Maybe it’s your first time living away from home and you have no idea how to cook, or maybe you’re an semi-new chef who’d like to make an impression with an easy meal. Read more to find out if this is the cookbook for you…

I always jump at the chance to try out new cookbooks because cooking is one of my favorite things to do (and I’m pretty good at it too, if I do say so myself). 52 Weeks of Recipes for Students, Missionaries, and Nervous Cooks offered me the chance to try new recipes, but at the same time, read the instructions through my husband’s eyes. See, he’s not much for cooking. He won’t cook unless the recipes has 3 ingredients or less or can be microwaved.

I decided first to try out the Japanese Meatballs in Meatball Sauce. For me, a very basic recipe. Add in some rice and you’ve got a great dinner. But when I saw the recipe through my husband’s eyes, I realized he’d probably never make it. Too many ingredients, and where the heck can I buy ginger root (yes, that is what he’d say!) Don’t get me wrong - it was a decent recipe and the food turned out pretty tasty. But for a “nervous” cook? No way. For a missionary? Too many ingredients for such a small budget.

Next, I tried out the 7-Up Chicken. My husband fondly remembers a Coca-Cola chicken he had when he was younger, so I thought I’d try 7-Up to see if it compared. A much easier recipe for the nervous cooks and missionaries (and definitely students - they always have soda around).

And, through my own cooking experience, I’ve also cooked many of the other dishes in the book like Monte Cristos, grilled cheese sandwiches, scrambled eggs, omelets in a bag, etc. These types of recipes are what I would have pictured this book to be all about. Start with the basics, right? However, I don’t think this is the *perfect* book for “students, missionaries and nervous cooks”. Why? Degree of difficulty of many of the recipes, and just the sheer amount of ingredients (not to mention that some of the recipes sound a little *gulp* not so good). I think perhaps the best part of the book is in the back where authors Clark and Kathryn Kidd have written up a nice “How To” section as well as a glossary of cooking terms and ingredients, but I really think this misses the mark as a first-timers cookbook.

You can find 52 Weeks of Recipes for Students, Missionaries, and Nervous Cooks at Deseret Books stores and online at www.DeseretBook.com for the list price of $8.95.