READ THIS BOOK!

When I was a kid, I was a voracious reader. I studied the back of the cereal box at breakfast. I eschewed play-dates in favor of an afternoon with Nancy Drew. I picked up our (incomplete) home copy of the World Book Encyclopedia just for grins. And when I had depleted my own resources, I'd raid my parents' bookcase for interesting titles. I clearly remember the day I stumbled upon my mother's copy of Peg Bracken's classic, "The I Hate to Cook Book". Even at my tender age, the humor in the title was not lost on me: I thought it was hilarious.

Having been banned, however, from all extracurricular kitchen activity after some bizarre curried soups and a concoction involving peanut butter and maple syrup, reading cookbooks was just not at all a practical reading pursuit for young Karen. So, Peg Bracken stayed on my mom's shelf.

But now...a dear and thoughtful friend thought I'd get a kick out of this tome at this point in my life, and set a copy, expertly wrapped, underneath my Christmas tree.

You might find this a little unlikely. I cook for a living after all...why on earth would I enjoy a copy of "The 'I Hate to Cook' Cookbook"??

Well, friends, I'm sorry to tell you that there are some evenings, after having cooked for 9 or more hours straight, that I just don't feel like starting all over again when I get home. But I really DO abhor packaged frozen foods. And I really DON'T want to lose my good health to the fast-food drive-thru. So, cook I do, whether I like it or not.

That being said, I know plenty of tricks now. I know how to cut unnecessary steps out of a recipe. I know which dishes can handle a shortcut, and which must be attended to like a feverish child. So I DO put a delicious and healthful home-cooked meal on the table most nights, though anyone from Auguste Escoffier to Michael Ruhlman would probably blanch if they saw some of my slapdash weeknight home methods.

BUT, Peg Bracken (bless her heart) did it first, and she put it all down in black and white for the edification of the rest of us.

Make no mistake, her cookbook is not a how-to-microwave-a-Swanson's-frozen-pot-pie...there IS some actual cooking. Mrs. Bracken has just compiled a collection of recipes that require minimal effort for maximal taste...and they are all reasonably healthy (my definition of the word "healthy" is any food that has not been commercially over-processed and/or destroyed by chemical additives). So, yeah, while there are some recipes calling for thinned-down cream of mushroom soup as a sauce base, I staunchly uphold my theory that it is still better for body and soul than carryout. Largely, it is a huge improvement over what some of us eat on a regular basis.

Mostly, it's just fun. It goes without saying that the book is a riot. I am so thoroughly enjoying it! I have found myself laughing out loud at sentences like, "let it cook five minutes while you light a cigarette and stare sullenly at the sink". Bracken goes on to encourage readers to hum "Gloomy Sunday" while prepping dinner. LOVE IT!

If you love a busy woman, be it your mom, sister, daughter, cousin, or friend, RUN OUT RIGHT NOW AND BUY THIS BOOK!

We CAN work a full day and get a decent dinner on the table, though we're bone-tired. We CAN return to family meals together and a better standard of nutrition, though our heads are swimming with convenience options. WE CAN COOK, though we fight it half of the time. In a way, Peg Bracken wrote a feminist manifesto of sorts whose time has really come now, in the age of busy-ness and obesity.

Please read! Laugh! Learn! And for Pete's sake...COOK!!!