• MEmilyGrey on April 14, 2022

  This is a five-star basic. First cookbook I gave my daughter when she moved out.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Roasted eggplant dip

  • racheljmorgan on August 19, 2025

    Easy but almost tasteless

• Rosemary and garlic white bean dip

  • racheljmorgan on March 28, 2025

    Quick to make and pretty mild. A half recipe yielded slightly over 1 cup of dip. I liked the flavors, though it's on the understated side. Update: rosemary and garlic much stronger after 1 day in fridge, lemon went away.

• Baked Maryland crab dip

  • Icecream2 on February 15, 2026

    Used imitation crab. Needs more Old Bay next time.

• Guacamole

  • racheljmorgan on January 26, 2026

    OK but the raw onion in it was not my favorite

• Artichokes, Parmesan, and balsamic vinegar crostini

  • racheljmorgan on March 29, 2025

    Held well for 1 hr despite the wet topping. A nice spring appetizer

• Orange-fennel almonds

  • racheljmorgan on May 07, 2025

    Nothing special. These just taste like plain almonds.

• Asian firecracker party mix

  • racheljmorgan on March 23, 2022

    For whatever reason, this tasted better before we cooked it.

• Blue cheese dressing

  • racheljmorgan on February 07, 2025

    Blue cheese aficionado of the house says this is good but he would prefer fresh grated garlic in it.

• Creamy peppercorn dressing

  • racheljmorgan on September 04, 2022

    Great, but not particularly peppery. A nice adult alternative to ranch dressing. I'd like to try it with dried chipotle pepper flakes next time.

• Orange-lime dressing

  • racheljmorgan on April 29, 2025

    It was like pouring orange juice on my salad. I did not like it.

• Classic chicken salad

  • racheljmorgan on March 02, 2023

    Not really as flavorful as I had hoped. Just a standard chicken salad, needs more mayo.

• Chicken salad with red grapes and smoked almonds

  • racheljmorgan on October 04, 2024

    On the savory side rather than sweet.

• Buttermilk coleslaw

  • racheljmorgan on June 10, 2025

    Not bad, on the drier side. I liked that it wasn't sweet.

• BBQ macaroni salad

  • racheljmorgan on May 14, 2025

    Decent pasta salad. I liked the crunchy bits and the barbecue flavors. Lots of green onion flavor.

• Turkey carcass soup

  • racheljmorgan on November 22, 2024

    This soup was well flavored and easy to make. Just way too much pasta relative to stock and turkey meat. It's a stretcher meal I guess (though we have much more leftover meat to use up). I'd modify it to be a bit "soupier" personally as it verged on being a pasta dish with a bit of broth and would add more meat or veg next time.

• New Orleans-style corn chowder

  • racheljmorgan on May 16, 2025

    Pretty good. Not particularly spicy. Matthew liked it a lot, with extra pepper flakes added. We all had seconds.

• Creamless creamy tomato soup

  • racheljmorgan on January 26, 2026

    It's alright. The bread does add a lot of body to the soup. I do question why bother doing it this way unless one is truly dairy restricted. I wouldn't necessarily make again, but it's OK as a lunch.

• Country-style potato-leek soup

  • racheljmorgan on January 21, 2025

    Quick and simple.

• Black bean soup with chipotle chiles

  • racheljmorgan on March 03, 2025

    Average but relatively healthy. Not especially compelling. Wasn't too spicy even with the maximum amount of chiles.

• Hearty lentil soup with fragrant spices

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 16, 2026

    Really delicious, sometimes I’ll use crumbled bacon instead of sausage as well.

• Hearty curried vegetarian lentil soup

  • racheljmorgan on January 30, 2026

    Healthy but tasteless. Added a lot of salt so it was ok. 1 yr old appeared to really like it with some cheese.

• Classic beef stew

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 16, 2026

    You bake this in the oven and wow does it feed a crowd of about nine people. Absolutely loved it. ?

• Sherry-rosemary sauce

  • racheljmorgan on June 16, 2022

    Just a little hint of a rosemary butter sauce, very light. I ended up adding a few things at the end to thicken it and make it more to our tastes.

• Skillet chicken and rice with carrots and shallots

  • racheljmorgan on January 16, 2025

    Easy, fast, family friendly, and delicious.

• Unstuffed chicken cordon bleu

  • racheljmorgan on January 04, 2022

    I thought it was easy and pretty decent. Husband found this bland, just ok.

• Mustard glazed chicken drumsticks

  • racheljmorgan on May 07, 2026

    Edible. More or less boiled chicken in a very light mustard sauce. Would have been much better baked both from a presentation and taste standpoint.

• Pepper-crusted filets mignons with blue cheese-chive butter

  • racheljmorgan on February 16, 2025

    Good flavors, not too difficult. Husband said needed more pepper to be optimal, but decent. Belated Valentines 2025.

• Classic beef tacos

  • racheljmorgan on May 06, 2025

    Pretty good and easy. Rather mild, somewhat sweet. My husband complimented the spicing even though he's usually picky about taco meat (he poured on the hot sauce though). Served with avocado, cheese, lime, and mexican rice.

• Thai red beef curry

  • racheljmorgan on June 30, 2022

    Rather mild and sweet. We both felt it needed extra soy sauce and Sriracha, but still enjoyed. The sauce wasn't as thick as I would have liked it to be, and I wish I had seasoned and seared the meat first for a better taste. Next time. Definitely a dish where you need rice to soak up the sauce. Added a little broccoli and bean sprouts, as one can't find snap peas for sale on their own here.

