Byrn - Anne Byrn saves the day! cookbook: 125 guaranteed-to-please, go-to recipes to rescue any occasion

RELAX, YOUR DAY IS ABOUT TO BE SAVED

The inspiration for this book came to me a few years ago after swapping recipe ideas with friends at the end of a late-afternoon game of tennis. The four of us were in dire need of last-minute, great-tasting recipes that work every time. You would think with all of the cookbooks on our shelves and the recipes passed down from one generation of a family to the next, not to mention the 24/7 TV food channels and endless online recipe sources, that we would have more recipes than we could ever care to use. But the problem is we didnt have enough of the right recipes for when times are crazya new take on boneless chicken breasts, something fresh to do with the pork tenderloin in the freezer, a way to cook salmon or soups with a twist, salads perfect for entertaining, sides that please everyone, and desserts that dont take a week to assemble.

Ive always wanted to write a book with go-to recipes. The tried-and-true ones that everyone begs you to make. These are the recipes swapped among close friends, exchanged between mother and daughter in a short, late-night phone call, scribbled on a cocktail napkin at a birthday party, or just committed to memory. What if I could assemble in one book all the great recipes I have learned from so many people? The book might make life easier, and it might save someones day. Thats this book.

Lets face it. With jam-packed family lives, mad-dash weeknight dinners are often the norm. With no time to think, youlike meprobably find yourself serving the same old, same old. But its not just our dinner menus that are stuck in a rut. There are all those other mealtime pressures. For example, the times that company stops by unexpectedly. And how about when its your turn to host the Thanksgiving feast? Or this months book club meeting? Or the company potluck? Not to mention when youve invited the in-laws over for next Saturday night. Or your boss.

You need a collection of delicious all-purpose recipes that save the day. And thats what Ive offered in this cookbook. Recipes that are easy to prepare and that will come to your rescue, no matter what your dilemma. Although the chapters are organized in typical cookbook fashionappetizers, soups, main dishes, salads, sides, and dessertsIve put together a special section that lists a number of possible reasons your stock of recipes may need help. For each category theres a list of recipes to answer that need, so you can quickly access those recipes to save your day. As you page through the book youll also find each recipe tells you right at the start what predicaments it helps solve.

Get Out of the Rut

No matter where you live or how many years you have been cooking, its hard not to get into a recipe rut. To prevent this you need to be open to new ideas and recipes. It helps to have a well-stocked pantry in place and switch items in the pantry from time to time to try out new oils, seasonings, chocolate, and grains. Here are some other cures for falling into a rut.

Shop at a farmers market to see whats fresh and local in your area.

Take a cooking class.

Join a supper club.

Ask a friend to share a favorite family recipe.

What got my friend Sally out of a cooking rut was that her teenage son had an adventuresome palate and told her he wanted new and different food for dinner. Instead of getting her feelings hurt, Sally selected recipes that might be fun to try and shopped for the groceries over the weekend. Come Monday they were ready to try something new. Says Sally, wisely, When the groceries are in the house you are more likely to cook something new.

Heading down a Texas freeway to a morning television show in Dallas with my media escort and friend Kathleen Livingston, we talk food, as usual. I ask Kathleen what favorite dish she served her grown children when they were in town over the summer. She said it was the chicken and dressing she makes by slow baking bone-in chicken breasts with onions and celery on top of long slices of French bread. Havent I given you that recipe? Kathleen asked in her slow Texas drawl. Its so easy. The chicken juices cook down into the bread, and with the celery and onion, it tastes just like dressing does at Thanksgiving. My kids beg me to make it.

Kathleens kids are grown and have children of their own. The fact that they beg their mother to cook a specific recipe says a lot about the recipe, doesnt it? Kathleen doesnt have to worry about what to serve while her company is in town. She knows the perfect recipe and with this peace of mind, she has more time to spend with her family. Before we reached the TV station, I had found pen and paper in my purse and was making notes about Kathleens recipe.