Notes about Recipes in this book

• Creamy garlic mashed cauliflower

  • Jane on January 07, 2019

    This wasn't a success. It was far too liquid even though I drained the cauliflower very well and only added half the cream (following the previous note). The taste was OK but I prefer a mash I make using my stick blender and olive oil which is not as smooth but doesn't feel like a thick soup. I served it with the Confetti meatloaf.

  • infotrop on November 29, 2019

    I added just enough half-and-half to add creamy richness, but not so much that the puree became too runny...it was a winning Thanksgiving Day side, topped with a puddle of gravy.

  • NJChicaa on December 01, 2018

    The half and half made it runny. It is completely unnecessary.

• Confetti meatloaf

  • Jane on January 07, 2019

    This was quite time consuming with fine dicing the vegetables (for the confetti effect). But it did taste good and leftovers held up well. I served it with the suggested cauliflower mash.

  • NJChicaa on December 01, 2018

    This is much better with ground turkey than with ground beef. It gets pasty with beef. A nice "different" meatloaf.

• Romaine + celery salad with buttermilk ranch dressing

  • Emily Hope on October 16, 2018

    We liked this: crunchy, fresh, and a good accompaniment to the braised chicken and noodles we were having. The combination of celery plus ranch made it seem very old school to me, took me right back to dinners at Grandma’s House!

  • Lepa on April 13, 2020

    I thought this was okay but I am still looking for a buttermilk dressing that I like better.

  • averythingcooks on March 31, 2019

    Cooking for 2 means always looking for ways to "use things up" hopefully in lots of different ways - in this case it was a surplus of romaine and buttermilk. The simple mix of celery and romaine was crunchy and fresh tasting and the buttermilk ranch was a revelation. I am not a fan of bottled ranch (ANY brand) but I thought this homemade version was tangy and delicious. A definitive repeat.

• Tortilla soup with the works

  • Emily Hope on January 30, 2019

    If I'd known tortilla soup was this easy to make I would have done it years ago! Essentially you simmer a whole chicken with aromatics, shred the meat, (optionally) rest overnight, fry tortilla strips, reheat and serve. I did change a couple of things: drastically cut back on the chipotles to 2 (from a whole can!) because I was serving to the spice-intolerant; if I was making for myself would probably up to 4-6, but not a whole can. After about an hour (soup cooks for 2-3 hours) I cut the meat off the breasts because I was worried it would be too dry -- would do this again. Although I was worried frying tortilla strips would be a giant pain, it wasn't terrible; that said, we had leftovers with commercial tortilla chips (because my children love the homemade ones so much they ate them all!) and it was fine. Also dropped chunks of avocado and fresh mozzarella in the soup, along with the other stuff (have had tortilla soup served this way at a great restaurant in Berkeley). Yum!

  • NJChicaa on December 03, 2018

    It is really pretty hot if you make it with the full can of chipotles as called for in the recipe. . . and I like heat. I can't eat it without sour cream. Next time I will use only half a can.

  • Sparkles75 on November 30, 2019

    I took note of others comments on the heat of the chilli and adjusted accordingly as I was serving to young kids. Wow wow wow. If this is an indicator of Julia Turshen's recipe game I am a fan. Time restrictioms meant I had to adjust slightly ( I threw everything into the instant pot for an hour and used chicken pieces, chipotle sauce and good quality bought tortilla chips) Shortcuts aside the flavour was just outstanding. I tested it for seasoning and found myself going back again and again it was that good. I can only imagine how amazing the recipe is if followed as written and I'm already planning to make this again next week. Thanks to previous reviewer I served with diced avocado, mozzarella, the tortilla chips and diced cherry tomatoes to add in to soup at the table and everyone loved that touch.

• Buttermilk ranch dressing

  • Emily Hope on October 16, 2018

    I’m not generally a fan of garlic powder, but as promised it did taste like ranch dressing, but fresher and more lively than from a bottle. Pretty strongly flavored on its own, but mellows when on a salad. Tastes better after it sits a bit—next time I might make a double batch to have on hand.

• Garlicky shrimp with tequila + lime

  • TrishaCP on April 02, 2020

    This was good- the lime and tequila flavors paired deliciously with the shrimp.

  • southerncooker on January 19, 2019

    I was planning on making the Italian version of this but forgot my lemon and didn't have tequila for the other version. I ended up using white wine for the tequila, parsley for the cilantro and using the lime and lime zest from the original recipe. I took her suggestion for turning this into a meal by serving it with black beans and rice. I used brown rice and also warmed a couple soft corn taco shell for hubby. We both though this was a delicious meal. Was hoping to make the kimchi shrimp pancakes with some leftover shrimp as suggested in the again section but we devoured the shrimp. Oh well maybe next time. I'll double the shrimp so we'll have leftovers.

