Introduction
It is said that variety is the spice of life. Or is it more accurate to suggest that spices are the very things that make our lives more interesting and varied?
The kitchens on Wisteria Lane are no exception. And it is there, right along with the spice racks, that the rich and varied personalities of our favorite housewives can be found. The secrets, murderous plans, and love affairs that were discussed in the kitchens of ancient queens, saints, and politicians pale in comparison to those of the women of Wisteria Lane, who each have plenty of juicy tales of intrigue, lust, and hunger to tell. Susan Mayer, Bree Van De Kamp, Lynette Scavo, Gabrielle Solis ... and, lest we forget, the town slut (but not technically a housewife), Edie Britt-in each of their kitchens, we can glimpse their true selves. For who these women are dictates what foods they make. Isn't that true for all of us?
Take Bree Van De Kamp, the housewife whose kitchen is
Introduction
It is said that variety is the spice of life. Or is it more accurate to suggest that spices are the very things that make our lives more interesting and varied?
The kitchens on Wisteria Lane are no exception. And it is there, right along with the spice racks, that the rich and varied personalities of our favorite housewives can be found. The secrets, murderous plans, and love affairs that were discussed in the kitchens of ancient queens, saints, and politicians pale in comparison to those of the women of Wisteria Lane, who each have plenty of juicy tales of intrigue, lust, and hunger to tell. Susan Mayer, Bree Van De Kamp, Lynette Scavo, Gabrielle Solis ... and, lest we forget, the town slut (but not technically a housewife), Edie Britt-in each of their kitchens, we can glimpse their true selves. For who these women are dictates what foods they make. Isn't that true for all of us?
Take Bree Van De Kamp, the housewife whose kitchen is the most immaculate, well-stocked, and busiest on Wisteria Lane. In Bree's kitchen, the forty-two-inch stainless steel side-by-side Thermador refrigerator and the thirty-six-inch gas stovetop with built-in griddle resting on the oversize island are not just for show. These items, like everything else in her ultra-modern yet classic kitchen, are part of what makes Bree tick. They define her as a woman who lives and breathes food, in terms of both taste and presentation. When Bree's life is good, she uses food to celebrate; when things are difficult, she uses cooking to escape.
While the other women of Wisteria Lane certainly enjoy their favorite dishes, no one dares compete with Bree-or her kitchen.
Divorced, single mother Susan Mayer has "limited" cooking skills, though she is always eager to try. Lynette Scavo is too much of a pragmatist and far too busy with her demanding job and her family even to entertain the notion of being a gourmand. Former model Gabrielle Solis certainly enjoys haute cuisine, but simply can't be bothered with the arduous process of preparing it herself. Only Edie Britt, who has created some tempting dishes as part of her seduction of various men, can come close to competing in the same arena as Bree where the kitchen is concerned.
Wisteria Lane is a picture-perfect street, where souffls never fall and the grass on the lawns is never more than two inches high-and always a vibrant green. It's a place where the newspapers are delivered to the front door before anyone arises, a community where all of the neighbors get along ... at least, this is what everyone pretends is going on. We all know the truth: Nothing is perfect.
Inevitably, secrets do reveal themselves. The lawns may be verdant-but the grass might actually be painted green. The ideal house might create the illusion of perfection, but the foundation is falling apart because of a termite infestation. Inside the kitchens of our favorite housewives, the souffl does, in fact, fall far too often (except in the Van De Kamp household). With cooking-as with life-it's only with practice and a sense of humor when things fail that we can learn to get it right.
From Susan's classically awful Macaroni and Cheese (somehow burned and undercooked at the same time) to Gabrielle's Quesadillas (tasting uncannily like the ones served at her favorite Mexican restaurant in the city) to Lynette's Buttermilk-Soaked Fried Chicken, the food on Wisteria Lane has a flavor quite unique to this unusual community.
The recipes on the following pages run the gamut of the cooking styles, cultures, and abilities of the women of Wisteria Lane. So as you read The Desperate Housewives Cookbook, you will be reminded that we are all different. If you are like Bree, perhaps your meal will be a perfect balance of taste and presentation. And if you are similar to Susan, perhaps it's best to have a wealth of spices handy to cover up the imperfections. And that's okay! Because it is in our differences that we find the very spice that makes life worth living.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from THE DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Cookbookby Scott Tobis Copyright © 2006 by Hyperion Books. Excerpted by permission.
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