Recently, Harper Collins sent us a copy of Double Delicious!, by Jessica Seinfeld, to review. It's her follow up to the controversial Deceptively Delicious, which many criticized as being unoriginal at best, and, at worst, rehashed content from other cookbooks.
We say, isn't that what all cookbooks do? Very few recipes are 100% original. You can Google just about any darn combination of ingredients on the planet and find a multitude of concoctions utilizing them.
But we digress. We really like Double Delicious!. Firstly, it's spiral bound. Which all cookbooks should be. Secondly, the retro graphics and colors are easy on the eyes. And fun! Throughout the book are sprinkled short quotes from Seinfeld's husband, Jerry –- some New Yorker who really likes burgers -- her three children and nutritionist Joy Bauer.
The photos are bright and unpretentious (featuring paper napkins!) and the design makes the book highly flippable and easy to follow.
What about the recipes, you ask? Yes, we have something to say about those, too. We made three of them in our "test kitchen": Chicken and Biscuits, Black Bean Burgers, and Sesame Beef with Broccoli. Most of Seinfeld's Mealtime recipes incorporate her philosophy of utilizing as many whole foods as possible, usually with the addition of a vegetable purée. For this reason, we cannot give the book a 1/2 assed rating. If you do what we did, though, and make several cups of purée at once to keep in the fridge, the entrees suddenly seem a lot less daunting. And more nutritious.
We loved the Chicken and Biscuits, made with carrot purée, whole wheat flour, and low-fat buttermilk, among other things. Our husband, who likes foods that are a little less "comfort" and a little more Asian, preferred the Sesame Beef.
The combinations of flavors in this book were fabulous. Seinfeld gets her seasonings just right and is not afraid of a few (low fat) dairy products. She strives to focus simultaneously on healthfulness and convenience.
And now for the exciting news! We have two copies of Double Delicious! to give away. Simply leave a comment on this post by Saturday, December 4th at 10 pm PST. We'll randomly choose two comments and announce the winners on Sunday, the 5th.
Good luck!
Update: The winners of Double Delicious! are Diep and M&Co. We'll be emailing you with details.