Dining With The Dollar Diva
by Elizabeth J. Fisher¹
Paperback, 200 pages
The Elevator Group
March 15, 2010
· isbn: 0982528248
· isbn13: 9780982528242
This cookbook contains "divalicious" recipes created with ingredients that cost one dollar or less. Author Elizabeth Fisher is a regular mom who is a wiz at creating exquisite menus and dining experiences at economical prices. Each recipe is accompanied by an interesting story about how that recipe came to be created. Most ingredients can be found at your local dollar store or in the dollar section in your local supermarket. This is the first book in the Dollar Diva series.
I know this isn't YA, paranormal, or my usual fiction at all. I got this on NetGalley and, after I tried a few recipes, I knew that I had to share on here. Book bloggers, as well as readers of book blogs, come in all ages and preferences ... so, maybe someone else will find this is as useful as I found the book. Plus, it gets the word out about a great cookbook!
Dining With The Dollar Diva: Divalicious Menus With Ingredients Costing $1 or Less is divided into categories: Appetizers, Burgers, Main Courses, Sweet & Desserts. Basically, the main cooking categories, so it should be easy to find something. Also, the index includes each and every recipe with the corresponding page number, so finding what you need or what interests you should be easy peasy.
I haven't used all of the recipes, obviously. But, I've used at least one in each category. Your ingredients list is easy to follow, even things that should already be in your pantry - which are actually listed as "Pantry", but is followed with a price in case you don't have the actual ingredient. The directions are easy. If you have any problems with certain cooking terms.. guess what? There's an index in the back of the book for that as well! I think the most entertaining part is the stories that accompany the recipes. They're insightful and have some funny bits that pertain either to the recipe, the creation of the recipe, etc.
The only cons to this book would be the pricing for each recipe. If you look at it as the breakdown prices, and not the actual price ... you're good. If you go into the grocery store thinking you're only going to spend what's on the list, you may be in for some trouble - some things may not be on sale, some things you may not find at your dollar store, and then there's just the matter of not being able to find something in the small quantity that you need.
Dining With The Dollar Diva: Divalicious Menus With Ingredients Costing $1 or Less is divided into categories: Appetizers, Burgers, Main Courses, Sweet & Desserts. Basically, the main cooking categories, so it should be easy to find something. Also, the index includes each and every recipe with the corresponding page number, so finding what you need or what interests you should be easy peasy.
I haven't used all of the recipes, obviously. But, I've used at least one in each category. Your ingredients list is easy to follow, even things that should already be in your pantry - which are actually listed as "Pantry", but is followed with a price in case you don't have the actual ingredient. The directions are easy. If you have any problems with certain cooking terms.. guess what? There's an index in the back of the book for that as well! I think the most entertaining part is the stories that accompany the recipes. They're insightful and have some funny bits that pertain either to the recipe, the creation of the recipe, etc.
The only cons to this book would be the pricing for each recipe. If you look at it as the breakdown prices, and not the actual price ... you're good. If you go into the grocery store thinking you're only going to spend what's on the list, you may be in for some trouble - some things may not be on sale, some things you may not find at your dollar store, and then there's just the matter of not being able to find something in the small quantity that you need.
The Verdict?
I *heart* recipe books that have easy-to-follow instructions and produce delicious dishes!
I *heart* recipe books that have easy-to-follow instructions and produce delicious dishes!¹: I couldn't find a specific author's website, so I'm linking to Elizabeth Fisher's blog.
