Weeknights with Giada

December 19, 2011
In her sixth cookbook, De Laurentiis explains to her readers, “This is what weeknights look like in my house.” Motivated by her desire to sit down to dinner with her husband and four-year-old daughter despite her busy schedule, De Laurentiis has “shaken up her weeknight repertoire to include only dishes that can be pulled together after a full day... and be accomplished in under an hour.” De Laurentiis delivers on her promise—the book is full of quick, easy dishes that follow her formula—simple and pleasing. A chapter on soups and salads includes jalapeño and cherry tomato gazpacho that requires no cooking at all, and caramelized onion, chicken, and grapefruit salad that calls for shredded rotisserie chicken breasts to save time. Pizza with onion, sausage, and basil and calzone recipes use store-bought pizza dough, and turkey and pancetta pot pies are made with unroll-and-bake pie crust. Though not terribly original or innovative, De Laurentiis’s recipes in this book are effective. The dishes are predictable but pleasant. Also included, “Change of Pace,” a chapter of internationally inspired dishes like vegetables in red curry and Asian quinoa with salmon, and “Breakfast for Dinner,” which includes a tasty spin on eggs Florentine and a peach and cherry frittata made with frozen fruit. Visually appealing, the book is full of photos of both De Laurentiis’s food and family. Agent: William Morris Endeavor.

November 15, 2011

De Laurentiis may be a Food Network star, but she has to rustle up dinner for her family like the rest of us. Here are quick but good recipes ranging from salads to doctored leftovers to "Breakfast for Dinner" (that would involve eggs). Mostly Italian with "California-global influences"; since all five of De Laurentiis's books have been New York Times best sellers, totaling 3.3 million copies in print, you should get this. Huge tour, all over the place.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.