The salad came out pretty well, but the cookbook is very difficult. The recipes are really only guidelines, and this book is meant for professional chefs who know what they are doing. They aren't laid out the way most cookbook recipes are, with a list of ingredients right up front. It's a little more like The Joy of Cooking but still not easy to follow. An interesting thing is the lay-out of the chapters. Salads are included in the chapter on Roasts and Salads.

Here is the recipe for the salad:

Peel and quarter some small tomatoes; cut some mild peppers julienne-fashion; cook some rice plainly in salted water, keeping each grain separate; add a little crushed garlic and chopped onion and parsley.
Season with oil and vinegar.

That's it -- no quantities, no definition of mild peppers (I used some miniature bell peppers I happened to have). No idea how much rice, and how to keep the grains separate. Anyway, I used the little miniature peppers, one tomato (it's all I had), some leftover green onions, and enough rice to serve four, and bottled vinaigrette. It came out good, no leftovers, and my family gave it three stars.

The cookbook is valuable for its sauces and its historical nature, but not a cookbook I would recommend for the casual family chef. I'd give it 3.5 stars overall.

Did not call for any seasoning prior to cooking so I added salt and pepper.

The best croutons I've ever had. Will never buy store bought again.

The quiche was very flavorful, and the crust was excellent. I had to pre-bake it, and it actually came out without the bubbles I got the last time I pre-baked a crust. The quiche was a little watery in the middle, even though I cooked it for an extra five minutes. Next time, I might try slicing steam holes in the top of the quiche once it has baked long enough to set a little. My theory is that the steam couldn't escape the way it can in a regular pie that one cuts vents into the crust for.

This was a surprisingly good recipe. I ended up marinating the steak for over 24 hours because I didn't have time to prepare it on the day I originally planned. I think this helped the steak become even more tender. The recipe didn't need as much additional salt as Weight Watchers recipes usually do, and the flavors weren't overpowering. I would probably do this one again, though not in the winter when I have to unwrap the grill and stay outside when it's cold and rainy.

I love using these cookbooks for menu ideas and often don't even use the recipes. The backs of the books always contain several weeks worth of daily menus, and I always use one of the books (I have four) when writing my grocery lists. When I do use the recipes, they are consistently good. They almost always need additional salt (this one was no exception). I usually make substitutions with regular cheese and 1% milk if such things are called for. I don't think it adds that much to the calories. The Mexican Lasagna was a hit with my mother (who is visiting), and my husband said he would eat it again. It's made with corn tortillas and beans, rather than pasta and meat, so it would be a good vegetarian meal.