Notes about Recipes in this book

• Southwestern corn chowder

  • averythingcooks on July 15, 2023

    This was a very tasty & filling dinner soup. I used a mix of peppers (mostly roasted jalapenos topped up with some fresnos) and added pickled red peppadews near the end. I used 5% cream in place of the sour cream, added a handful of chopped ham and I briefly considered adding grated cheese but after a taste, we both agreed it was not necessary. It is easy to increase the heat here if you want and this will be repeated for sure.

  • anya_sf on May 30, 2024

    I had 6 ears of corn to use up, which yielded more like 4 cups, making the soup especially hearty, but that was fine. Without jalapeno seeds, which I didn't add due to spice-averse diners, the soup didn't taste particularly "Southwestern", but my family still really liked it. I could see adding chili powder and possibly topping with bacon.

  • layne_2a1rdw on February 24, 2026

    Really good, added rotisserie chicken. My husband thought bacon on top would be good.

• Coconut curry chicken and rice noodle soup

  • Cheri on March 02, 2022

    My rice noodles were too mushy. (Yes, I prepared them separately). We preferred this without the noodles. A little rice would probably be good, but not necessary.

  • anya_sf on January 26, 2026

    Nothing groundbreaking, but a quick, easy, satisfying meal. I added a bag of spinach to the broth and would probably add more veg next time. Portions were light; 2 of us finished most of this.

• Smoky chickpea, red lentil and vegetable soup

  • Ezair92 on January 21, 2022

    Great soup to make quickly on a cold night. Love that you really add any vegetables that you have. I added spinach and peas

  • averythingcooks on April 25, 2022

    I made this on Saturday (up to the pureeing stage) to finish / serve on Sunday night. I added a parm rind to the simmer, used great northern beans from my freezer & some browned spicy sausage meat. For my veg, I used peas, spinach, sweet peppers and finished with fresh parsley & basil. This is a great pot of soup that is easy to personalize for your personal tastes & current kitchen inventory. A repeat idea for sure.

  • anya_sf on November 30, 2022

    Easy, flexible pantry soup. I added 2 carrots plus some celery that needed using. I had a heaping 1/3 cup of lentils which weighed 85 g and did not need to add more liquid; the consistency was good (pureed with an immersion blender). Extra salt plus a squeeze of lime at the end perked up the flavor.

  • MollyPellecchia on January 07, 2023

    Delicious soup. Will definitely repeat. Added frozen peas. May customize next time. Perhaps add canned white beans to replace the chickpeas, some spinach, celery. Very easy to adapt to what is the cupboard.

  • Zosia on March 02, 2023

    Great flavour for very little time and effort. I added chopped kale as my vegetable.

  • dbuhler on March 08, 2024

    I made this soup to feed me for lunch for the week. I substituted a can of Great Northern beans for the chickpeas and my cooked veg was green beans. I pureed the tomatoes a bit before adding them to the soup since I don't love large chunks of tomato. I really liked this soup and would definitely make it again.

  • layne_2a1rdw on February 24, 2026

    Decent. Super easy but nothing special

  • ksg518 on May 01, 2026

    Nice soup that is pretty much a pantry meal. Adding a splash of acid at the end helps brighten it. I added red wine vinegar but would perhaps choose a lighter acid next time.

• Pumpkin leek soup

  • lizbot2000 on October 20, 2021

    This was great! Good by itself with toast or accompanying something else for a larger dinner. Felt very autumnal.

• Creamy potato soup with bacon, cheddar and chives

  • Ezair92 on January 31, 2022

    Excellent. Very easy to make too

  • Lepa on March 23, 2022

    This is the most delicious and satisfying potato soup! My whole family loved this. As the other poster noted, there is nothing complicated about it but it's different than other potato soups I have made. This will certainly be added to our regular rotation.

  • jimandtammyfaye on April 19, 2022

    Elevated potato soup! Delicious as written, but I have been able to halve sour cream and omit added butter with no regrets. On the other hand, using full amounts of butter and sour cream left me with no regrets as well.

  • averythingcooks on May 30, 2022

    We also liked this soup. Even though I often serve soups without all the fancy toppers/garnishes (ie our ultimate test for good soup is "good without all the extras" -- and yes, this one passed the test), the cheese, bacon & chives did make it more main course worthy which is what I wanted this time. I can also see reducing / skipping the sour cream & butter if I just wanted a lighter lunch time choice.

  • KarenPR on January 26, 2026

    Struggled adjusting the recipe down to 2-4 servings and it ended up being more soupy than I wanted. Used a bit of cornstarch to reduce and it turned out pretty good. Just not as hearty as I was hoping for.

• Lasagna soup with ricotta cream

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    I made this exactly as outlined in the recipe except I used GF pasta. We all enjoyed it a lot and the kids and moms agreed it's a "keeper". I served it with garlic bread and everyone was happy. A delicious bowl of comfort on a cold February night.

  • dbuhler on February 10, 2023

    This was delicious and a huge hit with the whole family. I followed the recipe as written and I used medium shells as the pasta. I am definitely adding this one to our favorite soups list and I plan to make it again soon!

  • gamulholland on July 16, 2023

    So good. It really gives the lasagna flavors but is a lot easier to make. Definitely a keeper!

  • anya_sf on November 23, 2025

    Used mild chicken Italian sausage so it wasn't too fatty and doubled the red pepper flakes. Added 8 oz baby spinach at the end. Absolutely delicious!

  • Ezair92 on December 20, 2025

    Love this soup. It is easy and nice and hearty I typically use turkey sausage

• Tabbouleh with cedar plank salmon

  • anya_sf on August 29, 2023

    Lacking a cedar plank, I grilled the salmon the usual way, which was still very good. The salmon and tabbouleh went together surprisingly well. Everything benefitted from an extra sprinkling of salt at the end. With the salmon marinated and the tabbouleh made ahead of time, dinner was ready in no time.

• Arugula, crispy feta and watermelon salad with balsamic vinaigrette

  • anya_sf on September 05, 2024

    Really good! Loved the crispy feta. Half the vinaigrette was plenty. Two of us finished it all as a dinner main.

• Summer garden salad with grilled shrimp and fresh herb vinaigrette

  • Zosia on June 25, 2023

    This had a Greek salad feel to it and was fresh and delicious. I cooked the shrimp and heated pita stovetop on a grill pan to great success.

  • Tracyowens on July 04, 2023

    The dressing was heavier than a typical summer offering but still yummy

  • anya_sf on October 02, 2024

    I made 1/2 recipe but used the full amount of lettuce as we like extra greens. There was still a little leftover dressing. Fantastic flavor - loved the herbed vinaigrette, especially tossed with grilled shrimp. Would definitely repeat. Next time I'd probably just matchstick the carrots rather than creating curls.

  • ksg518 on August 17, 2025

    A great summer salad! Next time I’ll cut back on the vinegar but that could just be what I’m using. I liked the dressing. I skipped creating carrot curls and just diced my carrots. I might try the curls if I were serving this to guests but otherwise the diced carrots were fine.

• Classic Cobb with Dijon vinaigrette

  • ezwriternc on December 02, 2023

    Classic salad, great recipe. ate for dinner with naan bread.

