Notes about Recipes in this book

• Avocado & kimchi toast

  • Lepa on December 25, 2016

    This flavor combination is dynamite. I can tell these will be in regular rotation at our house!

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 17, 2017

    I never thought I'd bother with avocado toast; but I love kimchi and had some along with the avo on hand, so I gave this a shot. It's ridiculously easy & quick. It's quite good, especially when you just get home, hungry & tired, and need something *now*. And the mayo + kimchi juice dressing is very handy for other uses, ie. steamed broccoli or leftover chicken or steak.

  • southerncooker on March 24, 2017

    Love Kimchi and this recipe made for a quick and tasty breakfast. I did one of the spin offs and topped it with an over easy egg. Will be making this one again.

  • Rradishes on June 09, 2017

    I mixed avocado, dressing, and kimchi together and next time I'll stick to layering as Julia suggested. Mixing everything together was ok, but bright flavors were lost a little

  • MollyB on May 20, 2019

    Very tasty recipe, and a nice change of pace for breakfast. I will definitely make it again if I have the ingredients on hand.

  • SheilaS on March 25, 2021

    I love this and make it all the time. Love the kimchi juice/mayo combination.

  • ezwriternc on October 30, 2021

    This was a game changer recipe for me. I had never heard of the combination of Mayo and kimchi. Love it and make this all the time.

  • hirsheys on October 31, 2021

    Really yummy. I had to use normal sandwich bread, which wasn’t as good as crusty country bread would be, but it was still great. Will seek out the right bread and make this again later in the week.

  • gamulholland on December 24, 2021

    All the other reviewers found this so flavorful and I just didn’t, so either the kimchi was kind of meh or I’m getting Covid. (Fully vaxxed and very careful, so I’m thinking it was probably the kimchi.)

  • snoozermoose on November 06, 2022

    I didn't know what to expect since I don't always like kimchi, but I genuinely loved this. The fat from the avocado perfectly tempers the acid from the kimchi, and the crunch of the kimchi pairs beautifully with the creamy, mushy avocado. The kimchi mayo was an indulgent touch, and the sesame seeds really tied it all together. I have a new favorite breakfast! This did not convert my avocado-toast-hating husband however, but that just means more for me!

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Made for a light dinner. Easy and tasty! Dressing is so good! Used just two pieces of bread since it was just two of us.

  • bernalgirl on May 03, 2023

    I made this with the last of a jar of homemade daikon kimchi (from Cook Real Hawai’i, an outstanding recipe). It really is a party of flavor and textures, can’t wait to try it with cabbage kimchi

  • kari500 on May 12, 2025

    So simple, easy, quick, delicious. Great for me on a solo dinner night. Added fried egg.

  • Happykikkers on October 05, 2025

    This was good and I had all the ingredients. Quick & easy for a good flavour. Added a fried egg. No cilantro.

  • Vvans001 on April 02, 2026

    My husband loved this so much he only eats his avocado toast this way, it’s been years since we first tried it. Simple but so good!

• Gravlax with caper cream cheese

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    So easy and delicious. Salmon was perfectly cured after two days. I would cut back the lemon and salt in the cream cheese as it overpowered the salmon flavor a little.

• Pastrami gravlax

  • bernalgirl on October 13, 2024

    This is such an easy and outstanding recipe. I expanded the recipe to cure a side of salmon, and left the cure on for three days, turning daily. I rinsed it and let it rest for a few hours before slicing. The texture and flavor were perfect. It has great wow factor so I’ll definitely be making this again.

• Olive oil-fried eggs with yogurt & lemon

  • Lepa on January 03, 2017

    The sparkly, tangy yogurt is the perfect foil for rich egg yolks. This is really easy to put together and a pleasure to eat.

  • stockholm28 on February 12, 2017

    This was really good. I wasn't sure about the lemon with the eggs, but it was quite nice. I added a dollop of harissa and this was a great quick dinner with ingredients that I always have in the fridge. The eggs really do cook quickly in the olive oil with the cover. I had to dump my first batch of eggs because I totally over cooked them. Be sure to start checking the eggs at the 1 minute mark.

  • hirsheys on March 05, 2017

    I haven't yet made the whole recipe, but I am in love with this method of cooking eggs. Will try the whole recipe very soon. ETA: I didn't do quite as good a job cooking the eggs the second time (watch the amount of water!) and found the lemon-y yogurt a bit sharp. I think my yogurt started out a bit more sour than usual. That said, I'm going to try it with a dollop of harissa next time, since that sounds really great. And I will definitely use this method to cook eggs in the future.

  • khopkins1012 on July 06, 2018

    The lemon-herb yogurt and egg is a solid base to add extras to. What I've added and liked: sauteed tomatoes, leftover lentils, leftover steak, pulled pork and cooked greens.

  • tui on August 12, 2018

    I tried this method for cooking the eggs and was totally impressed! And I thought I knew how to cook eggs. So important to keep learning.

  • TippyCanoe on April 18, 2020

    Oh boy, this has turned out to be a real winner in my house. I have been cooking eggs in olive oil for awhile now, but the addition of lemon, herbs, and yogurt really takes it up a notch. (And lack of herbs has not stopped me, because just lemon and yogurt are quite good too.) It is now my favorite breakfast-- I love adding greens.

  • bernalgirl on April 15, 2021

    Absolutely delicious and so easy. Great topped with cured sumac and Aleppo pepper

  • ellwell on November 18, 2022

    While I like the method for cooking eggs, the final result was underwhelming to me. Hubby hated it. I guess we are outliers!

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Minimal, but tasty! Surprised at how the yogurt and lemon and egg all worked together. Made just for me.

  • Kn1tgrl on September 01, 2023

    Will try this again adding less lemon juice and maybe a sprinkle of salt to the yogurt. Also might add scallions/harissa, or chili crisp next time for more flavor.

• Shakshuka

  • dedosmagicos on January 28, 2017

    quicker and less complicated recipe (number of ingredients, etc.) to make than some of the Ottolenghi ones; not *quite* as flavorful, but a really tasty breakfast nonetheless

  • Astrid5555 on October 07, 2017

    Very little hands-on time needed, lovely taste. Very similar to Sabrina Ghayour's "Baked eggs with feta, harissa tomato sauce and coriander" from Persiana.

  • Zosia on March 05, 2020

    Delicious, especially with the dill and feta garnishes.

  • bernalgirl on August 20, 2025

    An easy shakshuka, I subbed cumin for dill and added a larger diced roasted red pepper. Cooking the eggs for four minutes with the lid on yielded runny yokes and cooked whites by the time this was served at the table.

  • anyah_h60oih on March 13, 2026

    Delightfully easy, need to add more spice next time

  • anyah_h60oih on April 13, 2026

    Added a bell pepper, 2 jalapeno, add chili powder. Yum!!!

• Green eggs without ham

  • nutrica6 on September 17, 2023

    With or without the relish, this is just a good recipe for hard boiled eggs. The eggs definitely pair well with a vinegar based relish too!

• Chilaquiles with roasted tomato salsa

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Time-consuming, but delicious. Would make it again and toss the tortillas for a shorter amount of time. Salsa was excellent.

• Doug's famous Tex-Mex meat loaf

  • ezwriternc on October 30, 2021

    Really good meatloaf. Family loves it every time I make it. I like this version better than the meatball version of this from Simply Julia.

  • averythingcooks on March 20, 2025

    I scaled this to 1/2 using a mix of grd beef & pork. With 1/2 of a beaten egg left from an earlier recipe I added a little extra salsa (& was already a little short on crumbs) which all worked well. I made 2 mini free form loaves and as she gives very simple topping/glaze ideas, I made my own from ketchup, a smooth (hot!) rst'd chipotle salsa, a little mustard + brown sugar, pouring it on before the oven. We both thought these were great and I am happy to have such a good use for the bottom of tortilla chip bags :)

• Sour cream pancakes with roasted blueberries

  • pistachiopeas on October 08, 2016

    Made the creme fraiche variation on this. I used roasted purple plums instead, which were fantastic. The recipe made a lot so I kept the plums in the fridge and used them to top yogurt & granola throughout the week. Definitely a great idea and one I'll do again.

  • Emily Hope on October 25, 2016

    I modified these by subbing out 1/2 whole wheat flour, and found that they turned out a little bit on the dry side--I may have needed more liquid to compensate... the flavor was nice, but my 3 year old wasn't a fan, so these probably won't be a repeat for us. The roasted blueberry topping was great, though--I used frozen blueberries and they worked fine (straight from the freezer).

  • Katielang on January 07, 2017

    Used buttermilk and frozen blueberries.... yum! Will definitely make again. I loved the light texture of these, and with the fruit we didn't need any extra fixin's (syrup, butter, etc.) Also, the amount of blueberries listed in the recipe was happily and easily consumed by two people, so double it if you're making for more people. :)

  • Lepa on February 05, 2017

    We all liked this. My kids loved the blueberries. I think the blueberries might benefit from a bit of lemon zest or something to add a bright note. I subbed 1/2 white whole wheat flour and used buttermilk. The pancakes turned out well; they had a nice texture but the taste wasn't anything special. The roasted fruit topping is what sets this recipe apart.

  • raybun on April 10, 2017

    We loved these! I tripled the recipe to feed 7, using 2 cups of sour cream and a cup of ricotta. I followed Lepas suggestion and added lemon juice to the blueberries and the zest to the pancake batter. Excellent!

  • Maddog16 on June 18, 2017

    Made it just as the recipe stated and it was voted best pancake recipe ever by my husband and I. It was the perfect amount for just the two of us and I think it was the sour cream that really made this pancake for us. Also love the idea of roasting the blueberries and using that as a topping. I did add some lemon.

  • Rutabaga on September 16, 2019

    This is a good pancake recipe. Using what I had, I used half sour cream and half Greek yogurt, but would like to try it using only sour cream next time. The blueberries roasted down nicely into an intensely flavored syrup, which I found delicious, although the rest of my family still prefers butter and maple syrup.

  • ChelseaP on August 05, 2021

    These have become another go to pancake recipe in our house. The blueberry topping is divine and the pancakes are so light and fluffy.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    Very tasty and easy. Even my sour-cream-averse husband liked these. I needed more compote personally but I have a big sweet tooth.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Didn’t make the roasted blueberries, but the pancakes were pretty good! Pioneer Woman still has our preferred sour cream pancake recipe, but we’d try this one again but with the roasted blueberries.

  • thefritschkitchen on October 22, 2024

    These are my house pancakes - always a hit, always a double batch. If you double the batch, you can just use one tub of sour cream, you don't even have to measure! 1 tsp (or 2, if you are doubling) of vanilla extract really elevates these beauties. Whenever I need to make a berry/fruit sauce, I now always roast it with a sprinkle of brown sugar, and finish with a hit of vanilla extract, per this recipe. Typically make this with frozen fruit as well and it works wonderfully!

• Buttermilk pancakes

  • vickster on November 07, 2019

    These are great pancakes, and have forced me to abandon my tried and true recipe of many years. They are a bit puffy, and crisp around the edges.

  • mirjoy on April 04, 2026

    I won’t make these again, they were just ok. My kids ate two small ones and then stopped, as opposed to the insatiable pancake inhaling they normally do. They were very flat and eggy. I’ll be going back to the Serious Eats recipe.

• Crème fraîche pancakes

  • pistachiopeas on October 08, 2016

    Really liked the creme fraiche flavor in the pancakes. They cook very quickly. Nice new recipe, different from our usual (Martha Stewart's basic pancakes).

  • Jane on May 14, 2017

    Had these for Mother's Day breakfast. They were delicious but quite rich (1 cup of creme fraiche plus cooked in butter) so they are special occasion pancakes. The roasted blueberries were a great accompaniment. Following suggestions in notes in the main recipe, I added lemon zest which was a good idea.

  • MollyB on June 05, 2018

    Very nice pancake recipe. I had made my own creme fraiche (from Artisan Cheese Making at Home), and this was the perfect way to use some up! I liked the roasted blueberries a lot (though we did add a bit of maple syrup, too).

  • Yildiz100 on September 22, 2018

    Very nice flavour. Light texture that makes these much more appetizing than most pancakes that are this thick. I had one 200 ml container of thick, full fat creme fraiche, so I added two tbspoons of milk. Makes 6 pancakes, just right for feeding 3 if one person is a lighter eater. Did not make the blueberries.

• Julia's Caesar

  • pistachiopeas on September 28, 2016

    Made the dressing from this recipe and it was super quick and delicious due to the use of mayonnaise.

  • Lepa on January 14, 2017

    We liked this salad. I didn't have enough romaine lettuce so I added some raw kale and that was a nice combination.

  • Kfaber on February 05, 2017

    This dressing has amazing flavor. Reminds me a little bit of my favorite tableside Caesar salad at Bern's in Tampa. My kids are definitely obsessed with it and ask me to make it often. A definite keeper.

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    Like others, this is a very good Caesar dressing that comes together very quickly and easily to make a great salad. It makes the perfect amount of dressing for a large salad.

  • Yildiz100 on April 25, 2017

    I also enjoyed this but on initial taste-test I thought it was a little too acidic. I dressed the romaine lightly and added extra cheese and then it was just about perfect. I might experiment by reducing the red wine vinegar from 15 to 10 ml next time, but there will definitely be a next time.

  • Rradishes on June 26, 2017

    Great dressing, tangy, easy to adjust. Will be a staple for us.

  • clcorbi on October 03, 2017

    Agree that this was a bit acidic, but very good and SO fast. I would repeat next time I want caesar salad!

  • averythingcooks on March 22, 2025

    I made the spin-off version using capers but I will try anchovy paste next time. I'm not sure this dressing takes over as house favourite (thank you Bonnie Stern!) but we did agree that it was one of the better ones I've made.

  • AGrayA on January 12, 2020

    I also love this dressing and the ease of prep. I can't think of anything that I would change.

  • dc151 on January 14, 2022

    This was enjoyed by everyone, even the kiddo who doesn't eat salad had a small amount of seconds! I used anchovy paste, so cut it down a great deal; didn't love the flavor of the dressing alone, but worked well mixed in with everything. Added shredded chicken and homemade croutons along with a baguette to make it a meal. Will make it again.

  • PanNan on January 12, 2021

    The dressing comes together quickly with ingredients I typically have on hand. Like other reviewers, I used the bullet blender to whip it up. Everyone loved this salad.

  • Madpalice on April 09, 2023

    Loved it and shared it with my Mom and it's now her go to also.

  • jenmacgregor18 on September 06, 2018

    another vote for this dressing. exceptionally quick and very good. And I made it in a bullet blender - so very little clean up too.

  • tui on May 13, 2024

    A good tangy dressing. Will certainly make it again. Bookmarked as a favorite.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Not sure what went wrong for us on this one. Felt like it needed more flavor.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    I managed to mess this up completely (blame it on being in a rush while cooking), but this was still pretty good! Served it with a rotisserie chicken.

  • ldebuys on May 07, 2026

    Quite good! Made this ahead of time for the salad component of some chicken smash tacos.

  • mirjoy on April 18, 2026

    Easy and delicious, I love keeping a jar of this in the fridge

• Shaved carrot & avocado salad with tahini

  • Lepa on December 30, 2016

    This is a refreshing and easy salad. It's delicious finished with some coarse salt.

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    I really loved this salad, and have since repeated the dressing to use on other salads. A keeper.

  • macfadden on April 30, 2017

    The dressing seemed a bit thin to me; next time I would leave out the water. Made a fine, somewhat unusual salad.

  • Frogcake on December 27, 2017

    I thought this was ok with a number of adjustments. I didn’t add the water and I doubled the fresh lemon. It seemed to need a couple of generous pinches of kosher salt. The “victories” were not helpful, but thanks anyway. An unusual salad -not sure that I will repeat.

  • Rutabaga on December 21, 2019

    Overall, I like this salad and would make it again, but on the first try it didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped. When I tasted the dressing, it seemed well seasoned, but the salad still tasted a bit bland. I should have added more lemon juice and salt prior to serving. Also, my carrots were not sliced thinly enough. Shaved carrots would probably be the best option here, otherwise the raw carrot overwhelms the dressing.

• Beet & just-barely-pickled cucumber salad

  • Lepa on January 24, 2017

    This was lovely- refreshing, tangy and light. I made it with golden beets so they didn't discolor the cucumbers. We ate this with salmon, which was a nice pairing.

  • hirsheys on March 05, 2017

    This one didn't work all that well for me, but that may partly be user error. I don't think my beets were as well cooked as they could have been. The dressing was also not as thick as I think it could have been. If I ever made this again, I might roast the beets (I think they are sweeter roasted...)

  • ksg518 on April 22, 2017

    This was just OK. I thought the cucumbers slightly overwhelmed the beets and I agree with hirsheys that the dressing could be thicker. If I do make it again, I'll use less of the cucumber juice in the dressing. I also think it would be better if it were thoroughly chilled.

• Apple & toasted oat muffins

  • Kfaber on February 05, 2017

    Another winning recipe from this cookbook. The muffins get super moist from the apples, and the toasted oats give them a nice heartiness. We can easily eat a couple of these in one sitting.

  • ksg518 on February 07, 2017

    I agree with the first review. These are great muffins. Toasting the oats adds a bit of extra time to preparation but it's well worth it.

  • Lepa on February 26, 2017

    The first time I tried these muffins I didn't like them as much as Marion Cunningham' raw apple muffins but over the last year I find myself making these muffins again and again. I love the warm ginger flavor, the oaty texture and the fact that I always have the ingredients on hand. They are among my favorite muffins now!

  • Niemie on May 08, 2017

    I enjoyed these, but found them far too sweet. I'd reduce the sugar by half next time. The muffins already get loads of sweetness from the raisins and applies. Also, I replaced the all purpose flour with whole wheat and had good success.

  • julesamomof2 on May 25, 2017

    Made these for a brunch party and everyone loved them. Not too sweet. I didn't add the cloves and they seemed perfectly spiced to me.

  • Rradishes on August 08, 2017

    Very easy recipe with great results. Muffins are not too sweet, but tasty and great for breakfast. Didn't have any ginger or raisins but still came out very flavorful.

