Notes about Recipes in this book

• Classic white bread

  • averythingcooks on January 13, 2025

    I cut this in 1/2 for 1 loaf and I used a 50:50 mix of Canadian all purpose & bread flours which have very similar protein contents. The dough came together quickly/easily with the stand mixer/dough hook and the result is a very nice loaf of bread that is worth repeating. She also gives instructions on the next page for shaping/hamburger buns with a target mass for each ball of dough.

• Basic vinaigrette

  • averythingcooks on May 07, 2025

    As explained in the headnote, this "basic" vinaigrette is assertive (& very good!) as is. She then gives lot of ideas to take it further...I took her suggestions of minced shallot, grated parmesan & fresh oregano and dressed a simple salad of romaine, red onion + celery that we ate beside homemade pizza. The full recipe makes a sensible amount (1/2 cup) and I will be back here again for sure.

• Quick puff pastry

  • Jviney on February 21, 2021

    I’ve struggled to find frozen all-butter puff pastry where I live, but have been intimidated by making it. Pastry is not my forte. The tenderness of this blew me away, it was so good. Used it with the beef tenderloin recipe in this book.

• Italian scrambled eggs

  • Rutabaga on February 11, 2020

    While basic, the technique here is distinctly different from the way many of us tend to make scrambled eggs. It's very luscious and creamy, and practically melts in the mouth. I used a high quality Italian olive oil, and the fruity, grassy flavor of the oil really came through. Unfortunately, my younger son wasn't a fan, perhaps because of the texture, but I still plan to make them for myself when I have the chance.

• Oat and yogurt pancakes

  • Cooks0308 on December 06, 2018

    These were horrible and a complete waste of ingredients. My kids hated them (even with chocolate chips) and I did too! I had to throw them out.

  • Rutabaga on January 21, 2020

    My family liked these pancakes. They aren't our favorite recipe (personally, I'm most fond of Ruth Reichl's), but definitely worth making, and a little healthier than many recipes because of the yogurt, oats, and small amount of butter. They aren't very fluffy, but fall somewhere between a typical American style pancake and a crepe, so that may not be to everyone's taste. But the flavor is lovely, especially with the hint of cinnamon, and they pair well with a variety of toppings.

• Quick egg salad with dill and celery salt

  • Rutabaga on July 18, 2020

    This is so simple, but a really nice variation on egg salad. Using a little olive oil rather than mayonnaise let the taste of the eggs shine (good eggs help, and I followed Samin Nosrat's instructions for the perfect nine-minute egg). It's perfect for breakfast or lunch.

  • Jviney on April 28, 2022

    I had to riff on this due to ingredient availability, but I really enjoyed it. Quick to put together and enough for two lunches but not so much you have to eat it all week. There was no fresh dill at the grocery store and too early in the season for my garden but I had chives on hand and used some dried dill.

• Tomato and tonnato sandwich

  • Jviney on July 22, 2021

    This! This is extra delicious, highly recommend during tomato season. Quick to throw together, pantry ingredients, and when tomato season is over I'm planning on using the sauce as a salad dressing or over grilled meat.

• Zucchini, Gruyère, and basil quesadilla

  • Jviney on October 08, 2020

    So simple, so quick, and a really delicious lunch.

• Kimchi cheese dip

  • Rutabaga on February 11, 2020

    The combination of kimchi and cheese is addictively delicious, especially served warm. As mentioned in the recipe forward, it also makes great grilled cheese sandwiches. Not to mention quesadillas, potatoes... there are a lot of ways you can use it, and it makes quite a bit, so you can be creative and try several.

• Crispy chicken wings with blue cheese and pickled celery dip

  • averythingcooks on August 01, 2025

    I just made the pickled celery/blue cheese dip to serve with some buffalo chicken tenders and it was the highlight of the plate. If you like pickled things AND blue cheese things then I'm pretty sure you will like this dip. It was a bit thinner than expected (the brine from the quick pickled diced celery is probably the culprit) so maybe more blue cheese/ less sour cream would be an idea. Regardless, we really liked this stuff.

• Vanilla and cardamom candied almonds

  • Jviney on October 24, 2020

    These came together super fast and were delicious. Light flavor of cardamom, just enough to keep me nibbling.

• Sheet pan white pizza with smoked mozzarella-stuffed crust, leeks, and mushrooms

  • Rutabaga on April 22, 2020

    This is a delicious pizza topping, and stuffing the crust is a fun idea. Be sure to add plenty of cheese; the first time I did this, it wasn't quite enough, so didn't ooze out of the crust the way you'd expect with a stuffed-crust pizza. I've done this with both smoked Beecher's cheese (an excellent choice) and sharp white cheddar, as I don't often have smoked mozzarella on hand. I also used chèvre instead of ricotta, as my family prefers it.

