About the Author

KATE GIBBS is an established food and travel writer, journalist and cookbook author. She is the granddaughter of Margaret Fulton. Kate has a food column in Sunday Life magazine and writes regularly for The Sydney Morning Herald andThe Wall Street Journal. She has co-authored The Foodies Guide to Sydney, and contributes to SMH Everyday Eats and the SMH Good Cafe Guide. Kate has written for Australian Gourmet Traveller and Frankie magazine, among others. She has won awards for her writing, including a National Press Club journalism award. See her blog at www.kategibbs.com.

Reviews

Australian journalist, blogger, and food and travel writer Gibbs's new book contains over 150 simple recipes to inspire young aspiring cooks. Geared toward teens and 20-somethings, it is organized by meal, with straightforward chapters on breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, and dessert, as well as one on parties and friends. The author says, "my advice as someone who once only knew how to make toast or the more daring sandwich or salad, but then gradually learned how to cook, is just to start cooking." Many familiar, easy-to-make recipes are written in cheeky prose that aims to please. The author suggests starting your day with dishes that have fun names like I Heart Eggs Omelette and Zucchini Fritters with Melty Cheese. For in-between meals, there's grilled corn salsa with corn chips and peanut butter popcorn balls. For lunch, Gibbs aims to elevate typical choices by "thinking outside the (lunch) box." Examples include chicken sesame sausage rolls; tuna, lemon, and coriander mash; and spiced roasted pumpkin, lentil, and feta salad. Standards like cheeseburgers and mac and cheese, along with Thai green chicken curry and buckwheat risotto with juicy steak make up the chapter on main courses. For parties, Gibbs offers recipes for sticky soy chicken wings and grilled prawns with creamy dill and lime dressing, to name just a few. This collection is appealing and easy to navigate-as the author intended-though it's also a bit gimmicky. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.