  • anya_sf on January 14, 2026

    I made the dressing to use on my own version of Cobb salad and it was great. Half the dressing was plenty for a large salad.

  • Bessp on January 24, 2026

    This was a lovely salad. I used chevre instead of blue cheese because I don't like blue cheese. It's nicely filling but still feels healthy.

• Pan-seared steak, baby greens and roasted beet salad with honey-Dijon vinaigrette

  • Cheri on March 02, 2022

    Easy, nice bright flavors. Would repeat. Make extra dressing, it is multi-purpose.

  • julesamomof2 on October 18, 2022

    Great, easy salad. The dressing takes 2 minutes and is perfect- my new favorite dressing.

  • anya_sf on January 27, 2023

    Really delicious combination of flavors. I used extra lettuce, but there was still leftover dressing (she mentions this will be likely), which I'm happy to have as it was so good.

  • dbuhler on February 10, 2023

    I am only commenting on the salad dressing since that is the only part of this recipe that I made. I saw all the positive reviews on here and just had to try it. It did not disapoint...it is truly delicious! I plan to have a jar of this dressing in the fridge at all times!

  • elianita on January 13, 2025

    Great combination of flavors. The dressing is delicious, I’ll plan on keeping it on my rotation.

• Muffuletta salad with olive vinaigrette

  • dbuhler on July 23, 2024

    This was a delicious salad that I enjoyed for a weeks worth of lunches. My only issue with portioning it out (salad ingredients in one bowl, dressing portioned out, and bread portioned out and stored separately, was that the croutons turned very chewy. I make a panzanella salad for my husband's lunches and the bread pieces are baked and stay crunchy/soft for days when stored in small twist tie bags. So next time I will try baking the bread and see if that improves the texture. I did omit the celery because I don't like it, but I did miss the crunch so I will try to find something to substitute. I also omitted the sesame seeds because I didn't have any. I would make this again!

• Soba chicken noodle salad with ginger peanut dressing

  • anya_sf on January 08, 2023

    Delicious salad, easy to adapt to what you have on hand. The peanut dressing wasn't super nutty, but was very tasty. Instead of red bell pepper, I added julienned carrots, plus cooked broccoli florets, edamame, avocado, and wilted spinach (we like lots of vegetables).

• Mushroom Gruyère quiche

  • anya_sf on January 06, 2024

    I appreciated the tip on how to repair cracks using a flour/water paste. Since I love mushrooms, I used slightly more (350 g), but there wasn't quite enough room for all the custard, mainly due to the large volume of cheese (could reduce, but it's yummy). Rich and delicious!

  • Kinhawaii on October 09, 2024

    Very yummy! I had a regular pie crust in the freezer, so I tried to adjust for that with 3 eggs, I cup of cream, 4 oz cheese- but the same amount of button mushrooms. I didn’t have enough shallots so added some scallion.

• Eggs in purgatory with garlic toast

  • Lepa on April 30, 2022

    My husband made this for dinner and our family ate every crumb. It was a nice (but similar) alternative to shakshuka and the garlic toasts were genius. They made the meal. My husband cooks with recipes less than I do and said he thought the instructions were very clear and helpful.

• Sausage and egg breakfast burritos with avocado-tomato salsa

  • averythingcooks on November 24, 2021

    These made for a perfect little breakfast for dinner beside a warm corn and black bean salad. The fresh salsa was a nice addition (both in and beside the burritos) even though this time I left out the avocado - we didn't seem to miss it all.

• Spinach frittata

  • Ezair92 on February 19, 2022

    Very good. You can easily half the recipe and put in an 8 inch pan

  • Lepa on March 16, 2022

    We thought this was an easy and delicious frittata.

  • anya_sf on June 04, 2024

    Very good. I'd never baked a frittata at low temp before and the texture was creamier. I used mixed baby greens, not just spinach. Mine took longer to set (I checked the center with a knife) but my oven may be running cold.

• Oven-roasted chicken shawarma

  • Cheri on March 02, 2022

    Loved this! Easy, good flavor profile. Definitely a repeat.

  • TBipp on January 02, 2023

    M could not stop raving about this dish. I did not make the sauce as we did not have sandwiches. To accompany the chicken, I made a sheet pan of roasted cauliflower and grapes which was an excellent match. It's important to not separate the onion into rings as they will start to burn. We're looking forward to adding the chicken to our lunch salads this week.

  • jimandtammyfaye on January 05, 2023

    Prepped sauce, chicken (breasts instead of thighs) and onions early in day. Turned out perfectly for supper. Everyone raved.

  • Zosia on February 28, 2023

    Delicious! Only 1/2 the sauce is needed.

  • anya_sf on November 16, 2023

    I just made the chicken and sauce, served over salad as suggested. I expected the chicken would need to marinate in advance, but no (though I imagine it could), and it was so flavorful. Just delicious! We only used about half the sauce.

  • dbuhler on August 12, 2024

    My husband and I really enjoyed this, but the kids were not wild about it. I served this in fajita size tortillas with the tomatoes cucumbers and yogurt sauce I would definitely eat this again!

  • katia_bn0ljk on May 28, 2026

    Flavor was excellent.

• Chipotle shrimp and poblano quesadillas

  • Zosia on April 08, 2023

    These were delicious but I thought they could use a fresh salsa accompaniment. I substituted green pepper for poblano pepper.

  • julesamomof2 on August 04, 2025

    These quesadillas were good, but I agree with the previous reviewer that they could use a fresh salsa to lighten things up a bit. In the header she says the dish is based on a Pati Jinich recipe, I would like to try the original and see how that goes.

• Crispy fried chicken sandwiches

  • Zosia on September 26, 2023

    Good flavour, excellent crunch. I substituted salt for Accent.

• Blackened fish tacos with pickled onions and lime crema

  • anya_sf on March 14, 2023

    Easy and delicious. Mahi mahi worked well. The fish needed a little more salt, but otherwise the spices were good (not really spicy, but flavorful). We added hot sauce to taste. The pickled onions marinated a few hours and softened quite a bit; there was enough liquid for a larger onion, if desired.

  • Zosia on August 24, 2023

    Quick and tasty. I skipped the pickled onions and served the tacos with pickled jalapenos instead but would like to try the onions next time.

  • ezwriternc on November 28, 2023

    Great easy recipe. Loved everything about it. I used mackerel.

• Ginger pork sliders with tangy slaw and spicy mayo

  • bwhip on December 01, 2021

    Easy, tasty, fun! Tough to find slider buns anywhere, it seems, but one of our grocery stores had some slider-sized potato rolls, and they worked just fine.

  • Cheri on March 02, 2022

    Loved these flavors. Made 4 regular sized burgers instead of sliders. Must make this slaw to go with, delicious.

  • jimandtammyfaye on April 15, 2022

    Nice recipe. I prepped separate components earlier in the day and browned the pork patties just before serving. Made 8 sliders. Next time I will make regular sized burgers instead of sliders, as Cheri mentioned.

  • Lepa on September 24, 2022

    I made these as regular burgers. I made them on the griddle, which was a mistake because they cooked on the outsides but took some time to fully cook inside. The combination of the slaw, mayo and chile sauce was delicious.

