the peche - Home

Standing over the boiling pot of pasta, scallops overflowing in my hand, I had a crisis of faith. Should I follow the recipe directions and throw this beautiful seafood into the bubbling pasta water? Or should I go with my instincts and just pan sear these and add them later?

The recipe for Lemony Seafood Pasta Salad said to drop the scallops into the water for the last minute of the pasta cooking time. But how could it be this easy?

I’m here to tell you, I’m a believer. I’m a believer in Pam Anderson. And I’m a believer in her new book, Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers.

We met Pam and her family at Big Summer Potluck a few months back. Warm, generous, smart, Pam is truly a pro. Karen and I were lucky enough to each get an advance copy of Perfect One-Dish Dinners at that event, and we love it. Love it. You definitely want this book in your kitchen.

Our friend Alice over at Savory Sweet Life says it best:

[Pam] is the former Executive Editor for Cook’s Illustrated magazine, currently a Contributing Editor for Fine Cooking magazine, USA Today Food Columnist, and a New York Times best-selling author of six cookbooks.

Yeah. She’s at the top of her game.

So, my little crisis of faith was completely unwarranted. Pam is the master, and every recipe in her book makes you feel like you’re in the careful hands of a pro and that makes you feel in complete control of your food. Pam’s got a real winner on her hands with this book.

I love that Pam is so focused on making life easy in the kitchen. There are nights when I’m pressed for time, but cooking is never a burden. I don’t want to take shortcuts by opening a box, but I want to use my time wisely. I want to work efficiently and end up with something incredibly tasty and satisfying. This book is filled to the margins with tasty and satisfying.

The Lemony Seafood Pasta Salad was perfect. Perfectly seasoned, full of flavor, and perfectly cooked pasta and seafood. One minute in boiling pasta water for the scallops and the shrimp? Who knew? Pam Anderson knew. Pam and her daughters, Maggy and Sharon, talked to us about their meticulous approach to recipe testing. They challenge themselves to find the best approach to make the recipe tasty while making sure they don't waste anytime at all getting the food on the table. Gotta love that. Check them out at Three Many Cooks.

giveaway

Congratulations to Angel Hardy who was chosen randomly using Random.org!

~~Guess what? We’re giving away one of Pam’s books! One very lucky reader is going to get one of our copies of Pam’s book. This is a great addition to any kitchen.~~

How do you win?

Just leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win. We’ll pick a winner randomly.
Want an extra entry? Go follow ThreeManyCooks on Twitter, to keep up on the latest news and posts from Maggy, Sharon, and Pam. Then come back here and tell us your Twitter handle (e.g., “I tweet @inserttwittername, and I just followed @ThreeManyCooks) in the comments below. If you already follow them, you can tell us that, too, for your extra chance to win.
You have until Tuesday, September 28 to enter.
We'll announce the winner on Wednesday, September 29, so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

One last thing...Pam just appeared on the Today Show this week. Watch the master at work. Then enter to win!

link to video