  • MollyB on March 06, 2023

    Very nice, not-too-big and not-too-sweet muffins. I sprinkled the tops with some coarse sugar, and that little bit of crunch on top was tasty. Some chopped nuts would be a nice addition.

  • TrishaCP on June 08, 2021

    Another rave for these muffins. The spices are really nice together, and I love the chew from the oats.

  • bernalgirl on January 18, 2022

    An extremely tasty and tender muffin. I did not use raisins, adding an extra half apple instead. I’ve also added a small mashed banana.I generally swap cinnamon out for cardamom and add 1/2 Burlap & Barrel wild mesquite, which adds a caramelized quality. A keeper!

  • chawkins on May 09, 2024

    These were okay and very easy to make. The toasted oats did add a nice flavor to them.

  • Rinshin on June 01, 2022

    Although a little too sweet for my taste, these were quick, simple, and very good. I did not read the notes before making these, but I also added about 2 T chia. Plan to reduce sugar next time and may add shredded carrots as well. I like the idea of adding banana too noted by member here.

  • Rutabaga on October 08, 2019

    These are nice, warmly spiced muffins, very tender but quite crumbly. I used a mix of white and whole wheat pastry flour to make them a little heartier, and I didn't bother peeling the apple. My husband and I enjoyed them, but the kids seem to prefer other muffins (although maybe they'd like these more made with all white flour as written).

  • Frogcake on October 17, 2020

    I made the banana variation, which was delicious. I substituted half cup of AP flour for whole wheat and added a tablespoon of chia. Since I used three bananas I added two eggs instead of one. Loved the cinnamon and ginger flavour with the banana.

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    These are a house favourite. It's worth toasting the oats in the oven first. The original combination is brilliant but also love adding a handful of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts sometimes.

  • molly17659 on May 18, 2026

    I thought these were fine. I didn't love the texture of the toasted oats in the muffins. They were very easy to make but I can't see myself making these again. Maybe one of the variations, but I don't know if I can get over the texture of the oats.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Spouse liked them. A bit autumnal. Not too sweet. A treat! Used Granny Smith apples and dried cranberries instead of raisins.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    Loved these! A classic but done so well. Toasting the oats adds great depth of flavor.

  • ellwell on October 29, 2023

    These were very good. I stored them in an air-tight Tupperware and they did it keep well, so they are definitely best the day baked.

  • truefamilyfood on March 08, 2026

    Made these with applesauce instead of diced apples and dried mango instead of golden raisins. They were lovely and a hit with the neighborhood kids.

  • nutrica6 on September 17, 2023

    These are some of the best breakfast muffins I’ve ever made. Not overly sweet at all. I used buttermilk instead of regular milk and it was lovely.

  • ana_b3gye8 on February 12, 2026

    Tasty but nothing special...

  • eva_fejfql on January 14, 2026

    Dried cranberry and pecan

  • layne_2a1rdw on April 25, 2026

    Always the banana and chocolate chip version

• Shrimp and bacon chowder

  • ksg518 on March 06, 2017

    A good basic chowder recipe. I added more than the dash of cream she suggests - closer to a cup and reduced the amount of water for the shrimp broth accordingly. I also added a cup of frozen corn.

• Shaved celery salad

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    Very refreshing winter salad.

  • rglo820 on December 06, 2017

    A great idea for turning leftover celery into a side salad. I liked it a lot as written, though it wouldn't have suffered for the addition of some shaved Parmesan.

  • lindseyshannon34 on July 27, 2020

    This is a very decent way to deal with too much celery. Shaving it was a bit of a hassle, so I cut the celery into matchsticks.

• Parmesan soup with tiny pasta & peas

  • ksg518 on April 11, 2017

    A wonderful comforting soup selected to use up some of our growing stockpile of frozen parmesan cheese rinds. The only change we made from the recipe was that we peeled the onion before we realized she says that leaving the peel on will provide extra flavor and color. I'm still not sure the peel would give the soup the reddish color shown in the photograph, but we'll try it next time. The final soup was like a delicious soupy pea risotto without the extra work. We used orzo for the pasta. If I had one quibble it would be that I don't think this made enough for four servings if that was your entire meal.

  • raybun on May 23, 2017

    We loved this! I had a bag of rinds ready in the freezer, and I can't get over how much flavour they imparted. There was enough for 4 small bowls, I'm glad I made the zucchini fritters (same book) to accompany them, with chunks of fresh sourdough bread.

  • Lepa on December 12, 2017

    We were not fans of this soup. It seemed to have one note- salty (maybe I oversalted?) As others have noted, it also made a very small amount so if you try it, do not plan on feeding four.

• Spring pea, leek & herb soup

  • macfadden on April 30, 2017

    Not good. The soup was very watery and even after about 4 minutes of blending the parsley was still floating around in it like papery shards. You may not have that problem if you have a fancy blender. I also discovered that Trader Joe's brand creme fraiche cannot be drizzled like the stuff in the picture, only broken up into unappetizing chunks in the soup.

• Corn & potato chowder

  • Lepa on June 08, 2017

    So I completely screwed up this recipe and it still turned out well. My kids were "helping" me cook and in the ensuing chaos I missed the three cups of water for the stock. I thought the liquid was a bit sparse but didn't realize my mistake until the very end. The chowder was very thick but still delicious. I will make it again and add the water next time, which I assume will help the ingredients break down a bit better. The herb/oil sauce added at the end is really stellar.

  • stockholm28 on September 03, 2017

    The small victories here are using the corncobs to make a stock and breaking the cobs in half before you slice off the corn. The latter tip did make it somewhat easier to slice off the kernels, so I would use that tip again. Without the flavored oil, this is a very light and fresh tasting corn chowder, although a bit boring. I much preferred it with the sage garlic oil drizzled on top. I think I would have preferred the oil if it were made with basil rather than sage. However, this is a good but simple corn chowder.

  • DDPGirl001 on November 20, 2025

    I blended some of it with an immersion blender. And the oil I made was basil infused. AWESOME!

  • Rutabaga on September 22, 2019

    I agree this was a bit bland - not bad, it just needed a little something extra. Perhaps just finishing it with a little cream to give it a more velvety texture would do the trick? Overall, though, it's a good, easy soup, and the sage oil is delicious, although I would like to experiment with other herbs, like basil or rosemary. Finishing the soup with the flavorful oil really adds a lot.

  • mdagl on July 01, 2022

    This turned out incredible for us. You must do the sage oil on top! Will absolutely make this again. Delicious.

• Raspberry jam buns with crème fraîche frosting

  • hirsheys on September 02, 2017

    I've made these twice now, and I really like this recipe. The dough is lovely to work with - super supple. Next time I'm going to use grapefruit marmalade if I can find it. The first time I made these buns, I heated the jam slightly to make it spreadable, but this was a mistake and made the jam run right out. This time, I simply stirred the jam thoroughly to make it spreadable. This time I also used the creme fraiche from Trader Joe's rather than the one from Vermont Creamery, which I find to be more sour. We weren't terribly happy with the tang the first time I made these, the Trader Joe's version this time was great. Lastly, the vanilla taste is quite noticeable here, so be sure to use a good one.

  • Melissa_427 on April 20, 2021

    I made these after Thanksgiving and used leftover cranberry sauce rather than raspberry jam and it was a true delight!

  • Padthai on October 03, 2022

    Have made these several times and always comes out great. Have prepared the night before and then last rise in the AM for about 45 minutes-worked perfectly!

  • Rutabaga on September 22, 2019

    The creme fraiche icing was especially delicious. I don't like buns with sickly-sweet icing so usually leave it off, but this was refreshingly different. The buns were still warm when I spooned it over them, so it promptly melted, but was still delicious. I'd like to try it on cinnamon buns. The raspberry jam was a fun change from cinnamon, but a tad too sweet for me and my older son. A more tart jam would be welcome. And yes, the dough is very easy to make and roll out.

• Bibb lettuce with garlic dressing

  • Yildiz100 on September 03, 2017

    This is a simple garlic vinaigrette that uses mayo as an emulsifer. I would usually use mustard for this purpose but I have to say I like the mayo better. I will not, however, use her technique of making a garlic puree with the side of a knife. I thought it was way more work than just using a mortar and pestle or doing a fine mince. This was a bit acidic for my taste but the 5 year old loved it.

  • MollyB on June 05, 2018

    Great dressing for delicate greens. I made the variation that uses creme fraiche in the dressing, and it turned out really well.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Very good and easy! We didn’t love how soft the Bibb lettuce was, but this was tasty. We omitted the radishes and added sunflower seeds.

  • TrishaCP on February 28, 2021

    This is a nice dressing (I used mayo as the emulsifier)- will probably repeat this in the spring when I start getting my herbs back in. I just used a garlic press- as I always do when adding raw garlic to a sauce.

  • averythingcooks on August 24, 2021

    I used yogurt and gave my best effort at the garlic smear/ paste method. An early taste was very good but just a bit “sharp” for us ....easily fixed a shot of honey. We really enjoyed this over romaine with thinly sliced celery & red onion and a finishing sprinkle of grated Parmesan. A repeat for sure.

• Creamy mustard dressing

  • hirsheys on September 14, 2017

    This is a tasty dressing, though not all that special. Still worth making in the future. (Not exactly sure what the mayo adds).

  • stockholm28 on October 09, 2017

    I loved this as a dressing with for the chicken salad French style on page 276.

  • Lepa on October 30, 2017

    This is a nice dressing. It is very zingy and tart and with a nice green salad, it presents a great counterpoint to a rich meal.

  • MollyB on November 30, 2023

    Very good dressing, that I really like with spinach and/or chicken salads. The mayo and mustard help keep it emulsified, but it stays pourable even right out of the fridge. It's one of my go-to dressings that I keep on hand for weeknight meals or lunches at work.

• Roasted red pepper & pear soup

  • Yildiz100 on September 18, 2017

    The pear flavor disappeared for me but the smokiness of the pepper became more pronounced. It was pretty fragrant and it seemed like it should have been more flavorful but it was really forgetable. Maybe the potato muted the flavor. Not sure how many this recipe really serves as we haven't eaten it all yet, but I think more than 6 to 8 if you are eating it as a side. It makes a lot!

• Shaved cabbage salad

  • westminstr on September 20, 2017

    I tried this with savoy cabbage (what I had) and it would have been much better with napa or even regular green cabbage. That said, this seems like a useful & easy side dish for an Asian meal.

  • kari500 on September 30, 2017

    Easy, quick Asian side dish

  • Lepa on October 18, 2017

    I made this with purple cabbage to round out an Asian-inspired meal and it was delicious. So quick and easy!

  • Yildiz100 on December 09, 2017

    This recipe in the book is just a list of ingredients with no quantities or even proportions. I was disappointed in what I ended up with. I am sure I did something differently than those who enjoyed this since this recipe doesnt include any details.

• Gus's house salad

  • westminstr on September 20, 2017

    I added leftover roast chicken (and a few potatoes) to bulk it out a bit for a main dish salad. Nice punchy salad.

  • Lepa on June 16, 2020

    This is salad simple and delicious. I made it with red little gems because I generally don't buy ice berg lettuce and it was perfect.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    So simple, but so good! The blue cheese is necessary in this!

• Snow-day udon soup

  • Yildiz100 on September 23, 2017

    For me this was just ok. The bok choy tasted unpleasantly sour in the soup and the broth was a bit bland. Eventually I added dashi to perk it up. Will not repeat.

  • MollyB on November 28, 2017

    I really liked this for a quick weeknight meal on a cold day. I used baby bok choy, edamame instead of peas, and, since I didn't have kombu, chicken stock simmered with the mushrooms and aromatics.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    This was just okay. If you're a vegan, this would be great, but I was missing the fishy depth of a dashi made with bonito flakes. I added some shrimp for protein, which helped bulk it up, but I still felt it was missing something.

• Shrimp scampi

  • clcorbi on November 03, 2017

    Dead easy and very good shrimp scampi. I'm only giving this 4 stars because, to me, shrimp scampi needs butter. I substituted about 2T of butter for some of the oil to get the result I wanted. We had this with some crusty bread, but I love her suggestion to toss the scampi with pasta, and I'd definitely try it that way next time.

• Ribs with gochujang, fish sauce & honey

  • nomadchowwoman on September 27, 2017

    My new favorite rib recipe. We loved everything about these. Agree, the glaze is phenomenal. Easy, too.

  • raybun on May 31, 2017

    Excellent flavour in the marinade, the meat was falling off the bones. Not too spicy for the 9 year old either, we'll definitely be making these again.

  • clcorbi on September 05, 2017

    I adapted this recipe to use a 2.5lb pork butt rather than ribs. I braised the pork butt on the stovetop rather than in the oven (it's too hot for that!), and added a mix of both beer and chicken stock until the pork butt was about halfway submerged. I braised it like this for 2.5 hours until it was nice and tender, and then I proceeded with the directions as written. The glaze is phenomenal, as promised. I would not hesitate to remake this recipe with ribs--that glaze is a definite crowd pleaser. We really enjoyed it on the pork butt, too, although I will say I didn't love the flavor that the beer added. It could be because we only had a very hoppy beer on hand, but I felt that it detracted from the delicious sweet/sour glaze flavor. Next time I'd braise with chicken stock only.

  • Kduncan on May 14, 2019

    As everyone else has said, really great recipe. Though it seems my sauce didn't reduce as much as I wanted it too. The cooking method was great, and I look forward to trying it with other sauces.

  • Nkrieda78 on February 05, 2019

    So incredible!! I accidentally doubled the sauce but kept original measurement of fish sauce and that was perfect for me!

  • Zosia on March 19, 2019

    Delicious sauce. It had a good balance of sweet and hot and was a real crowd-pleaser. It went perfectly with pulled pork (2kg pork shoulder cooked for 80 min in instant pot in chicken broth).

  • bching on December 13, 2017

    We liked this very much--and appreciate Julia's advice on the make ahead possibilities. I used country style pork ribs rather than spareribs--and didn't glaze and broil them all so this will be another excellent dinner in a few days. I served these on top of a few handfuls of baby arugula and some sliced scallions and even though this time I did this because the arugula was languishing in the fridge, I will make a point of it next time.

  • TrishaCP on February 13, 2018

    These were really good. The beer braise resulted in perfectly cooked ribs. The one tweak I would make would be to sub out the fish sauce for soy sauce next time - the fish sauce flavor didn't work for me but that's just personal preference.

  • MollyB on October 28, 2019

    What a great rib recipe! We made it exactly as written, using a lager for the braising and doing the final cooking on the grill. Served it with rice and a Thai cucumber salad with peanuts and cilantro, and those were nice accompaniments. We'll definitely be making it again.

  • sambong on May 10, 2025

    Technique was good (especially for making ahead) but flavors were one-dimensional. Lacked complexity, was just very sweet with some spice from the gochujang. I think it would be improved with some ginger and sesame oil, will try that next time.

  • bernalgirl on December 11, 2025

    I used my own homemade barbecue sauce and this cooking technique, which is fantastic! I used a microbrew lager, filling the pan to halfway up the ribs, which was about 10 oz. of beer. They came out perfectly tender and still clinging to the bone at 2 hours. I like the glazing technique as well, reapplying the sauce at 2 minute intervals under the broiler resulted in a great glaze.

  • cellenly on May 05, 2023

    Made with pork spareribs instead of baby back ribs and used all chicken stock. Took 3.5 hrs to cook. Family loved it.

  • ezwriternc on April 22, 2024

    The ribs came out really juicy using this beer braising method but my sauce was thin. It tasted good but never got syrupy which was disappointing. I had a lot left over so I’ll see if i can cook it again today with the leftover ribs and will report back.

  • KaraCooks on February 14, 2020

    This is my GO-TO rib recipe and also it is fabulous on chicken thighs. I debone the thighs but leave the skin on and BBQ them. Always a big hit!!

  • Lepa on May 26, 2025

    As other posters mentioned, the sauce is too thin and took about twenty minutes to cook down and thicken. Next time I would not add all the cooking juices. I also had to add a bit of salt. The technique was wonderful and everyone in my family loved this.

  • VineTomato on December 18, 2025

    I used this with Juicy Marbles vegan baby ribs and it worked perfectly. I made the sauce as a marinade and then cooked it in the sauce. Delicious. Mr VT did not like it - something about the smell put him off, he thinks it was the fish sauce, I think he just doesn't like gochujang. Served with smashed cucumbers from Good things by Samin Nosrat (so so good!) by and Japanese-style glazed sweet potatoes with sesame from Milk Street's Vegetables - perfect pairings IMO.

  • chawkins on July 01, 2022

    Great ribs, the glaze was fantastic. It took me a lot longer than 5 minutes to get the sauce reduced to a syrupy consistency though.

• All-day pork shoulder with apple cider

  • tmatthey on February 18, 2018

    Oops! Just learned (via ingredients listed, which I tabbed on by accident, that the apple cider was supposed to be alcohol free. Um ... I specifically chose this recipe to use up a bottle of hard cider occupying space in my fridge). Got a sensational result. Supposed to serve 8 to 10, I use a 4 lb boneless shoulder, since I was only cooking for a total of 4 and wanted some leftovers for an elderly neighbor couple and ... well, everyone else went back for seconds and thirds. I think I am gonna keep on using a hard cider in the future, too. I did, remove the slab and bits of fat on the pork when shredding the pork but only just now read the notes of others and am pondering. Did not find the meat fatty despite NOT culling any of the fat off of the (hard) cider based broth. Not enough of a cook to know if hard cider v soft cider made the difference or just cutting the slabs and bits of fat off of the shoulder as I shredded made the difference or what.

  • Emily Hope on October 18, 2016

    This was a great, easy pork recipe--lots of flavor once the pulled pork was mixed into the cider (an essential step--otherwise the pork is just OK). I poured most of the fat off the braising liquid before mixing the pork back in. My pork did burn a little bit during the initial roast at 475 (due to the maple syrup in the marinade), but I just trimmed off the really black bits and it was fine. Served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and an arugula salad.

