Sam Turnbull

When I first picked up this book and opened it, my immediate reaction was a startled, “Ugh, why would I ever want to cook anything this silly, half-baked twit concocted?” With the cheap platinum blonde dye job, the garish blood red lipstick slathered on with a trowel, the goofy grinning, and the infantile denim romper, the author looked like a cross between Tammy Faye Bakker and Punky Brewster. She managed to appear childish, clownish, and nightmarish all at once. Somebody get this poor woman a professional stylist and a make up eraser, stat!

Anyway, after that unpleasant initial shock wore off and I tore out the creepy photos of the author (what purpose do those serve anyway?), I settled down to scrutinizing the important contents of the cookbook itself—the recipes.

The title of the book is Fast Easy Cheap, so that should immediately inform the potential reader that he is not going to find any elaborate, celebratory meals inside; this is not going to be rocket science nor the stuff of which memorable dinner parties are made. It’s aiming for an audience of people searching for quick, budget-friendly, everyday meals accessible to even lackluster home cooks. With that in mind, the book adequately fulfills its purpose.

That having been said, four pages devoted to how to make toast is a bit over the top. I have yet to meet anyone over the age of ten who has difficulty managing a toaster or extemporaneously formulating appetizing toast toppers. Let’s call it what it is: lazy book filler, and move on.

Fortunately, frivolous toast (& popcorn) recipes comprise a relatively small portion of the book, and there are a lot more substantive recipes to explore. So far, I have made ten recipes from this book: Hot Chocolate Mix, Tofu Scramble Seasoning, Lime Bean Soup, Barbecued Chickpeas, Smoky Black Bean Sandwiches, Garlic Soup, Garlic Noodles, Artichoke Salad Sandwiches, Cashew Cheese Sauce, & Red Lentil Burritos.
They have all been fast; they have all been easy; and they have all been good and more than suitable for everyday household fare. My family enjoyed all of them and thought they were delicious. There is no doubt I will be making all of them again. An added bonus: all of the ingredients in all of the recipes are common, everyday foods readily available in most grocery stores…No need to furrow your brow wondering where in the world you can buy banana blossoms or lucuma!

The cost calculations provided in the book are more of a gimmick than practical information. For example, when I made the Lime Soup recipe, the cost was listed as “less that $10”. However, my cost for buying the main ingredients (not counting staples like oil, spices, and condiments) was just over $18. I used organic produce and high-quality packaged foods from my health-oriented, natural foods grocery store. If you have no problem with buying non-organic and more highly processed brand-name packaged foods, or if you regularly make things like veggie broth and barbecue sauces from scratch, you might have a better shot at sticking within her price points. The author admits in her comments that she utilizes generic ingredients in tabulating costs, and she doesn’t seem to care about organic vs. non-organic either. Generic products, cost of living in different areas, price fluctuations among different stores, personal preferences, and a whole litany of other considerations make the cost factor wildly unpredictable and, therefore, useless.

In summary, although there is some wasted space in this book, it really is a valuable source for delicious and easy recipes that deserves a spot on your cookbook shelf—especially if you can snag it for less than $10!… (plus d'informations)