| Part 1 | Starting Line Basics | 1 |
| 1 | Ingredients, Tools, and Ground Rules | 3 |
| Rules of the Game | 3 |
| Cookware: Now You're Cooking | 5 |
| Hand Tools: For the Kitchen, Not the Garage | 7 |
| Kitchen Patrol: Appliances and Power Tools That Love Guys ... and Vice Versa | 9 |
| Crack the Code: The Recipe Is the Key to Edible Success | 9 |
| Now for the Fun Part: Favorite Ingredients | 11 |
| 2 | The Appeal of the Meal: Seasoning, Secret Sauces, ... and Secret Weapons | 15 |
| Herbs and Spices and Everything Nice | 16 |
| Secret Weapons | 17 |
| The Secret Sauce | 19 |
| That's the Rub | 25 |
| 3 | Need-to-Know Recipe Basics | 27 |
| You "Can-Do" These Tasty Dishes | 27 |
| Homemade Never Looked So Good | 33 |
| 4 | The Great Pasta Sauce Competition | 39 |
| The Sauce Doctor Is In! | 39 |
| Quick and Easy Homemade Sauces | 45 |
| Pasta e Fagioli | 49 |
| Part 2 | Method and Madness | 51 |
| 5 | A License to Grill | 53 |
| Meat on the Grill | 54 |
| Grilled Seafood | 61 |
| Grilled Veggies | 64 |
| 6 | Stove Top 101 | 67 |
| Fast and Flavorful | 67 |
| Stove Top Classics | 73 |
| 7 | You Can Stand the Heat: Microwave, Oven, and Broiler 101 | 77 |
| Microwave Menu Mania | 78 |
| The Oven Is Too Easy | 83 |
| Tan Your Food Under the Broiler | 86 |
| 8 | Thick as Pea Soup: Soups, Stews, Chowders, and Slow Cooker Recipes | 89 |
| Soups, Stews, and Chowders | 90 |
| Slow Cooker Recipes | 96 |
| 9 | Eat Your Vegetables | 101 |
| A Salad Is a Raw Deal | 101 |
| Cooked Veggies | 108 |
| 10 | Desserts Even a Guy Can Make | 113 |
| Fast and Easy | 113 |
| Fruit Frenzy | 117 |
| Cakes-at Least in Name | 121 |
| Part 3 | Survival Rations | 125 |
| 11 | Weeknight Food: Jump-Start the Meal | 127 |
| Shake Your Tail Feathers | 128 |
| Steak Yum: Beef-Based Dinner Recipes | 131 |
| Other Easy Meat and Seafood Recipes | 133 |
| Dinner with Vegetables | 137 |
| 12 | Leftover Living | 139 |
| Pasta | 140 |
| Rice | 143 |
| Meats | 145 |
| 13 | Food Your Kids Will Eat | 149 |
| Fast but Good | 149 |
| Classic Kid Favorites | 155 |
| And Don't Forget ... | 157 |
| 14 | Food the Ladies Will Love ... and Hate! | 159 |
| Food the Ladies Will Love | 160 |
| Food the Ladies Will Hate | 167 |
| A Symphony with Musical Fruit | 170 |
| 15 | Mexican-Inspired Dishes | 173 |
| Tortilla 101 | 174 |
| Other Must-Try Dishes from the Southwest Trail | 182 |
| Part 4 | Big Games and Big Themes | 185 |
| 16 | The Big Game | 187 |
| Appetizers I | Watch the Game Sitting Next to a Dip | 187 |
| Appetizers II | Other Game-Day Starters | 191 |
| Where's the Beef? (and Other Main Courses) | 193 |
| 17 | Firefighter Food | 197 |
| Firehouse Basics | 198 |
| Playing with Fire: Grill Recipes | 207 |
| 18 | Let's Take It Outside: Campground and Picnic Food | 211 |
| Your Handy Campground Kitchen Kit | 212 |
| Assemble at the Picnic Table (with Some Advance Prep) | 213 |
| Make Ahead | 216 |
| Cook the Whole Thing On-Site | 221 |
| 19 | Food for Love (Date Night) | 225 |
| Romantic Food 101 | 226 |
| For Starters | 227 |
| Is It the Dish-or the Creamy Sauce? | 230 |
| Romance and Two Skillets | 238 |
| A Sweet Ending | 240 |
| 20 | How Do You Like Your Eggs? | 241 |
| Out of the Frying Pan: Eggs and More | 242 |
| Pancakes | 247 |
| Toast the French Way | 249 |
| Waffles | 251 |
| Muffins and Bread | 253 |
| 21 | Holidays and Dinner Parties | 255 |
| Look Good at the Big Dinner | 255 |
| Appetizers | 257 |
| Meats | 261 |
| Seafood | 264 |
| 22 | Food and Wine | 269 |
| Matching Food with Wine | 269 |
| Food for White Wines | 271 |
| Food for Light Red Wines | 274 |
| Food for Rich Red Wines | 275 |
| Sure Winners: Producers | 276 |
| The Wine Hotlist: Specific Wines to Buy | 276 |
| Appendixes | |
| A | Glossary | 283 |
| B | References | 297 |
| Index | 304 |