  • bernalgirl on January 24, 2021

    Absolutely delicious, and the house smelled like heaven. I used country-style ribs (boneless) because that’s what I had, and it took nearly the same amount of time for the collagens to break down, but with the added benefit of more surface area to brown. I do think I’d use a hard dry cider next time as the sauce was slightly sweet for our tastes but a squeeze of lemon juice balanced it out.

  • TrishaCP on March 31, 2020

    This was good. I didn’t remove the fat while roasting it. However, I did remove large amounts of fat from the braising liquid after refrigerating the pork and liquid overnight. I also found that I needed to add an extra cup or so of apple cider to the roasting pan while the pork cooked to avoid burning everything.

  • hirsheys on September 17, 2017

    This smelled like absolute heaven while it cooked (for 7 hours) and has a nice pork-y flavor to it. The one major thing I would change next time is to take the fat cap off of the pork. The recipe does not tell you to de-fat the pork and actually implies that you should keep it on "put the pork in to the dish fat-side up"... That said, I find this dish far too fatty tasting and the hardened fat in the leftovers was excessive. (Should have poured it off like Emily Hope did.) I can definitely see myself making this again, though - it's super easy to make and the sum is definitely greater than its parts. Also, I think it would be good on a sandwich, as well as on the side of a starch. (I had it tonight with spoonbread.)

  • dc151 on October 03, 2020

    Great recipe! Meat stayed moist and great flavor. Easy to put together. What the recipe fails to mention is that if you want to shred the meat, cook it to an internal temperature of 195 or so. Collagen will break down. Cooking time can be longer than expected.

  • puddlemere on October 28, 2019

    I loved this. I did trim off a good amount of fat before cooking and I think it helped with the fattiness after cooking. I also cut the pork into smaller pieces (about 3 inches) and only cooked it about 4.5 hours, but that was plenty. I agree that mixing the pork back in with the cider was the key to the great flavor.

  • averythingcooks on November 16, 2020

    Oh yes .....this was good! I also used a hard cider (strongbow) and used maple syrup with a 50/50 mix of Dijon & grainy mustard. My boneless shoulder was just under the specified size (with no obvious fat cap) but I still used the full recipe for the liquids. Seven hours was perfect for easily fork shredded meat that was then stirred back into the cooking juices. Dinner for 2 tonight, tomorrow’s lunch for T and another dinner for 2 planned for Wednesday. We absolutely loved this :)

  • chawkins on September 05, 2022

    Quite good but time consuming as you need to hang around and flip the pork every two hours. I had five plus pounds of pork in two pieces that I cooked for eight hours and they were very shreddable with a lot of bark. I used honey and alcohol-free apple cider.

  • thefritschkitchen on March 17, 2026

    Easy peasy and hard to mess up. Just sits in the low oven all day and comes out amazing. Even better made ahead

  • GinaRhodes on October 10, 2025

    Delicious and low-fuss. Couldn’t find a boneless pork shoulder but it didn't matter. I imagine it would freeze great in its juices. Needs a nice crusty bread to sop it up.

  • heyksquared on January 01, 2026

    This was terrific! I thought the pork had great flavor, though agree with other commenters the fat should be removed after it’s done cooking. My pork was done in about five and a half hours.

  • ellwell on December 19, 2022

    This was good and an an easy recipe for a Saturday spent at home. I shredded the beef, separated the cider from the fat and then added it all back together. Then I thought it was a little bland, so I added in some maple syrup/Dijon/cider back into the pan. Very good

  • snoozermoose on January 15, 2022

    This was tasty, though not my favorite braised pork shoulder dish. I used a cider from my local apple orchard with a bit more tartness, but we still found it a little too sweet. Next time I'll try a hard cider as others here did. I only cooked my pork for 6.5 hours, and it was still plenty shreddable. I had the same problem with the fat content in the sauce as others here did. I tried skimming off as much as I could, but there was still a solid layer of fat once it refrigerated. It did improve the second day we ate this, so if you're going to make this for company, I suggest making it ahead of time, skimming the cold fat off, and then reheating.

• Zucchini & nigella fritters

  • Jane on September 26, 2016

    These were great - very quick and easy. Just grate some zucchini, mix in some nigella seeds, flour and eggs and fry them. The fritters are more vegetable than anything else. The garlic/mint/yogurt sauce is fairly essential I'd say.

  • Rutabaga on September 22, 2019

    The nigella seeds and yogurt dip paired very well with the zucchini, and the fritters tasted light and fresh. While my kids aren't zucchini fans, the older one did agree that this was a better way to eat zucchini than most.

  • Rinshin on September 07, 2017

    Like most fried fritters and tempura, this is very good and is a good use of zucchini. But, you don't really get the taste of zucchini and instead these taste somewhat like falafel esp with the minty sauce which is not a bad thing for sure. I really enjoyed the taste esp savory onion like taste of nigella seeds and simplicity of preparing. Instead of all sour cream, I used half sour cream and half Greek style yogurt with the mint, garlic, and juiced lemon. This is a repeat for sure. Uploaded a photo.

  • raybun on May 23, 2017

    Very tasty! I agree with Jane that the garlic mint sauce is necessary to take these fritters to the next level. A lovely summery dish.

  • LMK on April 24, 2018

    These are a good time. The nigella seed comes across strong in a good way. I found mine a tad salty, will scale back a touch next time. Love the simplicity of this recipe.

  • Starrysky on August 13, 2017

    Loooooove these! So simple and so delicious!

  • kari500 on June 08, 2020

    Delicious and easy, even for the fry-phobic like me. Served as a main, which I wouldn’t have gotten away with before covid, but next to a salad, and with some flatbread, it was a great meal. This time around I didn’t have enough sour cream, so added yogurt; no fresh herbs so I used dried dill. It was still really good sauce.

  • MollyB on November 05, 2019

    This is now my go-to zucchini fritter recipe. Easy and tasty, and the sauce is great. The fritters and sauce went really well with grilled lamb chop.

  • Astrid5555 on May 01, 2024

    Absolutely delicious! I thought they were intended as a main couse, however with two teenagers they are more like a small side dish. Easy and quick, and the sauce is great.

  • Lepa on August 10, 2023

    As others have written, this is a great recipe. I will note that it's best to stick to small fritters because I made a few big ones at the end and they weren't quite as good. Maybe the insides didn't cook as well? My son, who doesn't like zucchini but agreed to try one, really liked this as well. If you have Simply Julia there is a similar recipe with feta and olives that I may like a bit better.

  • hbakke on September 25, 2020

    A great way to use up zucchini. These were delicious, especially the sauce. I would probably go a little lighter on the salt next time, but I would make these again.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Absolutely delicious!! Had to make with scallions rather than nigella seeds because I couldn’t find any. Would absolutely make again!

• Best rice pilaf with roasted red cabbage

  • Jane on October 06, 2016

    This was an interesting pilaf recipe, incorporating red cabbage roasted to the point of almost burning. It also had small pieces of broken up pasta. Will def repeat.

  • Jane on May 17, 2017

    I have made this pilaf 5 times since I got the book - it's that good. Apart from finely slicing red cabbage (and that could be done in the processor) there is very little work involved and the end result is so much more than the sum of the ingredients. Last night I served it with Indecision grilled chicken but I've also served it with the Roast Chicken with fennel, rosemary & lemon and with other chicken dishes.

  • westminstr on January 02, 2018

    I never made the full pilaf but I liked the roasted red cabbage.

  • clcorbi on January 23, 2017

    We absolutely loved this pilaf! The flavor is indeed reminiscent of Rice-a-Roni, but in the best way possible. The crispy cabbage strips really take this from good to great. The flavor is subtle, but so good that I kept sneaking more bites of it after dinner--this is probably thanks to the stock (use a good stock here), and the pat of butter which adds a nice richness. Will make again.

  • Cookie24 on September 27, 2018

    I tried this recipe because it had so many good reviews. It was fine; for me nothing really special, but Mr. Cookie loved it, so will probably make again. Next time I will add some additional aromatics such as a bay leaf, thyme and garlic to the rice. It's the cabbage that makes it different and adds some flavor that the rice is lacking. As clcorbi said, you must use good stock and adding a pat of butter can't hurt.

  • purrviciouz on October 18, 2018

    This is one of my favorite go to weeknight recipes and we get lunch leftovers out of it too. My favorite variation is the tomato soup with Parmesan or cheddar. It's satisfying and comforting. I make it at least once per month! I also found that Safeway carries spaghetti pasta that's already broken up so that saves a step!

  • Yildiz100 on November 21, 2018

    I liked the roasted cabbage a lot, but thought it was not used to good effect mixed in with the rice pilaf. Alone, it tastes sweet and caramelized, in the rice pilaf, the more scorched aroma is prominent and you sort of miss the caramelized sweetness. I would definitely make the cabbage again and just have it as a side. As for the rice, it was fine, but I prefer pilafs that use butter only (no oil) and have you toast the noodles in the butter, but not the rice. (Much more fragrant and uniformly browned that way.) Did not used the "small victory" of breaking spaghetti in the bag - used store bought short vermicelli noodles.

  • VineTomato on October 01, 2018

    Often I’m left with half a red cabbage to ‘use up’ - which is how I stumbled upon this recipe, and I am so glad that I did. So far, I would suggest this is the one recipe that made buying this book worth the money - it is fantastic. The burnt cabbage is genius, and has a rather meaty flavour which is reminiscent of biltong. Heading Cookie24’s advice I added cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and just for fun a teaspoon of urfa chili flakes. I found parts of my cabbage was burning after 15 minutes, so stirred it around and found it was done by 25 min. I really enjoyed this and will be making again, looking forward to trying the mushroom version.

  • ksg518 on August 15, 2018

    This is one of those dishes that I can't wait to make again. I loved the roasted cabbage with the rice. The pasta is also a great addition. One of the "small victories" here is putting the pasta in a plastic bag to avoid having it go everywhere when you break it up. I found that if I just gathered some in my hand and broke off the ends a few bits at a time it worked fine.

  • Lepa on January 24, 2017

    I enjoyed this rice a roni-type pilaf. I might experiment with other roasted veggies, like cauliflower, next time.

  • bernalgirl on October 13, 2021

    I’ve read raves about this pilaf and expected to love it but it’s just ok. It needs some allium and spices. Also the cabbage, cooked to the directed fineness, results in some unpleasantly chewy bites. On to other pilaf recipes.

  • allie_p on January 20, 2022

    This is a go-to weeknight side dish. The roasted cabbage gets so caramelized and sweet that even my veggie-averse toddler scarfs it down, and the butter + stock make it feel more special than a side of plain rice. I often substitute orzo or any other small pasta I have laying around.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Tasty. Would like to retry this one at some point and get the red cabbage a little roastier.

• Whipped feta and yogurt dip

  • Jane on May 18, 2017

    My first Small Victories fail which is as much my fault as the recipe. I didn't have enough Greek yogurt so subbed in some regular yogurt (more than half, though it was a thickish yogurt). The consistency is nothing like a whipped dip, more of a soup. But apart from that, the flavor is completely dominated by olive oil and lemon. The feta is quite lost. So for anyone making this I would say use a mild olive oil, add oil and lemon in stages until you get the taste you want and only use Greek yogurt.

  • westminstr on January 02, 2018

    I made this dip and thought it was pretty good, E especially liked it. My lemon was quite large so I only used half of it, thought that was plenty. Used full fat greek yogurt. Consistency was good.

• A nice lasagna

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    I used purchased no-boil noodles and preshredded part skim mozz. Also assembled the night before to bake the next day. Purchased noodles worked out great but fresh mozz would have been better. I preferred it reheated as leftovers so next time if wanting to prepare ahead and I will go ahead and bake it ahead, then reheat. This was a good lasagna and very straightforward to assemble. The sauce was delicious! 12/31/2017 - made this again, just a half recipe. This time used fresh mozz and baked it right away which was much better. Use Barilla no-cook noodles which were good. We ate the whole thing, could have used more, so next time make the full recipe. 12/7/2018 - made again, a full recipe in my new lasagna pan! Used all the pasta (barilla), 1 mozzarella ball from the FM, 1/2 cup parm, plenty of basil & had about 1 cup sauce leftover. Cooked right away. It was delicious!!!

  • MollyB on February 26, 2019

    This was a very good and fairly easy lasagna recipe, but I'd say the Skillet Lasagna from the Keepers cookbook is better and easier.

  • mfranklin125 on October 01, 2019

    I did fiesta shredded cheese and Parmesan instead of mozzarella. The noodles were not hard to make. I also did beef and added fresh oregano, thyme and a bay leaf. Everyone loved

  • Lepa on May 17, 2017

    This was an easy and delicious lasagna and it made fantastic leftovers. I loved the idea of using creme fraiche in the sauce and omitting the often rubbery ricotta. I bought fresh lasagana noodles instead of making my own. I also used fresh mozzarella, which didn't go as far as I had wanted. I needed more than the recipe listed in order to make the final layer. Next time I might buy pre-shredded part skim mozz. as I think it will be easier to distribute.

  • NJChicaa on April 01, 2018

    I made this with no-boil noodles (as suggested in the recipe) and it worked beautifully. This is an excellent lasagna. I was skeptical about mixing the creme fraiche into the sauce and not having ricotta, but it all worked out.

  • TrishaCP on May 04, 2018

    I'm not sure why I haven't posted a note for this recipe previously, but I've made this lasagna twice for family dinners, and everyone loved it and no one missed the ricotta (or meat). I used no-boil noodles and they worked well.

  • Zosia on March 09, 2019

    Delicious and a huge hit with both vegetarians and meat eaters. I bought the wrong lasagne noodles, those that require pre-cooking, but cooked them for only half the recommended time and assembled the lasagne the night before. That worked out well; the liquid of the sauce was absorbed and the noodles were al dente after baking and resting.

  • snoozermoose on January 05, 2022

    This was a tasty, very easy lasagna that's a nice riff on the classic. I've never liked the ricotta in lasagna so I didn't miss it, but my husband loves it and wished this had a ricotta layer. I agree with Rutabaga that it would benefit from more sauce. I also think it needs more cheese than called for.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Used no boil lasagna noodles and added meat as the spin off suggested. We loved this.

  • sophy_qjxfdm on February 23, 2026

    A great recipe when you want to get a little fancy with your lasagna and make your own noodles. It’s also supper light and not bogged down with too much cheese.

  • eatswhilestanding on January 19, 2026

    Turned really well. Served to A, K, R, and J in addition to us, and only one small piece was left. E wouldn't touch it, A loved it. Used San Marzano tomatoes, part-skim mozzarella, and no boil noodles. Increased sausage to 16 oz to use the whole package. I don't see any need to make with ricotta again.

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    The best lasagna recipe. I always add ground beef (or a mix of half ground beef and half pork and fennel sausage meat). Most of the time I use fresh shop bought lasagna sheets but have also done it with the dry no boil ones and it was still *chefs kiss*. I sneakily add some extra cheese on top and don't forget the basil, it makes it extra special.

  • stockholm28 on December 08, 2023

    Made a double batch of this for book club. Used No-boil noodles. The creme fraiche in lieu of ricotta makes this relatively easy to put together. I used more mozzarella than the recipe called for as 100g did not go very far with 5 layers.

  • Rutabaga on May 23, 2020

    I made this with homemade pasta and chicken sausage. My husband and I thought it was some of the best lasagne we've ever had - mixing creme fraiche into the sauce worked perfectly, and the dish was much more cohesive than lasagne often is, not to mention delicious. No slippery noodles or watery or gummy sauces here! I would perhaps increase the amount of sauce slightly, and I also think I overcooked it by a few minutes, as it was starting to dry out on the edges. Also, the kids didn't seem as into it, although they ate it. Making the pasta from scratch is delicious, but time-consuming, so I'd also like to try it with no-boil noodles.

• Homemade merguez with herby yogurt

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    I used ground goat instead of lamb (a bit of an experiment). Didn't completely love the goat but the spicing on these was fantastic and would work with any ground meat. (I omitted harissa from the kid version) I used basil & parsley in the yogurt but cilantro would have been better. It was all eaten up though. Good dish, will repeat. 9/25/2017 - made again this time w ground turkey, very successful. used cilantro & parsley in the yogurt which i liked much better.

  • TrishaCP on May 19, 2019

    This was a winner for us too. Served with naan and salad. (The herbs in our dressing were dill and chives.)

  • stockholm28 on September 30, 2017

    These are very good, but I think I prefer the Melissa Clark merguez burger with the harissa mayo. These have harissa in the mix. They are certainly healthier than the MC version.

  • hirsheys on March 06, 2017

    I thought this recipe was fantastic. Very easy and fast to put together, and lots of taste/flavor for very little work. I used ground turkey instead of lamb (I don't like lamb), which I had already planned to do and was reinforced by a suggestion to make just this replacement in the back of the book.

  • raybun on May 21, 2017

    I made the merguez into burgers and the family declared them better than my usual Jamie O Moroccan lamb burgers! The yoghurt sauce is a very good accompaniment and I used mint and parsley for the herbs.

  • clcorbi on September 13, 2017

    We really enjoyed these as well. I used scallions and cilantro as the herbs in my yogurt, and served the patties with naan and sliced radishes. The drizzle of lemon juice is essential here. I really enjoyed all the big flavors in this dish for relatively minimal effort. I would also be interested in making these into burgers.

  • MollyB on May 17, 2020

    We loved these, and will definitely make again (though the 8-yr-old declared them too spicy). Don’t forget the lemon! We forgot it til too late, but it would have been good!

  • bernalgirl on February 06, 2022

    These are wonderfully flavorful and so easy to put together. I had extra buns to use and ground turkey in hand so I made this up as turkey burgers. I also had an herby yogurt dressed slaw leftover, which was great tucked in with the patties. I would definitely opt for a quick slaw again next time rather than plain cabbage as it made an easy and complete meal. I look forward to making these again with ground lamb or beef as smaller patties or kebabs to tuck into pita bread.