  • Zosia on September 18, 2023

    I, too, made these as full sized burgers. The components, each with their own flavour profile, come together to make a really delicious burger.

  • dbuhler on April 20, 2024

    I made these as suggested, 10 sliders. I also made my own slider buns, but they were too tall and skinny, so my patties were on the thicker side, so they took a few minutes longer to fully cook through. I really liked the flavors! Next time I will buy slider buns until I can figure out how to make homemade buns to the right proportion.

  • averythingcooks on January 03, 2025

    I used 8 oz grd pork, making 4 sliders replacing the mint with Thai basil (& doing the same in the slaw). The patties have lots of good flavour, the spicy mayo (with sambal oelek this time) was a good topper & we also used a tomato relish on the buns. Even though we tend to make slaws with creamy dressing, we both really liked this version and preferred it as a side, rather than as a slider topper. This is a fun little dinner worth repeating.

• Chorizo-style burgers with spiced ketchup

  • Zosia on March 18, 2023

    Nice and juicy with fantastic flavour. I even liked the ketchup for its sweet and tangy flavour. This recipe is a good alternative to the Dinner version I've been making for years.

  • dbuhler on November 20, 2024

    I loved these! They are very delicious and super juicy! I prepared the whole mixture and froze half for later and used the other half to make sliders. They ketchup was a delicious accompaniment. I will definitely make these again!

• Summer pasta primavera

  • bwhip on June 24, 2022

    Easy and delicious! We enjoyed this one very much.

  • anya_sf on July 20, 2023

    Not the usual "pasta primavera", but delicious nevertheless. I used 2 zucchini and there were enough vegetables for a full pound of pasta.

• Penne with vodka sauce

  • Lepa on March 19, 2022

    This is solid. Good but not spectacular.

  • anya_sf on March 12, 2023

    Quick, easy, and very good. I had to substitute crushed tomatoes for whole, which saved chopping, although I still pureed the sauce at the end. Served with roasted broccoli florets, which were good eaten together.

  • gamulholland on August 08, 2022

    My daughter, age 20, has been trying to duplicate the creamy tomato sauce from our local red-checkered-tablecloth Italian American restaurant. This is the closest we’ve been able to get. :) We didn’t have any vodka around, so she had to pass on that, and she added a little bit of Parmesan for flavor, but otherwise just followed the recipe. It was delicious, and she’s made it three times this summer alone.

  • KCKB on January 10, 2024

    This is a family favorite. I like to go a smidge lighter with the vodka (1/4 cup instead of 1/3).

• Baked salmon with honey mustard and pecan-panko crust

  • Cheri on March 02, 2022

    Easy, nice change for salmon. Would make again.

  • Lepa on December 01, 2022

    We didn't like this. The salmon felt greasy and the sweet topping was a bit off-putting. This was a rare miss for this cookbook.

  • anya_sf on January 25, 2023

    Quick and easy to make. The topping was very flavorful, if slightly salty, and the salmon was moist.

• Bulgogi-style flank steak skewers

  • mreils on August 04, 2022

    The flavors in this dish are excellent. I did not use this as part of a Korean menu. I will continue to make it as a great way to grill flank steak.

• French apple cake

  • Rinshin on October 29, 2021

    Very light texture with crunchy topping with perfect level of sweetness and aroma of brandy coming through without overpowering. Great to whip up quickly when having people over. I am in love! Photo added Addendum: best on first day as top crunchy layer softens after a day.

  • babyfork on October 04, 2023

    I used the online recipe from Jenn Segal's Once Upon a Chef website. Used three varieties of heirloom apples from my trees: Pink Pearl, Winesap, and White Winter Pearmain (about 3.5 cups chopped). Used a scant 2/3 cup baker's sugar. Myer's Dark for the rum. Sprinkled a scant tbsp of Demerara sugar on top before baking. Didn't add the confectioner's sugar after as it was sweet enough for me. The rum flavor really comes through in this. Moist, with lots of apples and not too sweet. The most time-consuming part is peeling and chopping the apples. This recipe is super easy. I did use a nonstick springform pan, which made it even easier to get the cake out. A great "breakfast cake" with a cup of tea. Keeping this in the rotation!

  • hbakke on October 20, 2024

    Nicely apple cake. I liked the addition of the rum (I used spiced rum) and the confectioners sugar topping.

  • bwhip on October 27, 2021

    Delicious, simple, easy. I can see why the author said it’s the most popular dessert on her website. Especially nice when warm, with some vanilla gelato.

  • anya_sf on February 04, 2023

    Delicious, moist cake. I loved the rum flavor and the granulated sugar topping - didn't need the powdered sugar.

  • rhb on December 18, 2022

    Very nice and not too sweet.

• Risotto with asparagus and peas

  • Rachaelsb on February 18, 2023

    Easy and delicious-great weeknight dinner.

  • ksg518 on May 25, 2025

    Easy basic risotto recipe. The recipe says it serves 4 but we agreed that this is really 6 servings especially if you serving it as a side to a protein.

  • krista_fcgy12 on April 26, 2026

    Creamy, flavorful and delicious. Perfect complements to a Spring dinner menu.

• Saucy sesame-ginger meatballs

  • Rachaelsb on February 18, 2023

    This was delicious-a surprise given its simplicity. Great kick from sambal oolek and sweetness from brown sugar and ketchup is perfect balance. And it freezes so well!!

  • averythingcooks on June 15, 2022

    This was scaled back to 1/2 and the 2 of us devoured it. I used a mix of roughly 2:1 ground beef & "medium heat" Italian sausage meat and made the sauce exactly as written. As usual, I wanted a complete dinner bowl and so I added stir fried red onion, sweet peppers & broccoli as well as some Asian style noodles (instead of serving over rice). With everything prepped early in the day, this was easy to put together at dinner, The sambal oelek adds a perfect kick to the flavourful sauce and as I said - we loved it.

  • averythingcooks on June 17, 2022

    A quick addendum to my original comment (because I just remembered)...the sauce recipe calls for 1/2 cup (80 mL) of water and NO - 80 mL is NOT = 1/2 cup :( I used the 1/2 cup (assuming the metric conversion was the actual mistake) and it was fine but I always wonder how those errors slip through the editing process??

  • aimeekitty on March 26, 2025

    These are easy and my kids actually enjoy making the meatballs. Great for a meal prep type thing where you can make a fair amount and then eat at more than one meal.

  • Running_with_Wools on December 13, 2023

    My family really enjoyed this recipe and dinner. The sauce was a little spicy for one of my boys so I served it on the side for him.

• Coq au vin

  • Rachaelsb on November 11, 2023

    Very good-flavor could have had a bit more complexity but overalll very satisfying, Agree with others-takes some time to make.

  • julesamomof2 on October 18, 2022

    I haven't made many versions of this classic dish but this one seemed just about perfect. Using all thighs kept it simple and I liked that she has you remove the skin before serving. Was a bit time consuming to make, so filing it away for the next dinner party.

  • SirenChef on November 28, 2021

    Company dish, served with sourdough garlic bread. Good, not amazing.

  • Kag2020 on February 13, 2023

    Very good. Many steps but they’re easily handled. Need to cut the carrots a bit thinner than the recipe suggests to get them softer.

