Category Archives: Cookbooks

“Mug Meals: Delicious Microwave Recipes” by Dina Cheney is a beautifully illustrated cookbook based on recipes which can be cooked in a 12 ounce mug (though the author points out that using a 16 ounce mug works as well – and maybe helps with keeping the microwave clean.)

I became interested in this book because it involves more work than throwing four ingredients into a mug and heating it up. While there are a few simpler items included, this is not a book of simple flavor recipes – it is a book of interesting and somewhat complex ingredient meals/desserts that are simple to make. You will need a decently stocked pantry to make all of the recipes. Good news for beginners is that you can buy the items as you go along and you will end up with a well-stocked pantry by the time you have worked your way through the book.

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This cookbook is rich with classic poultry recipes. They are the recipes that I grew up with put forward in a simple, no-nonsense approach. This is not a coffee table type book as there are no pictures other than some simple hand-drawings. This is for the serious cook – those who are just beginning as well as those who have years of experience behind them. The original version of this book was released in 1944 and it has undergone many changes in the various updates since then. Reading the forewards to the book give the reader its history and funny anecdotes.

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