Author Ron Douglas is one of America’s most wanted men.
No, not that kind. No the poster kind. Not the FBI type at all.
No, Ron is the author of the famed America’s Most Wanted Recipe series. With now seven books and way over a million copies sold, Ron is the man who can answer a fundamental question of life: how did this restaurant make this dish?
Ron specializes in recipe reconstruction. He visits restaurants far and wide, focusing on the national favorites. Rod does not “get the original” recipe. He does his own reconstruction work, striving to reproduce the original, but often in a healthier format with less salt and fat.
His latest volume is this one, America’s Most Wanted Recipes: Kids’ Menu.
There are a 100+ recipes here from restaurants far and wide across the country. Restaurants or really restaurant chains that we all know. You’ve seen them, you’ve driven by, you’ve gone in and eaten the food, perhaps this very recipe.
I know, this blog is devoted for “fresh and local” food. But the facts of life are the same for all of us. No, I won’t ever take my grandsons to the Golden Arches, but I have gone to P.F. Chang’s and gotten them Chicken Fried Rice. The basic fast food restaurant is something I avoid. But upscale? Yes, I succumb, as we all do.
On my block is my Starbucks, yes my personal Starbucks. How could I begin the morning without my Petite Vanilla Scones? If I need a great dessert and I have little time, I will readily grab a container of Chunky Monkey Ice Cream from Ben & Jerry’s. Ok, two containers.
All those recipes — the fried rice and the scones and, thank God, the ice cream — are among the recipes appearing in this book. And, no, I really don’t consider these things “fast” or “less than healthy” food. These are all-American, everybody-eats recipes that I’ll consume regularly, with moderation. One pint of ice cream at a time.
So, while the title here says Kids’ Menus, and while kids will love getting their favorites from The Cheesecake Factory and Dairy Queen and Panera Bread and Red Robin, so will any adult. You grew up on this food and fell in love with it and, yes, you do crave it. Thanks to Ron, now you can enjoy it with the car still in the garage.
Thumb the pages of Kids’ Menu and you are certain to find several items that you do know, do love, and now can make at home. This book, and its companion volumes, are clever works.
America’s Most Wanted indeed.