Not only are the holidays are upon us, but then there’s New Year’s Eve, the Superbowl, and random “I’m tired of winter so let’s have people over to keep the doldrums at bay” parties. Well, Delish by Joanna Saltz and the Editors of Delish is a must have for any “raising a ruckus” party menu.
There is nothing subtle about this cookbook. From the pictures to the recipes to the extras throughout, it shouts, “Get some people together and have fun!” And it is a fun cookbook. They add pop culture references like a picture of Jennifer Lawrence saying, “I see you talking, but all I can think about is getting fries,” on the corner of a picture of their Parmesan Garlic Carrot Fries.
Food related pages are included covering topics like interesting food finds at the Minnesota State Fair and the Sonic Skate-Off. Who knew there was such a thing as the Sonic Skate-Off?! And mixed in are pages with multiple ideas for a basic food. For example, there is a layout on 5 Ways to Use Pizza Dough and one 4 Ways to Use Rotisserie Chicken, but imagine my delight when I saw 31 Mix-Ins for Boxed Mac and Cheese! They speak my language.
The cookbook is broken up into twelve sections: But First, Drinks; Party Starters; Fun Dips; ‘Witches, Bitches; What the Fork’s For Dinner?; You Wanna Pizza This?; Carb Your Enthusiasm; Tex-Mex Madness; Good For You!; Brunch Time; There’s Always Room…; and Friendsgiving and More. Sweet, salty, vegetarian, meat lovers, breakfast, lunch and supper. It’s all in there. All but subtlety.
I made Tex-Mex Meatballs. On Fridays my brother, with his adorable granddaughter, have taken to dropping by, so I try to have something planned for supper. And when there’s a 2 1/2 year old running around, it’s always a party. I tried the meatballs on them. They were a hit. My family. His family. The meatballs were loved. They are spicy, and oh so cheesy and yummy. The recipe was straight forward, easy-ish (the most “difficult” aspect was rolling the balls), and quick.
And that is how it seems with all of the recipes: straight forward, easy, and quick. Not everything is from scratch. Many of the recipes calling for bread or dough use store bought bread or dough. If you prefer from scratch, you could make the bread/dough needed and just adjust the recipe for such.
If you’re looking for some delicious, fun recipes you must try this cookbook. Whether you are having friends over or not, there is something, probably many somethings, in this book that will delight your taste buds.