  • Jviney on January 30, 2021

    This pizza was easy to execute and I was excited about the stuffed crust... but the flavors didn't sing for me, surprisingly. Next time I would aggressively stuff the crust with cheese as the process worked really well, but would maybe add some additional spices, salt, something for extra flavor... I used goat cheese instead of ricotta, as we prefer it.

• Chicken gyro with tahini and scallion yogurt

  • Rutabaga on April 04, 2020

    I never would have thought to make gyro -style meat until I saw this recipe,and I'm happy to say it's great! I had some yogurt sauce already on hand, so didn't make the sauces included with this recipe, but served the gyros with feta, herbs, and yogurt sauce on homemade pita bread, with a Greek-style salad on the side. It's a fun meal to share with the family. The gyro loaf can be made in advance and keeps for several days.

• Charred corn totchos with braised flank steak and beer queso

  • Rutabaga on April 18, 2020

    Mmm, this is such a yummy treat. I actually used slow cooker chipotle chicken (from the Serious Eats website) instead of the braised flank steak, but made the beer cheese nacho sauce and lime sour cream as listed, as well as using the other toppings included in the recipe. Such a treat! The beer cheese sauce makes a lot, so we were able to use it with regular nachos and also potato cauliflower burritos later in the week. I recommend making the cheese sauce in advance, as it took some time for my cream cheese to fully break down and melt into the sauce. Of course, you could also warm it first, so it is nicely pre-melted.

  • averythingcooks on January 04, 2025

    I just made the braised flank steak this time. I had around 10 oz to use as I often trim the tapered ends off large flank steaks to get nice uniform pieces for grilling & then freeze the ends separately in smaller portions - perfect for recipes like this. I added red onions with the garlic, red & yellow sweet peppers (green is not a favourite here) and a mix of diced jalapeno, Fresno & hot banana chiles. The meat was perfectly shreddable & we spooned this flavourful, saucy mix over baked potatoes. I will be back here for the beer queso soon.

  • averythingcooks on May 09, 2026

    I have already made the saucy flank steak but came back to make the "totchos" with the tater tots, beef & beer cheese. I simplified the toppings using a mix of pickled radishes, onions & hot peppers + dollops of a zesty corn relish. The beer cheese is delicious (with several shots of hot sauce!) & it reheats well (1/3 was way more than the 2 of us needed) and this was fun, Friday night dinner.

• Beer nacho cheese

  • Rutabaga on April 18, 2020

    This is delicious, great for nachos, or poured over veggies. We found it was a great served with the cauliflower and potato burritos in this same book. It's easy to make, but the cream cheese took a long time to melt down fully. It would probably be best to melt it gently, or at least warm it up, before adding it to the sauce. The sauce keeps well, which is good, as it makes a lot. Plan to use it in two or three meals during the week.

• Chipotle lime crema

  • Rutabaga on April 18, 2020

    This is a great simple sauce to serve with nachos, tacos, burritos, and more. It would also be delicious made with chopped chipotle chiles in adobo instead of chipotle powder.

• Oven-baked risotto with butternut squash and candied rosemary walnuts

  • VineTomato on April 11, 2020

    So easy and so good. This was my first time cooking from this book and didn't trust the recipe completely so cooked the butternut for about 10-15 min on the stove with the onions ( rather than the shorter time she recommends, I think it was 5 min). The risotto needed an extra 10-15 minutes in the oven before it was ready. Candied walnuts were good, but don't empty them onto a plate as she suggests - line your plate with some baking paper otherwise you'll be spending your evening chipping walnuts off a side plate! There will be a next time and I think simple roasted walnuts will be just as good, if not better.

  • Segsmudge on May 15, 2020

    Love this one. So easy and good and the leftovers are even better.

• Chicken and herb lettuce wraps with crispy shallots and peanuts

  • Rutabaga on May 12, 2020

    This made for a nice light picnic meal, just be sure to pack everything in separate containers. The fact that each family member could create their own worked well, as the kids pretty much had just chicken and lettuce. They are very fresh and healthy tasting, but in a good way. It's a great way to use leftover roast chicken.

