Book Review: The Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook By Dawn Hall

I recently received a copy of The Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook by Dawn Hall to review.


Fast? Frugal? Those are the kinds of recipes that are right up my alley! The problem with a lot of of cookbooks I go through is that they aren't exactly even close to being frugal. I drool, I want to make them, but I'm cheap. I admit it! I like my dinners to stay in the $5 (per meal, not per serving!) range. Sure, sometimes I'll go higher, but definitely not on a nightly basis.

I was pretty happy to see that not only are a lot of the recipes in the book made with every day items you can generally find on sale, they also were almost all in my $5 range. I was also thrilled to see a complete grocery shopping list, as well as prep item list on the side of each page. If only every cookbook was written that way! There are also little "Helpful Hints" on the pages, which are definitely helpful, especially if you don't spend much time in the kitchen or aren't glued to the Food Network. (who knew liquid smoke was usually found in the condiment aisle?)

The recipes in Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook definitely delivered on fast. Many of the recipes are flying through in a 5 minute prep time, which makes it perfect for Moms with 5 million things to have done before soccer practice at 6 pm. I think the longest prep time for a recipe in this book was 20-30 minutes. All of the recipes are also seven ingredients or less, so your counter won't be overflowing with ingredients waiting to be added. ;)

With recipes such as Wet Pizza Burrito Casserole and Potato Reuben Chowder, there's sure to be something for every family. It has a great variety of recipes from everything from soups and chowders, to casseroles, to desserts, so it's pretty well rounded. It also comes with nutritional value, give or take depending on your brand of ingredients, of course. I'm not going to say it's the healthiest in the bookstore, because many of the recipes use canned goods to make it easier, but there's nothing that says you can't substitute fresh ingredients for canned or frozen if you have the time!

If you're looking for fast and easy, and budget minded recipes, this might be the cookbook for you. If you're more advanced in the kitchen, and cooking from mostly fresh ingredients, you might want to stay away.

Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook By Dawn Hall retails for $19.99, and you can purchase online, or find it at your local bookstore. (It's currently cheaper at Amazon!)