Notes about Recipes in this book

• Asian cole slaw with corn and frisée

  • jumali on August 01, 2011

    The dressing was too orangey and overwhelmed the other flavors. It didn't seem especially Asian to me.

• Strawberry-rhubarb crisp

  • sck on May 16, 2011

    too sweet for my taste - I would reduce the sugar in the topping and the filling

  • ellencooks on September 29, 2020

    I made this with blueberries instead of strawberries. Very good!

  • VeryVigario on July 02, 2018

    Used the higher amount of sugar in the recipe- got rave reviews from my husband (who is very hard to please when it comes to desserts) & mother. It thickened up nicely overnight

• Blueberriest muffins

  • ssdrabek on April 21, 2013

    This is our families most FAVORITE blueberry MUFFIN!!! Sooooo good!!

• Old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits

  • sturlington on December 30, 2012

    A lot of butter!

• Spiced pumpkin bread

  • sturlington on December 30, 2012

    Too much sugar.

• Turkey-sweet potato hash

  • sturlington on November 24, 2014

    Uses leftover turkey (post-Thanksgiving breakfast?). Substitute chicken, smoked salmon or cooked sausage for turkey. Substitute other potatoes and peppers as well. Can top with salsa. Easy and quick to make. p48

• Succotash soup with chicken and oven-roasted tomatoes

  • sturlington on January 17, 2013

    I liked the flavors of this soup. I added some bacon, which went nicely. Precooked chicken got a little tough. My husband didn't like the beans. Made 1/2013.

• Italian-style chicken and mushrooms soup with orecchiette

  • sturlington on January 09, 2013

    I don't think this soup was to my taste. It was a very earthy soup, and I wish it had been thicker. I probably would not make it again, although the recipe is fine, just not something I like to eat. Made 1/2013.

• Chicken chili with navy beans

  • sturlington on October 25, 2012

    Good flavor - not too spicy. May be too brothy, so reduce the liquid somewhat. Use canned beans and precooked chicken, and it's ready in 45 minutes. Serve with warmed tortillas and shredded cheese for topping. A little sour cream might be good too. Substitute tomatillos for tomatoes to make a green chili. Can also substitute cooked turkey or any kind of bean. p64

• Old-fashioned turkey noodle soup

  • sturlington on December 26, 2012

    A great use for leftover turkey. Pre-cooked chicken can be substituted. Halved the recipe, and all my stock cooked away, so I wouldn't reduce the amount quite so much. Onions cooked too long at first. Very adaptable soup--I added cabbage, but spinach, kale, celeriac or winter squash can also be added. p68

• Corn and roasted red pepper chowder

  • sturlington on November 24, 2014

    Make this soup with fresh corn. It can be made in advance and reheated. Heavy cream can be omitted. Add fish or shellfish for a heartier soup. Substitute other vegetables, such as summer squash or different kinds of peppers, for the bell peppers. p72

• Roasted butternut squash soup with tomatoes, thyme, and corn bread croutons

  • sturlington on November 24, 2014

    Freezes well. A good first course for an autumn harvest or winter holiday meal. Add ravioli for a heartier soup. p77

• Roasted chicken salad on toasted baguette

  • sturlington on February 01, 2015

    Sandwich suggestions using recipes from elsewhere in the book. Not really recipes in themselves.

• Balsamic-roasted vegetables

  • sturlington on November 24, 2014

    Can be made several hours in advance and served at room temperature. Cooking time varies from 25 minutes to over 1 hour, depending on vegetables used. Substitute any kind of potatoes, peppers or winter squash. Also can add carrots, garlic and onions. p113

• Caesar dressing

  • sturlington on November 24, 2014

    Extremely garlickly.

• Crostini

  • sturlington on January 01, 2013

    Love these for a party or snacking. Great use for day-old Italian or French bread. Lots of good ideas for toppings are given, including using up leftovers. I usually make these with olive oil only, but butter can also be used, or vary the oil. Fresh herbs are a good addition, but not necessary if none are available. This is just an endlessly useful recipe. P104.

• Chicken and sweet potato soup

  • sturlington on November 12, 2014

    Uses pre-cooked chicken; turkey can be substituted. Can be made ahead several days. Spinach or kale can be added. A good winter soup. p67

  • wkhull on January 01, 2019

    Used turkey instead of chicken as recipe recommended. Simmering 1 hour makes the sweet potatoes super tender and falling apart. I would probably simmer covered, just until potatoes are done. (Page 67.)

• Roasted new potato salad with Dijon vinaigrette

  • sturlington on May 28, 2015

    A very tasty potato salad that got rave reviews. I love the creamy dijon dressing.

  • ellencooks on July 05, 2017

    I loved this. Roasting the potatoes offered a firmer texture. Good dressing.

