Maryana Vollstedt - The Big Book of Easy Suppers: 270 Delicious Recipes for Casual Everyday Cooking

As always, I dedicate this book to my husband, Reed, who is my adviser, tester, shopper, computer person, confidant, manager, and best friend. He has encouraged and supported me throughout my many years of writing cookbooks. It has really been a team effort, and I couldnt have written them without him. Thank you, Reed. Also to Julie, Scott, Gregg, and Jon, who, for as long as they can remember, have been eating their mothers test recipes.

Thanks again to Bill LeBlond, editorial director of cookbooks at Chronicle Books, for his continued support for my Big Book series. The Big Book of Easy Suppers follows The Big Book of Potluck, The Big Book of Breakfast, The Big Book of Soups & Stews, and my all-time best-seller, The Big Book of Casseroles. To Amy Treadwell at Chronicle Books for her continued help and advice during the writing of the book; to Carrie Bradley for her expert copyediting, additions, and suggestions; and to all of the Chronicle Books staff.

Special thanks to Brian Crow for his computer consulting. I am also grateful to neighbors, friends, and family who were willing testers.

The Big Book of Easy Suppers offers an alternative to full-course, time-consuming meals with casual, lighter, and fun suppers for family and friends. Featured are main-course soups; salads and sandwiches; easy meat, poultry, and seafood entres; hearty pastas; egg dishes; healthful stirfries; grilling recipes; and simple desserts.

Included are a variety of recipes that are generally easy to make, with straightforward directions and ingredients that are, for the most part, already in your pantry or readily available in local supermarkets. Fresh seasonal ingredients are used if available and practical, along with a few convenience foods and some top guality canned foods. Prepared mixes and canned soups are not included in the belief that homemade is truly best.

In some parts of the country, the evening meal is still traditionally called supper, while dinner, the biggest meal, is eaten at midday. Many of our grandparents and older folks referred to supper as the casual meal served at the end of a typical day; dinner was a more formal affair reserved for special occasions or after church. My childhood memories of suppers include light meals on Sunday evenings consisting of sandwiches made from leftover roast and served on a teacart in front of the fireplace (no television in those days!).

With todays emphasis on simpler, lighter meals and easy-to-prepare guality food, The Big Book of Easy Suppers will appeal to the home cook.

Suppers are ideal to serve for family meals and for informal entertaining. A well-designed supper can be made up of an entre with perhaps one complementary side dish, and should be wholesome and satisfying.

To save time in preparing guick, easy suppers, it is important to have a well-stocked pantry. Items to always have on hand are flour, sugars, coarse salt, pastas, grains like rice and barley, an assortment of dried legumes and beans, potatoes, onions, and garlic, along with a well-maintained spice rack. Extras, such as canned or dried chiles, hot sauces, flavored vinegars and oils, nuts, olives, anchovies, and sun-dried tomatoes, are fun to have on hand and an easy way to add interest to dishes.

Essential kitchen tools are also necessary in preparing easy suppers. Besides the basic measuring cups and spoons, whisks, spatulas, a good can opener, and several sharp knives, other helpful eguipment includes a food processor or blender, heavy skillets in two or three sizes, a saut pan, two saucepans, a Dutch oven, a heavy-duty baking sheet or two, a kitchen scale, assorted glass baking dishes, a pepper mill for fresh grinding, cake and pie pans for dessert, and plenty of kitchen towels for cleanup.

Enjoy The Big Book of Easy Suppers, I hope it will make your life easier, tastier, and more fun at supper time.