• Spring pea falafel with harissa yogurt

  • Rutabaga on April 22, 2020

    I was a little hesitant about this recipe because it includes canned chickpeas, and in my past experience, falafel made with canned chickpeas tend to fall apart and lack the right texture. Fortunately, these were great - some of the best falafel I've made, in fact. The addition of green peas made the flavor bright and spring-like. I used a lot of parsley and mint for the herbs. I also shaped the balls, then let them rest in the refrigerator for an hour or so, which often helps them hold their shape. For the first time, I used a meat grinder to make the mixture, and found it much easier than using the blender. For peas, I used frozen, which I added directly the grinder without thawing. Do be careful when frying; it takes some time for them to cook thoroughly all the way through, and they will be very dark on the outside when done. The yogurt sauce is delicious, but I used Trader Joe's Italian bomba sauce instead of harissa powder, and added a little olive oil.

• Sheet pan meatloaf with roasted vegetables

  • Rutabaga on April 27, 2020

    My husband particularly enjoyed this meatloaf, and while the kids weren't as into it, they did eat it. Instead of chili garlic sauce, I used some sweet chili sauce. I also used a mix of ground turkey and chicken sausage, and left off the glaze entirely, as I didn't have hoisin sauce on hand. When I make it again, I'd still opt for ground turkey, but would like to try pork sausage instead of chicken to add a little richness. It's very convenient to mix the meat in advance, and have the veg ready. You then only need to put it in the oven for an hour to bake, and a full dinner is on the table, making this a good pre-ahead option if you have dinner guests or want to use the baking time to do other things.

  • julesamomof2 on August 26, 2021

    I made this for the boys in my family, as they are getting a little tired of my penchant for turkey everything. My issue with sheet pan dinners proved true with this recipe - there was no way everything was going to fit on one sheet pan, which meant dividing the meat and vegetables among two pans, which is fine but kind of defeats the purpose of a sheet pan dinner. That all said, we liked the meatloaf and the accompanying vegetables were an easier alternative to making mashed potatoes.

  • aisy on November 24, 2021

    I never used to like meatloaf, but I love this. The flavours are excellent, it’s not too moist or too dry, and it’s easy. I think I’ll add more chilli garlic sauce next time because it’s just so tasty. I cram everything onto one small sheet pan and make it work! This time my broccoli burnt, so I might add that in halfway through next time.

• Roasted potato and cauliflower burrito

  • puddlemere on January 16, 2019

    Decent, but nothing spectacular. The filling itself is perfectly fine, but the real flavor comes from the burrito sauce and corn salsa.

  • Rutabaga on April 19, 2020

    This is a lovely combination. I had a little remaining garlic Mojo sauce from a Rick Bayless recipes, so tossed the vegetables in that prior to roasting. We didn't use corn salsa, but had some leftover roasted corn (frozen from Trader Joe's) instead. The beer nacho cheese sauce from this same book is also fantastic here, such a great combination with the potatoes and cauliflower. It can take a little time to bring everything together, but you can make the different parts in advance. It's a highly customizable meal, with a lot of appealing tastes and textures.

  • Hannaha100 on November 15, 2020

    I took 1 cauliflower to be 500g. Toasted from frozen and that worked fine. Made full amount of potatoes and cauliflower and halved everything else. I found the addition of the vinegar to the veg interesting and enjoyable but I don't like it better than simple olive oil and salt. We had some leftover curried cabbage and this worked nicely. Had no vegan sour cream so subbed soy yogurt which was too sweet really (upped lime juice to try to counter) and the sauce was just ok this way. My favourite part was the corn salsa which wasn't an exact recipe but combo of corn, coriander, spring onions, line juice and jalapeno (kept separate for kids). Overall a tasty dinner with a different flavour profile to our usual Mexican efforts. M1 liked the veg and corn. M2 didn't like any of it. Would definitely repeat corn salsa, would try the sauce again as written or just use mayo.

• Burrito sauce

  • puddlemere on January 16, 2019

    The best part of the burrito recipe this goes with, in my opinion. Would probably be good in any burrito/taco/etc.

• Turkey meatballs in arrabiata sauce

  • Rutabaga on July 02, 2020

    I had great results with these meatballs and sauce; the whole family enjoyed them. For the kids, I go easy on the red pepper flakes, but the sauce still had a rich, full flavor that nicely compliments the lighter taste of the turkey meatballs.

• Pork bánh mì burgers

  • Rutabaga on April 05, 2020

    These were fantastic burgers. I used half ground turkey and half ground pork, which created a flavorful, moist burger that didn't taste overly fatty. Instead of green onion, I added thinly sliced jalapeño to the lightly pickled veg, and also added sprigs of cilantro and a squeeze of lime to my burger. A good slathering of sriracha mayo added heat, but the overall flavors were really well-balanced. While the kids weren't interested in these extra toppings, they still enjoyed the burger patties on a bun topped with ketchup.