• Vietnamese-style meatballs with chili sauce, fresh herbs and peanuts

  • Rachaelsb on December 31, 2023

    Great dinner!!! Easy to prepare and nice complexity of flavor. Will definitely make again.

  • Zosia on March 11, 2023

    Delicious. I used 2 Thai chillies in the sauce.

  • Allissagoodrich on June 09, 2026

    Loved the meatballs. Flavor and texture were great, the mint made this meal pop. The sauce was great on the meatballs, but it was a little salty - could probably skip it if needed.

  • rhb on November 02, 2023

    Really good! I did line the baking sheet with parchment. Served with lettuce, cilantro, scallions, chopped peanuts and almonds, plus some leftover rice and noodles.

  • anya_sf on February 11, 2023

    Family loved these. I'm not sure why the meatballs are baked on an unlined baking sheet - I used a nonstick one and the meatballs still stuck a little; next time I will use parchment. I also didn't bother to flip them. Served over rice, with bok choy on the side, we only used a little sauce. If served over rice vermicelli (like bun cha), we would have used more. I only put 1/2 Tbsp chile-garlic sauce in the sauce so my son could tolerate it.

  • lizbot2000 on October 20, 2021

    This will absolutely go in my main dinner rotation. Simple but extremely good. Loaded it up with a bonkers amount of herbs and it made a really wonderful dinner. Leftovers were also very good.

• Turkey, spinach and cheese meatballs

  • julesamomof2 on September 26, 2024

    We loved these meatballs, key is turkey sausage combined with ground turkey, and finely chop the spinach so it blends in. Delicious even with jarred marinara.

  • elianita on January 13, 2025

    My family likes this recipe. It’s a great way to sneak veggies for my kids. I can’t find turkey sausage in my area, so I sub for regular Italian sausage and serve with pasta. I usually add extra sauce.

  • dbuhler on July 21, 2024

    My kids loved these and both asked for seconds. I did take quite a bit of extra time to chop up the spinach really fine and I was rewarded by never being asked "what is that green stuff in the meatballs?" I liked them, but they didn't wow me. I used a #30 scoop and got 41 meatballs, so I put half in the freezer.

  • LindaMM1 on August 25, 2025

    These are very good. Can add spices and herbs to add some more flavour. Also change cheeses .

  • kelly_zva728 on June 10, 2026

    Everyone loved it!!

• Barbecued soy and ginger chicken thighs with spicy cucumber-peanut salad

  • julesamomof2 on October 01, 2024

    Tons of flavor in both the chicken and the cucumber salad. I thought it was an overwhelming combo but the rest of the fam loved it. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and still turned out plenty juicy. I left out the tablespoon of sugar in the marinade and the chicken was still nicely grilled.

  • Lepa on January 24, 2023

    This was a big hit with my family. The chicken is juicy and tasty but still feels healthy. The salad is really delicious and interesting. We at this with plain steamed rice and it was a wonderful, balanced and interesting meal.

  • Ezair92 on February 06, 2022

    Excellent. The salad has a nice little heat. The chicken was yummy. Used boneless thighs and only cooked 4-5 min a side.

  • anya_sf on May 12, 2023

    The chicken marinated 6 hours; some of the flavor got in the chicken, but it was definitely helpful to drizzle the reserved marinade on top. With the sugary marinade, I had to turn the grill down to medium to prevent burning. I soaked the red onion in ice water, then patted it dry, before adding it to the dressing, and it was not too sharp for me. Crunchy peanut butter worked in the dressing. My family really loved this, served over rice. The marinade and salad had a kick, but weren't too spicy for my son. We also had edamame and avocado on the side - the cucumber salad alone would not have been enough for us.

  • ezwriternc on January 19, 2023

    Very good, quick and easy.

  • LindaMM1 on March 12, 2022

    Excellent chicken and very easy.

  • Running_with_Wools on December 02, 2024

    I thought this was simple and flavorful. I cut the sugar in the marinade in half because my partner doesn’t like Asian marinades that are too sticky and sweet. I also added a red bell pepper and shredded cabbage to the peanut slaw.

• Italian wedding soup

  • julesamomof2 on December 11, 2024

    This recipe appears to be a fairly classic version of Italian wedding soup. I did a bit of a mashup with Ina Garten's recipe using ground chicken and italian chicken sausage for a lighter dish. Made for a substantial main course soup with the meatballs,pasta, and vegetables. My only caution is the leftovers were only so-so due the swelled pasta.

  • anya_sf on December 04, 2022

    Easy and quick enough to make on a weeknight. Using a scoop for the meatballs, they didn't take that long. I used the broths I had on hand: Swanson low-sodium chicken, homemade chicken, Better than Bouillon beef base. After adding a parmesan rind and extra beef base, the broth was pretty flavorful. I increased the spinach and next time would add other vegetables like averythingcooks did. The meatballs were super tasty and my family enjoyed the soup.

  • averythingcooks on November 22, 2021

    This is a lovely soup that I will repeat for sure. The meatballs are oven roasted before adding to the broth and full of flavour - I made mine around 18 g each. I held off on the water (as is my habit) and didn't end up adding any. I always look to add more veg where I can so frozen peas & roasted sweet red peppers went in with the spinach. I also added a parm rind to the simmer and the resulting soup was great but I ultimately decided I wanted something a little creamier so I finished with a good splash of 5% cream. This was a great dinner bowl served with focaccia from the same book.

• Moroccan-spiced grilled chicken with warm couscous salad and apricot vinaigrette

  • julesamomof2 on September 07, 2022

    Very good grilled chicken recipe in that the chicken was moist and flavorful after 5 hours of marinating. I have had a lot of dry chicken breast lately and I like the tip that I picked up from this book which is to leave the acid out of marinades. It works because this is the best grilled chicken we've made in a long time!

  • Zosia on March 21, 2023

    Things did not go to plan so I only made the marinade for some roasted skinless, bone-in chicken breasts. I removed the bones after roasting and served the meat sliced. Flavour was excellent. This will be repeated with a couscous side next time.

  • LindaMM1 on March 12, 2022

    Chicken was excellent and great flavour .Be careful to not overcook. Couscous was just ok. Too sweet for me.

  • dbuhler on March 27, 2024

    This was very good! I marinated my chicken overnight and cooked in an indoor grill/panini press. The chicken was very juicy and flavorful. After reading the comments about the couscous being too sweet, I opted to use an apricot jam that was low in sugar and I didn't find the salad too sweet at all. I ended up using all the dressing and loved the flavor. I also took an extra step and toasted the sliced almonds before adding them to the salad, and I would definitely do that again. I will certainly make this again!

  • KCKB on June 13, 2026

    Made the couscous salad from this pairing - easy and tasty! Subbed vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.

  • averythingcooks on November 11, 2022

    I used tenders, marinated them for 7 hours & cooked them in the air fryer...the resulting chicken was moist & good flavoured (but maybe a bit mild for us). I scaled the salad back to 1/3 (lots for 2 people) & used quinoa. Based on some "sweet" comments, I used a mix of apricot jam & my apricot habanero jelly for the dressing. I also added some sauteed red onions + frozen peas. With cashews in place of almonds, we both thought this was a great addition to the plate.

