You collect a cupboard full of beautiful cookbooks, thousands of recipes, but use only two or three out of every book. Why? Because life is busy and you don’t have time for hours experimenting. And while pretty pictures of exotic entrées are interesting to look at, many recipes are either too complicated, or require ingredients so unusual that you just don’t bother. What good is a recipe if you don’t use it? When you serve a meal for family, friends, neighbors, clients, or your boss— you want to prepare something that you know is a sure winner. You rely on familiar favorites. Every recipe in this book will become one of those favorites— guaranteed. You don’t have to be a veteran chef to make an elegant Beef Stroganoff, Crabmeat Bisque, or Bruschetta. Let your family guess what culinary school you snuck off to and learned how to prepare Cavatappi Salsiccia, Remoulade, and Raspberry Chipotle. Invite the neighbors to stay for dinner after they get a whiff of your Cedar Plank Salmon, Bourbon Street Ribeye, and Smokin’ Good Ribs on the grill. And then show off a little and explain how to make a roux and velouté so they can copy your Spinach and Artichoke Dip. It’s your secret how easy all of these are to prepare. And we didn’t even get to dessert yet.