  • Jviney on September 25, 2019

    Made exactly as written but with spot prawns. We loved this - there were none left. My sauce didn’t cook down well, so I removed the cooked prawns and boiled it down a bit. Excellent, great bang for your effort.

• Charred broccoli with capers + lemon

  • Astrid5555 on January 12, 2019

    I did not read the recipe properly before I started cooking and ended up adding the capers and lemon juice to the broccoli before roasting and not after. Nevertheless, this is makes a nice side dish (in our case for the ginger pork meatballs from Melissa Clark’s Dinner).

  • Lepa on October 13, 2018

    I liked the flavors here but this wasn't a big hit with my family, who don't love lemon or roasted broccoli as much as I do. The broccoli reduces quite a bit and three heads ended up filling a tiny bowl.

  • Jviney on June 04, 2019

    My five- and two-year-old sons were running around the kitchen while I prepped this and I blindly added the lemon juice called for. It was pretty acidic, my fault, should have started with less and tasted before just dumping it in.

• Cheesy spaghetti pie

  • Astrid5555 on June 26, 2020

    Great concept! Added some cherry tomatoes and heavy cream to the eggs and cheese, kids loved it. Will be my new go-to recipe for using leftover pasta!

• Biryani-style fried rice

  • apattin on November 14, 2019

    A bit salty, but otherwise an easy way to use up leftover rice

• Double-baked potatoes with horseradish + cheddar

  • southerncooker on January 07, 2019

    Son and I really enjoyed these but hubby didn't care for them. The horseradish really gave them a nice flavor.

  • stockholm28 on November 20, 2019

    I’ve never mixed in horseradish with baked potatoes and I don’t know why this never occurred to me. I liked this (what’s not to like ... potatoes, cheese, butter, sour cream). I cut the recipe in half with no issues.

  • averythingcooks on November 21, 2019

    This is my go-to stuffed baked potato....... I made Bobby Flay's horseradish version forever......& I kinda think it shouldn't have taken a recipe to get me to add cheddar & green onions etc but it did. Not sure why it took me so long to review this recipe but we had these with steaks tonight and they are always good.

• Spiced banana brown bread

  • hirsheys on October 06, 2018

    This wasn't my favorite. It was more brown bread than banana bread. It definitely needed a swipe of butter on it. (I wished I'd had cream cheese!) It is certainly fine, but not something I'll make again.

  • Lepa on October 12, 2018

    We didn't like this very much. I wanted it to be more like banana bread and it was therefore pretty unsatisfying. It was decent with cream cheese but I won't make it again.

  • puddlemere on December 09, 2018

    I actually liked this, but I had adjusted my expectations based on previous reviewers' comments. It turns out a bit like a spiced whole wheat bread with some subtle sweetness from the banana. Great warm and spread with butter.

  • Jviney on April 22, 2019

    Forgot the vanilla, but I like this recipe. It is excellent served with some cream cheese and strawberry jam...nice to have a banana bread recipe that is not overly sweet.

• Sweet potato oven fries with comeback sauce

  • hirsheys on January 21, 2019

    I really enjoyed these fries - the method worked great (I made a half recipe) and they came out tasty. I did make one replacement - instead of 1/2 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp cayenne (for a 1/2 recipe) I used 1 tsp of hot paprika. I'm sure I could have bumped the spice up a bit, but my cayenne is very spicy, so I was concerned about using too much. I did *not* like the comeback sauce, though - too heavy on the horseradish (maybe mine is just very strong?) and lemon. I made a simple batch of Russian dressing instead.

• Celebration chicken with sweet potatoes + dates

  • stockholm28 on November 20, 2019

    I made half a recipe using 4 chicken thighs. A couple issues: 1) My dates were starting to burn at 30 minutes so I picked them out and put the mixture back in. 2) The chicken was done at 40 minutes. An hour would have been too much. I liked this just fine, but it is really just roast chicken and roast sweet potatoes.

• Coronation chicken salad

  • stockholm28 on November 20, 2019

    This is from the ”Again” section and it is made with the leftover celebration chicken with sweet potatoes and dates. You basically make a curried chicken salad (leftover chicken, sweet potatoes, dates, mayo, curry powder, mango chutney, almonds, scallions, salt and pepper). This was good, but the only thing new (for me) was adding the mango chutney to the salad. The only time that I’d had coronation chicken salad was years ago at Pret in London; I guess I didn’t realize chutney was on the ingredient list.

• Crispy, cheesy potato cakes

  • stockholm28 on November 20, 2019

    This is from the ”It’s me again” section and it is the ”recipe” for the leftover double baked potatoes. Basically, you take the leftover double baked potato, mash it, dust in flour, and fry it. I used one of the leftover potato halves and it was a delicious breakfast.

