Dave's Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-Cooked Meals

by Dave Lieberman

The charismatic rising Food Network star returns with his second cookbook Dave Lieberman's boy-next-door charm and impressive kitchen chops have made him a favorite with Food Network fans. Now, in his second cookbook, he offers recipes that will satisfy even the busiest of families. Here is the perfect easy-to-follow guide for anyone interested in cooking affordable and delicious dinners. With dishes like . . . -Orange and Five-Spice Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potato Smash -Twisted Pasta with Browned Butter, Sage, and Walnuts -Red-Wine Pot Roast with Honey and Thyme -Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes Dave shows how to make the most of every ingredient while minimizing costs, intensifying the joy of bringing a good meal to family and friends.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2006

Reviews

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

As its name suggests, Dave's Dinners focuses exclusively on the cocktail, pre-dinner nibbles, dinner, and dessert part of the day, and is the sort of stuff author Dave Lieberman enjoys serving his friends when they get together for a bite.

For me the most pleasant surprise in the book is the cocktail section with recipes for infused simple syrups for which he notes, "Instead of depending on others to flavor my drinks, I figure I should take the same approach to drinks as I take to food: That is, make it my own" (p. 4). Makes sense to me, and he offers five different infused syrups and nine cocktails in which they play a starring role.

I read a lot of cookbooks, and these recipes are well explained, not overly complex (heck, the Baby Pea Soup only has four ingredients!), and do not call for overly specialized kitchen gadgets or preparation methods. I am starting with the above-mentioned pea soup and, in lieu of the rustic bread he recommends and going with a tried but true chive popover that will dunk nicely in the soup. He's got some beloved family recipes in here, too, which is something I always appreciate from folks who might otherwise lose sight of their culinary origins.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A food network chef whom I don't watch but the book sounded good so I though I would check it out. The meals are a bit complicated for everyday use and I really hate buying one odd ingredient for one recipe and then having that ingredient sit in my cabinet for months afterward. Plus, my husband dislikes mushrooms and tomatoes, so that takes out a lot of these recipes. I did find a great cupcake recipe: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes. Yummy. There is also a good chocolate cake recipes and I really like a guy who uses unsweetened cocoa instead of baking chocolate in his cake. One other thought, a Beet Cake? Ewwww. Gross. Ah, well, two recipes that I can use is pretty good. This is why I love the library.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Young and Hungry More Than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone, mainly because it lacks versatility (limited to just dinners, and no vegetarian options). But the recipes are nevertheless tasty, inexpensive to make, and fresh.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right now I am collecting more for the autographs than actually cooking from them! :) Still need an autograph for this book.