• Cheesy southwestern meatloaf

  • Misa925 on February 23, 2025

    So the use of corn tortillas instead of breadcrumbs gives a corny-taste to the meatloaf, I would have thought it was a weird-tasting meatloaf had I not known that unusual flavor was from corn tortillas & also cumin. Maybe I'd have liked it better if it had some corn niblets inside the loaf? I used "hot" green chilis, which didn't seem to add much heat. Used freshly grated pepper jack, but also had pepper jack slices that I wish I used instead, which would have covered the loaf better & then barely-melting it just a couple minutes at the very end. (The thick layer of grated cheese placed just-on-top mostly melted off the loaf & ended up pooled at the bottom.) The super easy hot sauce+brown sugar served as a side topping was nice, but would have liked it better had I used a less chunky salsa. Served with Test Kitchen's "Spicy tomato and chile macaroni and cheese," plus "street corn" niblets, & those were great side dishes for this meatloaf. But not sure if I'll make this one again.

• Braised boneless beef short ribs

  • racheljmorgan on April 07, 2026

    Fabulous. I threw some cut up gold potatoes in too.

• Chinese cilantro pork

  • racheljmorgan on January 22, 2026

    Extremely mild, a little bland.

• Roast pork loin

  • racheljmorgan on January 21, 2026

    Easy and delicious

• Slow-roasted pork shoulder with peach sauce

  • racheljmorgan on March 06, 2024

    With a boneless 3lb roast, took about 4hrs in the oven. I skipped the overnight step and it turned out fine with a nice crust. Meat was very tender and well seasoned. I liked that the peach sauce was on the side rather than basted since fruit-savory combos aren't always a favorite with my husband, but this time he liked it better than I did (it's heavy on the wine rather than sweet). Fun to try, but maybe better in winter with the long cook time. I slightly mashed the fresh peaches after cooking since they were still in chunks....I think this is the sauce consistency the recipe authors were going for but wasn't sure since no photo of sauce.

• Roast boneless leg of lamb

  • racheljmorgan on March 10, 2025

    Simple but effective. My husband liked this recipe a lot when served with brown pan gravy . I felt it was good, but the gaminess is definitely present since there's not a lot of herbs, etc to flavor. I got a deeply discounted 2lb bone-in roast which cooked for 31 min to medium rare (123F).

• Lemon-herb cod fillets with crispy garlic potatoes

  • racheljmorgan on May 28, 2025

    Potatoes were delicious, though not crispy. I thought the fish was ok, very lemony. My husband despised the texture. Idk, I think he's just always going to want an "overdone" texture or something with the chew of tilapia/canned tuna as someone who never lived on the coast. Easy but not worth doing again.

• Creamy chipotle chile sauce

  • Acarroll on January 27, 2024

    I was looking for a way to use leftover chipotles in adobo and this was perfect. I didn't have sour cream so I doubled the amount of (vegan) mayo. I also doubled the amount of chipotle, garlic, and cilantro. Was perfect served with crab cakes.

  • racheljmorgan on March 15, 2025

    Very mild even though I upped the chipotle peppers by 50%. Just not compelling.

• Comeback sauce

  • racheljmorgan on May 15, 2025

    Creamy with a little kick. Good accompaniment to fried catfish. Got raves from my husband who said we should try it with chicken, too. Used Frank's red hot as the hot sauce.

• Fried catfish

  • racheljmorgan on May 15, 2025

    Decent but didn't come out as crispy as I hoped. I was frying in a smaller amount of olive oil in a 3 qt Dutch oven and kind of afraid to get up too high on the heat. The flavors of the crust are good. I didn't notice a difference running the cornmeal through the spice grinder since it was already pretty finely ground.

• Spanish-style skillet rice and chickpeas

  • racheljmorgan on April 08, 2022

    Rather bland

• Grilled beef kebabs with lemon-rosemary marinade

  • racheljmorgan on April 08, 2022

    We often have marinated kebab meat, onions, and bell pepper in the airfryer- so I decided to try this recipe in there instead of grilling. It was 380F for 23min. The marinade was great on the vegetables, especially bell peppers. However, it was just ok with the steak. Maybe we're just not lemon steak people. The rosemary flavor didn't come through. My husband's verdict was interesting but not his favorite. I found it also to be just average, but fun to try.

• Everything bagel-crusted pork tenderloin

  • racheljmorgan on November 29, 2022

    Lacking a grill, used an air fryer at 400F for 24 min to reach the right internal temp. It's an easy recipe. The crust is good, but so crisp in many parts that it shattered off when slicing the meat. As far as taste, it's mainly pepper to me, a little garlic.

• Grilled chipotle-lime chicken breasts

  • racheljmorgan on March 05, 2025

    Texture was good but not a lot of flavor, lightly limey, not spicy at all. Airfryer 400F for 14min.

• Basic barbecue spice rub

  • racheljmorgan on May 24, 2023

    Really good rub, just the right amount of cayenne pepper and not sweet tasting. Got rave reviews from my husband when I tried it on chicken. He said it was similar to Popeyes "naked chicken". It is more of a blackening seasoning than barbecue, but it's a great, easy recipe!

• Herb spice rub

  • racheljmorgan on May 25, 2023

    Not my favorite herb mix, but still ok. I could only taste the black pepper and rosemary in this, and didn't think it was a good match for grilled chicken. Maybe better with vegetables or lamb. Update:tried it on pork roast with salt and garlic. This application was very good.

