Potluck Survival Guide by Cherie Kimmons

Price: $18.96, regularly $24.95

Put out by: Five Star Publications

At first glance, this book would normally never appeal to me – it’s subtitle reads:  “The Care & Feeding of the Athletic Supporter.”  As much as I look forward to my daughters being immersed in ballet and soccer and whatever else, the fact is that they are 7 months  and two.  But, then I read further and decided that this book would be the perfect fit for someone who goes to many church potlucks – not to mention the non-church functions that may require a hot segmented meal pieced together in moments.

I can bake a brilliant casserole dish, right up there with Martha Stewart, but I’ve never really learned how to store such goods when neither a cooler or refrigerator is handy and the goods would have to wait an hour (while you are busy doing other things) before being consumed.  Thus, I thought this book would be a great source of information…not to mention the possible recipes that could cheaply feed a small army.

When I received the book, I was impressed by the tidbits of information about nutrition for athletes and the types of foods to prepare before a game vs. after a practice.  I was not impressed, however, by the recipes themselves.  Most of them were the typical dishes usually presented at a potluck, and the others were suited for smaller crowds of 6-8 people.  I realize that I could easily multiply the ingredients, thus feed more people but I very much expected a book about potluck recipes to include recipes with inexpensive ingredients that feed lots of people.

The Potluck Survival Guide by Cherie Kimmons features fun illustrations and artwork throughout and is very easy to read.  I’d recommend it to a very new “soccer mom” who possibly missed out on the “Martha gene,” but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is willing to do a little research about what their athlete should and shouldn’t eat before a big game or to anyone willing to do a quick search on cooks.com for a great recipe.

Links: http://www.fivestarpublications.com/book_detail.php?recordid=95

http://www.fivestarpublications.com/potluck/book.html

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