I absolutely love this cook book - I have several in the series & this one is my favorite. It has tons of useful and practical recipes, as well as the usual handful of recipes that no one would ever make ;)This book has recipes for dips, salads and sides and includes recipes like:* fattoush* creamy dill cucumber salad* baked macaroni & cheese* pasta saladAs well as assorted cream cheese dips and salad dressings. This book is a just have for every kitchen! It doesn't have many pictures, and the pages are non glossy sturdy paper - but the recipes are so well written you don't need a picture, it's easy to produce a quality looking dish simply by following the instructions.I also think most cooks would (or should) have the ingredients available in the kitchen already & anything missing is commonly found at a normal grocery store.