Books Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats--A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - Great cookbook
I have picky kids and with a new baby it's easy to find meals that are planned out so easily and quick. Great book!!

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Rating: - Tasteless!
I USED to love watching 30 Minute Meals, but gave up on her years ago. I came across this book in the library and thought I'd give it a try--I should have know better. I'm just glad that I didn't buy it, I would have been so mad!

There are several problems with this book
1. Tasteless--I have made about 6 meals from this book. Even though they all call for enormous amounts of spices, the results are rather bland. Nothing has been down right disgusting, but nothing is worth repeating nor saving for leftovers.
2. Organization--There is none! Although it's nice to have a book filled with meal, there is no rhyme or reason to the way it's set up. Unless you know EXACTLY what you are looking for, good luck!
3. Ingredients--Every recipe calls for something that is a "specialty" item. It's annoying to have to go to 3 different grocery stores to get all the ingredients for a "fast meal." Doesn't make it so fast. So if you are cooking on the fly, haven't been to the store for a while, you will not have all the ingredients needed for a recipe.
4. Time--30 minutes? Yeah, right. Maybe after you've made it each week for 6 months. Lot of prep time that she seems to forget about.
5. Pictures--There are none! Ok, except for a few pages in the middle of the book showing about 10 of the 365 recipes. (The same pictures on the back of the book. They really spent the big bucks on publishing this book.)
6. Did I mention taste? Yeah, very bland food.

Returning the book to the library tomorrow without any regrets.

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Rating: - good cookbook
I like Rachel Ray. This book is easy to read and has a good variety of menus.

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Rating: - Fun, different but not necessarily 30-min meals
I like the concept of no repeats but its practically impossible to do even for our household of 2-working adults w/ no kids. Some of them are somewhat intensive that I cant believe 30-min is the max. time for cooking - dont know if that includes prep time.

PRO: Master recipe with variations allow one to add different ingredients or make it vegetarian based on a core recipe; clearly written with well organized approach towards preparation (many can be done ahead of time to wait until final combination); use of different ingredients that what I'm used to - good for experimentation; well organized front index according to type (Burger, chicken, 1 or 2 people, fast suppers...); page notations to remind one "it's a keeper" or "Try later"

CON: use of heavy cream and lots of butter which can be challenging for watching ones calorie/fat intake; no nutritional value information provided; some ingredients, albeit unfamiliar, can be challenging to find in ones local area

Overall its a great book to find new recipes, experiment and break out of the old rut that I'm in.