Community activist cookbook (details)
Customer Rating: 
Here we have over 200 recipes for "take-out" -- for Pot Luck gatherings or for a meal-planned event. Of course you can make these recipes at home as well but the thrust of the book is to simplify one's life a bit by giving you some choices of a carry-in dish to take along to a group function.
There are also a great number of pages devoted to HOW to carry out the particular dish you choose, which also makes life a little simpler since we always seem in a hurry to get everything together at the last minute for such acivities and functions. There are additionally tips for party planning, quite helpful advice, especially if you've never planned a get-together involving food.
The book is broken down into six sections:
-- Appetizers and Soups
-- The Best Salads
-- Crowd-Pleasing Main Dishes
-- Sensational Sides
-- Dazzling Desserts
-- It's A Gift
I do wish that cookbook authors would resist the temptation to use words like "best" and "sensational" since we have all made recipes described by an author in similarly glowing terms and, in the end, no one would touch it. Still, these are mostly decent recipes, all without much fuss, and most boasting the ease of common ingredients. Here are the names of some of the recipes:
-- Little Crisp Crab Cakes
-- Asian Slaw with Peanut Dressing
-- Beth's Manicotti
-- Curried Corn and Bell Peppers
-- Ten-Minute Key Lime Pie
The work is 506 pages in length with a nice index, very readable and lies pretty flat on the counter as you cook. The book dimesions are 8 1/4" x 7 1/4" x 1 1/2".
I borrowed this cookbook from the library to make a few of the recipes which, as I mentioned, are pretty good; however, since I'm not often called upon to provide a covered dish I don't plan to ever own it. Still I can recommend it specifically to those folks who do find themselves frequently taking food dishes to get-togethers.
Super time & worry saver!
Customer Rating: Anne Byrne's cookbook is a great item to keep on hand if you need to bring something along to a gathering on short notice. It's guaranteed to eliminate needless worry about what can please a crowd! The recipes are simple, but can be made to appear quite elegant. The ingredients are all readily available in your supermarket. There's nothing here that is too "out there" for your next get-together.
Many of these recipes will certainly become family favorites. Also, in the combinations of your choice you can have awesomely delicious complete meals. (I'm looking forward to the next chilly day to serve Anne's Cheesy Garlic Bread, Weekend Black Bean Soup, and Peach & Blueberry Crisp (vanilla ice-cream added on top, of course!)
What makes What Can I Bring a real winner is the extra detail of "Tote Notes" to help you transport your masterpiece to the party safely. The dozen "Mini Indexes" are a wonderful problem-solving tool to help you decide which recipe is best for the occasion, such as The Easiest Recipes, When You Want Something Light, Something Kids Like, and my personal favorite, Something Chocolate!
You won't regret having this cookbook on hand!
