The Weeknight Cookbook product reviews

I have a passion for food, whether it is eating or preparing food. My bookshelf is full of various cookbooks and numerous folders of recipes from newspapers or magazines. I like to experiment with different flavours and am always on the lookout for more simple, delicious recipes for meals my family will eat. When I saw that the new cookbook from Justine Schofield was available to review I was intrigued, especially as the cover states that you can create these meals using pantry staples. I put my request in and eagerly awaited to see if I would be chosen, thankfully I received a copy.

The cover shows a kind, smiling lady holding a baking dish of a delicious looking meal. The cover design is simple, yet effective at catching your attention. On the rear cover, there is a yummy looking dish of what looks like spaghetti and meatballs. The blurb lists several of the recipes included in the book, and they sounded perfect for my young family, who can be quite fussy at mealtimes. After reading the introduction there was a page dedicated to listing the various items that are pantry staples - and the main ingredients used in these recipes. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had the majority of these already.

As I started to browse through the pages I was captivated by the delicious looking food presented so beautifully. The majority of the recipes had straight forward instructions, and I liked that at the bottom of the recipe there was a box which clearly stated which pantry staples you would need, and which items to put on your shopping list. My son told me that he liked the sound of 'Pork and Peanut Butter Hokkien Noodles,' however we decided on 'Sweet Potato Jackets with Chorizo,' these were simple and inexpensive to make, the flavour combination was mouthwatering - funny to think I have had baked potatoes several times, yet never thought to try it with sweet potato. (kumara)

I can see that this book is going to be a well-used addition in this household, especially because the layout makes the recipes easy to follow. Throughout the book, there are 'Cheat Sheets' which offer helpful tips and ideas, the conversion chart that is included at the back has been a bit of a lifesaver. I am now going to see which other books are available from this author, especially to see if she has any with more sweet treats/baking, as this book had a limited amount. This would be a welcome addition to anybody that likes to create quick and easy, delicious meals. Mr 5 made Apple Slipper and he was quite proud, he used raspberry jam as he does not like apricot jam, he decided that these need to be a regular after-dinner treat.