  • bwhip on November 02, 2021

    This was nice, and super easy. Just have to remember to marinate the chicken overnight. Flavor combination of the spiced chicken and the sweet, herby couscous was very pleasant.

  • anya_sf on May 04, 2024

    Super quick and easy to make, as long as you've marinated the chicken ahead of time. The chicken was moist and flavorful. Tasted on its own, the dressing seemed too sweet, but the finished couscous salad tasted great, especially when eaten together with the chicken.

  • Ezair92 on February 19, 2022

    Excellent. I added some cut up dried apricots in the couscous. The marinade would be great for Other meats. I think I will try it on pork.

• Panko-crusted salmon cakes

  • Zosia on March 15, 2023

    Delicious! The mixture was quite loose but the cakes held together during frying. They were very tender and flavourful with a crisp exterior.

  • erikamoo on February 02, 2022

    These are fantastic. We aren’t big on salmon but are trying to eat more of it because of the health benefits. This is the best salmon recipe we have tried. We used (5) of the vacuum packed wild caught sockeye salmon filets from Costco, and that was just the right amount to make a double batch so we could freeze the extras. We used avocado oil to fry these in a large skillet. Make sure you use the amount of oil she tells you to! On the first batch, I tried to use less oil, but they took longer to cook and didn’t brown up as nicely. To go with these, we made tartar sauce on p 140 without the sweet relish, because we don’t care for sweetness in tartar sauce. I roughly doubled to tripled the capers in the tartar sauce. The tartar sauce was a perfect accompaniment.

  • Kinhawaii on September 11, 2022

    These are delicious!

• Cranberry, orange and walnut cream scones

  • Zosia on March 15, 2023

    Excellent flavour and texture. I used my usual method of shredding cold butter into the dry ingredients instead of rubbing it in with fingers.

  • Lepa on March 19, 2022

    This is a fantastic scone recipe. The technique was straightforward and the results were really delicious. I think the addition of cornstarch and baking powder really helped make a flaky scone with an incredible, light texture. I used cherries and walnuts because that's what I had. Really recommend this recipe!

  • anya_sf on March 01, 2023

    Prepped the night before and refrigerated overnight, the scones took 16 min to bake. They were flavorful, tender, and delicious.

  • dbuhler on October 13, 2024

    We really enjoyed these! I swapped pecans for the walnuts and would do that again! I wish I had soaked the cranberries prior to mixing them into the dough...mine were a little dry and they didn't improve with baking.

• Sheet pan chicken and pancetta meatballs with tomato balsamic glaze

  • Zosia on March 24, 2023

    We quite enjoyed these. They had great texture and good flavour that was given a lift from the glaze. I replaced the basil with some pesto I had and roasted the meatballs at 425 for 20 min.

• Chicken chili and cornbread pie

  • Zosia on March 25, 2023

    Great recipe, delicious even without the cheese.

  • anya_sf on December 13, 2022

    Good, easy version of tamale pie, quick enough for a weeknight. I added a diced zucchini with the peppers. The cornbread batter was thin enough to easily drizzle over the top and baked into just the right thickness relative to filling.

  • LindaMM1 on March 15, 2022

    Excellent and relatively easy. Will definitely make again. L

  • Anjackson1003 on January 11, 2026

    Recipe turned out really well! Definitely could use a bit more texture as the cornbread and chili combo leaves everything a bit soft. Flavors were great. We added hot sauce to individual servings.

• Sheet pan roast chicken with artichokes, potatoes and peas

  • Zosia on May 09, 2023

    Really tasty, family friendly meal, with a good ratio of vegetables to meat (ie lots of veg). I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious artichokes roasted from frozen are....I'll definitely cook them this way again.

  • pvia on April 05, 2022

    Cooked for Jenn and family. Very popular

  • pvia on April 05, 2022

    Everyone loved this. Great sheet pan recipe.

  • Misa925 on February 23, 2025

    Didn't have a sheet pan that large, used 2 smaller pans. Had 8 thighs=4.5 lbs, so made 1.5x chicken coating & placed them on the 4 corners of each pan. Used Burlap & Barrel's Herbes de Provence (doesn't contain lavender like a lot of what's sold in the US) & the flavor was divine! Used canned artichokes instead of frozen, & when I make again will stick with canned (drained, not rinsed) as I believe the extra moisture & salt added to the flavor of the veggies. Used baby carrots & almost forgot to add peas at the end, but decided not to use them since we ate peas a couple days ago. Only had a couple potatoes, so also made white rice (rice cooker, 2 Japanese cups, added 1 tsp chicken bouillon). Next time might omit potatoes & just use carrots, artichokes & maybe peas because the veggies with pan drippings was so delicious served over rice! Also, checked at 30 minutes & some of the onions/carrots had started to blacken, stirred it up then, & didn't taste burnt, but be sure to stir halfway.

  • jay.moe on January 27, 2023

    Rather than combine the vegetables with the lemon juice, I roasted the lemon halves with the chicken and vegetables and then squeezed the juice on everything at the end of roasting. It was a quick meal to put together with minimal clean up. Next time I would deglaze the sheet pan with white wine or chicken stock just to boost the flavor of the juices.

  • anya_sf on September 04, 2023

    The pan was pretty crowded (I used 340 g artichoke hearts but only 6 chicken thighs) and I wasn't sure everything would roast properly, but it did. It may have helped that my oven was running hot. Easy and delicious! The chicken skin got nice and crisp.

• Rice pilaf

  • Zosia on October 15, 2023

    Pleasant side dish. I replaced the butter with 1 tbsp olive oil, included the optional thyme and parsley and used my preferred ratio of 600ml broth for 1.5 cups/300g rice. Note that the rice weight and metric volume of broth make a larger batch of rice that may require adjustments to seasonings.

• Hoisin pork and vegetable rice bowls

  • ksg518 on August 24, 2023

    Good and very easy. I sliced my own cabbage and carrots since I was trying to clean out some stuff in my refrigerator but with packaged cabbage and carrots this would be very quick. I didn’t have the sambal oelek but threw in some chili crisp to cut the sweetness of the hoisin.

  • anya_sf on March 19, 2023

    I used 1 lb ground turkey + 4 oz ground pork and closer to 1 lb red cabbage, shredded by hand, plus a handful of julienned baby carrots. Did not need to increase the sauce. Still quick and easy. Son loved as-is, husband and I added a bit of sriracha. Will definitely repeat.

  • Lepa on January 11, 2024

    This is an easy and delicious weekday meal. The ratio of meat to veggies is great. We ate it with rice and quinoa.

  • lizbot2000 on November 21, 2021

    A little too sweet for me at first, but I adjusted the samba oelek and it was perfect. Super easy and fast to make.

  • bwhip on September 22, 2021

    Delicious, and quite easy for a weeknight. Like the author says, definitely reminiscent of Moo Shu Pork, but with a bit more kick from the Sambal Oelek. We really enjoyed this, and we’ll make it again for sure. We served with brown rice we made in the Instant Pot.

• Kids-love-it beefy chili mac

  • Lepa on May 01, 2022

    This was really great comfort food after a day of gardening on a cold, foggy day. The chips are necessary so don't skip them!

