Notes about Recipes in this book

• Baked breakfast risotto

  • EmilyR on April 02, 2018

    Unspectacular. I had high hopes, but this is missing something - like Parmesan. It just lacked flavor and depth despite the calorific flavor carriers and hot sausage. Not going to make it again, unless I doctor this up quite a bit.

• Whole wheat double-chocolate muffins

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These are okay. Not great, but okay. They do taste like muffins (rather than unfrosted cupcakes) but they were dense and just a little off in the texture. Not terrible, but there are much better chocolate muffin recipes out there.

  • shirofly12 on June 07, 2020

    Found them to be rather bland and dry. Actually ended up tossing them out instead of taking them to the office.

• Not-so-boring bran muffins

  • kleins99 on July 02, 2021

    These were excellent. I did not use sugar. Instead, I substituted Allulose. I also added raisins and walnuts because hi. Have we met? Will def make again. Though wondering if I can substitute unsweetened apple sauce for coconut oil. ... YES! That's what I did. I doubled the recipe, and used half unsweetened applesauce and half oil. These also freeze beautifully.

  • kleins99 on July 02, 2021

    Excellent recipe. I didn't use sugar. Instead, I used Allulose and added walnuts and raisins. Yum. Very moist and dense.

  • laurenodell on January 21, 2025

    These were delicious. My 12-year-old made them and forgot to add the flaxseed AND coconut oil and they still worked out great- although were a bit better with a pat of butter because of the missed oil. Very versatile :)

• Strawberry coffee cake scones

  • Christine on March 18, 2016

    An excellent scone recipe. Substituted cream cheese for mascarpone.

  • Debraj76 on August 11, 2018

    Made these and did not care for them. Texture was muffin like...perhaps that’s why they are called “coffee cake” scones. The dough was a sticky mess, they were barely sweet enough, and the topping was pasty. Not a repeater.

• Breakfast cookies

  • shirofly12 on June 07, 2020

    Disappointing. Just an off taste and texture. I did use cranberries instead of figs but can't imagine that made much of a difference.

• Brown butter banana bread

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    This is a good, solid banana bread that probably won't replace your favorite go-to, but it's tasty nonetheless. Just not terribly special or unique.

• "Sour cream and onion" popcorn

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    Yum!! Tastes just like those potato chips, flavor-wise, but popcorn is much healthier. This snack is a win.

• Chorizo and balsamic Brussels nachos

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    Totally loved these! Will make again and again.

  • intrepidcook on September 29, 2024

    Not impressed and won't make again. Even with only half the chips called for in the recipe, the proportions were off.

• Smoked salmon BLTs with herbed mayo

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    Obviously, like any BLT, this requires perfectly in-season ripe tomatoes, but the addition of the smoked salmon is quite lovely. That salty note really works, as does the soft texture against the crunchy bacon. Will make again, for sure!

• Amaretto-butternut squash soup with cinnamon toast croutons

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    I loved this one. Those croutons are insane! I highly recommend a very hearty, whole grain bread, to balance out the sweetness of the cinnamon sugar, but this all works together extremely well. Really delicious.

  • EmilyR on November 03, 2019

    This straddles dessert realm with the sweetness and Autumn flavors, so I definitely recommend not skipping the onions, garlic, and even adding some chili pepper or bacon to make it a touch more savory. I used pepitas instead of sunflower seeds because that's what I had. This was a nice soup that came together quickly... since it was organic straight from my garden, I roasted the squash and then threw it into the vitamix skins and all.

• Greek chicken panzanella with honey-lemon vinaigrette

  • jimandtammyfaye on May 22, 2022

    Have only used the salad and vinaigrette portion of the recipe. The vinaigrette is exceptional. I mashed the garlic and left whole, making sure not to serve the whole piece of garlic. I find I like the flavor in the background more than having little pieces in every bite.

• Greek yogurt Parmesan ranch dressing

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    I've made this several times, it's a good go-to when you need a really quick ranch dressing to throw together.

• Mni Parmesan-herb biscuit puffs

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These are addictive. They're so little and cute, it's very hard to not keep popping them in your mouth, one after the other (after the other...)

• Parmesan-pistachio kale chips

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These are awesome. I used lacinato kale instead of the curly kale called for and thought it worked beautifully.

• Our favorite pizza crust

  • Christine on July 31, 2015

    I've made Jessica's regular pizza crust and whole wheat pizza crust recipes from her blog many times. They are my favorite homemade pizza crusts I have tried so far and I am glad to have this recipe now in one of my cookbooks. Makes a fairly large pizza that can go end-to-end on my large air-bake baking sheet.

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    I freely admit I like King Arthur Flour's pizza crust better, but this one is solid. I've made it twice and it does work well.

  • jimandtammyfaye on May 22, 2022

    Easy, flavorful, and forgiving

• The 100% whole wheat version (pizza crust)

  • Christine on July 31, 2015

    I've made Jessica's regular pizza crust and whole wheat pizza crust recipes from her blog many times. They are my favorite homemade pizza crusts I have tried so far and I am glad to have this recipe now in one of my cookbooks. Makes a fairly large pizza that can go end-to-end on my large air-bake baking sheet.

• BBQ chicken and sweet corn pizza

  • Christine on July 31, 2015

    This was so good! I used leftover cooked chicken and smoked Gouda. I used only 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce in the step where you spread it over the pizza dough. 1 cup seemed like far too much and I think it came out perfectly with half the amount. I also left out the salt for the topping because I felt between the BBQ sauce and the cheese it was overkill. I used this book's whole wheat pizza dough recipe, but think it would be good with her regular pizza dough as well. I left out the cilantro only because I didn't have any -- I think it would have made a nice addition.

