Forty years into an award-winning career in the food industry as an instructor, writer, and recipe developer, Molly Stevens has written her most intimate cookbook yet, All About Dinner: Simple Meals, Expert Advice (W.W. Norton, $40). For the everyday home cook this collection of recipes is less about learning how to conjure up showstoppers for a fancy dinner party and more about feeding yourself or your family tried and truly satisfying meals at the end of a hectic day. Molly's writing is inviting, at times humorous—she playfully refers to a Seinfeld episode in one of her recipes—and always approachable. From fast and loose recipe guidelines for big salads to warming soups and stews, you will find yourself eager to improvise on fairly basic meal ideas and make them your own.