  • katiesue28 on March 29, 2023

    Made this with ground turkey and they were absolutely delicious and flavorful. What a quick and easy recipe, especially when you have a lot of herbs to use up! Unfortunately my homemade naan didn't turn out well, but in the future I would love this with a thinner lavash flatbread. We also added some pickled onions and carrots that we had on had for acidity.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 17, 2022

    We loved these! Merguez sausages aren’t easy to find here so it’s great to be able to make my own, which is why I shaped them into sausages. The flavours are nicely spiced and not too hot, I’d probably add a touch more heat next time. Served it with the chickpea salad from the same book.

  • chawkins on June 27, 2021

    We loved these served with naan. I used scallion and cilantro as the herb in the yogurt sauce. We grilled them and served with Vivian Howard’s marinated turnips with orange and pumpkin seeds.

• White bean and parsley dip

  • westminstr on March 31, 2017

    Really easy and the kids LOVED it.

  • Rutabaga on September 22, 2019

    This was good, but I made the mistake of pouring in all the lemon juice (at least a quarter cup), and that was too much. I didn't mind, but it was too lemony for the kids, and I agree it would have been better with less. After pureeing, it was green from the parsley, which looked a little odd. I'd like to try mashing the ingredients together instead, as I like the texture of mashed beans, and this would leave it with pretty flecks of green parsley in the mix.

• Radicchio slaw with warm bacon dressing

  • westminstr on March 31, 2017

    Made with half radicchio and half baby spinach. Loved the dressing, great salad! Best eaten right away as she says (bacon dressing congeals a bit as it cools). Unfortunately neither kid liked it.

  • hirsheys on July 01, 2018

    No. This didn't work well for me. It was too bitter - needed some sweetener or something.

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    The radicchio is bitter, perfectly counterbalancing the richness in the bacon dressing. If radicchio is too strong of a flavor, half spinach would help that a lot as mentioned in another note.

• Potluck quinoa

  • westminstr on September 22, 2017

    Agree with the other reviewers - this salad is delicious and tastes better than you would think upon reading the recipe. Really loved the sauteed hazelnuts and its generally a great combo of flavors and textures. Served w calamari - but would be good w any simple protein.

  • TrishaCP on February 18, 2019

    This is really a delicious salad. One of those dishes where every ingredient plays an important role and nothing is unnecessary. Will certainly make this again.

  • Brittania on February 17, 2026

    Don’t burn the nuts ;)

  • SheilaS on March 09, 2026

    I thought this was a bit bland but that was easily remedied. browning the hazelnuts in the olive oil that becomes part of the salad is genius!

  • westminstr on December 26, 2025

    Made again recently for a potluck type situation. I still really like it. I made a vegan version by replacing the goat cheese with mushrooms that I sautéed with garlic & thyme. This was really good too!

  • clcorbi on September 12, 2017

    Very nice combination of ingredients! I would be happy to take this to a picnic or potluck.

  • raybun on May 13, 2017

    I agree with Lepa's note that this one could easily be overlooked but it is really worth it. A great side dish that went well with the grilled steak with jalapeño relish. I'm looking forward to making this for summer picnics.

  • Frogcake on December 27, 2017

    The toasted hazelnuts and the quinoa are a perfect match. Loved this recipe a lot! Will definitely make this again.

  • Lepa on May 01, 2017

    Don't overlook this gem of a recipe. I was intrigued by it but assumed it would be boring. Today I made it and we LOVED it. So easy and delicious. I feel like this recipe alone justifies the cost of the book and I foresee making it often!

  • Rutabaga on April 27, 2020

    This is a nice salad, although mine was marred slightly by the fact the nuts had developed a slight bitter edge. They were still edible, and I hate tossing them out, so I went ahead with the dish, and overall it was enjoyable nonetheless. The leftovers also made a satisfying breakfast salad. I used feta in place of goat cheese. Unsurprisingly, the kids were not big fans; I think it appeals more to adult tastes.

  • stephcoelho on June 21, 2020

    This was a hit at a recent socially distanced picnic. I was surprised at how good it was. I doubled the recipe and subbed feta for the goat cheese. Leftovers were great and I'm bummed it's all gone! Will definitely make again.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Even better than expected. Spouse gave it a 10 out of 10. So toasty and the goat cheese was a hit.

  • jhavens on May 25, 2026

    I thought this was delicious and easy. I subbed pumpkin seeds for hazelnuts due to a nut allergy and that was great. Also all ingredients I had at home which is nice. Will definitely make again.

  • vanessa_abafl8 on April 14, 2026

    This is on rotation at my house and made me love arugula and quinoa!

• Chopped chickpea salad

  • westminstr on September 26, 2017

    Subbed goat cheese for feta, chives for scallions, parsley for dill. Fresh and healthy, comes together quickly. Everyone ate it. Served w roasted salmon/shrimp. I made the full dressing recipe but only used about 2/3 of it.

  • Jane on June 11, 2021

    I had radishes and arugula in my CSA this week and this salad was a good quick use of them both. There was lots of flavor and texture and I can see me making this often over the summer. I served it with roasted salmon to make a complete dinner.

  • clcorbi on October 24, 2018

    Delicious and so easy to throw together. I also appreciate that you could substitute many different veggies in and out of this salad with good results. I made this for lunches, kept the arugula on the side until I was ready to eat, and added a chopped hard boiled egg for a little more protein--perfect. The salad kept well for several days.

  • stockholm28 on September 30, 2017

    This is very quick to prep. I liked this dish, but preferred it as a side rather than a main.

  • Lepa on January 10, 2017

    Outstanding! This is like a party in my mouth. Love it and intend to make it all the time.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    This was fine. It made a nice healthy side dish to bring to a potluck but no one was enthusiastic about it.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Very good! Easy and fresh.

  • ksg518 on March 10, 2020

    A great salad. This is very quick to make and the final product is better than you would expect for something so easy to make. Clcorbi is correct that you should keep the arugula to the side if you don't plan on eating it all at once. We served this with some shrimp but agreed the salad alone would make a nice light dinner.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 17, 2022

    Like previous reviewers, I really liked this salad. Easy to put together and lots of potential to make substitutions. We served it with the mergeuz sausages from the same book.

• Smoky eggplant dip with yogurt & za'atar

  • vickster on March 12, 2017

    Loved this light, delicious dip. The flavor of the eggplant really comes through, and it is fast and easy to make.

  • bernalgirl on October 04, 2020

    Meh as written. Up tahini? Add garlic or spring onion?

  • Frogcake on November 03, 2020

    Agree that it was a bit “meh” as written so I added a clove of garlic, increased lemon, salt pepper, tahini, and zataar - all to taste. Awfully good with these doubled!

• Roasted scallion & chive dip

  • Mrs. L on February 21, 2017

    Needed to chop up the scallions a bit more. Good onion dip. #rainydaybitescookbookclub

  • MollyB on September 22, 2021

    Delicious dip! I didn't have quite enough scallions, but it was still well worth making. Two of us polished off the whole recipe at one sitting (though we were planning to just have a little bit.) I added a little too much vinegar and wish I had added less - I'd advise starting with less than what the recipe calls for and adding more to taste.

  • clcorbi on February 03, 2017

    Made for book club--this dip is delicious! I blended this dip until the roasted scallions were almost puréed because otherwise, they had a pretty stringy consistency that I didn't find appealing. didn't have chives so I mixed in more chopped scallions at the end. I am serving this tonight with kettle-cooked potato chips and I know it will be a hit.

  • raybun on May 21, 2017

    Excellent dip! I made this for a party last night and it disappeared very quickly. Keep an eye on the onions and stir a couple of times to prevent charring.

  • stockholm28 on February 05, 2017

    A nice "onion dip". Watch the roasting of the scallions. She suggests 15 to 20 minutes and I let mine go 20 but a few were a bit too charred.

  • hirsheys on February 26, 2017

    Tasty dip. I made a half recipe, which meant that the scallions roasted a bit faster. Also, I used reduced fat sour cream (all I had) and don't think it made any difference - the flavors are strong here. Next time, I may use more of the greens, to increase the scallion flavor. ETA: the second time I made this I left out the vinegar and went extremely heavy on the scallions. It was wonderful. This is a very flexible recipe.

  • averythingcooks on July 09, 2022

    This is a great variation for onion dip & a perfect use for an overflowing garden! Perhaps I "roughly chopped" my onions too small as some pieces were quite charred before 15 minutes but we liked the flavour those pieces gave to the dip. After reading the comments, I started with 1/2 the vinegar and stopped there - but I do use Miracle Whip for dips and it has a good tangy flavour by itself. I would make this stuff again for sure.

  • laurenlangston on January 22, 2023

    A classic, made it multiple times. Ruined for the onion soup mix forever, now.

  • Yildiz100 on December 27, 2019

    Tried without a food processor. Note too self-very difficult to chop roasted scallions. Good, but needs homemade mayo because all of the ones available at my local grocery have a bad after taste that affects the dip. Needs extra vinegar.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Delicious! Easy! Ate with pretzel crisps.

  • ellwell on August 13, 2023

    I made this dip for company based on the rave reviews. Hardly anyone ate it, will not repeat.

• Mussel chowder

  • SheilaS on April 18, 2024

    This is kind of a miso soup with mussels. It’s super easy and the potatoes make it a full meal.

• Shaved fennel salad

  • Apollonia on January 25, 2024

    Loved the kumquats in this. I never know what to do with them, and this was light and delicious.

• Meat lasagna

  • Emily Hope on October 31, 2016

    Big thumbs up on this lasagna from the family--even my picky 3 year old liked it. It's also a pretty easy recipe compared to many lasagna recipes I've tried, especially if you buy fresh pasta sheets. I did end up using more cheese than she specified--I used diced fresh mozz instead of grated and probably went through nearly 2 cups of it, and 1 1/2 cups of parmesan. Would definitely do this for a casual dinner party. Served with green beans, roasted broccoli, and garlic bread for I's birthday dinner.

  • TrishaCP on August 07, 2017

    I agree this made a quite nice lasagna. Although I like ricotta, its omission here, along with the fresh basil, made the lasagna feel much lighter tasting. I also used about 2 cups of mozzarella, though only the specified amount of parmesan.

  • hirsheys on October 05, 2019

    This was very tasty. I used no boil pasta sheets (something she allows in the head note) and only ground beef. It's a nice, flexible recipe.

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    This is the BEST lasagna!

  • anyah_h60oih on January 28, 2026

    Very tasty, used no boil noodles. Loved the creme fraiche in the sauce

  • Happykikkers on January 06, 2025

    This is really good. Next time I’ll add a little more veggies or a side salad.

• Kimchi fried rice with scallion salad

  • MollyB on May 14, 2019

    Delicious and easy weeknight dinner. I made it with bacon (which I will definitely do if making it again) and topped it with a fried egg, and it was great.

  • Yildiz100 on September 22, 2017

    Made half recipe. Delicious but I could use a bit more scallion salad. I had a hard time getting the drained kimchi to caramelize so next time I might skip the step of draining it and just add the solids and juice at the same time. If it is just as tasty it will be nice to wash fewer dishes.

  • hirsheys on September 09, 2017

    I've been wanting to make this since I bought the book, but never seem to make enough rice to have enough leftovers. It's incredibly easy and very good. I just wish I had followed my instincts (and advice from others) and put a fried egg on top. I will tomorrow. I think the key is to really caramelize the onions and the kimchi. Meat of some kind is a good idea - I put bacon into my leftovers, but will do my usual chinese sausage next time. The scallion salad adds a lot.

  • southerncooker on March 20, 2017

    We all love Kimchi here and love finding new recipes using it. I used spicy kimchi. I topped it with an egg as suggested but next time I'll also do one of the spin offs and add bacon. Hubby said he loved it but it would be even better if it had some meat in it. He cleaned his plate which is something he rarely does.

  • nadiam1000 on January 24, 2017

    Delicious! Great use for leftover rice. I used mild kimchi and served with an egg on top with the scallion salad. Perfect bowl meal. next time I might try with a spicy kimchi or add a little siracha to spice it up a bit, but it is good as is.

  • Kfaber on February 05, 2017

    So good! Made it with bacon which was even better. My sometimes picky kids gobbled this up and didn't mind the spice.

  • Smokeydoke on September 03, 2017

    I can't believe I haven't written a review, this is a household staple. It's a great way to get rid of leftover rice and kimchee. I don't make the scallion salad, I just add the scallions to the rice and I only add white onions if I have some. I mix it with prepackaged bacon bits and top with a fried egg. It's a simple weeknight meal, ready in a few minutes.

  • Lepa on May 12, 2020

    I made this for lunch today with some leftover brown rice. I used bacon but didn't make the scallion salad because I didn't have time. We ate it with a fried egg on top. My whole family loved this and it wasn't too spicy for my ten year old. Frying the kimchi mellows the spice and gives it a lovely flavor.

  • mzgourmand on November 17, 2020

    Have now tried it with the bacon variation, as well as beef and it is all delicious.

  • mzgourmand on July 13, 2020

    This has become a weeknight staple in our house. So simple & so good! Great way to get in our fermented vegetables & we usually add an egg on top, tofu or leftover grilled meat. Haven't tried bacon variation yet but bet it's delicious.

  • Babycarrot on April 19, 2023

    This was really delicious but switched up the rice cooking method. Made the rice a day prior in my rice cooker which allowed it to get nice and crispy. Added some Chinese sausages to the stage where the kimchi is browned in the pan. Left out the additional onion and didn’t feel like it was necessary with the scallion salad on top. Will add an egg on top of the leftovers. Will 100% make again.

  • Ntesfai on December 09, 2025

    The instructions set me up for success. This turned out delicious.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Delicious. Loved this one!

  • snoozermoose on January 15, 2022

    Wow, being Chinese, I thought I knew how to make good fried rice, but this was a seriously good variation of what I normally whip up. Sauteeing the kimchi and really letting it caramelize is crucial, as is that wonderful scallion salad (don't skip it!). I added Chinese sausage to mine, because I love how it tastes with kimchi, and it added a nice sweet element to balance the sour funk. We'll make this again and again.

• Orecchiette with spicy sausage & Parmesan

  • TrishaCP on November 04, 2018

    I thought this was good, but my husband loved it. (Even though I mistakenly used 2 percent milk instead of cream!) I also used frozen spinach to good effect.

  • bernalgirl on February 23, 2022

    My family loved this. I prefer a more basic preparation with some white wine and a sauce made mainly of the pasta water but this was such a hit, and so easy, that I’m sure I’ll make it again. I used the extra cooking time on the onions to prepare a salad.

  • MollyB on March 24, 2026

    This was great! I feel that using spicy sausage, the full amount of Parmesan, and taking the time to fully caramelize the onions really helped the flavors come together. We loved it and were fine with just the 1/2-lb. of sausage and lots of spinach. I like Melissa_427's idea of putting the spinach in the colander when draining the pasta - it took my spinach quite a while to wilt and get integrated.

  • ksg518 on February 25, 2019

    I made this without looking at the reviews and when I did look at the reviews, I went back to the recipe because I assumed I had messed up somehow. But no- I made this pretty much as written (except I used spicy Italian turkey sausage) and we were very underwhelmed with the results. The lemon zest helped somewhat but mostly this was just very blah. Definitely not a repeat.

  • Rutabaga on October 01, 2019

    My family really enjoyed this - well, except for the three-year-old, but even he still ate it. We found it very flavorful, but I did make a few changes. I used almost a pound sausage rather than eight ounces. This makes for a much heartier main dish, otherwise I feel it would be too pasta-heavy. I also added the pasta to the saute pan with the onions, rather than transferring the onions to the pasta pot. Before adding the pasta, I deglazed the pan with cream to get up all the nice brown bits, and then I added more cream after the spinach wilted. In a large saute pan, it's easy to add the spinach a few handfuls at a time. After just a couple of stirs, it wilts nicely into the pasta. A good squeeze of lemon juice, along with a sprinkle of pepper and flaky sea salt, is the perfect way to finish the dish.

  • hirsheys on October 11, 2017

    My turn for this one. It's fairly easy and quite tasty. I didn't have spicy sausage, but I think it would have been great with a bit more zing. I don't really love the undercooking of the pasta - I never really find that dried pasta gets soft enough cooking in just sauce - so next time I will cook it the whole way. Otherwise, this is a great recipe - the lemon makes a huge difference.

  • Astrid5555 on December 26, 2016

    This dish was a big hit with all my picky eaters, they immediately requested that I repeat this as soon as possible. The caramelized onions in combination with the spicy sausage and the spinach are exceptional!

  • jenmacgregor18 on September 07, 2018

    I used frozen, chopped spinach, that I cooked separately & then incorporated. It turned out well. good flavor with the sausage & cheese.

  • raybun on May 15, 2017

    Another winning recipe from this book. I used casarecce instead of orecchiette as that's what I had to hand and Toulouse sausages with a few grinds of chili flakes on the adults' plates. I couldn't find the chipotle & maple ones I knew I had somewhere in the freezer and was about to get frostbite so settled for the milder ones. I also sautéed some cremini mushrooms that needed eating in garlic butter and threw them in too. My family destroyed it, and requested it again SOON !

  • clcorbi on October 24, 2018

    SO good, and simple. I also used frozen spinach that I defrosted/wrung out before adding to the pan. The lemon definitely does make this, as does allowing the sausage to get really aggressively crispy. I also loved the caramelized onions and could have used more of them. Will be repeated for sure.

  • LMK on April 17, 2018

    This was really good. Followed the recipe exactly. Had a bit of trouble getting the spinach to wilt via heat from the pasta only. I continued to add pasta water (and eventually fresh water) and cook for quite a while after draining, this could be because I was using a tall deep pot, a wider more shallow pot/pan would probably work better. I might nuke the spinach for a few seconds before adding next time just to make incorporating it easier. Partner said this was his favorite pasta dish in a long while. I see it going into regular rotation.

  • Kduncan on November 28, 2018

    As other people have said incorporating the spinach is the most annoying part, it was a good workout for my stirring arm and why my pasta got to fully cooked. Other than that easy recipe with good results.

  • laur0684 on March 28, 2017

    Absolutely delicious! I will up the caramelized onions next time as they were my favourite part. Will definitely make again.