• Tarragon chicken salad with Granny Smith apples and red grapes

  • sturlington on November 24, 2014

    Recipe can be made ahead without the grapes and apples. I substituted pre-made mayo and mixed in the flavorings called for in the recipe. This salad is also nice with chopped walnuts mixed in and served on greens.

• Grilled chicken salad with tomatoes, spinach, and Dijon vinaigrette

  • sturlington on January 23, 2013

    This salad is fine and a good way to use up leftovers. I just wish it were a bit more exciting. Adaptable--also good with roasted mushrooms and peppers in place of the tomatoes.

• Cucumber, avocado, and tomato salad

  • sturlington on January 13, 2013

    A good basic salad that goes with everything.

• Balsamic-roasted chicken

  • sturlington on January 13, 2013

    Easy, simple, good. Can be adapted for chicken pieces rather than a whole chicken. 1/2013

• Chicken Marsala with oven-roasted mushrooms and onions

  • sturlington on January 20, 2013

    I like all the flavors in this. I only think the Marsala is a bit too strong and needs something to balance it. Made 1/2013.

• Grilled tuna with balsamic-glazed scallions and wasabi mustard

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    This is a nice marinade. I didn't bother with the mustard. Tuna still had plenty of flavor.

• Salmon cakes with crunchy corn relish

  • sturlington on January 11, 2013

    This recipe did not work out well for me. A bit too much mayonnaise, and the cakes did not hold together well. I prefer the mashed potato cakes from this same book, which would also be good with some salmon mixed in. Made 1/2013.

  • TheCookingFairy on January 22, 2013

    This is an amazing recipe. I'm a personal chef and ALL my clients love, love this and ask for it again and again. It freezes beautifully, if you sear it off in the pan first, defrost in fridge and bake in oven. If the salmon cake is too runny, simply place in the freezer on parchment on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before searing.

• Key Lime pie with walnut-graham cracker crust

  • sturlington on May 28, 2015

    Couldn't be easier and absolutely delicious. Better than a lot of restaurant versions.

  • ebs on April 15, 2021

    The crust was delicious, as was the filling. I used 5 yolks instead of the whole eggs specified. I also used bottled key lime juice. The only problem was that I used a 9 1/2" pie pan instead of 9", so it wasn't quite filled enough.

• Chicken potpie with Foster's herb biscuits

  • sturlington on January 03, 2013

    My biscuits were already baked so I adapted the recipe as a fricassee with biscuits on the side. Quite good but this recipe makes a huge amount of food and really needs to be cut down. Can be made ahead and reheated. p204

• Potato gratin with tomatoes, chèvre, and thyme

  • sturlington on January 13, 2013

    A basic potato gratin recipe, but all potato gratin recipes are good, in my experience. Long cooking time; I cut it down by par-boiling the potato slices first and reducing the number of layers. I like the suggested variations for different cheeses and types of potatoes. A great side and a crowd-pleaser. Can be made ahead and reheated. p226

• Classic sugar cookies

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    This was a terrific cookie dough for cutout shapes, perfect for Christmas cookies. I liked the touch of lemon very much. The icing wasn't as successful, but that was my fault -- I didn't have enough confectioner's sugar. However, the cookies are also very good plain or with a few sprinkles. These will likely become my annual Christmas cookies. p243

• Fresh strawberry shortcake

  • ebs on June 16, 2020

    The shortcakes had a pretty good flavor, except I could taste baking powder (or maybe it was the baking soda) and I felt they should be a bit taller.

• Jalapeño corn muffins

  • ebs on October 12, 2021

    I made a half recipe of this. I used coarse yellow cornmeal, didn't have jalapenos so omitted them and I did not want to use my good buttermilk, so just used all sour cream with a bit of milk to make the batter less thick. Also used a little more corn than called for. The muffins were delicious and the half recipe made 8 large muffins

• Sautéed chicken breasts with artichokes, lemons, and capers

  • ellencooks on May 02, 2018

    I made this with fresh trimmed and quartered artichokes. Simmered the artichoke quarters a few minutes with the potatoes I was cooking to make mashed potatoes before adding them to the chicken. This was quite tasty.

• Oatmeal-banana muffins with chocolate chips

  • LMKeckler on June 13, 2020

    Delicious muffins. I was surprised by the large volume of the batter, but it filled 12 muffin cups to the brim as the recipe directed. I made half with chocolate chips and half with butterscotch chips, a riff on a Nigella Lawson recipe for butterscotch banana recipe muffins. Both were wonderful.

• Wine-braised boneless turkey breast with sage and thyme

  • wkhull on November 17, 2020

    This came out lovely. I only used a half turkey breast and kept all the other ingredients in the same quantity. Love how you saute the veggies along with the turkey, then the whole thing goes in the oven. Though not mentioned in the recipe, very easy at the end to use the dripping to make a gravy while the turkey is resting.