• Basic barbecue sauce

  • racheljmorgan on June 05, 2022

    Superb, especially if made with Sriracha ketchup.

• Simple sausage lasagna

  • racheljmorgan on January 30, 2025

    Opted to make fresh pasta instead of no-boil noddles and then made the chunky tomato sauce suggested, so preparation on this one was a most-of-the-day-in-the-kitchen process. I felt it was good. My husband said it lacked flavor. Kind of peeved to get that feedback on something so involved and expensive to prepare, so won't be making it again.

• Easy baked ziti with Italian sausage

  • racheljmorgan on April 23, 2026

    Nice but a little heavy on the pasta. I'd dial the amount back a bit. Even a half casserole serves a lot more than expected.

• Chicken Divan rice casserole

  • racheljmorgan on April 09, 2025

    Substituted chopped ham

• Chicken pot pie with pie dough topping

  • racheljmorgan on January 12, 2026

    Came out a bit runny unfortunately, sort of more like chicken and dumplings once I doled it out at the table.

• Molasses spice cookies with dark rum glaze

  • racheljmorgan on January 17, 2022

    The glaze is far too strong on the rum. I feel thankful that I tried it on one cookie before ruining the whole batch. Fabulous cookie, very bad glaze.

• Molasses spice cookies

  • racheljmorgan on January 17, 2022

    My go to recipe for every occasion. Comes out perfectly chewy and well spiced!

• Skillet strata with bacon, scallions, and pepper Jack

  • racheljmorgan on January 24, 2022

    A quick and economical breakfast dish. Pepper taste is on the milder side, which I think is appropriate for breakfast.

• Brown sugar cookies

  • racheljmorgan on January 31, 2022

    These have a homey, old-fashioned charm and do indeed taste strongly of brown sugar. Not fussy to put together, either. This is the recipe for people who want a molasses cookie without spices or a strong molasses bite. It's very sweet. The outside is quite crunchy, but inside has some chew. Ideal for fall parties.

• Classic yellow sheet cake

  • racheljmorgan on February 15, 2022

    Fluffy and delicious. It is, as they say, texturally a cross between chiffon and regular yellow cake.

• Chocolate frosting

  • racheljmorgan on February 15, 2022

    A rather heavy frosting. I made it with bittersweet chocolate and wished I had gone with milk chocolate instead. Overpowered the yellow cake a little

• Lemon-poppy seed muffins

  • racheljmorgan on February 20, 2022

    Made for national muffin day. Great recipe overall for big muffins. They had a perfect texture, weren't too sweet, didn't stick to the pan. I would have liked more lemon flavor though, maybe double the zest or heavy on the glaze next time. Glaze was so much like lemonade syrup I wanted to drink it.

• Bakery-style muffins

  • racheljmorgan on February 20, 2022

    This is kind of like a dream base muffin recipe because these turn out with a good texture every time and they're the perfect size for our big muffin pan. I like the improv element of it. For national muffin day I made ones with almond extract and crystallized ginger in the batter, sprinkled on top with some salted caramel sugar before baking.

  • racheljmorgan on October 27, 2025

    Can be made pretty well with 100% whole wheat, too. Just cut down the flour amount slightly. We liked these with a bit of spices added in and served with peanut butter.

• Coffee toffee cookies

  • racheljmorgan on March 02, 2022

    Pretty good coffee flavor, not too sweet overall. Texture is somewhere between cakelike and chewy.

• Quiche Lorraine

  • racheljmorgan on March 07, 2022

    Had to pull it out at 32 min instead of 40/50 min. Definitely already done by that point. Flavor is good but needs a little more salt unless you have salty country bacon. The half and half definitely makes the texture softer. It's more custardy than eggy, really.

• All-butter single-crust pie dough

  • racheljmorgan on March 08, 2022

    Did not have the heft or crispness of my usual butter pie crust (Mark Bittman's in How to Cook Everything). Why is sour cream even in this recipe? For a quiche, I would have preferred a little more salt in the dough, but it was ok. Very middle of the road with a tendency toward breakage.

• Shepherd's pie

  • racheljmorgan on March 14, 2022

    Really good, can sub in extra chicken broth for beer. The flavor is still excellent.

• Challah

  • racheljmorgan on March 20, 2022

    This was a bread that came out beautifully. Though the dough appeared not to rise at all in the first step, the yeast awoke after braiding. As far as taste, I kept thinking it needed more salt and was a touch bland. It's definitely suitable for French toasts and sweet applications, but for sandwiches I would try with double the salt or salted on top. It's a bread that has a fabulous look but just average taste.

• Skillet strata with cheddar and thyme

  • racheljmorgan on March 21, 2022

    This is a mild breakfast casserole that mostly tastes like scrambled eggs with cheese. I think it could do with a bit more salt and a touch of hot sauce. Easy to make and child friendly.

• Cream cheese brownies

  • racheljmorgan on March 24, 2022

    Very simple, and delicious

• Fluffy diner-style cheese omelet

  • racheljmorgan on March 26, 2022

    It's a cheese omelet that requires a lot of dishes to be washed later, but it's worth it. Don't even bother with nonstick pans, this used so much butter that it slid out of my cast iron skillet without a spatula! The recipe is my new go-to omelet method, made me feel confident after after a few subpar omelets in the past.