• Skillet cornbread with cheddar + scallions

  • stockholm28 on November 20, 2019

    I didn’t particularly like this. I think I just like cornbread unadulterated. I thought the cheese and scallions detracted from the corn flavor that I love. I took it out at 25 minutes as suggested by Alex and it was nicely baked. I also used a 10 inch cast iron skillet (she calls for 8 inch) and the 10 inch worked fine.

  • averythingcooks on February 05, 2019

    This was a great skillet baked corn bread. As much as I love making Barefoot Contessa's version for a crowd, the husband thinks it is more like cake than "bread" - and maybe that's why it is so popular? This version is a much more sensible size for us and the sizzling hot skillet resulted in beautifully tender, flavourful bread with crisp edges. Next time I might try adding some corn kernels to the batter but as is, it was a great accompaniment to her chicken chili. And I just had a split wedge buttered and toasted under the broiler for breakfast - yum!

• Stir-fried roasted eggplant with pork

  • ksg518 on January 07, 2019

    We thought this was only OK. It was very bland. I added additional soy sauce and even hoisin sauce to add flavor. If I make it again, I'll add some water chestnuts or walnuts for crunch and some scallions plus perhaps a splash of balsamic vinegar. We also used turkey instead of pork which Turshen suggests as a substitute but this may be a case where the pork really is the only way to go. I love Raybun's picture though!

• Stuffed mushrooms with walnuts, garlic + parsley

  • Rradishes on March 31, 2019

    These were good, but not good enough for me to give up my usual stuffed mushrooms recipe (sautéed onions, mushrooms, celery, breadcrumbs, parmesan, spices).

• Raspberries with cocoa whipped cream

  • Lepa on October 13, 2018

    This is a delightful treat and whipping it up is so very quick and simple. Everyone in my family loved this.

• Mustardy deviled eggs

  • Lepa on November 23, 2018

    These were good but probably won't replace my go-to recipe, from the Genius Recipes book. It is worth noting, however, that the directions for cooking the eggs did result in perfectly cooked eggs that were easy to peel. This task deters me from making deviled eggs more frequently so I plan to adopt it.

• Radicchio + roasted squash salad

  • Lepa on November 23, 2018

    This was a nice addition to the Thanksgiving table- a welcome note of bitter and acid to balance the other flavors. While I am a huge radicchio fan, however, I can't see making this regularly.

• Easy pumpkin + olive oil cake

  • Lepa on October 13, 2018

    This was easy and the kids ended up eating it but I was not impressed and do not plan on making it again.

• Arugula salad with lemon, pine nuts + pecorino

  • Lepa on October 31, 2018

    This is not unusual or exciting but it is solid and delicious. There is probably too much dressing here, which can easily overwhelm arugula, so add a bit at a time instead of adding all of it.

  • Jviney on October 17, 2019

    This dish is a classic case of a basic salad doing a great job complementing a main. I was grateful for the make-ahead suggestion and while it’s a very simple dish, several guests said how good it was.

• Whole wheat + cumin flatbreads

  • Lepa on October 12, 2018

    These were easy to mix together and very good with lentil soup. Next time I'll make a double batch!

  • puddlemere on October 06, 2018

    I thought these were quite good, especially for the relatively little effort required. The dough was extremely easy to work with and cooked up quickly.

• Italian flag baked pasta

  • Lepa on October 13, 2018

    I love Turshen's vegetarian lasagna recipe in Simple Victories so I was excited to try this. I omitted the turkey to make it vegetarian. It was good. The spinach/cheese filling was especially delicious. I think my kids prefer the lasagna but I expect this will make it into regular rotation. It also makes excellent leftovers!

  • puddlemere on January 02, 2019

    I liked that this had the same flavors as lasagna but required less time/effort. Agree that it makes great leftovers!

• Iceberg wedge salad with pickled shallots

  • NJChicaa on December 01, 2018

    We enjoyed this but thought the dressing needed some more salt.

• Super crunchy lime-y salad

  • NJChicaa on December 01, 2018

    Had to make with iceberg due to romaine recall. Leftovers were mush. Lesson learned--don't dress the salad all at once. Still, freshly made it was wonderful. I will make this again and again.

• Chicken + black-eyed pea chili

  • averythingcooks on February 05, 2019

    This was a really nice chicken chili. I used 2 boneless breasts and subbed 1/2 & 1/2 black beans and corn for the black eyed peas. The "small victory" ( yes - I said it :) is learning to use pickled jalapeno brine at the end of any chili as the acid to brighten it up. I always learn something new when I read Turshen's books!

• Kale salad with pepita dressing

  • purrviciouz on November 19, 2019

    I doubled the recipe and added both 2 cups cooked quinoa, sliced avocado, and a little bit of baked chicken breast to get six full meals. Next time I would add some whole toasted pumpkin seeds to the salad as well for texture and increase the cumin.

