Tonight our Cookbook Club gathered to discuss Mark Bittman's Dinner for Everyone and share the delicious results of their recipe testing! The concept is that Bittman offers all the book's recipes in three variants: easy, vegan, and perfect for company. All our guests were able to attest that Bittman's creations are indeed perfect for eating among friends.

Participants agreed that Bittman's expertise as a writer (rather than a full-time chef/restauranteur) shone through in his engaging writing and flexible, unpretentious recipes. A few agreed that it took them a while to get excited by the book; many of the recipes are for dishes you might already know (chicken caesar, for example), but over time, everyone was won over by the delicious flavours, ease of preparation (including the attanaibility and price point of the ingredients), and refreshing variety of recipes on offer (from salad to chili, dahl to asian noodles, breakfasts and desserts, etc.). Book clubbers also noted the unusually good index and lack of waste (recipes tend to use all of the parts of the ingredients and byproducts of the process).

And now the survey of the dishes! 

Thanks again to our hosts and all our book club guests! We'll see you February 9th for Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin.