Title:	Make it Easy
	Author:	Stacie Billis
	Published:	2016, De Capo Lifelong Books
	No. of Pages:	272
	Cover Price:	$24.99 Paperback, $16.99 Kindle

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Most of us prefer to make dishes from scratch, especially since there are so many harmful additives and preservatives in the convenience foods that are on the market today. Many of us even feel guilt over feeding our families and/or ourselves foods that are less than healthy, even though we don’t think we have time to make food properly. Stacie Billis has written an excellent cookbook that is not only full of great recipes, but also has lists of convenience and shortcut foods that are actually okay (less or no additives and preservatives), as well as innovative ways to make good dishes quicker and easier.

The best part is, of course, the fact that these easier, healthier dishes are actually good, and while the cook will save time and effort, no one will be the wiser as to how much quicker and easier they are to prepare. There are plenty of basic recipes, such as how to boil and egg, and how to make kebobs and cutlets. These are not only helpful to beginning cooks, but also to those seasoned cooks who haven’t prepared basics recently.

The first dish that caught my eye was the Beet and Orange salad; it was easy and tasty. The Green Chili Cheesy Rice was a delicious side dish, and since I had some winter squash on hand, I tried the Roasted Squash with Ginger-Shallot Browned Butter – Yum! There are other mouthwatering vegetable side dishes, and three incredible, easy salmon dishes that will be prepared at my house over and over. There are recipes for meatballs, steaks, pulled pork made not only easy, but three ways in the slow cooker.

There is a chapter on catering to the picky eater, which may be helpful to some (Billis seems to share my philosophy on picky eaters); personally, I find picky eaters stubborn and selfish; I suspect their pickiness is just a power play for control. My children learned fast that it wouldn’t be tolerated, and they could skip foods (after tasting them once, of course), and starve if it suited them. Now that they are adults, none of my four children is a picky eater. It isn’t a crime to dislike certain foods, but it isn’t polite or pleasant to others to make a big deal of it either.

This cookbook is highly recommended for all of you who want to make good, healthy meals, but don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to read and follow, and there are mix and match suggestions for making dozens, even hundreds of good, healthy, innovative meals at home.

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

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
Make It Easy: 120 Mix-and-Match Recipes to Cook from Scratch--with Smart Store-Bought Shortcuts When You Need Them, Paperback
Make It Easy: 120 Mix-and-Match Recipes to Cook from Scratch--with Smart Store-Bought Shortcuts When You Need Them, Kindle