• Anadama bread

  • racheljmorgan on March 28, 2022

    Honestly, this was really great. I had to add a little extra flour, presumably because my cornmeal was very coarse and thus less absorbent. It's a sticky dough, but still workable. On the final rise, I also waited an extra 40 min since my yeast were a bit slow. The flavor was great, lightly sweet with a touch of crunch from the cornmeal. Feels like a cross between a quick bread and a yeast bread in texture. Noticeably drier tasting on day 2.

• Cornmeal olive oil cookies

  • racheljmorgan on April 03, 2022

    Fast and simple, with nice summery flavors. I don't think the 2nd powdered sugar coating is necessary, preferred these a little less sweet. The rosemary flavor came through pleasantly while the cookies were warm, made me wish I had added a little more. When cooled the day after, I couldn't taste it. The cookies still had some cornmeal grit texture after baking because my meal was coarse.

• Rustic dinner rolls

  • racheljmorgan on April 03, 2022

    Really excellent rolls. I remember the first time I baked them it was nearly 9pm and I set off the fire alarm in my apartment as soon as I opened the oven (because my old electric oven absolutely hated getting to 500F and would smoke a bit). Rolls came out absolutely beautifully, but I've been wary ever since.

• Scrambled egg muffins with sausage

  • racheljmorgan on April 07, 2022

    Spare yourself 3 days of pan-soaking and use paper cups. The souffle effect that might be achieved by leaving them in the pan is minimal. These come out alright but they leave a thin baked on residue that is really tough to get off a muffin tin.

• Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake

  • racheljmorgan on April 10, 2022

    Turned out quite dry

• French toast

  • racheljmorgan on April 18, 2022

    This French toast had a lot of crunch and was not noticeably sweet, almost like thick buttered toasts. I imagine it could stand up to a good amount of toppings or syrup without getting soggy. It was enjoyable.

• Easy lemon pound cake

  • racheljmorgan on May 01, 2022

    I took this cake out at the earliest indicated time and it still looked and tasted very slightly burned. The flavor is sweet and mildly lemony. Average, not knock your socks off like the chocolate pound cake that follows it in the book.

• Easy baked brown rice with Parmesan, lemon, and herbs

  • racheljmorgan on May 04, 2022

    Done at 50min.

• Cheddar and scallion drop biscuits

  • Rinshin on May 11, 2022

    Perfectly tasty biscuits. Almost as simple as mixing pancakes and easier because these are baked. The texture is light even when cooled and I can taste both cheddar and green onions. Good accompaniment to soups or sliced in half with ham. Photo added.

• Asparagus and Gruyère quiche

  • racheljmorgan on May 22, 2022

    The asparagus was extremely bitter. Don't know if it was the bunch itself or the long cooking that caused it.

• Almost no-knead whole-wheat bread

  • racheljmorgan on May 28, 2022

    Made a half recipe in 3 qt Dutch oven, baked for 32 min total. Yielded only enough for 2 people. Great flavor and texture. Next time I'll just make the full recipe in my 3qt Dutch oven. It was nowhere near capacity. Idk why the recipe would specify a 6qt or larger Dutch oven instead of something more moderate.

• Cinnamon streusel cookies

  • racheljmorgan on July 01, 2022

    Stays nice and crisp for many days. Essentially a snickerdoodle with pecans.

• Light and fluffy buttermilk biscuits with Parmesan and black pepper

  • racheljmorgan on July 01, 2022

    Just the right amount of black pepper to be a little spicy. Parm not especially noticeable.

• Easy ginger pound cake

  • racheljmorgan on August 08, 2022

    Ginger flavor was somewhat subtle, like a very light spice cake rather than a gingerbread type one. Texture-wise, it's ever so slightly dry. Not sure I'd make again, but it's ok and would pair well with chai style tea. As before, the ATK pound cake is a bit dark on the outside, so I chose to cover in glaze.

• Peanut butter cookies

  • racheljmorgan on August 13, 2022

    Very versatile, and very delicious. The original is good, but I've tried different things like adding almonds instead of peanuts and putting in cocoa powder or warm spices. The cocoa and smooth peanut butter version of these is a family favorite.

• Cream biscuits with fresh herbs

  • racheljmorgan on August 16, 2022

    I tried the freezer version of these, and they did not rise at all. The taste was ok, and texture was soft. However, flat biscuits are a disappointment.

• Savory cheddar and herb muffins

  • racheljmorgan on August 25, 2022

    Very soft and moist, with a mild cheese and tarragon flavor. Could use a bit more salt.

• Easy almond pound cake

  • racheljmorgan on September 04, 2022

    The amount of butter in this overwhelms the almond flavor, but it's still good pound cake.

• Cranberry-nut bread

  • racheljmorgan on September 11, 2022

    Fluffy and soft, fell apart a bit coming out of the pan. Very tart, not especially sweet.

• Ultimate cinnamon buns

  • racheljmorgan on September 18, 2022

    Very good and quite sweet. I've made some tough homemade cinnamon rolls before, and the cornstarch definitely helped. Not as airy-soft as I would wish, but a nice bread roll texture. I would underbake these by 10 minutes next time. It seems like our home oven is consistently hotter than ATK's baking oven.

