A Man, A Can, A Plan, A Second Helping: 50 Fast Meals to Satisfy Your Healthy Appetite: A Cookbook Hardcover – May 1, 2007

A FEW TEARS AGO, MY COUSIN, (AGED 40+), AND I, (AGED 50+), were having a conversation with her niece, aged about 9. All three of us were, (and are) females, and my cousin's niece, (my second cousin...I guess), mentioned certain things she considered "unfeminine". Well, her Aunt and I soon put her right on this: we were, (and are), both strongly of the opinion that the only real difference between men and women is that....well, (to describe it in a "G" rated manner), the man invites the "stork" in, and the lady "carries" what the stork has left. Other than that...mentally, and usually physically, (OK, guys ARE sometimes a bit stronger), men and women are, (and should be considered), basically the same.It's interesting to me too, that though most "celebrity chefs" are men, that cooking, (outside the high-paying world of professional chefs, are women. I sadly suspect that the idea here is for men to make more money, and women do more of the non-paying, day-to-day drudgery stuff. Well, with Paula Dean, Rachel Ray, the late Julia Child whom everyone loved, all the other female chefs now on Food Network, and even harking back to TV's first chef of any kind, Dionna Lucas -- things are changing, and becoming equalized. There are as many famous female chefs now as there are male chefs....and to my mind, that's the way it should be.This book, A MAN, A CAN, A PLAN -- A SECOND HELPING, by David Joachim and the editors of Men's Health, is for ANYONE, of any gender, (or age), who wants to cook satisfying meals quickly, and easily. The receipes are divided into those for Beef, Chicken, Pork, Fish, Noodles, Beans, Veggies, and Fruit. All receipes are illustrated -- giving illustrations of most of the ingredients, as well as the finished dish.On the second page, headed "Man, You Can Make It Easy", the first sentence states: "Men love convenience." Well, so do I. I'm a female who likes to consider herself a Lady....and my personal idea of the best way to cook anything is to take all the ingredients, put them in a blender, and turn the blender on. Although most of the recipes in this book are not quite that easy, many come close, and all are described in a deft and, (whenever possible), humourous style. In place of phrases like, "put in tomato sauce", found in most cookbooks, Mr. Joachim uses the words "dump tomato sauce", etc. Most recipes are on their own page, but some have pages have two recipes on them. The most promininent ingredients are pictured and decribed in all recipes, other ingredients, (not pictured), prominently listed, (usually to the right of the pictures), in an "Also" lisAll the pages of this book, (and Mr. Joachim's other cook books), are on the thick, coated board stock usually found in young children's books.This makes sense, as the shiny surface can easily be wiped off, if there is a spill or two on them. The "board-book" pages also emphasize how simple these recipes are to prepare. And they are! The finished product pictures of every receipe look so good, one wants to try them all!Many of the recipes also include little "extra info" boxes, such as "An Inside Job", page 4 -- (next to a recipe for Cheesteak on a Stick), describing the use of cast-iron skillets, indoors, if your landlord has forbidden the use of outdoor grill pans and their accompanying propane tanks), "Beef Up Your Intellect", page 6, (next to a recipe for Pizza Meat Subs) -- describing facts to impress one's friends, such as how many 1/4 pound burgers come from a half-ton steer, the origin of the Salisbury steak, (from a Dr. Salisbury, who prescribed them in late-1800s England), and the fact that NFL footballs are actually made from cow skin, not pigskin, and, on page 7, a little box which is headlined: "Avoid Cold Comfort." (next to a recipe for Chicken and Dumplings.) In it, it is stated: "It's a good thing you're honing your culinary skills: you can't always expect women to provide the grub you're craving. Researchers have found that wne women want "comfort food", they reach for snacks like hocolate. Men more often want hearty meals like chocolate. Men more often want hearty meals like steak, casseroles and pasta. For belly-filling contentment, whip up the Chicken and Dumplings on this page, or Red Bull Steak on page 1."Well, as someone who likes BOTH chocolate, and steaks, casseroles and pasta when I want "comfort food", I can say two things about the above statement. First, perhaps women want chocolate because a chocolate bar is easier to grab, after working hard all day in the kitchen, than making a casserole? And second -- if one indeed believes that the "key to a man's heart is through his stomach", the easy recipes in this and Mr. Joachim's other excellent cookbooks are "pure gold" for any female to try...both for herself and any potential boyfriend! In an ideal relationship, in fact, both girl and boyfriend should try making Mr. Joachim's recipes together! I still maintain that, besides the "stork's" working in separate ways for men and women, there really is no perceivable difference...at least as far as Human beings are concerned, anyway.This -- as well as Mr. Joachim's other excellent cookbooks -- then is an excellent way to find recipes for quick, delicious meals, with little or or no work involved. Perfect for the "Lazy Gourmet", in all of us!

