Review & Giveaway : The I Hate To Cook Book By Peg Bracken, Updated and Revised 50th Anniversary Edition

Over 3 million copies of The I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken have been sold to date and its not difficult to see why. The book focuses on the much overlooked theme of, you guessed it, hating to cook and pairs it with its perfect complement: a variety of easy to prepare recipes with a minimal number of ingredients. Rumor also has it that these recipes actually taste good. Which brings to me a major admission, I haven't actually tried any of these recipes. You see, nearly every recipe calls for some form of meat, butter or cheese (or some combination of) and to me, well, that is just a no-no. But this isn't just a book full of easy to prepare recipes, its also a book full of interesting anecdotes, bits of humor and little cooking tips. The I Hate To Cook Book was first published in 1960 and the content is an interesting glimpse into those times (if you weren't there already) yet still highly relevant to modern times. As someone who actually enjoys to cook and prefers dishes that are a little less...animal, well this was not the recipe book for me. Despite that, it surprisingly still manages to make quite an interesting read.

From the Hachette website:

"Philosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an alternative: quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy.

50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't.

This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible."

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Hachette Book Group was generous enough to offer TWO of my readers their very own hard cover copy of The I Hate To Cook Book (ARV $22.99)!

*To enter all you need to do is tell me your favorite dish to prepare when you have guests over.

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This giveaway will end on August 29, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. Open to US readers only. Good luck!

Giveaway winners: Leandrea at Coupons Are Great & kimo (anonymous)

**I was sent a copy of the I Hate To Cook Book for review purposes and allowed to post my thoughts at my discretion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are mine.**