  • chawkins on February 24, 2022

    I made half a recipe using penne and increased the amount of sausage by 75%. We enjoyed it, it was very tasty but then I think that you need to use spicy sausage or else it might be a tad bland.

  • Melissa_427 on July 07, 2021

    Really enjoyed this dish. For future reference, I think I'll place the raw spinach into the colander as I pour the noodles/water through as I wanted that wilting process to be a little quicker so that the meal itself would come together quicker. But really, very satisfying!

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    I didn't think this recipe could improve on a classic but was pleasantly surprised. The lemon zest really lifts the whole dish and makes it special. We loved this.

• Banana and walnut (and chocolate) muffins

  • HIPchickDigs on January 19, 2026

    Easy and versatile! Love that she provides three versions, depending on what you feel like adding in.

  • skvalentine on March 13, 2023

    These turned out OK. My kids devoured them, and it's a good way to use up extra bananas, but they're not overly flavorful.

• Garlic buns

  • hirsheys on May 24, 2020

    This is a spin off from the jam buns. They were good, but a little dry - the butter runs out a bit… Not bad, but not the best version of these. [I made these to celebrate having garlic again after a long drought during the pandemic...]

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    So delicious. Would recommend using softened butter for the filling instead of melted butter to make it easier to spread and roll up. I skipped the egg wash. Use a 9x13 pan or an 1/8 sheet pan.

• Everything biscuits

  • Rutabaga on March 19, 2019

    This is a very good basic biscuit recipe, which I topped with Trader Joe's everything bagel seasoning. It lacks the cream cheese found in the Smitten Kitchen version, but both recipes are worth making, depending on what ingredients you have on hand.

  • Melissa_427 on November 25, 2021

    The layers in these biscuits were other worldly - not sure if it was the directions or just a perfect kitchen moment, but I'll always feel nostalgic for these beauts

• Cheddar and scallion biscuits

  • averythingcooks on May 16, 2021

    This is a very good buttermilk biscuit (& 1 of many variations she provides). At exactly 15 min I was worried they were over browned but they doubled in height and the little bit of crunch to the tops & bottoms are nice against the flakey interior. I patted the dough into a rectangle & cut 6 squares (from a 1/2 recipe) as it seems counterintuitive to re-roll dough (& we're fine with rough squares anyways:) . I now plan to try some of the other variations given.

• Jalapeño popper biscuits

  • Running_with_Wools on February 09, 2025

    I’m a biscuit-making amateur but these came out delicious! Packed with flavor. I used a smaller biscuit cutter and got 20. Definite keeper!

  • Rutabaga on May 05, 2019

    These are tender, lightly flavored savory biscuits. I split the dough and added pickled jalapeños to half, anticipating that the kids wouldn't appreciate peppers in their biscuits. As it was, I wish I would have added more jalapeños, as the small handful I added didn't quite have the flair I was looking for. Next time, I'd be a little more aggressive with the peppers, but they are good either way.

• A bowl of anything soup, anytime

  • pattyatbryce on May 12, 2021

    Less of a recipe and more of an idea. Her ratios were spot on. I made the pork and cabbage version, but subbed dill for the parsley. Fantastic!

• Onion soup

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    Made the version of this that shows up in Simply Julia. Tasty soup and very easy, but not something I would repeat.

• Aunt Renee's chicken soup

  • Madpalice on April 09, 2023

    This is the closest recipe to my Mom's chicken soup. It was absolutely wonderful. It was darker than my Mom's, I'm assuming it's because of the onion skins but the taste was perfect. My first ever Matzoh ball soup was a success thanks to this recipe.

  • valrutan on October 20, 2025

    Deeply comforting and flavorful. I will make carrots smaller next time. Also don’t leave chicken thighs in for the full three+ hours. Great as matzo ball soup base.

• Thai chicken soup

  • Jviney on January 28, 2023

    This felt like a missed opportunity, I think I'll change up some things if I make it again. In the end, it's a flavorful, kind of grey broth with a bit of heat and a small bit of chicken. I'd welcome the carrots she said to leave out, maybe some sweet potato or something else for substance. Both my kids ate it and enjoyed it, but I didn't keep the leftovers.

• Zucchini, red onion & pistachio salad

  • ksg518 on June 20, 2017

    This was very good. I made it as directed using dill as the main herb with some basil and hyssop mint added. The only issue I had was with the pistachios. Julia calls for browning them in olive oil for three minutes over medium high heat stirring them "now and then". One minute over medium high heat on my cooktop and I wondered if the smoke alarm was going to go off. I ended up browning them over medium heat for three minutes stirring constantly and I thought they still were a little too browned. I think you could substitute walnuts for the pistachios but my daughter said she thought the pistachios were the better choice. Of course, she wasn't the one shelling them.

  • hirsheys on July 01, 2018

    Made this a couple of times and liked it best with a few tweaks, though the concept is good. Important to use higher brine to oil ratio. I used brine from pickled okra as opposed to preserved lemons to get more acidity and added chopped preserved lemons to the mix. Used dill and cilantro.

  • mfranklin125 on January 18, 2018

    Made with dill and did my own measurement for brine and added leafy greens to make it more of a salad. Also added cheese :)

  • Samallyn6 on August 23, 2020

    Loved this recipe. My homemade preserved lemon brine was already salty, so I didn’t need to add more salt although I did use more brine than called for. Also, even though I read about the pistachios, they got away from me and were pretty dark. Still yummy. Bright, fresh, perfect for summer!

• Tin-foil kale & cherry tomatoes

  • Brittania on February 17, 2026

    Doesn’t take long. Pretty good. Uses a lot of foil. Try the spin-offs.

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    Great recipe, especially if you plan to use the grill already. Counterbalances any vinegar or saltiness from other foods on the plate.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Good! Easy! A little steamier than we preferred (?!), but tasty. Would leave the garlic out next time, surprisingly.

• Swiss chard with ginger & coconut

  • bernalgirl on March 14, 2025

    A simple preparation that steps outside my more Mediterranean-influenced approach to chard. I added garlic and a chopped red Fresno chile with the stems and really enjoyed this. Excellent with a squeeze of lime on top.

  • VineTomato on June 14, 2018

    I came across the recipe and happened to have some Swiss chard (my new favourite vegetable) in the fridge. So pleased I discovered this. Very simple to make. I served with black rice and some toasted peanuts in place of coconut sprinkles. Wonderful dinner. A word of caution to watch how much salt you add, given the fish sauce is incredibly salty.

  • Lepa on June 26, 2017

    This is pretty simple and tastes good. My kids enjoyed it because of the toasted coconut sprinkled on top.

• String beans with pork, ginger & red chile

  • Zosia on June 13, 2019

    Perhaps not as complex in flavour as other recipes of its type but still good, and very quick to make. I served it with brown rice as suggested.

  • Taylorlc on November 21, 2025

    Love this. Crave it. Serve over rice. My friends and son love it, too. On regular rotation

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    I made this in a wok. Had a hard time getting the green beans to cook through (they needed twice as much time), but maybe more oil would help next time. I was worried it would be bland so I added a heaping tbsp of Laoganma black beans in chili oil, which made this awesome. We couldn't get enough of the crispy pork bits.

  • Lepa on March 20, 2022

    I made this in my wok and it felt like something I had ordered in a restaurant (unlike many of my other attempts to stir fry). Really delicious.

• Creamed corn

  • Rradishes on January 03, 2018

    Made this as a side for Christmas eve dinner. So simple, and delicious! Actually has very little cream, mostly corn, so not so heavy but very flavorful. Some people were skeptical but it was devoured and requested again.

• Kinda, sorta patatas bravas

  • MollyB on November 18, 2019

    Great dish! Delicious as a side with grilled lamb chops - the sauce was good on the lamb, too. I did the recipe as written, with small, red potatoes and ketchup in the sauce. While the sauce would be great on basic roasted potatoes, I think the 2-step cooking process does give crispier results that I liked. We'll definitely be making this again!

  • pattyatbryce on February 10, 2019

    Really, really good. Not authentic, but a perfect side to a basic grilled meat and veg. Love this recipe. Just note the word 'divided" is missing in the paprika amount.

  • clcorbi on February 03, 2018

    YUM. These may not be authentic, but they are super-delicious. I simplified the technique even further by using cubed Yukon Golds rather than fingerlings, and skipping the boiling step. 40 minutes' worth of roasting was more than enough time to tenderize them perfectly. I would definitely repeat these.

  • raybun on March 28, 2017

    I can't compare to patatas bravas as I'm not sure I've eaten them before, but these are fabulous! I served them with Ottolenghi 's turkey & zucchini burgers, great combo!

  • hirsheys on March 05, 2017

    This is quite tasty and relatively easy. Not exactly patatas bravas, but the flavor does taste similar. A little heavy on the pimenton and I keep wondering if ketchup (adding a mild sweetness) would be better in the sauce. Overall, this is a keeper.

  • rglo820 on December 06, 2017

    I absolutely loved these. The sauce hit just about the same flavor profile as traditional patatas bravas, without the fuss of making two separate sauces. I'll definitely use the potato technique for other recipes as well; it produced a super-crispy potato evoking a fried one but using only a couple of tablespoons of oil.

  • TrishaCP on April 04, 2018

    We loved these. The texture of the potatoes was perfect. We used fingerlings but I like the idea of using Yukon gold potatoes next time. We used ketchup instead of tomato paste.

  • Rutabaga on December 22, 2020

    These are delicious! Definitely something to make again. My husband and I really liked the sauce, but the kids preferred them plain. Fortunately, leftover sauce can serve a variety of uses.

  • breakthroughc on April 29, 2023

    Absolutely delicious. I used baby Yukon gold potatoes. For my tastes the sauce needed some adjustments. As written the red wine vinegar was overpowering. I added extra mayonnaise and ketchup to balance it out. Great method for fixing roasted potatoes.

  • kirstencol on February 14, 2026

    Always a winner!

  • Babycarrot on July 03, 2023

    This was good, but I made a terrible user error and dumped way too much cayenne into the sauce making it reeeaally spicy for my palate. Won’t make that mistake again. The method of cooking the potatoes is a keeper. Subbed cilantro for parsley.

  • jhavens on May 03, 2026

    These were delicious. I really liked the sauce with them. I made with regular potatoes and although that would probably be better, the regular red potatoes worked.

• Grace's sweet potatoes

  • hirsheys on September 09, 2017

    These were delicious and surprisingly easy. I followed the recipe closely and it worked great. The only thing I might change is the shape of the onions - I don't love having strings of caramelized onions in among cubes of sweet potatoes and pancetta - it seems like the onions should be chopped as well. I don't know if chopped onions will caramelize as well, but I will definitely try it that way next time.

  • raybun on May 29, 2017

    I second Laur0684 that this is a 10 star dish. I will never cook sweet potatoes any other way in the foreseeable future! I forgot to press start on the timer, hence the dark hue but they tasted amazing nevertheless. Divine.

  • LMK on April 17, 2018

    I wasn't wild about this on it's own, probably because I'm not real big on sweet potatoes in general. But once I tried this mix on top a piece of toast spread with a layer of nice ricotta I saw the virtues of it. A sprinkle of smoked hot pimentón and squeeze of lemon was a nice touch on the finished toast as well. I'll make this again in toast form. Makes a good weekend brunch component or would make a good finger food for entertaining.

  • laur0684 on April 17, 2017

    If I could rate this 10 stars, I would! Incredible flavour and was the starring dish of our Easter meal.

  • Katielang on December 14, 2017

    So so yummy!

  • TrishaCP on November 28, 2019

    Incredibly delicious side dish, but very rich. I agree with Hirsheys that the strands of caramelized onions made it harder for them to integrate well into the dish, but I really liked what they brought to the table here.

  • ellwell on August 13, 2023

    FYI I made these again, a couple days ahead of time, and froze them. I let them thaw overnight because I was serving for breakfast. They lost a lot of their charm so I would not do that again.

  • ellwell on February 20, 2023

    These are amazing!

  • snoozermoose on January 15, 2022

    Absolutely delish!! I agree with TrishaCP that it's a bit rich for a side dish, but it makes an absolutely knockout breakfast with a fried egg on top. I don't think I can make sweet potatoes any other way now.

  • lou_weez on July 17, 2021

    YUM!!! I don't think I can add anything else that hasn't already been said.

  • chawkins on December 26, 2023

    Despite all the rave reviews, I think these were just okay, not quite worth all the work put into cutting the potatoes into 1/2” cubes. I much prefer a well bake sweet potato myself.

  • ksg518 on February 25, 2020

    As everyone says, this is delicious. It's well worth the time to properly caramelize the onions. This may become my favorite way to serve sweet potatoes.

• Roasted radishes with Kalamata dressing

  • hirsheys on March 18, 2017

    I bought radishes for some other recipe but didn't end up getting to it and these were about to go bad, so I made this. Thankfully, these tasted nothing like radishes, which I don't particularly like raw. Cooked, they are sweet and mellow and sort of creamy inside. The dressing was a great counterpoint, though my kalamatas were a bit more salty than I would have liked. I am going to leave off the parsley next time - I just don't think it added much.

  • TrishaCP on May 26, 2018

    The black olive and radish combination is as always delicious. I just prefer the flavor of raw radishes (no small victory for me!) and won't be repeating.

  • macfadden on May 01, 2017

    Keep an eye on the radishes as they cook. Mine were done after 20 minutes, less than half of the suggested time.

  • ezwriternc on August 16, 2020

    This didn’t work for me. Maybe i used too much dressing although i love Kalamata olives. Not great.

• Roasted mushrooms on toast

  • Yildiz100 on September 26, 2017

    I liked how these mushrooms turned out. Roasting them makes them pleasantly chewy and meaty. However, mushrooms get cold fast and combined with the creme fraiche this made for a chilly toast. I was using a fan forced oven so I reduced the temp to 205 C. Next time reduce further to 200. I will definitely roast mushrooms this way again, but probably will not make these toasts.

• Cauliflower with anchovy bread crumbs

  • Zosia on January 16, 2019

    We really enjoyed this. The crunchy crumb topping was delicious and made this simple roast cauliflower dish quite special. I used only half the oil.

  • Lepa on January 09, 2017

    I enjoyed the flavor but might reduce the oil next time.

  • pattyatbryce on February 10, 2019

    Super easy way to jazz up a dish you are already making (roasted veg).

  • raybun on May 21, 2017

    This was DIVINE! What a great way to jazz up this pretty neutral tasting vegetable. I obviously didn't tell the child there were anchovies in it and she wolfed it down. Served with the turkey & ricotta meatballs from the same book.

  • bernalgirl on May 15, 2024

    An outstanding combination, the umami crunch of the breadcrumbs elevates what is already one of my family’s favorite roasted vegetables.

  • shep0012 on May 23, 2026

    A nice way to jazz up roasted cauliflower. We made too many breadcrumbs and used them in a salad a few days later for an A+ crunchy, salty salad topper.

• Kasha & mushrooms with crispy salami

  • Rradishes on January 23, 2018

    This was good, my favorite part was the crispy salami. I don't think coating buckwheat in egg adds anything, but overall satisfying dish.

  • Lepa on November 19, 2019

    This was so unusual and satisfying. I haven't had kasha before but I am Eastern European and this checked all my food boxes. I will certainly make this again!!

• Curried red lentils with coconut milk

  • macfadden on May 19, 2017

    A version of this recipe was posted on Food52 suggesting using 2/3 c. French lentils and 1/3 cup red lentils. I found this change made the dish much more interesting and gave it better texture. In any case, the aromatics and spices are just right.

  • hirsheys on October 06, 2018

    Like others, I used a mix of french and red lentils (I went half and half) and cooked a bit longer... This is really quite lovely and deliciously fragrant (maybe from the turmeric + coconut?) It tends a bit salty, but wouldn't be with the dollop of yogurt and cilantro to serve that she suggests (I didn't have them...) The best part is that this is easy to make with pantry ingredients and cooked up for a super easy, healthy lunch.

  • Frogcake on March 04, 2018

    Really delicious! And so simple to make. I think you could eat this as a soup -why not? I served this as a light side with bbq’d salmon and fresh naan.

  • Lepa on December 09, 2017

    Wow, this such a simple and delicious dal. Like @macfadden, I used a combination of red and French lentils (1/2 and 1/2 in my case) and increased the cooking time to forty minutes. The result was creamy and delicious. We ate it with lots of naan and some okra & potatoes and it was so, so good. This is an especially good recipe for kids but the adults loved it, too.

  • clcorbi on April 26, 2018

    Made this with French lentils instead of red ones, and we really loved the change of texture from our standard dals. I agree that this dish is too salty on its own, but served over rice it's just right. This curry has a delicious flavor which makes me think the chicken or veggie variations would be awesome as well.

  • mfranklin125 on February 14, 2017

    This is yummy and simple. Can do without rice but kids love with. Goes great with salmon and veggies

  • Starrysky on August 15, 2017

    The combination of Cocnut and lentils is always a winner. Hard to screw up this recipe :) but go for less salt in this particular recipe

  • gamulholland on June 17, 2017

    Flavorful but too salty-- next time I will cut the salt in half. Otherwise delicious.

  • westminstr on June 19, 2022

    I didn’t have ginger or regular garlic, used a large shallot & the stalk and greens from a head of green garlic. All red lentils, coconut oil instead of olive oil, & finished with juice of half a lime. It turned out really nice, the consistency was perfect & I liked the coconut flavor. Served w rice, cilantro & chiles. I didn’t think it needed yogurt on top of the coconut milk.

  • cookinglikeimeanit on April 07, 2026

    Love this recipe and have made it a number of times. My only note is that I use 1 teaspoon of salt instead of the 2 teaspoons called for.

  • lou_weez on March 19, 2021

    This was lovely, easy dinner served over rice. I cut the salt back to 1.5 tsp but it was still too salty. Will cut back to 1tsp next time.

  • ellwell on November 18, 2022

    Very good. I made these for a quick dinner for myself. By the time most of the liquid was absorbed, they weren’t quite done. Next time I would add a little more liquid and cook a few minutes longer. While I was at the middle-eastern market today, I saw the most wonderful Turkish pide, so I bought the huge thing even though hubby was out of town. I served the lentils over basmati rice, added plain yogurt, and used the bread to sop up the wonderful juice. Then I made myself take the rest of the loaf, along with the cake over to the neighbor’s house so I would not eat it up!