  • hbakke on April 13, 2021

    Delicious burgers. I halved the recipe but used the full amount of basil and cilantro because I wanted a more herby burger. The sriracha mayo and quick pickle were great, flavorful additions. I'm normally a fish sauce hater, but the flavor (and smell) combines with the pork and almost entirely dissipates when cooking. I would make these again. Yum!

  • averythingcooks on July 28, 2025

    I easily scaled this back to 1/4 to make 4 x 2 oz sliders. As always, the cilantro was subbed out, this time with a spoonful of Thai basil pesto. We ate these with a home canned tomato-red onion relish on the bottom buns + the sriracha mayo & pickled radish/carrot matchsticks (open canning jar) on top. AND.....we thought these were delicious!

• Chorizo mac and cheese

  • lizbot2000 on December 06, 2018

    Wow! This was DELICIOUS. And crazy rich, so it really needs a salad or bitterish veg side. We made ours with some roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts with balsamic, and we used soyrizo instead of chorizo. It turned out really, really excellent. I feel like the texture of the soyrizo was probably better than if we'd used real sausage, because it just sort of melted into the sauce.

  • Rutabaga on January 31, 2020

    The kids loved this, of course. It's a great basic mac and cheese recipe with chorizo added to amp up the flavor and make it a more filling main dish. I set aside a portion of pasta without the chorizo for my younger son, as I was afraid it would be too spicy for him. As it turns out, the sausage didn't impart too much heat to the dish, but if your chorizo is very spicy, that could change. Since I didn't have panko, I crumbled some tortilla chips over the top, which worked out pretty well.

• White bean shakshuka

  • hbakke on July 11, 2022

    I loved the spice mixture and addition of beans to this shakshuka. I would make this again.

  • gamulholland on March 27, 2025

    We used sweet paprika instead of smoky, because that’s what the people in my family like. Other than that, I made it exactly as written, and it was delicious and indeed didn’t taste like it had just been made about 20 to 30 minutes before. The addition of beans made it enough for dinner, which was great. I will definitely be making this again.

• Caper and preserved lemon aïoli

  • Rutabaga on May 01, 2020

    I was thinking of making a tartar-style sauce with capers and preserved lemon since I didn't have pickles on hand. Then I saw that this book actually has a recipe for the very same thing! Not that a recipe is really needed here, but I found it to be a great combination, one which my older son and I particularly liked. We ate it with fish sticks and fries, giving a basic meal something to make it a little more special.

• Beef Wellington with arugula Dijon pesto and creamy horseradish sauce

  • Jviney on February 21, 2021

    This was epic. Totally manageable with less than 30 minutes over the course of three days. The homemade puff pastry was flaky and tender, the beef was cooked to 125 degrees and perfectly tender at that temp although it took over an hour to get there. Horseradish sauce added a richness that I loved but my husband said the dish was great without it. If I changed anything when making it a second time, I might pare back the mushroom mixture a bit - there was more than I needed.

• Garlic miso rolls

  • Rutabaga on April 19, 2020

    I liked these, but the rest of the family wan't as into them, particularly the kids. Too garlicky for the youngest, and the oldest didn't seem to care for the miso, even though he likes miso soup. I ended up eating many of them over the next week, and fortunately they reheat well in the toaster oven. They are also delicious when spread with a layer of Boursin cheese after toasting.

• Three-bean salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette

  • Rutabaga on September 15, 2020

    I really enjoyed this salad; the preserved lemon really perked things up. Made with fresh summer green beans, it really sings. I used only one can of chickpeas (I wanted to make a somewhat smaller salad), but didn't reduce the amount of dressing, and found that worked well, really coating the beans in flavor. While the kids didn't say much about it, they did eat it, so that's also a plus. I took the extra step of peeling the skins of the canned chickpeas, which may seem picky, but I recommend doing this if you have the time as it leads to a getter texture, and I think it also helps the chickpeas better absorb the flavor of the dressing.

• Parmesan roasted asparagus

  • debakken on June 20, 2025

    Such an easy way to elevate the flavor of roasted asparagus. I use coarse sea salt, so the crunch of the salt combines with the panko crumbs and grated parmesan. I don't use dill--I add my favorite herb blend for roasted veggies instead.

