Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lazy Bolognese

  • westminstr on March 04, 2014

    I doctor this recipe by adding an extra garlic clove and 1 minced anchovy at the beginning. Add the optional wine and skip the water. With these changes, it is a good and easy sauce. It also works well with ground beef.

  • spharo00 on March 11, 2013

    I left the onions out of this recipe and instead of using canned tomatoes (which I didn't have in the pantry at the time) I used the same amount of tomato-basil pasta sauce. I cooked it down for a full hour and then served it with lots of fresh Parmesan on top. It was tasty and had a nice bit of sweetness that I enjoyed.

  • sarahmjames on December 26, 2012

    Made a double batch so we'd have some easy meals in the freezer right after our daughter was born. Very easy and very tasty.

• Turkey chili

  • westminstr on March 04, 2014

    This chili is very easy, and pretty tasty given the minimal amount of effort involved.

• Fried flounder with black bean and avocado salad

  • westminstr on March 25, 2014

    A good, basic weeknight meal. Easy to prepare and everyone ate it.

• Tony's steak

  • westminstr on December 07, 2015

    I really liked this marinade. I cooked the steak inside on my cast iron skillet, a bit of an experiment. For indoor cooking it is easier to just use julia moskin's method with no marinade (dryer meat = better crust). However, I would make this again if using the grill in the summer.

• Great-Grandma Turano's meatballs

  • westminstr on March 04, 2014

    The sauce recipe is flawed in that it contains 1 Tbsp of sugar and no salt. I tried it as written and it tasted just like it came out of a jar! Not the effect I was going for. I added quite a bit of salt to counteract the sugar and I have to say that once the meatballs had simmered in the sauce and it all rested overnight and was reheated for dinner .... I had a huge hit on my hands. Next time I will reduce the sugar in the sauce to 1/2 tbsp and be sure to season well from the beginning.

• Simple corn-tomato-basil salad

  • westminstr on September 04, 2014

    This salad was a bit *too* simple -- not delicious enough to justify the time cutting the tomatoes. I think some fresh basil would have improved it, also lime juice, garlic ... and pretty soon you have melissa clark's corn salad which is better.

• Orecchiette with sausage and crispy broccoli

  • Kfaber on September 10, 2013

    Very easy weeknight meal- and tasty! Used Italian turkey sausage instead of pork sausage

• Apricot-mustard baked chicken

  • bethihearyoucalling on September 06, 2013

    This was a disappointment. I really wanted this work but the sauce had only affected the test of the skin. The chicken itself was bland.

• Salmon salad

  • lisachile on June 25, 2015

    This was very good and easy for everyone to choose the elements they wanted to eat. I added lettuce too. It did take quite a bit longer than I anticipated as there was lots of chopping involved!

  • msmalnick on February 27, 2017

    One of my favorite easy dinners.

• Pork shoulder ragù with pappardelle

  • lisachile on January 03, 2013

    I've made this twice now. I used a drop of liquid smoke instead of hot sauce and did not use all of the fat called for. This was absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

• Breaded chicken cutlets (aka Grandma Jody's chicken)

  • sarahmjames on December 26, 2012

    We've made this twice and will make it again and again! Tried both panko and corn flakes. Both were delicious!

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    I love this cookbook. That said, I found these to be fine—good even—but not really different than any other breaded chicken.

• Chicken with bacon-y Brussels sprouts

  • arparker23 on October 23, 2016

    Decent way to eat Brussels sprouts. I would at least triple the amount of vegetables called for in the recipe, though.

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Delicious. I would definitely make this again.

• Starter curry: curried chicken with apples

  • jp010038 on October 10, 2013

    This was very good. It wasn't the most revolutionary recipe, but don't think it's trying to be. Very easy to put together, good weeknight fare.

  • Phyla67 on January 04, 2014

    husband did not like this, apparently he doesn't like curry. Sigh.

  • ellencooks on August 05, 2015

    mild but good

• Spicy shrimp with yogurt

  • ellencooks on August 05, 2015

    These were excellent!

• Chicken pot pie with sweet potatoes

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Delicious. Would definitely make this again!

• Baked ziti with sausage and vegetables

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Delicious! Somehow this is best fresh out of the oven. It lost some of its spunk as leftovers. It was still quite good, but this is just wonderful fresh.

• Baked sausage with apples, potatoes, and onions

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Simple and good which is sometimes exactly what you need for an autumn dinner. I would make again.

• Monogrammed mini pot pies

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    These are really delicious and the fun factor helps with young kids. I can’t think of a more perfect winter meal and will plan to make this again soon!

• Pizza crust

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    This pizza crust is reliable. I find the dryness of the dough a bit annoying to work with. That said I still frequently turn to this recipe.

• Sausage and ricotta pizza

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Wonderful. This is a pizza recipe that is in our regular rotation now.

• Salad pizza

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    This was interesting. It was different than my imagined idea of “pizza.” I felt it was too light for when I made it (fall) but definitely want to make it again in the spring when light, earthy flavors are better appreciated.

• Andy's homemade chicken stock

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    Best stock ever. This is less of a recipe and more of a guide to chicken stock. I no longer use the “recipe” but I follow this method every time I make stock. Homemade stock is so worth it!

• Chicken soup with orzo

  • anwade88 on January 07, 2018

    My all time favorite chicken soup recipe. The homemade stock is a must and well worth the effort. This is a wintertime staple here.

• Epicurious

  Interview with author Jenny Rosenstrach.

  Full review

• Wednesday Chef

  ...what really touched me about the book was the story of Jenny's marriage with her husband Andy...they seem to be true equals in the kitchen, which is something of a wonder to me...

  Full review