a problem in some cookbooks). Pictures are fun and appealing, though there isn't one for every recipe. It's not an extraordinary out-of-this-world book, most of these recipes you will have seen variations of before. But I think that's sort of the point with a family cookbook. You look through it when uninspired and get reminded of what you can try/already like.
Only minor disappointment for me is that I'm currently (temporarily!) dairy free and the majority of recipes do include this ingredient in one form or another. But hey, I know that's a me-issue, not a this-book-issue.
I received a free e-arc copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2016
Author Jo Pratt has written a comprehensive cookbook when it comes to explaining British recipes for the American reading audience. Her cookbook gives clear explanations allowing cooks from both sides of the pond to cook from her recipes. An example of this is the use of Fahrenheit, Celsius and Gas Mark temperatures throughout her recipes allowing a cook to choose the correct oven temperature based on the stove being used.
Her recipes though are targeted more for a European audience as most Americans typically do not eat beans for breakfast. You'll find a recipe called Cowboy Beans-On-Toast that uses pork sausages and beans served as a breakfast meal.
Some of the other recipes you'll find in her cookbook include:
Pork and Hoisin Wrap
Salmon and Seafood Crumble
Chicken, Cheese and Corn Quesadillas
Meatballs with Olives
Classic Vanilla Sponge with Butter Icing
Recommend.
Review written after downloading a free galley from NetGalley.
Her recipes though are targeted more for a European audience as most Americans typically do not eat beans for breakfast. You'll find a recipe called Cowboy Beans-On-Toast that uses pork sausages and beans served as a breakfast meal.
Some of the other recipes you'll find in her cookbook include:
Pork and Hoisin Wrap
Salmon and Seafood Crumble
Chicken, Cheese and Corn Quesadillas
Meatballs with Olives
Classic Vanilla Sponge with Butter Icing
Recommend.
Review written after downloading a free galley from NetGalley.
October 13, 2016
Really like this recipe book, well presented, good photographs and simple instructions. Wide range of recipes, some of which I have tried and all good so far. I like the way that in some recipes a kid friendly version is given with tips on how to make it more adult if preferred. I work full time and commute so I've found this book really good for new ideas of things to cook quickly and are really tasty.
I received a free copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
I received a free copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
July 8, 2016
Even though I am vegetarian and gluten free there are many recipes in here for me. Simple and delicious . Several in here are already my favorites , the creme brulee made with yogurt and several pasta recipes.
July 29, 2016
The recipes look healthy and yummy. I would happily eat them, but most don't seem like things I'd make - not easy enough for this mom who doesn't love to cook. The book has a good layout.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
October 27, 2016
I'm a Mom of 2 young kids and this cookbook is exactly what I need. I need simple recipes that I can make with 2 kids hanging off my legs and ones that appeal to kids! So many of these recipes look really delicious and I can't wait to try them out!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews