Debra Ponzek's The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook

Debra Ponzek, owner of Aux Delices Fine Foods, knows a few things about getting food on the table. She cooks for her family and has a successful catering and restaurant business with locations in both Westport and Greenwich. Ponzek’s fourth cookbook The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook, comes out on April 1st 2013 as an answer to the age old question, What’s for dinner?

“You write different cookbooks at different times in your life,” says Ponzek. “I have kids and the question of what will I serve for dinner is a constant.” 

To approach this mealtime conundrum, Ponzek has written her book with the organizing principle of,” What do I feel like eating tonight?” 

The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook is divided into basic mealtime genres such as: "Everybody Loves Burgers", "Pasta & Beyond", "On The Slow Side" for braises, "If You Love Chicken", as well as "Breakfast For Dinner" (my personal favorite). The concept is to take an ingredient your family enjoys and expand on what you already know. 

“I found that people tend to make the same 5 of 6 dishes every week,” states Ponzek. “I hope that people will be inspired by the recipes in The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook and find that they are simple enough to add these to their repertoire.” 

Helpful sidebars provide tips including: What Makes a Great Salad, How to Make a Perfect Roast Chicken, and What’s The Deal With All The Different Chocolate? Written jointly with Mary Goodbody, the tone of this book is conversational and designed with the modern day family in mind.  

To test out the concept and the recipes, Ponzek cooked each and every dish in the book for her family, often multiple times over the past year. What was their favorite?  The Burger with Pesto Aioli & a Fried Egg came back several times by special request.  

Fans of Aux Delices will be pleased to know that several of the most requested dishes at her retail locations such as the Kale or Farro Salad can be found in The Dinnertime Survival.  

Bobby Flay on Debra Ponzek, "I love when talented chefs show us a little behind-the-scenes glimpse of their family meals. Debra Ponzek is the perfect chef to guide you through the rough-and-tumble chore of feeding your household."

To get a preview of some of the recipes in The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook, read The Dinnertime Survival Blog. 

The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook will be available on Amazon on April 2nd, or at a book store near you.