  • dbuhler on March 19, 2024

    Delicious, and the kids did love it! My only quibble with the recipe is that it doesn't use the whole can of evaporated milk. I've made this a handful of times and I love how quick it is to pull together. A keeper and we'll continue to repeat.

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    The kids did love this. I made this with gluten free pasta - and it sort of dissappeared into the dish. Next time I will cook the pasta separately and add it at the end.

  • elianita on January 18, 2025

    So good! This is a favorite at our house. Both kids and adults love it. I have too made it with ground turkey to lighten it up a bit. The green onions at the end do give the dish an extra pop!

  • averythingcooks on January 04, 2022

    A 1/2 recipe fed 2 of us dinner with lunch for 1 leftover. Perhaps I needed more pasta, but it took a while to simmer the broth away and then it was very "liquidy" again after adding the milk. Another good simmer (worrying that I was turning the pasta to mush but it was fine) was needed to reduce again. We liked it, it was filling, it made good use of my overflowing pantry (ie why I chose it) and I can see how it would a kid-pleaser.

  • anya_sf on September 28, 2023

    Yummy comfort food which my family gobbled up. Loved the quick and easy one-pot recipe. It seemed soupy at first but thickened as it sat. Next time I will add some beans and other vegetables such as bell peppers, as my family missed those, but I wanted to try it as written initially. Adults added hot sauce as desired.

  • gamulholland on November 12, 2021

    Big hit with my family, even if I did make it with ground turkey. I went just a tiny bit light on the spices because we have people who like things mild, but I’d go full strength next time. And it was easy to cook on a weeknight, true to what the author said. Definitely making this again.

• Lamb kofta with tzatiki

  • Lepa on August 01, 2022

    This makes an easy and impressive meal. The directions were easy to follow. I would add a touch more salt next time. We ate these with grilled pita, tzatziki, hummus and a tomato/cucumber salad and it was an easy but wonderful feast!

• Triple chocolate cheesecake

  • Lepa on November 25, 2022

    This turned out really well (no cracks) and tasted marvelous but it is rich so if you make it cut very thin slices. Even the kids, who are gluttons for chocolate, couldn't finish a whole slice.

• Linguine with shellfish, tomatoes and saffron

  • Ezair92 on January 16, 2022

    This was excellent. A nice hearty meal.

• Drunken-style noodles with shrimp

  • bwhip on November 30, 2021

    Delicious, with a great mix of flavors and just the right amount of kick from the Sriracha. Easy prep for a weeknight. We’ll have this one again.

  • lizbot2000 on October 20, 2021

    Simple and tasty. Unfortunately I forgot all rules of the office during covid and committed the cardinal sin of microwaving this. And now I can never bring it for lunch again.

• Fettuccine carbonara with peas

  • lizbot2000 on October 20, 2021

    This was a big hit with the kids. Easy to make. Almost too rich, so good in smaller portions with something like a salad.

  • anya_sf on April 21, 2024

    Method worked well to achieve a creamy sauce with no curdling. My sauce was slightly thin, but I used store-brand dried rigatoni which was probably less starchy than my usual brand. I cooked 8 oz sliced mushrooms in the bacon fat before adding the shallot and we loved that addition.

• Baked ziti with sausage

  • anya_sf on March 18, 2023

    One of the best versions of baked ziti I've ever had, and relatively quick and easy to boot. Using cream in the sauce, rather than ricotta, made the dish extra creamy/cheesy-tasting. I used 12 oz Italian sausage + 8 oz mushrooms.

  • lizbot2000 on October 20, 2021

    This was great! Everything I have made from this cookbook has been easy and tasty. This is one of my favorites so far. It made an enormous amount of food, so great for lunch leftovers for the week.

  • WhatMattersMostNow on January 05, 2024

    We absolutely adore this recipe and have made it multiple times. It is hands-down my favorite Baked Ziti recipe and I have tried many over the years. The cream in the sauce makes a big difference. Loved the idea that I picked up here about separating this into two pans for a vegetarian version and one with sausage.

  • averythingcooks on October 03, 2022

    I scaled this back to 1/3 (easy to do with a simple puree of roasted tomatoes from I Dream of Dinner in the freezer in approx 10 ounce portions) and we loved it. Simple but hearty & delicious...an absolute repeat!

  • aeb on March 09, 2026

    I made the recipe as described. Admittedly, red sauce? pastas are not my favorite, so take these comments with that in mind. The recipe was good, hence the four stars, but I felt it still needed more of a tomato-y punch or something to make it more dimensional as the flavor was on the flat side for me. If I make it again, I will add extra tomato flavor and include something like wilted spinach or black olives.

  • MaddCooker on January 08, 2026

    Absolutely amazing. I only used 1 pound of sausage.

  • midwifemel on January 30, 2026

    Simple, easy dinner that came together quick. Hit just right for the middle of winter and zero degrees. Fed the whole family with accolades. I substituted local ground beef with 1/2lb sausage. Added onion. Mixed in pesto. Added oregano. Used gluten free pasta because I bought that by mistake - came out amazing. Highly recommend.

  • KCKB on December 25, 2022

    We have been fans of this recipe for quite a while (Jenn had it on her blog before putting it in the book) - it’s always a crowd pleaser! It’s also easy to adapt to a vegetarian version: just sauté the garlic in olive oil. We often will split the recipe into two 8x8 pans and put sausage in one, leaving the other one vegetarian.

  • elianita on January 13, 2025

    Excellent recipe! My family loves it when it’s on the menu. Usually baked ziti feels like a cheap and lazy meal, but this version is definitely one I would make for guests or to gift away. Everyone raves about this meal.

• Pecorino and rosemary-crusted chicken

  • anya_sf on April 20, 2023

    My chicken breasts were extra large so I cut them in half both vertically and horizontally (after removing the tenders) to make 8 cutlets, which I cooked in 3 batches (and did need to add a little oil for the 3rd batch). There was some extra egg left (could maybe get by with one), but appropriate amounts of flour and panko mixture. Delicious, moist chicken with crispy coating that adhered well. Served with salad.

  • Bobby99 on March 30, 2026

    Recipe worked as written and everyone enjoyed. Tasty dish!

• Chicken Marsala

  • LindaMM1 on March 15, 2022

    Excellent and chicken was extremely tender. Will add to regular meals

  • bwhip on July 28, 2023

    Very delicious, and easy to prepare on a weeknight. As suggested in the recipe, I served with the rice pilaf from the same cookbook, which was also very good (and easy).

• Creamy Dijon chicken with peas

  • midwifemel on January 17, 2026

    Quick family dinner (unless you have to run out to the liquor store for white wine haahaa). I did make a few modifications - added dill, oregano, turmeric, onions in place of shallots, and parmesan cheese at the end. Served over egg noodles.

• Butter-style chicken with mango chutney

  • elle_in4x9r on April 13, 2026

    My teen daughters LOVE this meal!

  • dbuhler on February 07, 2024

    This is a super easy version of butter chicken that my whole family really enjoyed! It is a great week right version since it doesn't take too long to prepare. I don't find it as flavorful as a more traditional preparing, but it satisfied my craving. I'll definitely repeat this.

