Rating: 
Summary: An excellent recipe book for home chefs on a time budget
Review: Expertly written by Anne Byrn (the nationally known "Cake Mix Doctor" and author of a number of bestselling cookbooks), The Dinner Doctor is a time and money saving guide to creating delicious meals on the go utilizing convenient supermarket foods. Over 230 family-pleasing and tasty recipes are deftly presented, including such "more please" feasts as Black Bean Soup with Lemon Cream; Thai Spaghetti; Lemon Blueberry Muffins with a Lemon Drizze; Slow-Cooker Macaroni And Cheese; Chocolate Fudge Ribbon Cake; Country Sausage, Cheddar, And Apple Bake; and so much more. An excellent recipe book for home chefs on a strict time budget, The Dinner Doctor is a welcome and practical contribution to any kitchen cookbook collection.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent recipe book for home chefs on a time budget
Review: Expertly written by Anne Byrn (the nationally known "Cake Mix Doctor" and author of a number of bestselling cookbooks), The Dinner Doctor is a time and money saving guide to creating delicious meals on the go utilizing convenient supermarket foods. Over 230 family-pleasing and tasty recipes are deftly presented, including such "more please" feasts as Black Bean Soup with Lemon Cream; Thai Spaghetti; Lemon Blueberry Muffins with a Lemon Drizze; Slow-Cooker Macaroni And Cheese; Chocolate Fudge Ribbon Cake; Country Sausage, Cheddar, And Apple Bake; and so much more. An excellent recipe book for home chefs on a strict time budget, The Dinner Doctor is a welcome and practical contribution to any kitchen cookbook collection.
Rating:
Summary: The Doctor Does Dinner!
Review: I am a huge fan of Anne's Cake Mix Doctors. The books got me into baking (which I was scared to do) and her recipes not only make cake mix GOOD they WORK. (Anne's Banana Cake in the first book made satisfied my nostalgic longing for a similar Sara Lee cake we used to have for family dinners in the 1970s.) So I was happy to give The Dinner Doctor a try if just for the memories (we had a lot of tuna casserole for those family dinners) but this book is not about nostalgia: It is perfect for the modern family to make some quick, easy, tasty meals using things I easily found in the supermarket. I am stuck right now on the deli roasted chicken recipes (we call them rotiserie chickens in NYC). For my money, these chix are tasty, easy, cheap, and abundant but after awhile they are just... well... roasted chickens. Anne must have at least 20 ideas and recipes for taking these chickens and just doctoring them with some fresh ingredients to make something different and, yes, BETTER. I plan on making more but we have tried and loved the Asian chicken salad and also liked the burrito bake. The brownie drops were great and the simple mushroom galette was perfect for the fall. I've only had the book for a week and already I can tell that at the very least I'll have lots of great ideas for meals to come (and a few new cakes to boot!).
Rating: 
Summary: Recipes sound great but ....icky poo!!!!
Review: I am also stunned as is a previous reviewer over all the great reviews of this book. It was given to me as a gift and I was so excited when I got it. I found a bunch of terrific sounding recipes and flagged them to try them out. Needless to say,almost every main dish recipe has turned out HORRIBLE not matter how good it sounded!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, not too healthy.
The desserts are OK but really, we don't eat dessert for dinner. Anyhow, I thought this book was a bit deceiving...also, it's not THAT fast. A better book is Cooking Light's Superfast Suppers so I would suggest that for healthier and more tasty meals.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Much better than the Cake Mix books!
Review: I had intended to get this out of the library before deciding whether to buy it or not. But I happened upon it at a bookstore and, after perusing it for a few minutes, decided that I just HAD to have it. It is CRAMMED with terrific recipes, ideas and hints! Everything sounds tasty, and almost everything is quick and easy to make, with very precise instructions. Most things are fairly health-conscious, too. Thus far I've tried thus far the Nacho Cheese Soup, Mac & Cheese, Corn/Potato Chowder, and Penne with Pesto, Blue Cheese and Walnuts. All were very easy and tasted fabulous, even with my low-fat substitutions (low-fat pesto, low-fat Alfredo sauce, and evaporated milk instead of cream). I couldn't find the Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup that Anne called for, so I used plain Cheddar Cheese soup, which worked just fine.
One thing I like about this book is that there are not a lot of shameless repeats and recyclings, as there are in the cake books. In this book she gives you variations on the recipe in a small box or sidebar, rather than creating a "new" recipe simply by changing the name and one ingredient. And, like the other books, it's very well written in Anne's chatty and unpretentious style. Right on, Anne!
Rating:
Summary: Great cookbook
Review: I initially saw this cookbook at my public library and checked it out before buying it. There are several recipes that I have marked to try and so far really love the Mexican Lasagna recipe. It's so simple and so yummy. My husband loves this recipe and has requested it often! While there are some recipes I won't most likely try there are lots of great recipes with items that I usually have in my pantry. I am always searching for new recipes to jazz up our dinner fare and this fits the bill! The recipes are simple to follow and easy to make. I would recommend this cookbook to anyone, especially families.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!!
Review: I liked the Cake Mix Doctor, but this book is phenominal. I typically try a few recipes from a new book, and find one or two that I like and will make on a regular basis. EVERYTHING I have tried from this has been fantastic. I highly recommend the Tuscan Chicken, Parmesan Chicken & Biscuit Pie, Rotini w/ Prosciutto with Sugar Snap Peas, Parmesan Corn Bread Twists, Chinese Chicken, Slow-Cooker Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake, and the Mock Cassoulet. Tonight we're trying the Pork Fried Rice. Although I've made primarily entrees from this book, the appetizers look like they'd be delicious and easy to put together. I got this book for Christmas and haven't had an occasion since to make appetizers. I'm going to buy this for all my friends as gifts!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Book
Review: I love this book and have made several items from it. Anne's recipes are very easy and always seem to turn out. I've made the casseroles for Pot Luck dinners and they always seem to be a success. Perfect book for a novice or those of us with busy families- not necessarily gourmet meals - just good easy cooking.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing at best
Review: I really tried to like this cookbook but the recipes are hit or miss at best. Mom's pot roast with Vidalia onion gravy was a different spin on your every day pot roast. The Souffleed Sweet Potatoes were excellent but the other recipes were awful. The recipes were both bland and time-consuming. Popcorn Soup sounded like a fun idea until you are eating soggy, tough popcorn in your corn chowder. As for the Southern Cranberry Salad, suffice it to say, it was thrown out before my guests could have it for Thanksgiving.
For a cookbook, the layout of the book is poor. There should be concise instructions for the cooking part. In this book there is so much extraneous verbiage on the page that it is difficult to follow the recipe. In all, a good premise with poor execution.
Rating:
Summary: A favorite in my kitchen
Review: I received this for Christmas last year, and I have been very impressed with all of the recipes we've tried. Lots of great tips for doctoring all sorts of standards -- marinara sauce, tuna fish, mac and cheese, etc. The recipes are quick to make, and easy to follow. I can't say enough about how much I've enjoyed this cookbook.
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