I'm kinda kidding but I'm kinda not, this book is a masterpiece.My cooking problems have always been straightforward as a single, young professional. I am more than capable of cooking in a physical sense, but I'm busy and don't have the foresight to think much in advance when I want good grub. Also I don't get paid all that much and need to keep my expenses down. Enter this book, which addresses all these issues with ease and a common sense elegance.Whenever I'm hungry, I just flip through the pages, visually spot something that catches my eye, find the ingredients in my pantry, and cook it. That's it. Some of the recipes call for something a bit more sophisticated than "dump everything into a single dish and put it it in the oven" but they rarely get significantly more complex and are always written in an easy to understand style.The fact that canned food plays such a role in the recipes is also a huge plus, I can buy groceries all at once, and never worry that I have to cook something to prevent ingredients from spoiling. This is a big plus in the COVID-19 era where shopping has become a particularly unpleasant experience. It also means that prep is minimal (how long does it take to open a can? A few seconds?), and cleanup usually involves washing a pan and throwing cans in the trash. Cheap and easy.Furthermore the recipes not only taste great for the most part, they are also visually appealing. It's a small thing but it makes me feel significantly more accomplished when the end product looks wonderful and appetizing.If you can get over the ridiculousness of this book, you really are in for a treat. The author clearly understood that there is an audience for super simple, cheap, great recipes and every single design choice within reflects that. I've looked, there is no other book series that does this nearly as well.

I purchased this book after seeing one that someone had left in the ofice break room. I would describe it as a lite cookbook made with humor in mind as the pages are cardboard and thick, like a childrens book, with the catch being it is made for a man.The recipes are very very simple for the most part. when you see them you'll probably ask yourself why you hadn't already tried to make what recipes are in the book. I found myself reading several "recipes" and realizing I could easily add to them in order to create something even better. In fact, I would almost describe it as a book of building blocks. You take the simple stuff they give you and add your own style and taste to the dish. I've done several of the recipes so far and as it turns out, they taste great and my kids absolutely loved the food. What is really nice is that the recipes are so simple that you can esily add your own twist of ingredients and have multiple dishes that took you 15 minutes to make yet taste great.I gave the book 4 stars because while it is good and has some good recipes, most recipes require you to add more than what is simply descibed in the instructions. For example it may tell you that you need beef, corn, and diced tomatoes, but when you read the fine print above the photo you realize you need cheese, some seasoning or spices, and maybe even some rice and noodles. pretty easy and straightforward stuff, but why not just add that stuff in with the directions, even if it is not "canned"?

There were large dead bugs smashed in between the pages of my book. It was disgusting and unprofessional

If you're going camping. Buy it because you can have all sorts of ideas thanks to this book and it helps you plan and not over pack for the trip. Worth a read and no doubt a re-visit down the line

Bought this book for my daughter when she first moved out at 18 and she loved it! She’s 40 now and it got lost during a number of moves so I bought her another, it made her laugh. A good book for young people.

I bought this book along with "A Man, a Can, a Plan: 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make!" for the 14-year old that lives in my house, because he's NOT living in my basement when he grows up. Both books were received with a raised eyebrow but after convincing his father that he should at least "try" to teach his son to cook they both dived into the books and were pleasantly surprised at how easy the recipes were and they decided on their first recipe to make together (deli meat on sub-bun with cheese and horseradish). The 14 year old didn't know ANYTHING about cooking before starting and was pleased that his meal turned out fantastic and everyone loved the sandwiches. Since then he's made 3 other recipes and has professed to enjoying himself! These books are the right books for him at this point in his life. For the reviewers that say the recipes are unappealing, lacking in fresh veggies, too easy, or you're otherwise offended that someone has hinted that you need to learn to cook, these books are not for you. For people that want to learn how to be independent in the kitchen and have options other than fast food, starving to death or thinking you can live in your mother's basement, these books are a great place to start.

Liked the book very much. Looking forward to trying some of the recipes

Simple and to the point, with thick cardstock paper