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Please tell us about your latest book, Stylish One-Dish Dinners.

The best news about our new book is that it was nominated for a James Beard prize. We won the prize for our last book Entertaining 101, so cross everything. Stylish One Dish Dinners was a direct outgrowth of Entertaining 101. When we toured the country, people kept saying to us, "I'd love to entertain, but I only have time to make one thing." So building on what we knew, we developed a book based on technique - with chapters to teach a number of basic cooking methods: stir frying, sauteing, braising, then eggs, microwave cookery, the usual stews, soups, with everything from seafood to poultry to beans. We also have middle-of-the-plate salads, roasts, casseroles, and a pizza, a tart and a couple of quiches. Phew. sounds like a lot. And it is. All the recipes are designed for beginning cooks and give preparation and cooking time as well as a cooking lesson, a menu and some advice for setting the table and the mood. Our motto is ;MAKE WHAT YOU LOVE AND BUY THE REST. It works for us.

You co-authored this book with Katherine West Defoyd. Was it fun working together?

Sure. Always. Katherine is my daughter. We've completed three books together and are beginning the fourth - Candlelight Dinners in a Flash. We bring the perspective of two generations, an East and West Coast world view, plus we get to hash out all our mother-daughter issues in this forum. It's great fun.

What tips do you have for people who like to entertain but don't have much time?

Keep it simple. Take all the bores off your list. Keep the decorating down to 5 minutes. Greet your guests with a smile. Have fun.

In your book, you say, If you don t have a pressure cooker, the big question is: Why not? Tell us ways (or dishes) in which you think a pressure cooker can be best utilized to save time in the kitchen.

I'll tell you how we're using a pressure cooker this week. We're going to teach in an adult school class that's two hours long. We're going to teach people to use a pressure cooker for braising a roast beef. This knocks the time back from four hours to 45 minutes. For full flavor development and easy clean up in addition to saving time, we swear by our pressure cooker. And you can convert most braising recipes to the pressure cooker if you just remember that no liquid will be lost to evaporation, so knock back the liquid so that the pan is no more than half full. All that good flavor will go into the meal, not up into your face. (If you want a facial, go to a spa.)

Would you share your 5 favorite dishes made in a pressure cooker with us?

These are great recipes from Stylish One Dish Dinners and all can be made in a pressure cooker:

1. Braised Herbes de Provence Beef in Burgundy Wine
2. Beer-Braised Pork Chops with Onions, Apples, Cabbage and Currants
3. Tamarind Beef and Bean Stew with Pineapple and Bananas
4. Tequila-Braised Chicken with Two Kinds of peaches
5. Red Beans and Rice with Andoille Sausage

What tips do you have for someone who is just starting out with a pressure cooker?

Don't be afraid of it. The new generation of pressure cookers are easy to use and won't splatter the ceiling with beans (like my mom's did in the long-lost forties). Europeans have used pressure cookers for years because they not only conserve time, but fuel as well. Its not something Americans think about, but they can save money when they save both time and energy.

What food trends do you see today?

Comfort, comfort, comfort. A trend away from being fearful of fats, to being realistic about carbohydrates. Which brings me to discuss our new book coming out in the Fall: High Protein Cookbook. This new book will have fabulous one dish dinners that use low carb vegetables as a base, and high quality proteins to create wonderful, healthy dinners. We believe the trend to low carb cooking will help to get the waddle out of the walks of all those folks who believed if they just stayed away from fats they'd be thin. Wrong... The book is Clarkson Potter, a quality paperback out in November and priced right at under $20. Watch for it.

What s your next project?

We're just beginning a book project we call Candlelight Dinners in a Flash. These will be sweet little suppers for you and your sweetheart/best friend. They'll be easy They'll be fast. They'll be sexy. We're having fun.