Express Lane Cookbook: Fast, Healthful Meals with Minimal Cleanup

by Sarah Fritschner

For really busy family cooks, simple, nutritious meals with fewer than 10 ingredients Two great staples with a new look! What most people hate about making the family dinner after a harried day isn't... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395971748
• ISBN13: 9780395971741
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.3" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great weeknight book!

I originally checked this book out from the library and couldn't bear to return it, so I bought a copy. The recipes are almost all fast, easy, fairly healthy, and taste good. Many of our current weeknight staples came from this book.

No pics, good recipes

I accidentially purchased this cookbook twice. It was published with a different cover I think in 1996 and then again with an updated tan striped cover in 1999. I purchased the second version thinking it was a different cookbook or an updated one but it's exactly the same. There are no pictures and the pages feel like they're recycled, off white and discolored. Don't get them wet because they have no coating on them they'll very quickly absorb any moisture on the counter or splatters. So I don't think I would give this as a gift just because it's not a visually pretty cookbook. However, it is a really good cookbook when it comes to the recipes. It's not like the Rachael Ray express lane cookbook in which she tells you what to purchase on the way home (meaning the express checkout at the grocery store) so you can then come home and cook a meal. This cookbook is about cooking quick meals with things you have in the fridge or pantry already. That was the fallacy with the Rachael Ray cookbook because if I'm going to stop at the grocery and take the time to get out of my car, run in, purchase some items and then go home to cook dinner I might as well buy a whole meal from the deli or just go through a drive-thru. To me it's not a very practical way to "plan" dinner. This cookbook on the other hand is meant to use what you already have on hand, in the pantry, fridge, freezer, etc to make a satisfying meal for your family. The spaghetti soup is a very cute idea and excellent 20 minute meal. There are home-made vinaigrette recipes that can also be used as marinades. All very tasty. Most of the recipes call for fresh ingredients not the standard can of soup poured over chicken. I liked the small meat loaves recipe as you could easily have meatloaf on a whim because they're individual size they cook in no time. There were variations for italian meatloaf and steak house meatloaf. The garlic flank steak was delish and could have easily made a freezer recipe if you wanted. The mexican baked potatoes were meals in themselves. I think most of the recipes could be modified for those who want a lo-cal version. Her recipes use full-fat cheese, milk, etc but you could easily use 2% without changing the quality of the recipe. There is also a vegetarian section but unfortunately like most vegetarian recipes they feel more like "sides" rather than entrees. Still overall a great cookbook that I often pull out over and over. I wish it were re-published with glossy pages and pictures so it would be a cookbook to withstand the test of time. It's certainly useful just not pretty.

My new cooking Bible

This book is wonderful. I enjoy cooking, but most of the better recipes require a lot of time. Unfortunately, school and other commitments don't leave me much time to indulge in the kitchen. The Express Lane Cookbook, however, has brought pleasure into quick, hassle-free cooking. I always have the few required ingredients on hand, clean up is FAST and best of all, the food is delicious. Now I don't need to resort to tasteless, unhealthy meals when I only have 15 minutes to make dinner. Other cookbooks I own sit on a shelf gathering dust - this one I use at least once a week. I can't recommend this book strongly enough for cooks living in the fast lane.

Nutritious cooking made fast and simple

I came across this book in a college bookstore and wondered if it would be yet another "quick 'n' easy" cookbook that requires lots of overnight preparation or unusual ingredients. Living in a small, rural town, it's awfully difficult to find fresh okra or tahini sauce at the local corner grocery. Yet as I flipped through the pages of this book, I found short lists of common ingredients. The preparation times are quick and do not require outstanding culinary ability. I have found many of the recipes to be as easy as throwing a TV dinner into the toaster oven, yet they are homemade, nutritious, and delicious. I have a large cookbook collection, yet none of them receive more use than _Express Lane Cookbook_. It's just what I need at the end of a busy day or when trying to concoct something QUICK for hungry kids! It's also made entertaining easier. I can have friends over for an impressively tasty meal, yet it took less than an hour to prepare. If you have no other cookbook in your kitchen, you must have this one! For experienced chefs and non-cooks alike, it's a lifesaver for today's busy world.

Fabulous find for busy families

This cookbook is essential in my life. As a working mother with two young children, Fritschner's recipes allow me to produce a variety of easy, healthy meals with little preparation or cooking time involved. Most all of the meals can be produced in a half hour or less. My children love the Cauliflower Spaghetti and the Black Eyed Peas and Noodles. Really! My husband loves the Tomato Thyme Chicken, and I don't have the heart to tell him how easy it is (5 ingredients that you probably have already). One of the best features is Fritschner's inclusion of accompaniments to the main dishes. Some of the recommendations are for side dish recipes in this book, others are general ideas such as spinach or buttered noodles. This cookbook helps you to realize that "fast food" should not be limited to drive-in windows. I do not consider myself a cook, but with this book I have no trouble producing tasty, balanced meals that my family truly enjoys.