  • anya_sf on March 08, 2024

    Quick, easy, kid-friendly, and made with supermarket ingredients, this version (which, to be fair, is called "butter-style") lacked the depth of flavor of traditional butter chicken, but my family still really enjoyed it. I added frozen peas.

• Everyday spice-crusted salmon with tartar sauce

  • anya_sf on May 13, 2023

    Lacking dried minced garlic, I doubled the onion in the topping. Most of the spices turned to powder before the peppercorns were coarsely ground, so I'd grind those first before adding the other spices. In the tartar sauce, chopped pickles worked in place of relish. The salmon was easy and quite good with the sauce and lemon wedges.

  • ezwriternc on December 03, 2023

    This was a very easy delicious way to cook salmon. Dinner party worthy. Definitely make the tartar sauce. It completes the dish.

• Red snapper and snow peas in coconut curry broth

  • anya_sf on October 05, 2025

    Quick and easy. Good, fairly basic recipe using canned curry paste. Not too spicy (I used Maesri), but well balanced; adjust spice to taste. I doubled the snow peas as we like more vegetables.

• Pan-seared halibut with beurre blanc

  • bwhip on November 06, 2022

    Wonderful, delicious, and easy. Nice that the tarragon quantity was just right, and not overpowering.

• Grilled Italian sausages with sweet and tangy peppers

  • anya_sf on March 12, 2023

    Very tasty version of this dish. The method to cook the sausages indoors worked perfectly. Served over parmesan grits.

  • KCKB on September 29, 2024

    Made this alongside pasta aglio e olio for a family birthday. The colors and aromas of the purple onion and the red, orange, yellow and green peppers all cooking together in the skillet are just gorgeous! Also, this recipe works beautifully for our mix of vegetarians and meat eaters: the peppers and onions are completely plant-based and cooked separately from the sausage. The non-meat-eaters can spoon the vegetables over pasta. This recipe will definitely become part of the regular rotation, it was a hit with everyone. One minor note: this recipe doesn’t mention boiling the sausages before grilling them, but it’s an inviolable part of the ritual of cooking sausages in my husband’s Italian family!

• Dijon and panko-crusted rack of lamb

  • Susanbk on December 09, 2023

    Since I can't figure out how to leave a review for this recipe (it's early), I'll leave this note instead. We made this last night for dinner - followed the recipe exactly - and it was quick, easy, and very tasty. Am thinking of making it again when friends come over. I've had great success with Jenn's recipes, and this was the same. It's true, I hadn't ever thought of a rack of lamb as being a quick weeknight meal, but done this way, it definitely was.

• Old-fashioned individual meatloaves

  • dbuhler on February 17, 2025

    These are very good meatloaves! The only change I made was for the glaze...I used my favorite meatloaf glaze which is a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar (Cook's Country Glazed Meatloaf). I served these with Rustic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots from the same book. It was a truly delightful dinner that I will definitely repeat!

  • krista_fcgy12 on March 25, 2026

    Excellent! So flavorful. Freezes well too.

  • anya_sf on March 08, 2023

    My family loved these even though I overcooked them. My oven was occupied, so I used the air fryer (still at 350). Initially checked after 25 min (using a thermometer), then at 30 min, but they still weren't quite done. So I tried 5 more minutes, but that was way too long - the ketchup burnt and the meat was overcooked (although not completed dried out, thank goodness); maybe 2 min would have sufficed? Will try again, maybe with a mixture of ketchup and mustard on top.

• Rustic Parmesan mashed potatoes

  • averythingcooks on April 21, 2022

    I made these to serve as a base over which I spooned a lovely beef stew. We could taste the parmesan & butter, we didn't miss the milk/cream (calls for saved cooking water instead) and the chives provided good flavour & colour. I would make these again for sure to serve under or beside all kinds of things.

  • krista_fcgy12 on January 14, 2026

    Absolutely fantastic. I love making these and serving these to company. Such an easy and delightful side dish that everyone loves!

  • layne_2a1rdw on February 24, 2026

    So good, really easy

• Roasted broccoli

  • krista_fcgy12 on February 15, 2026

    Simple & delicious! A great side dish with a protein forward meal.

  • averythingcooks on December 18, 2022

    With a dinner party table full of big flavours, sometimes you just want a simple (bit still good!) side/veg for a break and for me this was it. I was really just looking for guidance re: oven temp/cook time -this worked perfectly and there was not a floret leftover.

• Brownie pudding

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    This was a quick easy mid-week recipe that the entire family enjoyed with some vanilla ice cream. It is rich. I subbed gluten-free flour, no problem.

• Chocolate chip skillet cookie

  • Running_with_Wools on January 18, 2022

    I have made this four times now in about 10 days. It is so good and very quick and simple to make. I substitute gluten free flour and the texture is still excellent.

  • anya_sf on August 25, 2023

    Baked 33 min, the cookie appeared to be done, but when I pulled it out of the oven, the center shifted quite a bit, revealing a too-gooey center, and sadly making the top not-so-pretty. After 2 more minutes in the oven, the texture was just right. This was baked several hours ahead, so it was no longer warm we when ate it, but was still totally delicious, and slices are easily heated in the microwave.

• Cherry ricotta cake

  • anya_sf on May 30, 2024

    Very good, moist cake, nearly identical to Alison Roman's ricotta cake, but with less sugar, so we enjoyed it for both dessert and breakfast. I did add more cherries on top as mine were fairly large so the weight didn't amount to very many.

• Buttermilk pancakes

  • dbuhler on March 27, 2024

    I made these and froze them to eat later in the week. I did taste the last one that was a small pancake and the flavor was really good. I used her method of reheating the pancakes in the oven and that worked really well however mine needed about 13-15 minutes to fully reheat. They were still good after reheating, but not as good as fresh, but I'm glad to have her reheating trick to use in the future. I would make these again!

  • anya_sf on August 27, 2023

    Very good pancakes of medium thickness. As noted, batter was fairly thick and did indeed get "fluffy" from the leavening as it sat, so my pancakes were somewhat misshapen, but no one cared.

• Coconut biscotti

  • elianita on January 13, 2025

    Amazing biscotti recipe! I’ve made this many times to share with friends and neighbors and I always get asked when I’m making them again. These are just right, not too hard and not too sweet. Very easy to follow.

• "Lucky" sausage and cheddar drop biscuits

  • anya_sf on February 20, 2023

    For the sausage, I used 6 oz (1/2 package) TJ's maple chicken breakfast sausage, which normally I find a bit sweet, but it tasted great here. I was just able to fit all 10 scones on one sheet pan. They were delicious.

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    These are fantastic. I used GF flour, and some of the butter leaked out, I think because of the substitution. They were still really good.

• Fisherman's stew (Cioppino)

  • Baxter850 on February 12, 2024

    Great dish. Wouldn’t call this a weekend night dish but I’d definitely call it a dish I’ll put in the rotation. Nice clean flavor. Added king crab which was lost a bit in the soup.

• Crispy Buffalo chicken tenders with Buffalo sauce and ranch dressing

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    These are really delicious. I used gluten free flour and they were fantastic. Crispy and tasty. Kids loved these.