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    This is quite good! Mine didn't look as pretty as the cookbook pictures, but I liked it a lot. Corn on a pizza is awesome.

  • jimandtammyfaye on May 22, 2022

    Fresh summer corn makes this pizza dangerous! I used less BBQ than specified.

• Zucchini tacos with grilled corn salsa

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These are, hands down, the best vegetarian tacos I've ever had. This is a perfect balance of textures, which is hard to achieve with meat-free tacos. These are so delicious though!

  • julesamomof2 on July 21, 2021

    Very satisfying veggie tacos- I made them vegan by using almond yogurt . No cheese and no meat and everyone still liked them.

• Green chili turkey and white bean enchiladas

  • jimandtammyfaye on May 22, 2022

    Have made this yummy dish several times. Have subbed pintos for white beans, but like white beans better. Have used canned green enchilada sauce in a pinch, but most often like to use "Eating in the Middle" recipe for enchilada sauce. Great meal to take to a friend's house.

• Mini crab cakes with sweet corn and blueberry salsa

  • texannewyorker on September 12, 2015

    Crab cakes don't hold together and the salsa lacks flavor - it needs more heat and more acid.

  • jimandtammyfaye on May 22, 2022

    Such an interesting combination! Fresh summer corn is worth the wait on this one. A half recipe of salsa was plenty for 1 lb crab. Before browning, I lightly dusted with fine breadcrumbs. It seemed to help them hold together without adding too much "filler."

• Accidental white wine baked scallops

  • julesamomof2 on December 29, 2020

    This was terrible- it was actually inedible and landed in the trash. And it was the most expensive dish I've ruined. Baking scallops in an entire bottle of wine at 250 resulted in the whole dish harshly tasting of wine and the alcohol never burned off. The panko topping never browned either so I ran it under the broiler but by that time the scallops were rubbery and over cooked. The idea of scallops in a white wine lemon sauce sounded good but this recipe was very obviously never tested.

• Chili-garlic roasted salmon

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    This is a very tasty, simple weeknight salmon dinner. Didn't blow me away, but it's really solid.

• Homemade vanilla-bourbon BBQ sauce

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    I really liked this sauce. The vanilla is pronounced but not overly sweet. I'd definitely make it again.

• Honey-glazed pork tenderloin with roasted grapes

  • ChezTB on March 21, 2026

    Easy. Grapes are sweet and yummy

• Grilled flank steak with feta and Sriracha crema

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    This sounds so weird, but it's become one of my favorite summer grilled dinners. I never knew Sriracha and feta (two ingredients I absolutely adore) could play so well together, but they do!

• Creamy spinach and spiced chickpea-stuffed sweet potatoes

  • MelissaM0223 on November 17, 2014

    This is a good, filling meal. I felt like the depth of flavor could have been a little bit stronger - and definitely would reserve some of the liquid next time to pour onto the potato to moisten it up a bit!

• Greens and beans burgers

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These are a great idea, but don't really work as advertised. Loved the flavor profile though.

  • Wende on September 11, 2023

    My sister had a similar experience with this recipe as texannewyorker in that the mixture wasn't really conducive for shaping the burgers. The taste was pretty good, but there were a few in the family who didn't like them at all because they couldn't get past the texture. It seems as though a binding ingredient of some sort was missing. In any case, not a win here

• Spicy strawberry margaritas

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These are delicious and makes enough strawberry puree for several rounds! :)

• Bacon Manhattans

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    I love Manhattans anyway. The addition of bacon might sound hokey, or like overkill, but I found it really delicious. I have certainly drunk (many!) Manhattans without bacon since trying this recipe, without feeling deprived or anything, but this recipe does really work.

• Homemade tart frozen yogurt

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    I don't know if I used the wrong yogurt or what, but this did not work for me. She isn't kidding about the tart description. But I found the texture so off-putting. Like it never softened. I ended up throwing it out.

• Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    Okay, these are awesome. I generally dislike it when people try to "healthify" desserts, but these really work, and taste like regular old, delicious chocolate chip cookies. I'll absolutely make them again and again.

• Pumpkin-banilla bread

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    This was really good, even if her title is super cheesy. It tastes as advertised - a mixture of pumpkin bread and banana bread. Great moist texture.

• Whole wheat blueberry Bundt cake

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    Didn't care for this at all. Very meh. The texture was a little dry and too crumbly - I guess from the whole wheat flour? And the blueberry glaze was a little off-putting for some reason. Would not make again.

• White cheddar apple crisp

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    This is fantastic!! I made it pretty much as written and putting the sharp white cheddar in the crisp, amongst the apples, is really genius. Delicious sweet-salty contrast.

  • D.Barker on October 13, 2021

    This was okay. There are a few things I would change. I had extra sharp white cheddar, I would definitely use something more mild. I would also peel the apples next time. However, the "crisp" was delicious on this, and I want to eat more!

• Bacon-blue burgers with arugula and quick jalapeño jam

  • jimandtammyfaye on May 22, 2022

    Very good. Don't let jam cook too long or it will become thick.

• Chocolate and peanut butter lover's brownies

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    These were not as good as I'd hoped, but they're not bad by any means. The brownie texture wasn't fudgy enough for me, and the glaze is a hot mess. Lots of people liked them though.

• Buffalo chicken pizza

  • texannewyorker on September 24, 2016

    Loved this! As someone who is constantly disappointed by buffalo chicken pizzas, this one thrilled me to no end! The one I've been looking for, lol!