Midnight Munchies

August 1, 2003
Beat back those dark-of-the-night hunger pains with this lighthearted collection of decadent recipes from the author of Dressed to Grill. Morgan organizes her recipes by late-night occasion, including movie nights, hot dates, heartbreak recuperation, last-minute cram sessions, parties and even nocturnal breakfasts (for people who think that eating in the middle of the night saves them time the next morning). Most, but not all, of the recipes require little preparation time, and appeal to basic sweet or salty cravings. This is not a cookbook for health-conscious calorie-counters, nor for those who might be put off by the thought of a Texas-in-the-Bag Chili at 2 a.m. Morgan relies heavily on prepared foods; her Snickers Bar Shake, for example, requires nothing more than Snickers ice cream, milk and chopped Snickers Bars. Her Red Bull Shake, O.K. Corral Popcorn (just add Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix) and other recipes have similarly pre-packaged ingredient lists. These are obvious fun, but the real treats are slightly more challenging recipes such as Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes, the Slurping Spaghetti Bowl for Two and Next Time, Use Your Noodles tuna noodle casserole. Plenty of these snacks and light meals have a place in the daylight hours as well, and it's hard to resist any recipe that describes a recipe's downtime as " a perfectly good time to smolder over love lost." This is a worthy addition to any night owl's kitchen.

August 15, 2003
Beat back those dark-of-the-night hunger pains with this lighthearted collection of decadent recipes from the author of Dressed to Grill. Morgan organizes her recipes by late-night occasion, including movie nights, hot dates, heartbreak recuperation, last-minute cram sessions, parties and even nocturnal breakfasts (for people who think that eating in the middle of the night saves them time the next morning). Most, but not all, of the recipes require little preparation time, and appeal to basic sweet or salty cravings. This is not a cookbook for health-conscious calorie-counters, nor for those who might be put off by the thought of a Texas-in-the-Bag Chili at 2 a.m. Morgan relies heavily on prepared foods; her Snickers Bar Shake, for example, requires nothing more than Snickers ice cream, milk and chopped Snickers Bars. Her Red Bull Shake, O.K. Corral Popcorn (just add Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix) and other recipes have similarly pre-packaged ingredient lists. These are obvious fun, but the real treats are slightly more challenging recipes such as Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes, the Slurping Spaghetti Bowl for Two and Next Time, Use Your Noodles tuna noodle casserole. Plenty of these snacks and light meals have a place in the daylight hours as well, and it's hard to resist any recipe that describes a recipe's downtime as " a perfectly good time to smolder over love lost." This is a worthy addition to any night owl's kitchen.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.