• Chewy chai-spice sugar cookies

  • racheljmorgan on September 22, 2022

    Up at 3am today, decided to get a jump on holiday baking. These are pretty easy. Substituted melted coconut oil for vegetable oil. Baked half and froze half raw. They spread quite a bit and are large cookies for sure. There's quite a bit of chew to them even while warm, 5 min from oven. A nice balance of chai spices and sugar cookie flavor. I liked the cardamom a lot in these. The cookies seem ideal for sandwiches. Maybe I'll do them with spiced or tea flavored buttercream on the frozen batch. Update: baked a few frozen ones at 350 for 16 minutes. Much more golden and crunchy than the fresh ones, and less spread. Attempt 2: 325F for 15 was just right for frozen.

• Beef taco bake

  • jimandtammyfaye on October 01, 2022

    Ok but not a keeper.

• Honey-bran sandwich bread with sunflower seeds

  • racheljmorgan on October 09, 2022

    A nice, soft sandwich bread. Not too sweet, rises well. I subbed molasses for honey, which gave the inside a pleasant orange hue for fall. Sunflower seeds and bran not especially noticeable, but that might be a good thing if serving to picky eaters.

• Strawberry dream cake

  • racheljmorgan on November 04, 2022

    The cake was so soft that it sagged in the middle, not ideal for layer cake construction. The cooling rack itself left an imprint! Cake tastes like a sweet muffin and it's similarly crumbly. I don't think the strawberry juice is very noticeable there. The strawberry cream cheese frosting is excellent. I'm refrigerating for a few hours to get the whole thing to hold together better before slicing. It was so soft I was afraid I was going to have to make a birthday trifle of it instead. Update: top layer did fall apart shamelessly but the frosting and strawberry center meant it tasted great. I got a few pretty slices off the cake center , but it was just breaking on the back end. I'd make the frosting again, but use another cake base.

• Roasted sweet potatoes

  • racheljmorgan on November 18, 2022

    May be the ideal way to serve sweet potatoes that are big enough for multiple people.

• Sweet and sour red cabbage

  • racheljmorgan on November 20, 2022

    A veggie dish that is almost addictive. I love fruity and sour flavors, and the purple cabbage is very pretty. Matthew liked it, though called the recipe kind of non-traditional.

• Stovetop macaroni and cheese

  • racheljmorgan on December 03, 2022

    Extra sharp cheddar gives it more tang, sometimes I use that instead. So good that my husband woke up in the middle of the night to eat the leftovers.

• Fettuccine Alfredo

  • racheljmorgan on December 06, 2022

    A little bland

• Thin and crispy gingerbread cookies

  • racheljmorgan on December 11, 2022

    Easy recipe that I enjoyed using some 1970s Christmas cookie stamps on. Between the slight crispness and the mild flavor, very reminiscent of graham crackers. Chose them specifically for a long mail trip to a friend in Pennsylvania. Got a better stamping on the scrap roll out, presumably because dough was stiffer.

• Yeasted waffles

  • racheljmorgan on December 26, 2022

    Very tangy, not too sweet. These have more of a buttermilk taste than a yeasty one. The yeast really took to the overnight rise in the refrigerator.

• English muffin bread

  • racheljmorgan on January 10, 2023

    Good for at least 3 days. Rose well and baked without trouble. A little bland and kind of muffin-like in texture. I liked it pretty well toasted. Matthew enjoyed it, but really only as a vehicle for toppings and butter.

• Almond granola with dried fruit

  • racheljmorgan on February 06, 2023

    You can get away with quick oats, but it's more crumbly. Taste-wise the recipe is very similar to Raisin Bran Crunch cereal but without the bran flakes. My husband likes it a lot when made with salted butter instead of oil.

• Family-size cheese omelet

  • racheljmorgan on March 14, 2023

    The black pepper made this omelet a bit gray, and it also stuck to the pan some. Lacked any cheese flavor, 3/4 cup seems chintzy for 4 servings. The fluffy diner-style cheese omelet a few pages away is much better.

• Roasted Brussels sprouts

  • racheljmorgan on March 21, 2023

    Not as crisp as you can get in an airfryer or with a longer oven time without the foil. But they were easy and quick.

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan

  • racheljmorgan on March 21, 2023

    The oil at the end made them a touch soggy (and they were already verging on too soft for our taste). We liked the seasonings but it needed more salt. Not our favorite, but we ate them all as an accompaniment to a low carb Italian meal. It's a recipe I'd be willing to try with a longer cook time and less oil.

• Ultimate fudgy brownies

  • racheljmorgan on March 22, 2023

    Rich, but still somewhat cake-y. Easy clean up.

• Simple sautéed green beans with garlic

  • racheljmorgan on April 22, 2023

    Easy and quick. They're very garlicky. My husband liked the beans with extra butter.

• Crunchy granola bars with coconut and sesame

  • racheljmorgan on April 22, 2023

    Crumbled again, couldn't get them to stay in bar form. The clusters are good granola, though. Can't really taste or see the coconut, but I enjoyed the prominent nuttiness of the sesame seeds.

• Crunchy granola bars

  • racheljmorgan on April 22, 2023

    These crumbled into large clusters instead of staying in bar form. We ended up eating them with milk as a homemade cereal.

• Almost no-knead seeded rye bread

  • racheljmorgan on April 23, 2023

    Yielded a smaller loaf than expected. I'm not sure this got a proper rise and hydration based on the cookbook photos. The dough looked dry the whole time to me. I enjoyed the very crunchy, chewy exterior. There's a hint of sourdough flavor, but it's not that notable. It's a very heavy bread; one or two slices will fill you up.

