4 Ingredients

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever experienced any of the following?

1. You look at your watch and think, “Gosh, it’s 6:30! What am I going to cook for dinner?”

2. You collect your children from school and immediately hear a resounding “I’m hungry!” from the backseat.

3. You spend hours on the phone trying to explain how to cook something to your grown child who has just moved out.

4. OH MY GOD . . . They’re coming over for dinner!!!?

5. The clock says 11 p.m. and you’re exhausted, but the kids’ lunch boxes must be packed for the next day. Peanut butter and jelly? Again?

6. You go to the pantry, look at it (full to the brim), and think, “Nothing in there!”

7. You find yourself cooking spaghetti and meatballs for the kids AGAIN!!!

8. You spend all afternoon cooking, only to have to scour the kitchen afterward.

9. You want to make something memorable for a dinner party but dread having to buy and prepare so many ingredients.

10. You feel excited about cooking great food but want to do it without breaking the weekly food budget.

WELL, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

And your family, your friends, and their families and their friends.

The 4 Ingredients concept is all about preparing delicious food easily and inexpensively by:

Reducing the number of ingredients required to make something yummy. Every one of these fabulous recipes is made with only four or fewer ingredients. Our aim was to simplify without compromising on flavor.

Reducing the number of utensils required to make something yummy. The only measuring equipment required to make the recipes in this book is a set of measuring spoons and a measuring cup. Any other measurements (e.g., ounces) will be marked on the store-bought product.

Reducing the amount of money spent on food each week. Food is one of the largest items in the weekly budget, so it is well worth shopping around for good-quality food at a reasonable price. By reducing the ingredients, you do not need to buy as much. A recipe with eight ingredients generally costs more to prepare than a recipe with four.

Reducing the mess. By simplifying the recipe, you often simplify the cleanup, which adds up to saved time . . . something most of us could do with more of these days.

We are two everyday moms who absolutely love and adore our families, and like most busy mothers are always appreciative of ways to create more time for them.

The reality of 4 Ingredients began when Rachael Bermingham presented Kim McCosker with a signed copy of her new book Read My Lips. Kim was admiring what her extremely talented friend had achieved when Rachael remarked, “Everyone has a good book inside them!” And a little while later the very courageous and creative Mrs. McCosker validated that statement by casually mentioning her own book idea to Rachael.

“What is it?” Rach asked.

“A book full of yummy recipes with four or fewer ingredients.”

“BRILLIANT!” Rachael exclaimed. “You HAVE to do it!”

“Too hard, no time,” Kim replied.

“No way,” said the unstoppable Mrs. Bermingham.

“Love . . . I’ve had this idea for years. I’ve been collecting recipes for years and have never done anything with it. I’ll sit on it for years more because the mere thought of writing a book is SCARIER than a teething toddler . . . AND THEY ARE SCARY!!!” (We both currently have them.)

“It’s not that hard,” Rach said.

And Kim replied, “Yeah . . . you write it with me, then!!!!”

We self-published 4 Ingredients in our native Australia in 2007. What began as a revolutionary idea hatched in Kim’s kitchen has since become a necessity in homes all over the country. Literally millions of copies have been sold. Currently, one out of ten Australian households has a copy of 4 Ingredients! And now we’re thrilled to be able to share this wonderful, time-saving, money-saving concept with the United States. In the past three years, we have come up with even more delicious recipes we know you’ll love, including Huevos Rancheros, Coney Island Burgers, and Sweet Potato Mash with Crisp Sage Leaves—all with fewer than four ingredients. For this edition, we also took out dishes that are, perhaps, a bit too Aussie, even for those of you who have traveled to the glorious Down Under. We’ll save the Vegemite for the second book!

Best wishes and happy cooking!

—Rachael and Kim, December 2010

Copyright © 2007 by Meymott Enterprises Pty Ltd PR International Pty Ltd