In this edition:

When are so called "convenience foods", just not that convenient? Recent additions to this site........Holidays are coming! Exclusive summer recipe - delicious, Mango Fool Hot tip for a great gift idea.........and save 30%!

As you may be aware, I am a great believer in making life easy in the kitchen. Indeed, my website Gourmet Food Revolution is in fact dedicated to proving that cooking really excellent food at home can be done without causing too much exhaustion or stress and without the necessity for culinary training! So I am always on the lookout for new ideas and tips and was intrigued, even excited a little when Delia Smith, the doyenne of Britain's celebrity cooks launched her latest book "How to Cheat at Cooking".

• Now for those of you who may not be familiar with Delia (yes, the whole nation is on first name terms with her!), she was in truth one of our very earliest "celebrity chefs". Since the early 1970's through her books and TV shows, she has in fact caused quite a revolution in the domestic kitchen. Her recipes have always been stripped back to perfect simplicity, yet producing nothing short of spectacular results. In my mind, she is nothing less than a saint!
  

• However, it has to be said that her latest book caused something of a storm amongst both her fellow celebrity chefs and editors alike. So rather than rush out and buy her book, I decided to research it first. I was intrigued to find a review in the Sunday Times by journalist Lydia Slater who like many of us, was intrigued.
  

• So Lydia, a busy working mom and longtime Delia fan chose her "good old shepherd's pie". This dish is in fact a concoction of tinned minced lamb, frozen mashed potato, ready grated cheese and frozen diced onion. Doesn't sound terribly appetizing to me, but who am I to argue with "Saint Delia"!
  

• Delia goes as far as to recommend specific convenience products from particular supermarkets. For Lydia, that required a good hour's worth of energetic shopping going from store to store. Assembling and cooking the ingredients required a further hour.

• As for the results, our intrepid journalist only described it as "okay" expressing her preference for her own, familiar recipe. She also points out that cooking her own recipe takes less shopping time and no longer to cook. Plus, the cost of producing what Delia describes as "nothing short of sensational" was close to £7 ($14) whereas buying a ready made pie, let alone making her own would cost only half that!

The moral of the story.........? Keep it simple yes. Take some well researched short cuts yes, and don't be afraid to buy it in....such as in the wonderful range of dishes available from this selection of recommended suppliers. But don't be slave to every latest fad, and do be prepared to trust your favorite tried and tested recipes. And for those of you who may be tempted to try Delia's recipe, here it is the link........Delia's Good Old Shepherd's Pie. Have fun!

Even though many of us are enjoying the delights of summer dining with lazy evening barbecues in the garden or sumptuous picnics in the park, I've been working on new menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It's amazing how the holidays can so easily creep up on you and find you total unprepared......don't let that happen to you!

My new Thanksgiving Menu is very much a traditional meal with some great seasonal classics built around a wonderfully fragrant, Brined Roast Turkey. And the Apple Streusel Pie would also make a fantastic dessert for a Fall or Halloween dinner party.

I had great fun creating my latest Christmas Dinner Menu........it comprises all of my favorite festive dishes! It's a rich and comprehensive menu which should be be savored over several hours in order to do it justice.

With both menus, the key to success is all in the planning. Many of the dishes can be prepared well ahead of the celebration thereby leaving you less to do on the day........