Happy Days With the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver (2002, Hardcover)

Having enjoyed both reading and of course preparing dishes from this book's predecessors, we eagerly awaited this publication - Happy Days with the Naked Chef!
This book - like all his cookbooks - stands out from others in this genre with pictures of family and friends, and personal rencounters of meals written in Jamie's own unique banter! The Naked Chef sets out to make cooking fun, easy and to bring it home to the family...while looking good enough to serve in a restaurant!
We start out with our usual introduction, including the now obligatory Herbs section...but this time Jamie introduces some new chapters:
Comfort grub pays homage to the hearty comforting fare that is standard on many British tables and local pubs....such as Toad in the Hole - Sausages cooked in a batter and baked, big meat pies, Beef Stew with Newcastle Brown Ale..it is the kind of food that our moms would prepare on a cold British winter day ...and this food has no pretentious...such as a Fish Finger Buttie (sandwich!!)
The "Quick fixes' section is loaded with fantastic dishes that look savvy enough to serve at a dinner party - yet are remarkably easy and simple ot prepare...and following this is a kids section, which serves up ideas to get your children involved in cooking and also eating in a healthy manner! It is split between simple recipes and talk on inspiring your children to cook....they will enjoy making basic lollypops, fruit gums and cup cakes!
Of course, we also have sections on fish, meant, veggies, bread and desserts...with standouts for me being..the whole roast salmon wrapped in herbs and a newspaper....try taking that on your next camping trip...it is so simple to prepare and easy to cook over a campstove - yet tastes out of this world! Rosemary Skewards Monkfish is also a wonderful dish, hubby likes Flour and water crust chicken and why not finish off with the Cheeky Chocolate Mousse!!
This is another great book - so simple even I can make great dishes from it that look and taste great and that is saying something!!

Back when I had cable, I loved watching Jamie Oliver on TV, and all the excitement he brought to his cooking. I decided to buy the book after I had checked a copy out at the library and made the fantastic "World's Best Baked Onions" recipe. Since then I've made some dishes that I think must be more liked by the English palate, because I didn't think they were extraordinary, just good. For example, the "Chicken in Milk" sounded kind of quirky, but good; I felt that the final result was rather bland, but still a decent recipe. My husband didn't like the curds created by the combination of milk and lemon juice. There's also a recipe with "skate wings", which I've never even heard of. I'm not sure about the "Minty Mushy Peas" either. The "Sirloin of Beef w/ Bok Choy, Soy Sauce and Ginger" is really excellent; I served it with rice. I am excited to try the "Christmas in a Glass" once I get some mint planted in my garden. I find that I don't use it quite as often as I thought I would, but it was still a worthwhile purchase. And who can complain about looking at pictures of Jamie Oliver while you cook :-).