Curtis Stone - Whats for Dinner?: Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life

Whats for Dinner?

Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Cooking with Curtis

Surfing the Menu Again

Surfing the Menu

Copyright 2013 by Curtis Stone

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B ALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

All photographs by Quentin Bacon.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stone, Curtis.

What's for dinner? : delicious recipes for a busy life / Curtis Stone ;

photographs by Quentin Bacon.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-345-54252-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)ISBN 978-0-345-54253-3 (ebook)

1. Cooking. 2. Cookbooks. lcgft I. Bacon, Quentin. II. Title.

TX714.S7863 2013

641.5dc23

2012046352

www.ballantinebooks.com

Book design by Liz Cosgrove

v3.1_r1

I would like to dedicate this book

to my gorgeous wife, Lindsay.

You are the most beautiful mum

in the world and watching you

with our son, Hudson,

is simply the greatest gift.

hats the best thing youve ever eaten?

This is my favorite question to ask everyone, from friends and fellow chefs to people Ive just met. The answer always starts the same way: My mother used to make... Whether its chicken pot pie or meat loaf, the dishes we grew up eating, the ones made with love and shared around the dinner table, are the ones we seem to cherish the most.

For me, it was my mums roast pork. It wasnt just the savory-sweet flavor and crispy crackling that I loved. Dinners at my house were all about being together. Whatever had happened during the day, you could always count on the dinner table to be a place to share experiences, dream about the future, talk over your worries, and connect with people you love. It seems so simple: A happy family starts with a home-cooked meal.

As a chef, I was lucky enough to cook in some of the best restaurants in the world, and I always thought I could easily write recipes for home cooksthat is, until I actually met some home cooks. While I understood that people have limited time and often need a bit of inspiration, I didnt account for family members coming home late from work, the whirlwind of soccer practices and dance recitals, different taste buds around the table, tiny kitchens, blunt knives, and the mass exodus after dinner that leaves Mom with a stack of dirty dishes.

I have now cooked in hundreds of different homes around the globe. And while the challenges vary from house to house, one is common to them all: Everyone has a busy life. My test kitchen creates four hundred recipes a year. I travel for work, write books, and make TV shows. Im also a new dad, which has taught me the art of one-handed cooking. Trust me, I know what a busy life feels like, and I know you do too.

However, a home-cooked meal is always worth the effort. Food simply tastes betterand is better for youwhen you cook it yourself. Each day of the week presents its own set of challenges, and the right recipe is one that works at the right time. Whether youre looking for healthier fare, living on a budget, or having friends over for dinner on Saturday, this book can help you put a delicious meal on the table every night of the week.

Motivating Mondays

Healthy meals that start the week off right

Time-Saving Tuesdays

Dinner on the table in 15 to 40 minutes

One-Pot Wednesdays

Flavorful dishes made in just one pot, pan, or skilletor on the grillleaving you with less cleanup

Thrifty Thursdays

Feeding your family on a budget and getting more for less

Five-Ingredient Fridays

Simple recipes that are fun and help kick off the weekend

Dinner Party Saturdays

Extraordinary dinners to bring out your inner chef

Family Supper Sundays

Comforting family favorites made with lots of love

Ive also included a chapter of luscious desserts, because sweet things deserve their own time to shine. In addition, I serve up some refreshing cocktails (and mocktails) and scores of tips and techniques to save time, money, and effort. I hope you find these recipes so easy to make and full of flavor that they become the best thing your family has ever eaten.

So call everyone to the table. Dinner is ready.