Cooking From The Hip

As the star of the enormously popular TV program Iron Chef America, Cat Cora regularly battles the legendary chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Masaharu Morimoto to create spectacular meals in record time. So she is used to putting together inspired dishes on a moment's notice. Now the vivacious chef and mom shows how to apply her friendly "go-with-what-you've-got"� philosophy to create simple, sensational meals. Cooking from the Hip showcases more than 100 dishes, divided into convenient categories: FAST (thirty minutes or less), EASY (interruption-proof), FUN (relaxing to prepare with friends), and PHENOMENAL (special dishes for special evenings). Cooks can turn to whichever section suits their needs, whether it be dinner in twenty minutes or a fantastic recipe for a spur-of-the-moment Friday get together. "Cooking from the hip"� means flexibility. It means cutting down steps, combining just a few ingredients in inventive ways, pulling in leftovers, and wowing family and friends in the process. It's no surprise Cat Cora became a world renowned chef. Her culinary aspirations began at an early age, and by 15, she had developed a business plan for her own restaurant. In 2005, she made television history on Food Network's Iron Chef America as the first and only female Iron Chef, and in November 2006 Bon Appétit Magazine bestowed her with their Teacher of the Year Award, an award she calls, "the greatest recognition she could achieve as a chef." That month, she was also honored with another great culinary distinction when she was named executive chef of the magazine.