• Toasted coconut cake

  • Jviney on September 25, 2019

    Very good. Recipe notes say this is a cross between pound cake and angel food cake, and it really is. Liked it a lot.

• Chicken + roasted tomato enchiladas

  • Jviney on September 25, 2019

    I liked this method and it was a good recipe. Nothing earth-shattering but quick and easy for enchiladas.

• Polenta + Nutella sandwich cookies

  • Jviney on October 17, 2019

    These are more than the sum of their parts. Quick and easy, and very yummy!

• Garlic + anchovy butter toasts

  • Jviney on October 17, 2019

    Alexandra Stafford’s peasant bread was perfect for this - great appetizer and so delicious.

• Scrambled eggs with cilantro + coconut chutney

  • Jviney on October 21, 2019

    I couldn’t decide if I liked this combination...it was definitely very interesting, and a unique way to make scrambled eggs more flavorful.

• Beet salad with poppy seed + chive dressing

  • Jviney on August 27, 2019

    I liked this! The dressing is strong, i could taste both the mustard and the apple cider vinegar but that sharpness contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the beets. The poppy seeds add a nice crunch.

• Simplest + best nachos

  • Jviney on May 01, 2019

    Good bang for your buck on these - super quick and easy appetizer. I used pepper jack and next time would add some chopped pickled jalapeños to the sauce.

• Striped bass with butter verde

  • Jviney on May 24, 2020

    Such a delicious main dish for this menu. Quick and easy to put together, the herb butter lets high-quality fish shine. Will definitely make again.

• Crushed potatoes + peas

  • Jviney on May 24, 2020

    This was fine and not complicated, but also not noteworthy; I would probably seek out another potato or pea dish if I made this menu again.

• Sautéed zucchini with green goddess dressing

  • Jviney on May 24, 2020

    Excellent. My favorite side for this book's all-green lunch. I'm not a huge zucchini fan but would absolutely make this again.

• Pistachio mandelbrot cookies

  • Jviney on May 24, 2020

    A good friend and I made this all-green lunch menu and this is the dessert suggested for it. Perhaps I'm simply not a mandelbrot fan, but such a great menu deserved a stronger finish, I think. They were aggressively fine.

• Maple syrup old-fashioneds

  • Jviney on June 17, 2019

    Just make them

• Grilled beef + zucchini meatballs with tahini dressing

  • Jviney on August 26, 2019

    These were good but I’m not sure they’ll go into the regular rotation. I baked them in the oven instead of grilling them, and that worked fine. Soom is my tahini of choice and with 1/2 cup boiling water, the sauce was way too watery and almost grainy. The meatballs had good depth of flavor, didn’t love the texture, probably simply personal preference.

• Pretzel chicken with mustard sauce

  • Jviney on June 04, 2019

    These were really good with the mustard sauce. Relatively quick, meat was juicy and the pretzels brought a nice crunch.

• Shredded cabbage salad with feta + herbs

  • Shelmar on September 29, 2019

    Very good but "serves 8 to 10" means 16 to 20.

• Black Forest cake

  • Shelmar on September 08, 2019

    Good, easy, split the sugar between the separated eggs per instructions.

• Pickled spring vegetables

  • Shelmar on September 08, 2019

    My version aleppo pepper flakes, whole allspice, whole coriander and celery seeds; hatch chiles, red okra, snap beans and zucchini. John thought it Quite good and easy if too hot for everyone else in house.

  • Shelmar on September 08, 2019

    "Mixed whole spices," Tushen "like[s]" a combination of the listed spices.

• Everyday Annie by Annie

  The book is organized seasonally, something I always appreciate because it helps guide my browsing and planning. Within each season, Julia shares five menus with all the recipes to pull it off.

  Full review

• Eat the Love by Irvin Lin

  ...accessible solid recipes that not only will feed you for that meal but will also feed you for the next meal, with side bars that talk about how to repurpose leftovers into whole new dishes.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  ...collection of recipes and menus that invite you to rethink your leftovers...guides the reader through recipes while sharing personal stories and encouragement along the way.

  Full review

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  Julia Turshen's Now & Again reimagines leftovers and will inspire you to gather those you love around the table.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  The book is organized into seasonal, stress-free, affordable menus, each with accompanying suggestions on how to prep the meal ahead of time and repurpose any extra food.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  ...features "endless ideas for reinventing leftovers." Gather around the table to enjoy an inspiring menu that might remind you of something you've tried before — but better.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  ...for the thrifty-minded home cook who loves to entertain. With this book in your arsenal, you will never feel at a loss about what to do with leftovers ever again.

  Full review

• Food52

  ...will include a slew of Turshen’s favorite recipes, from holiday menus to weeknight go-tos, as well as her smart ideas for giving those meals a second life.

  Full review