• 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

• Asian firecracker party mix

  • racheljmorgan on March 23, 2022

    For whatever reason, this tasted better before we cooked 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.

• Classic chicken salad

  • racheljmorgan on March 02, 2023

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

• Guinness beef stew

  • racheljmorgan on April 03, 2022

    I attempted to make a non-alcoholic version of this by subbing in coffee, a splash of vinegar, and a large amount of baking yeast I needed to use up soon. It came out really well, but kind of just a basic good beef stew. My modifications didn't mimic the Guinness flavor as much as I hoped. The meat and potatoes were tender. It's a good candidate for slow cooking, though I enjoyed making it in the oven on a quiet Sunday at home.

• 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.

• Unstuffed chicken cordon bleu

  • racheljmorgan on January 04, 2022

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Basic barbecue sauce

  • racheljmorgan on June 05, 2022

    Superb, especially if made with Sriracha ketchup.

• Beef taco bake

  • jimandtammyfaye on October 01, 2022

    Ok but not a keeper.

• Shepherd's pie

  • racheljmorgan on March 14, 2022

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

• Fettuccine Alfredo

  • racheljmorgan on December 06, 2022

    A little bland

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Roasted sweet potatoes

  • racheljmorgan on November 18, 2022

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

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

  • racheljmorgan on May 04, 2022

    Done at 50min.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Molasses spice cookies

  • racheljmorgan on January 17, 2022

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

• 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.

• Coffee toffee cookies

  • racheljmorgan on March 02, 2022

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

• Cinnamon streusel cookies

  • racheljmorgan on July 01, 2022

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

• 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.

• 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.

• Ultimate fudgy brownies

  • racheljmorgan on March 22, 2023

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

• Cream cheese brownies

  • racheljmorgan on March 24, 2022

    Very simple, and delicious

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake

  • racheljmorgan on April 10, 2022

    Turned out quite dry

• 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.

• 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

• 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.

• 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.