• Easy orange pound cake

  • racheljmorgan on April 25, 2023

    Very light orange flavor, even when subbing in orange extract for vanilla. Slightly eggy. Nonetheless, a pretty cake and decent enough.

• Rosemary focaccia

  • racheljmorgan on May 14, 2023

    Oven is out of commission here, so I baked at 400F in the airfryer in an 8 inch pan for 9 min. Internal temp was 200F. It's a good bread, pleasantly salted and strong on the rosemary with bitter herbal flavor.

• Triple ginger ice cream

  • racheljmorgan on May 20, 2023

    Seemed kind of finicky in technique compared to other ice cream recipes. All these container transfers cause some material loss even if one scrapes carefully. However, true to their word, it's a really smooth, extremely rich ice cream without any ice crystals whatsoever. The flavor is very spicy and gingery, suprisingly leaning into the savory side a bit. I love ginger, but this ice cream still says CURRY to my taste buds. Maybe better on apple or pumpkin pie than as a stand alone dessert. The crystal ginger pieces were a bit too hard compared to the smoothness of the ice cream, though I liked the flavor of them. Because I got the dairy ingredients at Target, the ginger ice cream was about $4/pint to make (on par with something like Ben & Jerry's). I didn't like the addition of corn syrup in the ingredients and wondered if I could have added simple syrup or honey instead.

• Chocolate chip cookies

  • racheljmorgan on January 12, 2024

    Crisp edges and soft center, not what I'd call a chewy style cookie on baking day. They're decent- butter is the predominant flavor despite all the dark chocolate. My dough looked darker and spread more than the book photos. Something about them just isn't as compelling as some other chocolate chip cookies I've made or bought.....maybe I've become a chocolate chunk only person over the years. Update: these are significantly better after storing overnight. They're uniformly lightly chewy and have a more balanced flavor. Still not as chocolaty as I was hoping, but the texture is right.

• Skillet broccoli with olive oil and garlic

  • racheljmorgan on January 18, 2024

    Not crisp, but fast and had a good flavor.

• Chocolate chip snack cake

  • racheljmorgan on March 05, 2024

    This recipe confirms my suspicion that I need to lower the baking temps in this book by 25F, because everything comes out dark and a little drier than expected (across 3 different ovens, many pans). It was a nice snacking/breakfast cake when warm. Good but not excessive amount of chocolate chips. However, noticeable drier texture within hours, not one to bake in advance for guests.

• Best butterscotch pudding

  • racheljmorgan on July 27, 2024

    The flavor was very good. However, the pudding was a bit thinner than I would have preferred, and I ended up partially freezing it in ramekins before serving. Came out a bit like dulce de leche ice cream.

• Dark chocolate cupcakes

  • racheljmorgan on September 26, 2024

    Bake time 14 min. Not high risers, would use smaller muffin pan next time. Really delicious dark chocolate flavor and easy to make. Ever so slightly dry, but would not be noticeable if frosted.

• Almost no-knead bread

  • racheljmorgan on October 25, 2024

    This was a lovely plain white bread that doesn't require much work at all. It has a crisp, firm crust and dense interior. The flavor was not yeasty, tangy, or beer-y at all (unlike the dough smell), just plain with a decent amount of salt. My husband really loved it, but I found myself wanting a bit stronger taste. Holds up to thin slicing and sandwiches well.

• Butternut squash risotto

  • racheljmorgan on October 30, 2024

    Well-spiced with lots of pepper. I enjoyed it even as a person who normally dislikes risotto.

• Classic white layer cake

  • racheljmorgan on November 03, 2024

    Baked 20 min at 325F in dark nonstick pan. Cake was so tender it broke in half trying to get it out of pan. Had to refit the removed half back in and just ice the top of the cake as if it were the white sheet cake (same recipe as a few pages earlier just different pan shapes). Somewhat dry, light textured cake with a pleasant wedding cake-esque almond flavor. Would definitely go with a lighter whipped frosting or a glaze next time.

• Classic white sheet cake

  • racheljmorgan on November 03, 2024

    Baked 20 min at 325F in dark nonstick pan (9 inch, half recipe). Cake was so tender it broke in half trying to get it out of pan. Had to refit the removed half back in and just ice the top of the cake. Somewhat dry, light textured cake with a pleasant wedding cake-esque almond flavor. Would definitely go with a lighter whipped frosting or a glaze next time

• Peppermint frosting

  • racheljmorgan on November 06, 2024

    Heavy, but tastes good. Definitely overwhelmed the light, dry white cake I paired it with.

• American sandwich bread

  • racheljmorgan on November 10, 2024

    Decreased to 325F, as usual for our oven. 40 min. Very good white bread, soft but still dense enough for thin slicing. It was devoured in a single day.

• Cuban black beans and rice

  • racheljmorgan on December 09, 2024

    I opted to do a quick hour soak and then 58 minutes in the pressure cooker for the black beans. Out of green bell peppers so used orange ones. The rice needed an extra 10 min in oven and a touch more water to become tender. Overall, this was a pretty good dish but very light. I tried to serve it as an entree since we're used to that with other bean dishes, but it's more of a side item. Not spicy at all, but it's easy to add hot sauce at the table. My 8 month old ate this enthusiastically, too (mashed slightly with extra liquid).

• Garlic mashed potatoes

  • racheljmorgan on December 31, 2024

    A looser mashed potato texture. Too intense on the garlic and too oily for me.

