This book is a lifesaver for the average busy person who needs to get tasty healthy meals on the table on time, maintain a lively variety, and would like to enjoy doing it. In this book Thomson offers hundreds of light and hearty "meals in a bowl" and a nearly endless choice of breads to be served on the side. She has tested and retested each recipe to reduce it to essential steps while preserving flavor, flair, and good healthy eating. The book includes 450 recipes from many different cuisines-traditional standards to exotic imports-as well as dishes for every taste-from elegant bisques to hearty stews, soups both meaty and vegetarian, and quickbreads plain, sweet, or tangy.

Jan Thomson has turned simplicity, time-saving, and culinary fun into an art all its own. Recipes are presented in a clear, convenient format of her own devising that cuts reading time to a minimum and reduces the errors that are the common result of cooking in a hurry. She offers a wealth of practical information about a variety of subjects, such as shortcuts for making soup stocks, substituting ingredients, secrets that produce never-fail quickbreads, and a down-home trick to avoid burning food ever again. This book is equally useful as a source of quick informal meals or a treasury of distinctive soup courses for more festive dining. Thomson's book will become a standard for busy cooks who want to offer up lively eating without fuss and bother.