Notes about Recipes in this book

• Avocado, cucumber & lime shake

  • lholtzman on March 09, 2024

    This was not for me. It was like drinking guacamole.

• Frozen fruit smoothie

  • lholtzman on May 09, 2024

    Not very sweet. I think I would add a little honey or maple syrup in the future. I used a mix of frozen strawberries, cherries, and blueberries.

• Watermelon & yogurt smoothie

  • lholtzman on July 25, 2024

    I did not enjoy this. The watermelon and yogurt was a weird combination.

• The ultimate "puffy" pancakes

  • lholtzman on June 02, 2026

    These were delicious. Not overly sweet. In the future I would use vanilla extract instead of sugar because I didn’t really taste it.

• Strawberry shortcake

  • lholtzman on May 21, 2025

    Everyone loved these and although heavy for breakfast, not bad. My scones took way longer than 14 minutes. I started checking at 14 minutes then every two after that. Everything is easy to make, but there are a lot of elements. That said, everything can be made in advance.

• Arugula cake with pine nuts

  • lholtzman on October 12, 2024

    Good and stays moist after a few days. I cooked in a loaf pan that was too big. It would have been better in the correct size pan.

• Feta & olive cake

  • ccav on July 19, 2013

    Very good as a before-dinner nibble on its own (no need for spreads on this). Freezes very well.

  • blintz on October 25, 2013

    Seems too heavy and a bit greasy when you take it out of the oven, but it's a really delicious appetizer. I'd make it in mini loaf pans the next time. (Slices from a traditional loaf pan are a bit rich.) This bread would make a wonderful vegetarian meal with a green salad or soup. Serve it warmed up.

  • blintz on March 03, 2019

    Made this again but with three mini pans. Perfect for apps, but next time I'll use a stronger-tasting feta. The feta flavor got lost.

  • lholtzman on January 02, 2025

    I loved this savory cake. The olives made it a bit salty, so I would rinse or use less salty brined olives in the future. Dry Vermouth worked for the white wine.

• Zucchini cake with lemon glaze

  • e_ballad on April 10, 2017

    Essentially a fruit cake with zucchini, this was nice but unlikely to be especially memorable. The cake was cooked through by 60mins in our oven & I'd even suggest checking at 50mins as it seemed a little too dry.

• Walnut and sugar cookies

  • lholtzman on January 21, 2026

    These were good, but not sweet enough for me. I prefer a recipe for a similar cookie in another cookbook. The walnut on top is pretty, but makes it difficult to roll these in powdered sugar. I ended up taking it off, rolling the cookies, then putting it back on in the indent that was made.

• Red iced tea

  • lholtzman on February 27, 2026

    This is a nice juice. The earl gray gives a really nice flavor and takes away from the acidity of the other juices. Make sure to use 100% cranberry juice, not cocktail. Use the honey to sweeten instead. I made this in winter when both citrus and strawberries are in season in the southern US.

• Refreshing summer tea

  • lholtzman on July 30, 2025

    This tea is nice and subtly lemon with a zing at the end from the ginger. I used fresh lemon verbena instead of dried.

• Mint lemmo

  • ccav on July 19, 2013

    Very refreshing and good with sparkling water and an extra spring of mind (and extra squeeze of lemon).

• Pimm's cup

  • lholtzman on March 08, 2025

    This is delightful. I will be happy to serve this on the porch this summer.

• Beef stew (Gardianne de toro)

  • demomcook on July 21, 2020

    Made this in the slow cooker, scaled down for about 1.5 pounds of beef: 1 onion (substituted 2 leeks), 1.5 cups wine, 1/4 tsp each of the 4 spices blend, 1 1/2 tsp salt, added veggies: 1 smallish celery root, peeled and cubed, and 1 cup carrots. Cooked 2 hours on high, 4.5 on low. Added in the olives last hour. Stirred a few times while cooking.

• Tatin of eggplant, red onion, and pine nuts

  • EmilyR on August 23, 2019

    I had everything fresh from my garden so I thought this was the perfect fit... it was instead, a little bit like a strange savory crumble. The short crust needed more butter to hold together - and that's after using European style butter. It also would benefit from a fair amount of feta or something a bit creamy to off set the crumbliness.

• 5 second rule

  I'm completely smitten with this quirky, joyful, and altogether original sun-splashed collection. ...delivers a sense of wonder and a spirited outlook on life's small culinary joys.

  Full review