Debora M. Coty, author of the Christian-based Too Blessed to be Stressed series, has released a cookbook with about 100 quick and easy recipes. The other books in the series are laced with humor, and this cookbook follows suit.

Even though the recipes are great, with the author promising hands-on time of 20 minutes or less to assemble every dish, the quotes are delightful. There are also some fun stories of the author’s cooking failures, which help readers realize that the author is actually a real person, with a real family, and real time constraints - not some super-human Cordon-Bleu-trained-chef that nobody can actually relate to. There are vignettes which the author refers to as “Chuckle Breaks,” and they contribute to the readability of the book. In addition, Coty has included a fairly good pantry must-have-on-hand list, as well as grocery lists for meal plans and recipes in the book.

It's always nice to have a cookbook with down-to-earth recipes; the ones included in the book are actually doable (many are recipes that have made the neighborhood rounds), and one doesn’t get the feeling that their creation isn’t up to par because a few shortcuts have been taken. Even though the pretentious television chefs try to make us feel guilty for not spending time in the kitchen making everything from scratch, this book lets us know that it’s actually okay to take care of our families, indulge in a few hobbies, live a life outside of the kitchen, and still serve good food.

While there are some excellent pictures, there isn’t a picture of every dish; that is one of the few shortcomings of this cookbook. However, there is a good table of contents, and a good index. Most of the recipes in the book call for ingredients that most of us already have in the pantry, cupboard, or freezer, and the instructions are concise and easy to understand. If you happen to be busy, and like easy recipes, this book is highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying an advance review copy of this cookbook.