  • Darrenk122 on August 01, 2024

    Found the tenders way way too “bready” but really enjoyed the Buffalo sauce

• Latin-style pork roast with lime chimichurri sauce

  • Lepa on September 16, 2024

    This was good but not great, certainly not as good as I hoped it would taste after smelling it cooking for hours. The seasoning rub wasn't as good as others I have tried- and definitely needed more salt.

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    I made this with the black beans and rice and it was good.

• Black beans with onions, garlic sauce, and spices

  • anya_sf on January 12, 2023

    Basic, quick, easy side dish. I used dried beans, cooked in the pressure cooker, which were slightly overdone, but that didn't matter here since the beans are partially mashed.

• Focaccia with tomatoes, rosemary and pecorino Romano

  • averythingcooks on November 21, 2021

    I cut this in half and baked it in a 9 inch round cast iron pan. I used far less tomatoes than called for (ie the instruction re: not overlapping limits what you can use - perhaps mine were larger than hers). This version of focaccia is really good (and the edges are the best!) but we both agree that a little more time in the oven was needed (even though I did give it 3 extra minutes). We are eating wedges beside soup for dinner & I will repeat this one for sure.

  • ezwriternc on July 03, 2022

    I didn’t use the toppings in this recipe. I just wanted a basic focaccia recipe. I added bacon, caramelized onions and fig jam. It was very good. I didn’t let it rise for as long the second time since I needed to bake it. I bet it would come out more fluffy if I had. Definitely making this again.

  • anya_sf on January 24, 2023

    Made 1/2 recipe in a 9"x13" sheet pan, using halved grape tomatoes (still drained, although there wasn't much liquid). The focaccia was delicious, with a soft, fluffy, moist texture from the generous amount of oil.

• Five-star beef stew with carrots and potatoes

  • anya_sf on February 12, 2023

    Very tasty stew, easy to make. The carrots were just cooked, not super soft like in many stews - I actually wouldn't have minded them softer, but I may have cut them slightly large. I added frozen peas at the end. I could see boosting the flavor with Worcestershire or soy sauce like TBackman did.

  • TBackman on January 30, 2022

    Best stew to date! Added a tbsp. of soya and worchestshire sauce for more umami plus a 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes as we love extra tomatoes.

  • Kag2020 on February 20, 2024

    Delicious, may be my new go to stew recipe. For the next time: one cup less water, put the vegetables in earlier (after 90 minutes which I did today), add Worcestershire, bit more thyme, flour, last hour uncovered.

  • Ezair92 on January 31, 2022

    This is probably one of the best beef stews I have had Pretty easy to make

  • averythingcooks on November 20, 2021

    This is a really nice beef stew rich with garlic & wine and an extra hit of flavour from cooking the aromatics with the balsamic vinegar. I had a very sad celery stick that went in with onions & garlic, used fresh thyme in place of dried and I did add peas and some sweet roasted peppers at the end for colour. A lovely cold fall dinner with some garlic toasts on the side.

  • lizbot2000 on October 20, 2021

    This was good! Mostly hands-off, so not too much trouble to make.

  • jwm on September 06, 2025

    My go to beef stew recipe. I’ve made it so many times and it has yet to disappoint.

  • dbuhler on February 10, 2023

    This was the best beef stew I have ever made, and I've made a lot! The only substitution I made was I used extra beef broth (Better Than Bullion base) for the wine. I love the use of the baby Ukon gold potatoes and the addition of balsamic vinegar to the sautéed onions was brilliant and it created the most intoxicating aroma! I can't wait to make this again!

• Butterscotch pudding with salted caramel sauce

  • dbuhler on April 27, 2024

    Wow! This was delicious! I absolutely love the texture and flavor of the pudding! I really appreciated that she included target temperatures when cooking the brown sugar as that helped a lot. With that said, I was disappointed to not see the same thing with the caramel recipe. She states that it comes from Cook's Illustrated so I looked up their recipe and used their target temps. Sadly I overcooked my first attempt and undercooked my second. Both versions had an odd flavor that I've never noticed in a caramel sauce before and I'm not sure if that is from the corn syrup or the cooking method. Either way, I will definitely make the pudding again, but I'll use a stove top caramel sauce instead of the microwave version.

  • anya_sf on January 26, 2026

    I've been searching for the ultimate butterscotch pudding recipe and this may be it. It was really, really good. I attempted 1/3 recipe, using 1 egg yolk, which was a little tricky due to small quantities - cooking times were faster - but worked. Used about 1/2 milk, 1/2 cream in the pudding and I think all milk could be used. The pudding was quite rich and portions were generous.

  • krista_fcgy12 on January 14, 2026

    Incredible! I had to make the caramel sauce twice as this process can be a bit fussy. However, it was worth it. This recipe was absolutely incredible. All of our dinner guests RAVED about it. If you’re looking for a relatively simple and delicious desert- look no further

• Sour cream chocolate loaf cakes

  • anya_sf on April 18, 2026

    Not sure if I did something wrong or if my oven was way off. The only change I made was to use Dutch-processed cocoa - I realize that affects the pH, but with only 1,5 Tbsp, I didn't think it would matter too much. However, my loaf took 20 min longer to bake and sank in the center. The glaze was way too thin (should've added just 1 Tbsp water) so I had to add more sugar, making it sweeter. Still, we enjoyed the cake; it was relatively moist despite the long baking time, with good chocolate flavor.

  • Running_with_Wools on February 22, 2022

    I made this with one of my sons and subbed gf flour. This is a really good chocolate cake. I made a quick ganache instead of the glaze.

• Peanut butter and jam thumbprints

  • dbuhler on July 22, 2024

    These were so good! I absolutely loved the texture and flavor of the cookie, and she was right, blackberry jam is very good here! To portion the cookies, I used a #50 scoop, which is a little over 1 TBS and I got 44 cookies. I also put the jam in a sandwich sized resealable bag and snipped of the corner and piped the jam into the indentation. This was much faster than using a spoon. I will gladly make these again!

  • bwhip on October 01, 2021

    We really enjoyed these. Easy to make, with good instructions. Flavor and texture were spot-on. We'll make these again.

  • averythingcooks on October 24, 2023

    These are very good cookies. To get 36, I used 22 g (which for us, resulted in pretty big cookies) and felt I needed to add 1 minute to both the "before & after jam" bake times. I stirred together raspberry & blackberry jelly and I'm pretty sure these will get made again.

• Kentucky bourbon cake

  • Kinhawaii on October 30, 2022

    I love this, though I think next time I won’t cook the glaze as much, like in the NYT’s cake. I didn’t get a crunchy coating so much as a soak & I think it’s because this one is simmered. I think my cake didn’t come out totally cleanly because I let it sit longer than 30 minutes in the pan before I turned it out. I like this version better than the one in the NYT.

  • Running_with_Wools on November 04, 2021

    This cake is absolutely delicious. It is a simple pound cake, soaked with a bourbon, butter and sugar glaze. It makes a very large cake - and improves with age. I used High West Rye, and everyone loved it. I will be making this again.

  • anya_sf on June 06, 2025

    Delicious, very tender, moist, sweet cake. It took 10 minutes longer to bake. I had to use a knife to loosen the cake from the pan and parts of the crust still stuck (fortunately, no chunks), giving the cake a mottled appearance. Sampled the day of baking, the bottom of the cake was more syrupy; maybe better to wait a day?