  • snoozermoose on January 07, 2022

    Outstanding! My husband and I both made mmm noises as we ate. I disagree with others that this is too salty. If you serve it over plain unsalted rice (as rice should be), the seasoning is just right. It's my biggest pet peeve when a dish meant to go over rice tastes perfectly seasoned on its own but bland over rice.

• White bean salad with shaved fennel

  • Lepa on March 17, 2017

    We didn't love this. It was a bit blah.

• Crispy hominy & cheddar fritters

  • macfadden on May 01, 2017

    Good flavor but alarmingly salty. If you use table salt, I would suggest starting with 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon. The mixture already has cheese and salty canned hominy. Also, it says it serves four, but that seems optimistic.

• White bean and Parmesan fritters

  • bernalgirl on September 06, 2022

    What a disappointment. The uncooked mixture was delicious but the cooked texture was terribly unpleasant. They became so dusty-textured when fried that I tried them in the air fryer (15” on 450) where they formed up beautifully but look like cookies and have an unpleasant grainy texture. I didn’t serve them. An unusual fail from Julia Turshen.

• Roast pork loin with herbs & cream cheese

  • chawkins on October 19, 2019

    Very good and very pretty with the green spiral running thru the pork. However, her instruction on how to open up the pork loin is very sketchy. Since, my basil plant died a while back, I substituted with sage which is still thriving in the garden, and that complemented the pork well.

  • MollyB on March 12, 2020

    Great dish, and very pretty, too. Apart from the tying of the pork and washing the food processor, it was quite easy. We got it ready to go the night before, then took it out to warm up while the oven preheated, and that worked beautifully.

  • jenmacgregor18 on May 14, 2018

    tastes good & moist. D asked "What's the green stuff"? Just parsley, garlic & cream cheese. He's picky with vegetables; but it was a bit messy looking. I wouldn't serve as company food; but it's a good recipe for a repeat for the family.

  • southerncooker on March 26, 2017

    Small Victories recipe for tonight was Roast Pork Loin with Herbs + Cream Cheese. Family and I all agreed very good. I did end up using a tenderloin instead of a loin and shortened the cooking time.

  • Rradishes on June 26, 2017

    Really easy and really good

  • NJChicaa on April 01, 2018

    This is easy to make and absolutely delicious.

• Grilled skirt steak with pickled jalapeño relish

  • lhkelsey on November 09, 2016

    This was quick, delicious and easy to make. The relish was great and we will use it on eggs. Winner!

  • raybun on May 13, 2017

    We loved this too. It takes 20 minutes start to finish and the pickled jalapeño relish is really excellent. Served with the potluck quinoa and fresh corn on the cob.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    First time grilling! Steak was a little tough (our fault) but the relish was amazing.

  • ellwell on March 06, 2024

    This was a quick meal that had lots of flavor. I cooked it on my George Forman grill for 2 minutes (my skirt steak was thin) and that was just about right. I sliced the meat thin and put the salsa on top. It was better and more tender the more it sat in the salsa. Wonderful for a weeknight meal with a salad, not good enough to serve company.

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    Reliable recipe. The relish goes well with the steak, and was also perfect on grilled shrimp.

  • averythingcooks on December 19, 2025

    I gave my skirt steak a lemony, herby, garlicky marinade but the star here is this relish. As always for us, Thai basil replaced the cilantro & I am very happy to have a new way to elevate the (many!) jars of pickled jalapenos on my canning shelf. We agreed that we would eat this relish with lots of other proteins...especially eggs.

  • jenburkholder on September 04, 2022

    I marinated the skirt steak since I had time that day. Agree with everyone else - the relish is very good, so easy, and a nice accent to steak. It is worth making for any sort of grilled item that needs a little tangy punch. I'd reduce the oil a little and just add enough to moisten. Definite repeat.

• Flank steak with teriyaki sauce

  • TrishaCP on March 31, 2020

    This is more of an idea than a recipe. I don’t object to that, and I appreciated being able to use pantry ingredients during this particular time. But this was just ok. Adding garlic to the marinade would have made it much better.

• Brisket with apricots & prunes

  • Rradishes on December 10, 2017

    Good recipe. I had a 2.5lbs brisket that I cooked for about 2.5 hours being impatient. Great flavor, good winter meal. Didn't put any apricots in and I don't think it ,issued anything. Prunes provide nice sweetness.

  • Jviney on May 14, 2025

    This was really good. I had 4.5 lbs and braised it for nearly five hours. Served over buttered noodles - the family loved it and the house smelled amazing.

• Pork shoulder ragù

  • Astrid5555 on December 17, 2017

    Delicious, great outcome to effort ratio, happy family! I made only half the meat with 2/3 of the liquid. Would have liked to have more sauce in relation to the meat, will make again!

• Spicy pork sausage patties

  • crandall57 on July 28, 2024

    Delicious! I added 1/8 teaspoon fennel pollen to the spicy pork sausage.

• Turkey & ricotta meatballs

  • MollyB on May 03, 2020

    We loved this recipe. The light tomato sauce, in our opinion, worked really well with the herby-garlicky meatballs. I've only made this once, but I'm guessing that the quality of the canned tomatoes (we used San Marzano) and the ricotta probably makes a big difference in the results. That might account for the variety of experiences people have had with the recipe. We'll definitely be making it again!

  • Emily Hope on September 14, 2016

    These were a disappointment--perhaps my fault for following the recipe too literally, but by the time the meatballs had any sort of browning on them in the oven, they were clearly overcooked and surrounded by moisture on the baking sheet. That problem, coupled with the leanness of ground turkey (even dark meat, which we used) meant that these were dry, hard little balls of sadness, albeit flavorful ones. I'm not convinced that ricotta is an effective substitute for bread crumbs and milk, although I like the idea in theory. I'm still going to try the variation with sausage, which I imagine would be more successful with the higher fat content of sausage.

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    Unlike the previous reviewer, I found these meatballs tender and tasty, very good especially for turkey! I think it's the ample amount of basil and parsley that really set these apart. Ricotta is not any easier than bread crumbs and egg, but good to know about if you are cooking for someone with a gluten or egg allergy. I made a half recipe, would probably go ahead and make the full recipe next time and freeze half. I liked her sauce recipe as well (I omitted the water).

  • southerncooker on March 10, 2017

    I opted for the option of using Italian Sausage instead of turkey and my son picked out spicy Italian Sausage. Big hit with daughter, son and I. I did only make a half recipe. Sauce was good too.

  • jenmacgregor18 on March 14, 2017

    I had the same experience that Emily Hope did. Not a successful recipe for me. At the 15 minute mark in the oven, there was so much moisture in the pan, they were boiling. Then they were overcooked at the 25 min mark. I just don't think ground turkey works for me in this application. Maybe I'm doing something wrong; but I'm not sure that the ricotta is an effective sub for breadcrumbs. I'll stick to a more traditional meatball recipe.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    These were just okay for us. Definitely not the best meatballs I've made. I did appreciate the strong basil flavor, but they were slightly too dry for our taste. We both prefer meatballs made with beef and pork rather than turkey.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Simple, hearty, tasty. Spouse gives it 4/5 stars. We halfed the recipe.

  • sarah_6pau1d on March 29, 2026

    Easy crowd pleaser- made bc we have a GF family member so this was a hit.

  • ksambogna on July 02, 2019

    Quick and easy meatball recipe; prefer other sauce recipes

  • Melissa_427 on December 16, 2021

    What a mix of reviews! I decided to give these a go and was pleasantly surprised by how tasty they were. Since a common complaint seemed to be the moisture underneath the meatballs, I opted to bake them on a rack placed on the baking sheet which worked out beautifully. Mine didn’t seem to sloppy or hard to handle but I did end up making the mix and then forming the balls the next day after they had chilled. Definitely a repeat for me! Note: I didn’t make the tomato sauce and don’t intend to as I have other ways I intend to use these meatballs and other tomato sauces as needed.

  • lindseyshannon34 on June 14, 2020

    They overcooked at 425 for 25 minutes. I'd start checking them at 15 minutes next time.

  • stephcoelho on June 26, 2020

    I make meatballs a lot but I did not like these at all. They were too soft and crumbly and largely fell apart in the sauce.

  • KaraCooks on May 31, 2017

    I halved this recipe as well, added lots more basil. I cooked them at 300 in the oven just to get firm enough to put in the sauce. (15 minutes). Simmered in the sauce for 20...added lots of red chili flakes to the sauce as well. I loved this dish!!

  • KaraCooks on February 14, 2020

    I LOVE this recipe and make it often. I tweak the sauce a bit and partially pan fry the meatballs so I can get some colour on them.

  • lizbot2000 on July 15, 2017

    My kids turn up their noses at everything I cook because it's "too weird" (i.e., not nuggets or the exact chili they get at daycare), but they ate this enthusiastically. Seriously chowed it and told me it was good - I almost cried with happiness, for real. I was worried the meatballs wouldn't be cooked enough, because they weren't brown at all when I threw them in the tomato sauce, but I just turned up the heat on the tomato sauce for a little longer and they were fine. I'll definitely make this again.

  • lou_weez on April 12, 2021

    The meatballs were a little dry but still really flavourful. Next time will take them out of the oven earlier, as I left them in for the full 25 minutes. They were easy to roll and held their shape but only had browned bottoms. Served with pasta, this was a very hearty meal.

  • LMK on September 20, 2017

    We loved these, they had great flavor and texture. The basil and parsley really make them. The simple garlicky tomato sauce was a perfect compliment. One thing to note, the meatballs didn't brown at all (and never would have given how crowded and wet the sheet pan was) I took them out of the oven in the time given without waiting for color since they were going into sauce anyway.

  • clcorbi on September 11, 2017

    Well, we loved these. The sauce reminded me of the one from the Frankie's Spuntino cookbook, which I do prefer, but that one also requires like four hours of simmering. So, this one is a good tradeoff that's a lot faster and still tasty. We especially loved the meatballs--I did find that they were a bit hard to roll up, so they didn't look the prettiest, but their flavor was SO good because of all that basil. I also felt that this recipe was comparatively easier to throw together than most meatballs I've made, and still had a huge flavor payoff, so that's a win.

  • raybun on May 21, 2017

    I halved the recipe and there was enough for the three of us with leftovers. At 15 minutes I drained the liquid from the baking sheet and put them back in the oven for another 10 mins. I suspect my ricotta was not superior enough hence the excess liquid. The meatballs were perfectly cooked and were very moist and flavourful. I served them with the roasted cauliflower with anchovy breadcrumbs from the same book.

  • ksg518 on March 20, 2017

    My daughter and I liked these meatballs just fine, although we're not sure we'd make them again. Ours weren't dry at all, although I may have brushed them with more olive oil than the recipe calls for prior to putting them in the oven. Only some of ours browned in the oven, but we didn't want to keep roasting them and risk drying them out. I would have preferred a more traditional sauce with some onion.

  • Zosia on January 14, 2019

    Family liked but didn't love this. The meatballs were flavourful but a little dry even though I took them out of the oven after 18 minutes as soon as they were cooked through. The sauce was fine but I do prefer one made with onion where its sweetness tempers the acidity of canned tomatoes.

  • NJChicaa on April 01, 2018

    I've made these a few times and have been very happy with them. I do make meatballs often with ground turkey so it wasn't a huge flavor change for me.

  • Rutabaga on January 16, 2020

    These meatballs were good, and my older son really loved them - I think he ate at least ten in one meal! They were a little odd, however, because they flattened as they baked and released a lot of liquid. I used 85% lean ground turkey, which is higher in fat than most ground turkey, so perhaps this was the cause? They were still quite tender, but fell apart easily, so I might add a few breadcrumbs or an egg to bulk them up next time. Instead of making the sauce in the recipe, I used a jar of pasta sauce, and I omitted the basil since I had none on hand.

  • mamacrumbcake on June 08, 2020

    These were fine. The sauce was just average—my husband said it tasted like jarred sauce. The meatballs are extremely soft/wet when raw—difficult to handle and shape into baked. I think I might prefer the meatballs without the sauce.

  • mzgourmand on November 19, 2017

    This was voted a meh recipe at my dinner table, not worth doing again. I agree with the other reviewers who found the meatballs on the dry side, the whole milk ricotta didn't result in the tender meatballs the recipe promised & others describe. I thought the flavors were fine but ordinary - not hugely delicious, and given the time involved want more than just OK. Beyond that I actually found that I didn't love the turkey flavor here - and I use ground turkey to make kofte all the time. And I think the choice of meat/poultry did result in a drier meatball.

• Dad's chicken & leeks

  • jenmacgregor18 on March 01, 2017

    This is an easy prep & great results recipe and very adaptable. I added some carrots to the mix & a little wine. I browned for the 8 minutes per side. The chicken was beautiful. My only issue was the fond getting too dark with the 2nd batch of chicken. I pulled the chicken & added the broth at that point. So, next time I'm thinking I'll either use a pan with a wider base to get all the chicken in at once or add some broth after the 1st batch to remove the fond & set it aside, so I can brown the 2nd batch with a clean pan.

• Roast chicken with fennel, rosemary & lemon

  • chawkins on December 21, 2025

    Good, quick and easy. I had a 5 lb bird, marinated for a bit over two hours, convection baked at 400F, check temp at 54 minutes and it was over 170F already.

  • Jane on October 06, 2016

    This was a great roast chicken recipe. Completely drying the chicken inside and out before applying rub, then letting it sit at room temp for 2 hours gave a great flavored chicken with a lovely crisp skin. I served it with the rice pilaf with roasted red cabbage.

  • westminstr on March 26, 2018

    I didn't think I needed another roast chicken recipe, but I was wrong! The flavors in the rub were wonderful, and I ended up with such brown, crisp, flavorful skin and juicy, perfectly cooked meat. I halved the rub for a 3.5 pound chicken and that seemed like plenty. And it took about an hour to cook through at 425. I did it on a baking sheet with potatoes scattered around to roast in the juices, and served with a green salad. Great meal! 1/2/2020 Adding a note to say that I made this chicken again but had forgotten that I usually halve the rub. This time I used the whole amount. I definitely prefer a more subtle fennel & herb flavor & will halve the rub in future (though with the full amount of lemon zest if possible).

  • Emily Hope on October 25, 2016

    We are Zuni chicken partisans in my household, but this recipe gives it a run for its money. We loved the flavor of the dry rub; it smelled too fennel-y to me when I made it, but the fennel flavor in the finished dish was not overwhelming. I put the rub on in the morning and left the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator. The chicken was well-flavored but I'd like to try a longer resting time in the fridge as well. Served with homemade aioli, roasted brussels sprouts, and Dorie Greenspan's bread with olives and cheese (an OK combo but I would have preferred a salad, I think).

  • MollyB on March 10, 2020

    I used the rub on bone-in chicken thighs, and it was great. I love fennel in spice rubs. Cooked at 450F for 30 min, then 425 for about another 10. Will definitely try with a whole chicken.

  • TrishaCP on February 18, 2019

    The rub was great and the instructions produced a nice crispy skin. I was only able to let it rest with the rub for two hours but would go with at least an overnight rest next time.

  • Jviney on January 13, 2023

    One of the best roast chickens I’ve cooked, and the thermometer said I overcooked it. Tender, juicy, the rub was really delicious.

  • pattyatbryce on January 09, 2023

    Solid chicken recipe. Came out great and it was so easy.

  • raybun on May 26, 2017

    I adapted this recipe to use with drumsticks for a quick midweek option with great success. The marinade was delicious and so quick to prepare.

  • thefritschkitchen on October 24, 2023

    A very nice roast chicken - my chicken was well done at the hour mark, so check early, I don't think an hour 15 is needed to cook the chicken through.

  • anyah_h60oih on April 30, 2026

    Did chicken legs, done in 30 mins. Really grind the fennel next time

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    This was great and so easy. Just salted before fridge brine time and then added aromatics. Was great!!

• Jennie's chicken pelau

  • hirsheys on September 22, 2017

    I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this one. As I ate it, I loved it in certain bites and was less excited in others. I enjoyed the meal and found the pelau quite filling, but it's not something I absolutely have to make again. I used chicken breasts and would again. Don't overdo the thyme. My rice took more like 30 mins than the 20 mins she said. Also, next time I would cook the veggies a bit longer so they were softer. This is filling and interesting, but not something I will make regularly.

  • lizbot2000 on July 12, 2017

    This was really delicious and really easy. I didn't burn the sugar quite as much as I probably should have, but it was still good. Made a huge amount, and since it's pretty filling we'll have lots of leftovers for the rest of the week. A very good weeknight dinner.

  • purrviciouz on June 19, 2021

    I felt this improved as leftovers.

• Buttermilk & pimentón fried chicken

  • MollyB on December 14, 2020

    Loved it! One of the best fried chicken recipes I've tried! I was skeptical about the spicy honey, but it was really nice drizzled on when serving. I didn't totally follow the cooking technique - I shallow-fried it as instructed until golden brown, then finished it in a 350-deg. oven. This worked really well, and let me have the whole chicken finished at the same time.

• Indecision grilled chicken

  • TrishaCP on June 01, 2019

    We definitely enjoyed this chicken, though it is on the milder end of the spectrum in terms of foods that we like. I would say that the longer you can marinate it, the better.

  • westminstr on July 17, 2020

    Made as written and turned out well! Used boneless thighs & breast tenders on the grill. I’d up the salt a bit next time but would do again.

  • Jane on May 17, 2017

    This was great and very easy to put together. I marinated breasts and thighs for 3 hours which gave a really good flavor. I served it with Best rice pilaf with roasted red cabbage on page 129. Update - the next night I made the rest of the chicken which had been marinating for more than 24 hours and the flavor was even better.

  • purrviciouz on May 21, 2019

    I thought this was great and I'd definitely make it again. I doubled the herbs and salt and served with a simple green salad and rice pilaf.

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    Really enjoyed this. Something to make when you want to go all out with the side dishes and need something simple to go alongside.

