A modern and energetically designed reference with everything you need to know to roll up your sleeves and cook it, build it, sew it, clean it, or repair it yourself. In other words, everything you would have learned from your shop and home ec teachers, if you'd had them.

The Useful Book features 138 practical projects and how-tos, with step-by-step instructions and illustrations, relevant charts, sidebars, lists, and handy toolboxes. There's a kitchen crash course, including the must-haves for a well-stocked pantry; how to boil an egg (and peel it frustration-free); how to grill, steam, sauté, and roast vegetables. There's Sewing 101, plus how to fold a fitted sheet, tie a tie, mop a floor, make a bed, and set the table for a formal dinner.

Next up: a twenty-first-century shop class. The tools that everyone should have, and dozens of cool projects that teach fundamental techniques. Practice measuring, cutting, and nailing by building a birdhouse. Make a bookshelf or a riveted metal picture frame. Plus: do-it-yourself plumbing; car repair basics; and home maintenance, from priming and painting to refinishing wood floors.

"Married couple Sharon Bowers and David Bowers serve as mom-and-pop guides through the never-ending task of housekeeping in this handy book of how-tos . . . Readers learning to live on their own will want to have this book on hand." —Publishers Weekly

"Anyone who studiously read the book cover to cover would become the paragon jack of all trades."—Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Other cookbooks by this author

• Bake it Like a Man
• Candy Construction: How to Build Race Cars, Castles, and Other Cool Stuff Out of Store-Bought Candy
• Candy Construction
• Complete Idiot's Guide To Cooking Chicken
• Cook Your Meals The Lazy Way
• Ghoulish Goodies: Creature Feature Cupcakes, Monster Eyeballs, Bat Wings, Funny Bones, Witches' Knuckles and Much More
• Home Ec for Everyone: Practical Life Skills in 118 Projects: Cooking · Sewing · Laundry & Clothing · Domestic Arts · Life Skills
• Home Ec for Everyone: Practical Life Skills in 118 Projects: Cooking · Sewing · Laundry & Clothing · Domestic Arts · Life Skills
• Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
• Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
• Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
• Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
• Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
• Sweet Christmas: Homemade Peppermints, Sugar Cake, Chocolate-almond Toffee, Eggnog Fudge, and Other Sweet Treats and Decorations
• The Ultimate Sports Fans' Cookbook: Festive Recipes for Inside the Home and Outside the Stadium
• The Ultimate Sports Fans' Cookbook: Festive Recipes for Inside the Home and Outside the Stadium