The first time culinary student Ron Gaj is instructed to cut up a whole chicken into precise parts, he confidently moves forward with the surgical procedure. By the time he has finished the task, his chicken looks like it has just gone through a wood chipper. And so begins the zany odyssey of a sexagenarian who has just mistakenly entered the world of culinary arts thinking the learning experience will be a culmination of creating elegant fare while engaging in casual conversation and sipping a glass of wine. He could not have been more wrong.

Approaching retirement means different things to different people, but to sixty-something Gaj, who had always loved to cook, it meant trying something new--culinary school. As he details his often hilarious journey through the world of culinary arts with a cast of characters who seemed better groomed for reform school, Gaj provides a glimpse into how he sharpened his rudimentary cooking skills through weeks of chopping, dicing, boiling, sauteing, and participating in the solution of simple math problems that were treated like quantum physics--ultimately becoming a braver soul in the kitchen.

Purple Chicken shares one man's entertaining foray into the often unpredictable world of culinary arts as he learns to produce delectable creations and discovers the unexpected.

From coast-to-coast, there is something universally common about our relationship with food. It's more than just the food we eat and the way we nourish our bodies. It's the way we feel when our food is shared and the manner in which we connect with others over a shared meal. But perhaps most importantly is the way in which a favorite heirloom recipe can allow a flood of treasured memories to invade our hearts with the simple aroma of ingredients. The traveling apron journey began with one simple goal in mind: to connect a community of women together around those beloved recipes. After 20,000-plus miles of travel, whether you're looking to update your weeknight dinner rotation, entertain friends on the back porch, or simply looking for a dessert for your next holiday bash, there's a little something for everyone.

This cookbook offers the authority of a professional chef with the accessibility of a home cook, for truly delicious recipes.

John and Lisa love to entertain and they both love to cook. What they enjoy the most is to see other people really enjoy cooking, feeling empowered and confident to just go for it, as much as they do. They understand that busy families need simple recipes for them to succeed in eating nourishing food from scratch, so they’ve collated some of their favourite, super-easy recipes from their ITV show John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen for you try at home.

John and Lisa’s Kitchen covers all bases, including chapters on Breads and Brunch, One Pan Wonders, Fakeaways, Speedy Go-tos, Family Favourites, Special Night In dinners and Sweet Treats. Whether you want to rustle up a Veggie Chilli Bake for a midweek meal, make Turkish Eggs with Yoghurt Flatbreads for brunch, impress your weekend guests with Beef Wellington, or do some family baking with Lisa's Favourite Double Chocolate Cake, John and Lisa want to bring love, creativity and inspiration into your kitchen.