• Skillet olive bread

  • racheljmorgan on February 03, 2025

    A pleasant savory quick bread. Plenty of olives. Couldn't get it out of pan easily so I just sliced it in skillet and that was fine.

• Brown sugar whipped cream

  • racheljmorgan on February 16, 2025

    Used it as a light icing on a half cake for Valentines day. The sour cream gives it a kind of strange tanginess.

• Chicken enchiladas with red chili sauce

  • racheljmorgan on March 13, 2026

    Bland, fell apart, needed a lot more salt. Just really lacked flavor in a puzzling way.

• Enchiladas verdes

  • racheljmorgan on March 11, 2026

    Simple, not too spicy.

• Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas

  • racheljmorgan on March 12, 2026

    Nice comfort food, not spicy. My toddler enjoyed it too, despite being heavy on the raw onion. Really reminded me of a chili dog without meat, probably the most American enchilada one could make.

• Skillet penne with chicken and broccoli

  • racheljmorgan on January 29, 2026

    It's alright, albeit a little bland and slightly watery.

• Simple skillet pizza

  • racheljmorgan on April 13, 2026

    Super easy. My toddler loved making it. Taste was basically like a standard frozen pizza (Jack's specifically), cost maybe a hair over $2.

• Broiled asparagus

  • racheljmorgan on March 21, 2025

    Delicious and quick. Perfect for the first day of spring.

• Broiled asparagus with balsamic glaze

  • racheljmorgan on March 21, 2025

    The asparagus itself was good, but the glaze took away a little from the crispiness. The dish was better plain.

• Pan-roasted asparagus

  • racheljmorgan on March 24, 2026

    Very good, though not crisp.

• Cream-braised Brussels sprouts

  • racheljmorgan on March 12, 2025

    Fast recipe. Pleasant nuttiness, medium texture. I don't taste the cream, but it's a good side dish. They were soft enough that my 11 month old could enjoy them, but not falling apart.

• Roasted cauliflower

  • racheljmorgan on April 24, 2025

    Very bland. Average texture.

• Easy creamed corn

  • racheljmorgan on May 28, 2025

    Fresh tasting. Still had a lot of texture, not too heavy.

• Easy creamed corn with tarragon

  • racheljmorgan on May 28, 2025

    Pretty good. Fresher tasting and lighter than most creamed corn recipes.

• Braised hearty greens with pancetta and pine nuts

  • racheljmorgan on September 18, 2025

    Easy

• Twice-baked potatoes with chipotle chile and onion

  • racheljmorgan on March 13, 2025

    Strong on the onions and somewhat spicy from peppers. Good and easy enough, but probably wouldn't make a twice baked potato again unless I had leftover baked potatoes already.

• Mashed potatoes with scallions and horseradish

  • racheljmorgan on May 13, 2025

    These were ok, just a lot looser texture than I prefer.

• Buttermilk mashed potatoes

  • racheljmorgan on January 21, 2026

    These take 2x longer to cook than suggested, but it was fine. Very tangy. All the mashed potatoes in this book have a very loose texture, which is not my preference.

• Easy creamed spinach

  • racheljmorgan on December 05, 2025

    It was in fact very easy. Used up a bag of precut kale that had really gone south to good results. Would make again.

• Spaghetti squash with Asian flavors

  • elle_in4x9r on May 30, 2026

    Easy, flavorful. Pairs will with an Asian-inspired meal instead of rice

• Maple-orange mashed sweet potatoes

  • racheljmorgan on March 29, 2025

    Nice. Prominent orange flavor. Lightly sweet with a hint of maple. I'd serve for breakfast rather than dinner.

• Basmati rice pilaf

  • racheljmorgan on May 20, 2025

    Came out very al dente, had to add in extra water and cook 10 min longer. I don't think this is a great method. The onion, too, was not my favorite addition.

• Mexican rice

  • racheljmorgan on April 02, 2025

    Decent, pretty easy. Came out more tomato-y than I expected from the book photo. My husband really liked this dish.

• Spiced tabbouleh

  • racheljmorgan on February 26, 2026

    Tastes same as the regular tabbouleh, lemon kind of overwhelms the spices

• Best scrambled eggs

  • racheljmorgan on March 03, 2026

    I was skeptical but the texture was good.

• Frittata with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil

  • racheljmorgan on June 03, 2025

    Just ok, kind of tasteless and unattractive though easy. A light meal for 2. Didn't stick to cast iron surprisingly.

• Spinach and feta quiche

  • racheljmorgan on May 18, 2025

    Pretty good, would add a bit more salt. Ended up with 1 cup extra egg filling which I had to bake in a separate pan.

• Broccoli and cheddar quiche

  • racheljmorgan on June 11, 2023

    Needed a little salt and pepper but otherwise perfect.

• Cornmeal buttermilk pancakes

  • racheljmorgan on June 03, 2025

    Not as fluffy as normal pancakes, a little mealy, but decent. It's the pancake version of cornbread.

• Buttermilk grahamcakes

  • racheljmorgan on January 12, 2026

    These were tasty and fluffy, simple to make. I didn't really taste the graham crackers. Makes 19 3 inch pancakes.

• Classic hash browns

  • racheljmorgan on March 19, 2025

    Still too much moisture, broke apart a bit. Unappealingly soft in middle, though outside got an OK crispness.

