Lois Winston, editor

We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips

978-1940795348 Paperback, 200 pages; time-saving recipes and tips from authors, $10.29 (also available as e-book: $0.99)

October 28, 2015

In today’s world, time is a precious commodity for everyone. This is even truer during the whirlwind of the holiday season. We’d Rather Be Writing provides time-saving recipes and tips that will help readers tackle house guests, parties, and everything in between with aplomb and let them focus on what is important — enjoying time with friends and family and doing what brings them joy.

Editor and contributor Lois Winston has brought together almost ninety authors, people who are used to juggling family life, writing careers, often a second job, and more, to contribute their insights. The time-saving tips cover household chores (like ironing and sorting laundry, or cleaning silverware), cooking, shopping, writing, and other areas.

Some of the tips are tongue-in-cheek and advise the readers to get husbands and kids to cook. Others are creative and practical, such as Lisa Q. Mathews’s suggestion: “Time often flies quickly when you browse in stores. Set a timer on your phone before you enter the store. Leave when the timer goes off. This trick works especially well in bookstores where you can lose hours.”

The recipes are varied and interesting. You have the expected casseroles, soups and stews, and slow-cooker meals. But then you also find tempting surprises. The recipes include global flavors — like Garides Tourkolimano (Greek Shrimps), Falafel with a Cucumber Yogurt sauce, and French-inspired Eggs in a Tomato-Spinach Sauce. Some go back in time — A Simple but Splendid Medieval Feast involving dough, cheese, sausage and eggs. Others are family favorites: Sandra Master shares her Nonna’s Italian Meatballs.

My favorites were Caridad Pineiro’s Swiss Chard with Chorizo and Cannellini Beans because of the many variations she provides in her notes, and Maya Corrigan’s Mediterranean Pasta made with flavorful and familiar pantry items (at least in terms of my pantry) and providing a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian option. Both scored high in flavor.

So do yourself a favor and pick up We’d Rather Be Writing and you’ll also be helping the hungry. Ms. Winston will be donating a portion of the proceeds to NoKidHungry.org.

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