The Mom 100 Cookbook

The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket By Katie Workman, Workman Publishing Company, 2012. Paperback. $17; 366 pages

Katie Workman structures this family cookbook around 20 real-life challenges, from "making lunches that won't get tossed" to "just eat the damn fish," and offers five fast, easy recipe solutions for each. Because many of the recipes include variations, you get more than the promise. Workman is frank, funny, and friendly, offering a commonsense approach that is laid-back and real: She is not afraid to tackle the sticky matters of bribing reluctant eaters with brownies or faking out your kids (her brother-in-law coaxed his girls into eating salmon by dubbing it "Barbie Chicken"). Her "Fork in the Road" approach, of setting aside a portion of a dish for tender palates before adding bolder flavors for the rest, is sensible.

GIVE THIS TO: Cooks deep in the everyday struggle to find shortcuts while feeding their families deliciously. —Julianna Grimes