  • ksambogna on July 02, 2019

    I've chopped the chicken into bite sized pieces, marinated for a few days, and then roasted in the oven on a foil lined baking sheet with excellent results. Served at my son's graduation party and everyone wanted the recipe.

  • pattyatbryce on April 26, 2021

    Just so-so. Too many other good recipes for chicken to do this one again.

  • averythingcooks on August 25, 2022

    We really enjoyed this flavourful grilled chicken beside some crispy potatoes + a dipping sauce and a pile of garden vegetables blistered in the air fryer. As another commenter touched on, I had the sides already planned and wanted a good grilled meat to serve with them. I went a bit lighter on the sage and topped it up with fresh oregano, I marinated boneless skinless thighs for around 6 hours and I would do this again.

  • raybun on May 10, 2017

    We really liked this, so easy to throw together in the morning and grill/ bake in the evening. I used legs and oven baked them for about 20 mins each side.

  • NJChicaa on April 01, 2018

    I didn't love the flavor of this chicken as much as I wanted to. I probably won't make it again.

  • alex9179 on May 02, 2017

    So easy and very good! Cooking instructions and timing are perfect.

  • Rutabaga on January 20, 2020

    Something went terribly wrong when I made this dish, so I'm not rating it. The texture was very rubbery, unlike anything I've encountered before, and was so unappetizing that we were unable to eat it. I'm guessing that either the chicken had marinated too long, or it wasn't good meat to begin with, or some combination of the two. Since the recipe mentioned it could marinate overnight, I let it marinate all day, about 11 hours. I've marinated chicken in a citrusy mixture for most of the day before without this issue, but perhaps in this case there was too much lemon juice. I would like to give it another go, but marinate the chicken for no more than one hour.

  • VineTomato on May 22, 2017

    Nice flavour, but not that exciting. I use mini breast fillets and grilled 5 minutes per side on a cast iron griddle pan, which cooked them perfectly. Served with cavelo nero massaged with lemon and olive oil, croutons and parmesan as a kind of caesar salad.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    So flavorful! We roasted it, because we didn’t have a grill, but it was excellent. Served with potluck quinoa from same cookbook.

  • Cakeight on February 15, 2026

    Let chicken marinate overnight and bake in the oven for a tender treat.

• Chicken & pea skillet pie

  • hirsheys on September 02, 2017

    I really loved this. It would be great for entertaining (more for close friends/family than fancy guests). I was expecting more of a creamy looking sauce because she talks about replacing bechamel with creme fraiche. It definitely tastes creamy, but doesn't look it. Still the dijon makes it really special. My timing on this was a little off because I didn't follow her directions well - cook the chicken before you get started so that the chicken is cool enough to shred and the dough can be rolled out and put directly on. Good with a vinegary salad to cut the richness. {ETA - it looks very pretty done in a pie plate... Nieces didn't like, too grown up.}

  • Rutabaga on June 03, 2019

    Delicious - I really liked how the creme fraiche kept the chicken tender and imparted a pleasant light tang to the dish. I went a little light on the mustard, since my husband is not a mustard fan, but it's true that it imparts a special umami to the dish, so I definitely wouldn't leave it out. I also made it easier by using a rotisserie chicken rather than cooking my own chicken breasts. The kids liked it, except for the shallots (although they probably ate half of the shallots anyway, since they blended into the chicken so well).

• Old Bay shrimp cocktail

  • hirsheys on June 04, 2021

    Inspired by MollyB’s review, I picked up shrimp to make these last night. I love boring shrimp cocktail, so I don’t think this will replace the usual (which is less work), but I liked that this version tastes like a shrimp boil and the sauce is interesting and definitely grows on you. Not sure I’ll make this again, but I was happy to try it tonight.

  • MollyB on June 03, 2021

    This was great! My husband commented that he's always thought shrimp cocktail was boring but that this was different, and way better. The sauce was very nice with the baked potatoes we had along with it. (It was a weeknight meal with what we had in the house, and worked surprisingly well.)

• Scallops with chile-and-parsley bread crumbs

  • Brittania on February 17, 2026

    Delicious - both the scallops and the breadcrumbs.

• Broiled anything with garlic & parsley butter

  • westminstr on January 09, 2026

    I used this on some pollack from the farmers market. It came out perfectly & was very flavorful! A great simple prep I’m sure I’ll do again.

  • vickster on May 13, 2017

    Delicious! I made mahi mahi, and I am eager to try this with other fish, particularly salmon.

  • Jviney on September 12, 2022

    This is delicious, and so forgiving. I didn’t have a shallot on hand, and had to sub basil for the parsley. We used halibut in the preparation and it was just that little bit crisp around the edges and the flavor was perfect. Served it alongside summer tomato pasta. A favorite meal.

  • clcorbi on October 04, 2017

    Yum! We made this with cod and it was amazing. SO fast and weeknight-friendly, too. I'd like to try this with shrimp next and serve them over rice or pasta.

  • Lepa on July 23, 2017

    We really loved this treatment for fish. I used it on some nice cod and it was absolutely delicious. I can tell this is a recipe I will return to repeatedly.

• Roasted salmon with maple & soy

  • westminstr on September 20, 2017

    I have made this twice. Both times with half recipe of the marinade for about a pound of wild salmon cut into three - four serving pieces. I really loved this marinade and would make this dish all the time if my kids liked it. It has a ton of flavor for something that comes together so quickly. Unfortunately my son likes the marinade but not the salmon and my daughter loves salmon but hates the marinade. They could grow into this, but I will (unfortunately) have to wait a while before trying again.

  • TrishaCP on October 03, 2022

    I also didn't bother chopping the fillets- will try that next time. We really liked this recipe.

  • raybun on May 29, 2017

    We loved this, the marinade was delicious! I kept the fillets whole and roasted them for 15 minutes. I used toasted white sesame seeds and a couple of drops of sesame oil on top. Served with Grace's sweet potatoes (same book) & steamed green beans. Definitely a keeper for us, empty plates all round.

  • Lepa on January 04, 2017

    I had thick cuts of salmon and I cooked them for 15 minutes. They were overdone and dry and the marinade didn't taste good but I suspect this is my fault for overcooking the fish. I am intrigued enough by the recipe to try again and keep a close on on the fish to avoid overcooking.

  • Jviney on April 06, 2021

    I made this verbatim. The salmon was easier to chop up than I anticipated, and I pulled it from the oven at 10 minutes - perfect. Served it with the Bibb Salad with Garlic Dressing from this cookbook and it was a dinner that could literally be assembled and cooked in less than 20 minutes.

  • ChelseaP on August 05, 2021

    This is my favourite salmon recipe except that I leave the fillets whole. It's so easy, full of flavour, and everyone loves it.

  • mfranklin125 on February 14, 2017

    I didn't chop up salmon. Just marinated and baked Whole. It was great.

  • Rradishes on August 10, 2022

    I think the trick of roasting salmon cut up in cubes instead of a filet is a great one, especially if you want your toddler to eat it. More surface area to crisp up and absorb the sauce. Next time I would brush left over sauce at the very end of baking though, to give it more color and flavor. But the glaze is simple is delicious, will definitely make it again, even 2 year old ate it.

  • pistachiopeas on March 23, 2017

    I didn't chop up the salmon either. Made a few salmon fillets. Cooked for 12 minutes--would do a couple less next time. Served with rice and salad. Delicious!

  • Yildiz100 on September 24, 2017

    I did cut mine up to get more surface area for the marinade. I found they were slightly overdone after 10 minutes. The marinade is a bit too sweet to me and I will probably go back to just winging it for soy salmon in the future.

  • susankay on January 14, 2023

    I make this regularly. I always cut the salmon in cubes, like the recipe says. They only take about 8-10 minutes to cook.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    I cut my salmon into large chunks and followed the recipe exactly, pulling the fish out at the lower end of the cook time. I was surprised to find them perfectly cooked. They did need some extra salt and I felt the teriyaki flavor could've been stronger. Next time I would let them marinade for an hour or more to really get the flavor in there. Update: Marinaded them for half an hour and they were much better!

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Very easy, but flavor wasn’t super strong. Would try again though.

  • Bessp on July 29, 2025

    This was a lovely, quick weeknight dinner. I served with rice and a tomato-cucumber salad. I marinated the salmon chunks rather than just brush them with the sauce, it worked quite well. If I make this again, I'll probably add some sriracha for a bit of heat.

  • eileentien on December 28, 2022

    Very easy to make. The flavor is ok.

• Crispy fish with bacon & chives

  • chawkins on January 24, 2022

    I made half a recipe using flounder fillet that were very thin, thus there were much more surface area to be coated and I did not have enough coating. I also skipped the chives because I did not have any. But it tasted great and wherever I had enough coating, it was crispy.

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    We thought this was just okay. The bacon overpowered the flavor of the fish for me, and it needed a lot of lemon juice to brighten it up. I suspect if I had used a better fish (I used tilapia which is all my grocery store had left), this would've been more enjoyable.

  • Zosia on January 18, 2019

    I've never thought to pair bacon with white fish but the combination works if you don't mind the fish taking a backseat (family who merely tolerate fish liked this very much). I really liked the effect of the cornstarch in the flour dredge and will use this with other recipes.

  • mharriman on July 09, 2019

    Really nice flavors and texture. I made my fish with hake and it pan fried easily. I served the hake with boiled baby red potatoes in a dab of butter and asparagus. The crispy fish and bacon with the cut up potatoes reminded us of pub meals we’ve had in England. The cornstarch & flour fish coating was enough to get a crisp exterior but not so thick as to overtake it. Certainly not a gourmet meal but good comfort food.

  • Lepa on April 26, 2021

    OMG, this recipe is SO GOOD. I followed the recipe exactly and it resulted in stunningly good fish. We ate this with salad and rice/peas and it was one of the best dinners we have had in recent memory. Try this recipe!!!

  • ezwriternc on January 21, 2022

    Easy and good. I’m so never thought if pairing bacon with white fish. I used barrimundi. The splash of lemon really brightened it up.

• Flounder with roasted tomatoes & black olives

  • bernalgirl on June 28, 2024

    This is an easy and delicious recipe!Made as written and I’d do so again although I found the soft texture the flounder unsettling and next time I’d choose red snapper or cod.

  • TrishaCP on January 21, 2019

    This recipe is really good bang for your buck. I served it over couscous. Can’t wait to try the other variations.

  • lilham on September 19, 2017

    I made this to serve with spaghetti. Quick and simple dinner. Agree with others to increase the amount of tomatoes to get more sauce.

  • southerncooker on March 10, 2017

    Daughter, son and I loved this one. I used chives for the herb. Great for a week night meal. Quick and easy.

  • blintz on April 30, 2020

    Made this again and used the Spanish variation. No fresh tomatoes so I used a frozen batch of tomato confit I’d made at the end of last summer. The pimenton/piquillo pepper combo was a hit. (Found the peppers waaay back in the cupboard and ignored the use by date. It’s quarantine cooking after all. )

  • blintz on January 22, 2017

    Agree with Jane! Easy and tasty recipe and the first time I've used this new book. Made with local flounder and kalamata olives. I might double the tomatoes next time because it needed a bit more "sauce." Served with grilled garlic toasts. All the variations sound just as good and just as easy.

  • westminstr on March 08, 2017

    I made this dish when I was recovering from the flu, and I really appreciated it then because it is so very easy. There's also a lot of flavor from the roasted tomatoes. I've made similar recipes before that call for roasting everything together at the same time - this one which starts the tomatoes earlier has better flavor. I used crappy winter grape tomatoes and roasted them an extra 10 min as suggested, and they turned out flavorful. I served it in the sheet pan just as in the photo, and paired with green salad and bread as suggested. Also she doesn't suggest this but in the summer I think you could do the whole thing in a cast iron skillet on the grill and it would be awesome. Made again 10/16 subbing chopped fresh tomato, green olives, red onion, capers. Very good and loved the capers!

  • Jane on September 25, 2016

    A very quick and easy dinner. I made it with talapia - any flat white fish would work. The tomatoes were somewhat charred on top after 20 minutes so maybe turn them half way through. But they tasted fine. I liked the combination of white fish with tomatoes, olives, shallot, garlic and herbs. She has lots of interesting variations on the recipe which I plan to try too.

  • ksg518 on February 14, 2017

    I agree with Lepa that this isn't very exciting. I think the herbs would have benefited from some lemon zest. However, I may try the Spanish variation which sounds like it has more of a kick.

  • Lepa on February 08, 2017

    This wasn't a huge hit in our house. It was okay but not super exciting.

  • pattyatbryce on July 02, 2020

    My husband selected this recipe and then cooked it for me when I was sick. Super easy and came out great. He may not need me anymore.

  • Orleams on May 29, 2026

    Very good. Made it with 1 can diced tomatoes and it came out fine. Used fresh oregano and marjoram for herbs as I have tons of it.

• Halibut with chermoula in parchment

  • MollyB on November 28, 2017

    Very good! The chermoula seemed awfully strong before baking, but it mellowed as it baked and came out tasting great. I used mahi-mahi instead of halibut, which worked well.

  • ellwell on November 15, 2022

    The parchment made the fish nice and moist. The chermoula sauce was good but it was not a spectacular addition to the fish. We had leftover “uncooked” sauce that we added when the fish was plated, and liked it better as a dipping sauce than something to cook with the fish.

• Coconut "ice cream" with lime & mango

  • hirsheys on March 05, 2017

    Works relatively well, though my blender had a little trouble with it. I also would leave out the salt next time. Tomorrow night, I'm going to try with raspberry instead of mango.

  • pattyatbryce on July 02, 2020

    Perfect dessert for our friends - he is dairy intolerant and she is the ice cream queen. A happy medium for both!

• Peach & bourbon milkshakes

  • SheilaS on August 29, 2023

    Absolutely delicious - I might have added a little extra bourbon!

  • TrishaCP on September 12, 2017

    Necessary if you like ice cream, peaches, and bourbon.

• Happy wife, happy life chocolate cake

  • MollyB on May 21, 2021

    Easy and good cake (though not great). The frosting was easy to make and to handle, and made just the right amount, but I wanted more chocolate flavor. I might try a dark chocolate ganache next time. I would definitely make this again if I want a quick, good cake. I liked it better the second day out of the fridge.

  • hirsheys on March 12, 2017

    This cake was quite easy and very tasty. We made it for my sister's birthday. Mine came out flatter than the pictures, but I think that might have been due to the help I received from my 8 year old niece, rather than the recipe itself. Regardless, we all enjoyed the taste very much. This is a nicely grown up dump-it cake and is not too sweet. The whole thing is super easy, too.

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    Love this cake! Make it all the time. It keeps really well in the fridge and the sour cream makes the frosting so tangy and delicious.

  • bwhip on March 09, 2017

    Really tasty cake, simple to make with great texture and flavor. I made them as cupcakes, as I didn't have a couple of 8" cake pans readily available. My frosting was a little tough to spread smoothly over the slippery raspberry jam, due to it setting up fairly stiff. Recipe calls for room temperature sour cream (mine was still pretty cold), though it does recommend cooling it in the refrigerator after combining with the melted chocolate. The flavor combination of chocolate, raspberry, and tangy sour cream frosting is excellent.

  • mzgourmand on November 19, 2017

    Really delicious & Easy chocolate cake recipe - skipped the raspberry jam as there were resistant children in the party! I bake a lot & was impressed by this one - will definitely be making it again in the future.

  • Tatiana131 on February 20, 2018

    I was totally unimpressed with this cake. It was a fluffy, not too sweet cake, that didn't have a particularly delicious flavor, and tasted very faintly of baking soda. The sour cream frosting was not a great hit, nor did it complement the cake all that well. The raspberry jam made it reminiscent of black forest cake, but without the whipped cream to temper the sourness. Not a great cake in our house, maybe 2.5/5.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Excellent! Pretty easy too! Cake is light but moist and tender.

• Berry & buttermilk cobbler

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 21, 2017

    This was the recipe I was looking for. Not too sweet or too rich & a good proportion of fruit to dough . Very quick & easy. I used a mix of red & black raspberries. I added a little over 3/4 c sugar to berries as my raspberries were tart.

  • Emily Hope on October 18, 2016

    This was a tasty, basic cobbler. It comes together very quickly (as promised). I used frozen blueberries plus one basket of fresh raspberries, which seemed to work well, though I wish I had added a little bit more sugar. Mine came out looking like a traditional cobbler--the pic in the book makes the dough look a little more like a sponge cake. Served with ice cream for dessert, and creme fraiche for breakfast :-)

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    Made this as a peach cobbler with 2.5lb of peaches (increased to accomodate the pits). The vanilla ice cream is a must, and serve the cobbler warm.

  • Lepa on February 06, 2018

    I wasn't crazy about this. It was too tart (I used 1/3 blackberries, 1/3 raspberries and 1/3 blueberries), there wasn't enough biscuit (and it was a bit tough). I think I may be ruined after making the Smitten Kitchen Magic Apple Plum Cobbler; nothing quite compares to that one.

  • Rutabaga on September 22, 2019

    I made this for breakfast using mostly blackberries along with a handful of blueberries. I liked the tartness of the berries, but my older son still found it too sweet - maybe it was the topping, which is sweeter than plain biscuits? We also served it with creme fraiche, a winning combination for the adults and my younger son. As Rradishes wrote, there doesn't seem to be enough dough for the amount of berries; I would try increasing it by half. I only baked mine for 45 minutes. The filling was still a little soupy, but it was fully cooked and delicious nonetheless.

  • Rradishes on August 25, 2017

    Very easy, but little dough to berry ratio. Some might like that, but the dough was quite good so i might increase the amount next time.

  • julesamomof2 on March 08, 2020

    This made a delicious dessert using grocery store blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. I made a couple of changes based on the other reviews. I tasted my berries and increased the sugar by 2 tablespoons to balance the tartness level. And I increased the cobbler topping by 1/2 - as written there wouldn't have been enough dough. Using mixed berries meant I didn't need to plan ahead and ripen fruit over days, so it was a nice last minute option.

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    Make this all the time. Really easy and delicious with vanilla ice cream.