• Sour cream and seedy mustard mashed potatoes

  • averythingcooks on February 02, 2025

    This was a nice change of pace for mashed potatoes that we both enjoyed. Because she has written this for 5 lbs of potatoes and I wanted to use 1 lb, the inclusion of masses for the 3 key add-ins was really helpful (yes, of course I could eyeball but then risk saying "too mustardy" etc). As always, it was the ricer and this time I used Yukon golds because they were on the "use me 1st" list.

• Salt and vinegar-roasted potatoes with feta and dill

  • Rutabaga on March 22, 2020

    The vinegar flavor definitely come through in these potatoes, which nicely cuts the richness of the feta. Cider vinegar might be a nice alternative to try. I recommend loading up on feta and dill. Unfortunately, I didn't have oregano, which I think would have been especially nice and given it more of the Greek touch. My potatoes took a lot longer to roast than I expected, about 40 minutes before they were nicely browned. Next time I would try heating the pan in the oven first to speed the process.

  • Jviney on February 21, 2021

    These were very good, perfect accompaniment to the beef tenderloin in this book. Like Rutabaga, I kept my potatoes in the oven for at least 40 and maybe even closer to 50 minutes before they were browned. I forgot the sea salt, which always adds a lot. Next time.

  • averythingcooks on May 05, 2025

    My potatoes took around 35 minutes to get brown & crispy on the outside yet still creamy on the inside. These really do carry the vinegar flavour I love & I wished I had dill on hand. Instead I used a fresh blend of parsley, rosemary, thyme & sage but I will try dill the next time. Adding the minced garlic AFTER the bake ensures a big, bright garlic hit without any risk of burning. I'll make these again...and again.

  • Quinniford25 on March 31, 2026

    These were delicious! Very tangy. I didn’t have fresh dill but made them with dried dill and it tasted great. I used convection oven and my potatoes only needed about 25 min.

  • cookingbychapter on April 12, 2026

    These were okay. Nothing life-changing, but a decent side with dinner.

• Winter greens gratin

  • BachranBears on December 17, 2025

    Have now made this for several Christmases in a row. So good. Just make sure to give the sauce a good stir right before pouring over the greens so the garlic doesn’t land in large clumps

• Romaine hearts with Parmesan lime dip

  • Jviney on January 30, 2021

    This was excellent. I'm not sure it made enough dressing for four people, but it was really good. The flavors of lime and citrus shone through in the dead of winter.

• Platter of heirloom tomatoes with vanilla salt

  • Rutabaga on September 14, 2020

    I made this, and it was delicious because, well, the tomatoes themselves were delicious. It's hard to go wrong when you serve perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes simply. I left off the tarragon as I served pesto on the side so that those who wanted (like me) could make open-faced pesto and tomato sandwiches atop focaccia bread. For the salt, I used smoked Maldon Sea Salt, since that was the only flaky salt I had on hand. I wouldn't have known there was vanilla in it if I hadn't prepared it that way myself; the flavor was very subtle, but it seemed heighten the flavor somehow. Or maybe that was just the excellent tomatoes.

• Thai iced tea semifreddo

  • lizbot2000 on October 15, 2018

    This is outrageously good, appealed to both adventurous and extremely not adventurous eaters, and was easy to make. I'm always on the lookout for things flavored like Thai iced tea, and this is the only one I've ever had that really nailed the taste. The tea syrup is to die for, and I'm mulling over how best to put it into a cocktail.

• Salted chocolate chip cookie bars

  • Rutabaga on April 04, 2020

    I've made Smitten Kitchen's version of these cookies many times, which I believe was inspired by this recipe. Since I now own this book, I thought I'd try it from the source, although I still made my own modifications. I used twice the amount of turbinado sugar (I use it instead of the granulated sugar), a mix of brown and muscovado sugar, and about half whole wheat pastry flour. I love the nuttiness a little whole wheat gives chocolate chip cookies, and muscovado gave them extra depth. It's great to keep the dough in the refrigerator over several days and just bake one pan at a time so you can enjoy freshly baked cookies each day. They are our favorite chocolate chip cookies, hands down!

  • Jviney on February 23, 2021

    These come together quickly, no need to soften butter which makes them helpful for the last minute. They were fine, I had no strong feelings about them either way although my husband and kids thought they were outstanding. I think I’d like to try them again with the suggestion of substituting whole wheat flour for some of the AP to change the texture a bit, add some nuttiness.

• Tart cherry brownies with cardamom cream cheese

  • lizbot2000 on October 21, 2018

    These were really, really delicious. I loved the chewy cherries and the cream cheese swirls. They were a big hit with the family, too.

• Eat the Love by Irvin Lin

  Filled with recipes that are not only doable but WEEKNIGHT doable, this is a cookbook that I will live with.

  Full review