Best of the Best from Alaska: Big Hit

I'm amazed again by the healing powers of a good dinner. This was not by any stretch of the imagination a happy day for the family of the Tipsy Baker. It began disastrously, continued badly, and was limping along at 7 p.m. The dishwasher remains broken; the battery in the minivan is still dead; virtually every surface of our home is covered in filthy tarps.

But the halibut fettuccine from Best of the Best from Alaska. . . divine. (To use one of Checka's favorite adjectives -- we miss you Checka! Are you coming to dinner on Wednesday?) To make this crazily delicious dish you saute a little garlic, scallion, and halibut in butter; add cooked fettuccine, cream, and vermouth. Cook a little more. Turn off stove. Throw in Parmesan and parsley. Fattening and fabulous.

For dessert, Isabel made cowboy cookies which are basically oatmeal cookies with milk chocolate chips. Didn't know there were cowboys in Alaska, but whatever. Equally fattening and fabulous.

Best of the Best from Alaska is a spiral-bound volume which culls the "best" recipes from various Alaskan cookbooks. Flipping through it, you can't help noticing how inconsistent and inexact it is. Some recipes don't mention a yield; others call for "half a large can of crushed pineapple." Cake mixes, Cool Whip, and cream of mushroom soup make regular appearances.

I had my doubts and I still have my doubts. But the proof is in the Jell-O instant pudding. And dinner number one was flat-out awesome.