• Whiskey & maple syrup sour

  • hirsheys on March 05, 2017

    Good version of a classic - the proportions were good. I didn't have seltzer/club soda, so just added a splash of cold water. The maple taste isn't strong here.

  • nadiam1000 on October 27, 2019

    Being from Canada I love anything with maple syrup and always have some on hand. This is a great balance of flavors and very enjoyable. This made me love Bourbon.

  • nutrica6 on September 10, 2023

    So easy. One of the best cocktails I've made at home. Can easily sub simple syrup for maple syrup.

  • ezwriternc on August 16, 2020

    A winner. Didn’t have seltzer so i used tonic. Will definitely make again with seltzer.

  • stockholm28 on September 02, 2017

    Very tasty. I did make this in a cocktail shaker (cleaning a bowl and a whisk did not seem like a small victory to me). I thought the real small victory was the maple syrup since I didn't have to make simple syrup.

  • Rutabaga on January 15, 2020

    Delicious and refreshing, this is also an easy drink to make, and can be made as a batch. We couldn't really taste the maple, but using maple syrup was an easy way to add just a touch of sweetness.

• Cold elixir

  • hirsheys on July 01, 2018

    This is not good for a sore throat, though it does taste good. The vinegar/cayenne is far too strong if you have a sensitive throat. I'm sure it does wonders on a stuffy sinus, though.

  • MollyB on January 08, 2018

    This recipe is fabulous! I made it a couple of times when I had a cold recently and it both tasted great and made me feel better.

  • Astrid5555 on October 16, 2016

    Just made this for my husband who has a terrible cold. Cannot say anything about its effectiveness yet, but it really tastes amazing!

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Spouse made this for me when I was sick. It was good!

• Cilantro & scallion sauce

  • hirsheys on April 09, 2017

    This wasn't terribly exciting for me - I put it on noodles. Maybe if you let it sit a bit longer? (I used it right away.)

  • ezwriternc on August 16, 2020

    Simple and good. Ate with crab cakes.

• Arugula & walnut pesto

  • bernalgirl on June 17, 2022

    This is very tasty pesto on pasta, salmon, roasted vegetables, or plainly cooked white beans. The peppery arugula and walnuts would be great with pecorino

  • Frogcake on March 04, 2018

    We loved the tastes in this pesto, which was mildly herby (compared to the classic pesto) and not too salty or garlicy. A Perfect condiment on fish or chicken or any meat, and tossed with whole wheat pasta. Also good as a salad dressing (as Julia suggests) with some lemon. I might even prefer this to the classic basil pesto.

  • snoozermoose on June 04, 2022

    This was delicious and very easy! I tossed it with penne and topped it with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes. Great use of too much arugula.

• Classic basil pesto

  • bernalgirl on June 17, 2022

    A good and very classic pesto. Nothing to complain about here.

  • averythingcooks on June 09, 2024

    Perfect, classic pesto.

• Chile, lemon & parsley crème fraîche

  • kari500 on September 30, 2017

    This is fantastic. I imagine it would be good with almost anything. I served it with roasted turbot.

  • Yildiz100 on September 12, 2017

    Simple to throw together and delicious served with smoked salmon.

• Horseradish sauce

  • bernalgirl on February 12, 2024

    This is a solid horseradish sauce that was a tasty addition to home-smoked tri-tip sliders.

• Pickled red onions

  • MollyB on March 06, 2025

    Very nice, easy, pickled onion recipe. I really like the "put everything in a jar and shake it" technique.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Made to eat with chilaquiles from same cookbook. Delicious and simple!

  • goatgremlin on March 21, 2024

    Makes for a very good "quickle pickle" too, if the vinegar, salt, sugar and peppercorns are first brought to a boil, then taken off heat as the onions are added. A steep of 30 minutes or so gives bright pink onions that last very well refrigerated.

• Raspberry & blackberry jam

  • nadiam1000 on April 09, 2020

    Delicious - quick and easy jam. Fresh and bright berry jam - not too sweet. Makes about 12 oz (filled a Bon Maman jam jar). I will be making this one again and plan to try some of the variations.

  • averythingcooks on July 24, 2021

    I cut this in 1/2 for my 1st try as gift to the jam lover in the house. I was heavier on the raspberries vs blackberries (this time) but a quick taste from T resulted in raves. We both appreciate the smaller amt of sugar....another recipe I checked basically had 3x the sugar for close to the same # of berries. I will continue to make small jars of this to stash in the fridge.

• Caviar canapé

  • TrishaCP on December 27, 2020

    Yes, this was a delicious bite.

  • kari500 on June 06, 2019

    This is a great way to make something a little more special with someone who gets that it's goofy.

• Chickpea curry

  • Jane on May 02, 2017

    I wanted something quick and easy as I was starting dinner very late. This fit the bill. I used broccoli, cauliflower and mixed greens (kale, spinach, collards, etc) for the vegetables and a can of light coconut milk with water added to the 500 ml mark for the liquid. I knew when adding it that one heaped teaspoon of curry powder was not going to add enough flavor but still I persisted. Halfway through it tasted very bland so I added two tablespoons of Thai green curry paste which boosted the flavor. This was an OK curry for a quick and easy vegetarian dinner but definitely needs more spicing. If I make it again I will make a spice paste at the start when frying the onions.

• Quick chicken chili verde

  • bernalgirl on July 07, 2022

    A very flavorful use for leftover grilled chicken breasts. I used Rancho Gordo moro beans, this was a delicious chili variation that I'm happy to return to for an easy and warming meal.

  • debbates on February 07, 2026

    I used this simple recipe as a base for a large pot of Flexible Chili Verde. Cooked up the soup base as described ( but in larger qty & with veg broth) then added minced kale and corn along with the beans. Finished with oat milk cream. At this point, divided the base and added rotisserie chicken to one half for the meat eaters in the fam.

  • snoozermoose on July 29, 2022

    Very easy and a good use of leftover chicken meat (I used Costco rotisserie chicken). It was too tart for my husband and me, but next time we'll add some cheese to help tone down the acid.

• Korean-style mussels

  • SheilaS on April 23, 2024

    Mussels are always a quick easy meal and this was a fun variation. I added some rice to my bowl.

• Dates with mascarpone

  • jenmacgregor18 on January 22, 2023

    This is good. I also swap out with cream cheese, which is great too.

  • Yildiz100 on September 15, 2017

    So delicious and simple enough to make for a late night snack. Next time I might garnish with a little crushed pistachios for color.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Amazing! A repeater in our house.

• Garlicky kale

  • goatgremlin on May 21, 2024

    This is very good and very quick. I finished it off with a glug of white balsamic vinegar; I imagine anything acidic would be equally good.

• Flounder with browned butter

  • chawkins on November 18, 2021

    Simple, fast and quick dinner.

• Spaghetti with anchovy bread crumbs

  • AminaBear on April 18, 2026

    Makes a ton of breadcrumbs. But very good.

• Brown rice pilaf

  • VineTomato on November 16, 2021

    Used brown basmati rice, the recipe took 10 minutes longer and needed about 150ml of extra water. As delicious as the white rice version. Served this with roasted king oyster mushrooms.

• Falafel-like fritters

  • Rutabaga on May 23, 2020

    These were very tasty, but also very crumbly. Be very gentle with them while frying, and be sure that the oil is hot enough, otherwise they may fall apart. Perhaps another egg would help them hold together better. I used a meat grinder to puree the chickpeas, and substituted basil for scallions or other herbs. The flavor combination was great and the texture very light.

• Country ham with Henley mustard sauce

  • ldebuys on April 05, 2026

    I make this every time we have ham. It's so easy and is a nice little extra to jazz up the ham. We don't even have it with country ham as indicated, but I bet that would be great.

• Dry-rubbed ribs

  • purrviciouz on January 27, 2020

    This was fantastic and will make these regularly. I'd never made ribs before and am so happy with the way these came out, I'm literally counting the minutes until i can have my leftovers for lunch right now. I used a dry rub gifted from a friend and then a mustard bbq sauce. Seriously, so good.

• Chicken-apple-maple breakfast sausage patties

  • hbakke on August 11, 2019

    Delicious and very simple to make. We used ground turkey in place of the chicken but they were fantastic. I couldn't taste the apple but it provided a much needed moisture to normally dry ground poultry. Will make again. I've made this again with leftover ground pork and it was just as tasty.

• Merguez burgers

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    These were very nice and relatively easy to make. I'm not sure if we'll necessarily repeat them but they were tasty.

• Sausage and ricotta meatballs

  • averythingcooks on August 24, 2021

    This is one of 2 variations given for her turkey & ricotta meatballs and I used sausage that my butcher calls “sweet with heat”. Julia basically says “everything stays the same other than sausage in place of turkey”, but I used far less salt (as sausage meat typically has tons of seasoning) and I baked them on ungreased parchment. We both LOVED them with marinara served open faced on cheesy garlic toasts. I will for sure make these again.

• Moroccan meatballs

  • nutrica6 on May 05, 2026

    These are great. I was skeptical the cinnamon stick in the sauce would add anything but it was the perfect hint of flavor. The meatballs stayed together nicely without falling apart. I served it with farro but couscous or crusty bread would also be good.

• Slightly Vietnamese braised chicken

  • MonicaMadeIt on September 16, 2023

    I made this with chicken breasts and a red cabbage. I added half an onion during braising because it needed to be used up. Only cooked the chicken breasts for about 20 minutes until done. Topped with peanuts and cilantro and served with white rice. We enjoyed it.

• Greek-ish grilled shrimp

  • pattyatbryce on July 02, 2020

    Very good and easy. Is it authentic? Probably not. However, it's great for a weeknight and I'd definitely make again.

  • nutrica6 on October 21, 2025

    So easy to make, and a big hit. Definitely splurge on nice shrimp if you can, this dish showcases them perfectly. I served it with grilled veggies and some butter pasta. Would also be good with crusty bread. The tomato salad worked well with it too!

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Incredible! An excellent meal that really didn’t take long. So good. Would make it again for guests.

• Korean clambake

  • snoozermoose on August 28, 2022

    Just as fun and delicious as Julia Turshen promised! It was so much easier than I thought, and we couldn't get enough of that gochugaru butter (left out the kimchi juice because my husband doesn't like the combo of kimchi and butter). Even though I only served this for two, it would make an impressive and super easy dinner party meal.

• Garlic bread

  • averythingcooks on March 27, 2022

    I tried this because it had a few extra touches. I will say that we did like the addition of shallot and T agreed with Julia that this butter would be good on shrimp etc. However, we also decided that (at least for us), lemon zest does not really belong on garlic bread.

• Korean-style chicken wings

  • PinchOfSalt on July 25, 2020

    The sauce described for the chicken wings was great with a pound of chicken drumsticks. I added some gochugaru to it for a bit of heat. Combine everything in a baking dish, bake at 375F for about an hour, turning once half way through. Nice and not too sweet.

• Italian halibut in parchment

  • dedosmagicos on March 22, 2017

    This is an awesome quick recipe - I made it with salmon and added some veggies (cherry tomatoes and string beans) to the packet as well. Using jarred pesto, it took me less than 5 minutes to throw everything together and a delicious, healthy dinner was ready in no time! Would be great for company.

• Blood orange granita with mascarpone

  • Yildiz100 on January 08, 2019

    Made my tweaked version of this - use whipped cream only, the lighter texture worked better with the airy granita. Used a bit of vanilla in the whipped cream and just put a dollop on top. Much improved!

  • Yildiz100 on April 12, 2017

    Light and refreshing but the mascarpone kind of disappears. This could probably be made with twice as much of the creamy mixture or, rather than layers, it might stand out more as a big dollop on top. I also tried adding a bit of vanilla to the cheese for one of them and it was quite nice, like a Creamsicle!

• Afternoon cake

  • ellwell on May 24, 2025

    I used walnuts and a Cara Cara orange for the juice and zest. Wonderful taste and texture for a not-too-sweet treat. We topped it with vanilla crème fraiche and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Will make again—its so easy.

  • pandasaurusrex on April 21, 2017

    So delicious and simple. Pairs perfectly with tea on a snowy afternoon (made it during a blizzard). I used orange zest + fresh-squeezed orange juice, and premixed bag of assorted "nut toppings" (incl. almond, pecans, peanuts). Result: a hit of fresh citrusy zing, topped off by nuttiness, with tender crumb. Would def make it again and again. So easy, many possible variations.

  • snoozermoose on January 02, 2022

    This was lovely and very easy to throw together. I used a Cara Cara orange, and the flavor was wonderfully citrusey. Almond meal from Trader Joe's worked well here. This is a simple but elegant cake.

• Apricot upside-down skillet cake

  • Lepa on July 16, 2020

    I had some fresh apricots to use up so I made this cake. It's easy to make and tastes okay but it's not particularly compelling. If I made it again I'd probably add some spice.

  • raybun on May 23, 2017

    A very nice weekend cake, perfect with a cup of tea. I used jarred apricots, and subbed 1/2 cup of flour with ground almonds. I also used almond essence, as suggested, instead of vanilla to give it an extra dimension.

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Accidentally undercooked this. Perhaps use a better pan, cook for even longer next time.

• Feel-better-soon cookies

  • averythingcooks on September 22, 2020

    These cookies are very good but full disclosure means specifying that in place of dried fruit, I used a smaller amount of Skor bits and I used semi sweet chocolate chips rather than dark. However, I am really happy that I read through the steps 1st (which I don't actually always do with a pretty straight forward cookie recipe) because, for the 1st time ever for me - the salt & baking soda were added with the egg & vanilla and then after mixing, the flour went in. There was no explanation for this but as I said, these are good cookies. Oh........and I used my stand mixer even though she only talks about mixing by hand.

  • nutrica6 on October 20, 2025

    These have a great flavor. I used dried figs and currants with the chocolate chips. Can definitely be made with a stand mixer. Also would chill the dough, as they spread in the oven and I basically had a cookie cake by the time they came. out. The 12 minute mark in my oven left them cooked nicely, but still soft. I added some flaky salt when they came out the oven too.

• Hope & Winky's cookies (for dogs)

  • snoozermoose on May 31, 2022

    These turned out pretty soft and crumbly. My dog seemed to enjoy them well enough. Don't forget to refrigerate them because of the chicken broth! Mine got moldy within a week left out.

  • hbakke on March 30, 2022

    Easy dog cookie recipe. They didn't get as crunchy as I'd hoped, so next time I would leave them in the oven a little longer. Dogs loved them.

• Ginger & honey Arnold Palmers

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Super gingery! Fun to switch up a usual iced tea.

• Black pepper Bloody Marys

  • purrviciouz on February 16, 2020

    Great recipe to have on hand! I strained the leftover liquid from two 28oz cans of whole plum tomatoes and got enough juice for about two drinks. I also added some a few dashes of Tabasco.

  • nutrica6 on September 25, 2023

    Perfect basic, no frills Bloody Mary recipe. It is not spicy, but easy to add hot sauce if needed.

• Sea breeze punch

  • Happykikkers on January 20, 2025

    Good, easy, and probably universally liked. Would make again for a party. Used frozen pineapple chunks as ice cubes.

• Rum punch

  • Yildiz100 on September 09, 2017

    Sparkling wine version was bland and unbalanced. The ginger beer version was good but a touch sweet

• No-sweat vinaigrette

  • averythingcooks on July 03, 2022

    This is a very nice little vinaigrette used to dress mixed greens from the garden. I am trying to amass a number of "go to" dressings that use a wide variety of vinegars & this has made the list. She also stresses the possibility of using an almost empty mustard jar - something I have done before & that resonates with me as I focus on reducing food waste from own kitchen.

• Spicy honey

  • raybun on May 29, 2017

    I added lime zest & juice and some chopped coriander to the spicy honey to drizzle over boiled corn on the cob. Delicious!

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Served with buttered biscuits. So good! Not too hot.

• Molasses barbecue sauce

  • skvalentine on May 26, 2026

    This was too heavy on the molasses for me. I added brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce to balance to my taste preference. Also used dried mustard powder instead of regular mustard.

• Pickled radishes

  • averythingcooks on June 29, 2022

    This is a great little quick pickle for radishes. I made a 1/2 recipe and this little jar will get used up quickly.

• Cherry tomato jam

  • averythingcooks on August 28, 2022

    A rare JT fail for me unless I misinterpreted the instructions. I have made the primary recipe (raspberry blackberry jam) with great success so when she says to substitute an equal mass of cherry tomatoes for the berries with no other changes, I went ahead and the result was watery sugar bomb that I ended up discarding. Sad, but I might feel worse if I didn't have a bath tub full of little tomatoes (with plants still producing like mad!) to play with.

• Easiest, healthiest soup

  • Orleams on May 04, 2026

    Very easy! But maybe needs 2 cans of beans. A bit thin.

• Chicken salad French-style

  • stockholm28 on October 09, 2017

    This recipe is from seven things to do with leftover chicken. It is shredded chicken mixed with the creamy mustard dressing (from page 83) served on lettuce with green beans and boiled potatoes. I drizzled the mustard dressing on the green beans and potatoes too. I really loved the mustard dressing with the chicken, potatoes, and green beans.

• Vietnamese-ish lettuce wraps

  • Yildiz100 on September 07, 2017

    Really good! Basically you brown ground meat (I used chicken) then glaze it with one tablespoon each of brown sugar (muscovado in my case), soy sauce, and fish sauce. It is served with carrots, cucumbers, chiles, lime wedges, and fresh herbs, I used mint and Thai sweet basil. The basil was divine but the mint wasn't to my taste. Next time I will just use the basil. When I taste tested the meat I thought it was tasty but not exciting. However once I put it all together I thought it was really delicious. I did reduce the fish sauce a tiny bit to maybe 2/3 a tablespoon and added a splash more soy and that worked well.

• Old Bay mussels

  • ksg518 on April 13, 2024

    Nice easy way to steam mussels. Be generous with the Old Bay.

• Ice cream with olive oil and salt

  • mdagl on January 21, 2023

    Surprisingly good. I don’t feel the need to repeat, but enjoyed it!

• Kitchn by Faith Durand

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