• Winter yogurt parfaits with dates, bananas, and oranges

  • racheljmorgan on May 08, 2026

    Nice, sweet enough without the honey

• Classic strawberry-banana smoothie

  • racheljmorgan on May 19, 2025

    Pleasant, average smoothie. A bit heavier on strawberry than banana. Slightly grainy. Shared with my 1 yr old, who found it just ok.

• Light and fluffy buttermilk biscuits with cheddar and scallions

  • racheljmorgan on May 09, 2025

    Nice and fluffy, fairly easy to make. Plenty of green onion flavor, didn't really taste cheddar. Keeps shape pretty well if want to use fancy cutters. My daughter made 1 chicken biscuit.

• Popovers

  • racheljmorgan on January 15, 2026

    These were superb. Lacking a real popover pan, I used a large muffin pan which yielded 8 instead of 6. None of us had ever eaten popovers before, and they were so good (like brioche rolls with an extra crunchy exterior). A new favorite, and so simple to make. I can see why 1960s cookbooks always seem to include them in the dinner menus.

• Coffee cake muffins

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 17, 2026

    Kind of a cross between a biscuit and a muffin. Super tender and rich!

• Simple drop doughnuts

  • racheljmorgan on March 16, 2025

    Had to double the amount of milk just to get the batter to hold together. The real issue is they're not particularly sweet. It's like eating a wheat-based hushpuppy with a little confectioners sugar. Not worth doing. One or two will fill you up since they really expand in the oil, to slightly larger than golf balls. Out of curiosity I tried two of the dough balls in the airfryer at 350F for 10 min and they were denser, lighter in color, and more unappealing.

• Banana drop doughnuts

  • racheljmorgan on March 16, 2025

    Had to double the amount of milk just to get the batter to hold together. The real issue is the batter is not particularly sweet, but the cinnamon sugar coating helps. The banana flavor is mild, not that noticeable. They're bigger than expected; two or three would fill you up. Wouldn't bother making these again.

• Ultimate banana bread

  • racheljmorgan on March 06, 2026

    The draining and reducing step was totally unnecessary. My bananas must not have been very watery compared to whatever theirs were like. Sometimes ATK recipes just seem overcomplicated for the sake of being thorough. The bread is good, and very adaptable to a muffin pan if you cut down baking time by half.

• Golden Northern cornbread with cheddar

  • racheljmorgan on August 22, 2025

    Dry and somewhat flavorless. Would not make again.

• Brown soda bread

  • racheljmorgan on March 20, 2025

    Took out at 40min, 195F internal. Probably should have brought down oven by 25F like I usually do for their recipes, looked a little burned. Left out wheat germ and added a bit of whole wheat flour to bring the dough together. Good taste, slightly sweet.

• Buttermilk sandwich bread

  • racheljmorgan on April 11, 2025

    Standard white bread. Soft but still has a bit of chewiness. Not really compelling, maybe needs more salt.

• Easy chocolate cake

  • racheljmorgan on March 10, 2026

    Very moist, fluffy, lots of deep chocolate flavor. Using avocado oil mayonnaise, it did have a note of mayonnaise flavor to it that keeps it from being perfect to me.

• Apple upside-down cake

  • racheljmorgan on May 30, 2025

    Pleasant and moist though fiddly to make. Not sure it's as good as Annette Yates's West Country Apple Cake, but reasonable. The apples are very sour. Cake is quite buttery and sweet. It feels a little like they are contrasting, probably will improve on next day. Update: still pretty much the same next day. The cake part doesn't really absorb any apple flavor. Nice with coffee, though.

• Classic white cupcakes

  • racheljmorgan on July 15, 2023

    Classic almond/vanilla white cake flavor and fluffy texture. Not high risers since the recipe calls for 1/4 cup batter each. They're maybe 1/2 volume of the average store cupcake, though for children's parties this may be a plus. I loved that I could easily scale this recipe down to make only 4 cupcakes at a time, just a little dessert treat. The cake is very white inside, but gets rather golden on top. Might try adding fancy sprinkles to these some time and see how they turn out.

• Coffee frosting

  • racheljmorgan on July 15, 2023

    The frosting tastes rather bitter on its own, but when paired with white cake it was definitely sweet enough! There were a few dark speckles in the light brown frosting that annoyed me (I used Folger's instant decaf which isn't especially fine), but overall it's a good frosting for an adult crowd.

• Deep-dish apple pie

  • racheljmorgan on August 27, 2025

    Made with 8 Pink Lady and 2 Gala apples since those varieties were on sale for 2 cents per. Fairly simple to make, if somewhat time consuming. Used no-fail pie crust from NYT Heritage cookbook pg 408 but made with unsalted butter which was a mistake that caused it to have no taste. The pie filling was good tasting but did not hold together well for slicing.

• Whipped cream

  • racheljmorgan on May 14, 2025

    Sweet, with a strong vanilla flavor.

• Strawberry shortcakes

  • racheljmorgan on May 14, 2025

    This was good. I think they would have been better with riper strawberries. The flavors of whipped cream and biscuit slightly overpowered these berries. The shortcakes are a cross between a fluffy sweet biscuit and a scone. I liked the crunch of the extra sugar topping.

• Cherry clafouti

  • racheljmorgan on July 03, 2025

    Just not compelling, a sweet omelet with a hint of fruitiness. The cherries didn't shine here at all, better uncooked. Made a half size in a 6 inch pan with 25 min bake time. It was the right call not to bake a full size since it wasn't stellar.