Notes about Recipes in this book

• Stuffed PB&J French toast with berry-browned butter sauce

  • anya_sf on March 01, 2022

    I increased everything by 50% to make 3 whole sandwiches, but only my teenage son could eat a whole one. Very filling! And it turns out I didn't need to increase the egg mixture as there would have been enough. I also didn't need so much butter for cooking (used an electric griddle to cook all 3 at once). I skipped the salt, powdered sugar and extra butter on top as they seemed superfluous. The overall flavor was good, but the peanut butter overpowered the other ingredients. I loved the caramelized exterior and would try this technique with a more subtle filling - perhaps jam (skipping the jam topping) and mascarpone?

• Pickly perfect breakfast burgers

  • anya_sf on November 16, 2023

    I was using up preformed burger patties, which I simply sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chopped pickles, and skipped the onion and hot sauce. I think there's an error in the egg instructions, as she has you cook 2 omelets with 2 eggs each, but doesn't say to cut them in half, which of course you should. These tasty burgers were fun to eat, and I'm sure would be even better with her seasoned beef patties.

• Turkey, mushroom & pepperoncini Tater Tot hot dish

  • tarae1204 on November 17, 2021

    I wish I’d taken a photo of this because it was lovely out of the oven, BUT it also smelled amazing and we couldn’t wait to eat it. The recipe worked well as written - just keep an eye as you brown the onions. I used a more upscale brand of tater tots to avoid that “cafeteria” flavor and grease factor, and was glad I did. It made a difference.

  • southerncooker on November 23, 2021

    This is delicious. The tater tots crisp up so nicely. I made a half recipe. I used ground beef instead of turkey.

  • anya_sf on January 16, 2022

    My family loved this and 3 of us finished most of it for dinner. I was skeptical about the pepperoncini (can't imagine a Minnesotan using those), and removed the seeds so they wouldn't be too spicy, but I'm glad I used them as they added some nice acidity. Cream of celery soup was good here, but any "cream of" condensed soup would work. I baked this in a 9"x13" pan for maximum tater tot coverage; the filling only came halfway up the sides, and I'd added some frozen peas to the mixture, so next time I may add even more vegetables.

  • Tweedles81 on November 17, 2025

    This was delicious! I am Minnesotan and it was a modern, slightly healthier spin on a hot dish. The pepperoncini adds a nice zing to it and really makes the dish. I forgot to add the milk. I don’t think it impacted the flavor, but the hot dish did not bind well together. I’d definitely make it again, being sure to add the milk!

  • spenceral on January 11, 2026

    Loved it. Doubled it to fit a 9x13

• Two-berry muffins with HBO crumble

  • anya_sf on December 15, 2021

    Marshmallows and white chocolate aren't usually part of my breakfast, but I had them on hand, plus Honey Bunches of Oats, so I figured I'd try these. They were actually pretty good and not sickly sweet like you might imagine. The marshmallows only go on top, so they melted together with the cereal topping for sort of a Rice Krispie treat flavor. Of course, you could always omit the white chocolate and marshmallows and have pretty tasty muffins. My muffins took 5 extra minutes to bake.

• John's perfect blueberry buttermilk pancakes

  • tarae1204 on November 28, 2021

    These are good, not too sweet, pliable pancakes. No issues with recipe. Kind of a small/medium batch.

  • anya_sf on January 01, 2022

    Solid blueberry pancake recipe, similar to Smitten Kitchen's, with a higher proportion of leavening and sugar to help make them fluffy and tender. I couldn't discern any difference greasing the griddle with salted butter vs unsalted. Made 2x recipe, got 10 pancakes plus a small bonus one.

  • ChristineSF on February 24, 2024

    Not all ingredients listed, they were good, not too sweet, used whole wheat pastry flour and added cinnamon, all else per recipe.

• Quiche Lorraine baguette

  • anya_sf on October 15, 2022

    This recipe only has 3 things in common with quiche Lorraine: eggs, cream, and deliciousness. I messed up the filling, adding too much cream (maybe my eyes weren't working?), then had to strain the mixture, add more eggs and seasoning to try and save it - thankfully, I managed. Next time I'll make it properly. The crust did get fairly crisp, so it was easier to eat with hands vs fork and knife; a softer-crusted bread is recommended.

  • Clairehg on June 02, 2025

    Sooo yummy! If you like the quiche crust this is perfect for you. I switched out the ham for prosicutto and it was delightful

• Smoky spinach, mushroom & cheddar [quesadilla]

  • Zosia on November 09, 2021

    Tasty combination of ingredients. I changed the cooking method slightly as my spinach was fresh - cooked it separately once mushrooms were done - and didn't use butter for frying, just a misting of vegetable oil. Everyone enjoyed them.

• Smoky chicken, bell pepper & Swiss [quesadilla] with avocado ranch dip

  • anya_sf on December 07, 2021

    I made 3 dinner-sized quesadillas using 7.5" tortillas, which just barely fit on my electric griddle. Only doubled the chicken, but added some black beans and used 2 whole green peppers and a little less cheese. Unless your chicken thighs are super small, you will need to cook them longer; instructions don't say to slice the chicken after cooking, but you will probably want to. I preferred to cook the bell pepper until fully soft and slightly charred. Good flavors overall, but the Swiss cheese flavor was lost, so feel free to use any cheese. I doubled the avocado ranch dip but there was a lot left over. Really, this is just a good, basic quesadilla recipe with a crispy, buttery tortilla.

• Avocado ranch dip

  • anya_sf on December 07, 2021

    I had 2 avocados to use, so doubled the recipe, which made a ton of dip. Made with Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk ranch, I would have liked more avocado flavor - thought the dressing was too prominent. Next time I'll use less dressing. But we did enjoy this very much on quesadillas.

  • averythingcooks on May 28, 2025

    We are not really avocado people (gasp!) partly for texture & partly for "meh" re the taste BUT I came to test something that guests might like and yes...we liked it too (& liked it even more with a good shot of hot sauce). It was quesadilla night so I made a mash-up of 2 of her recipes from this 2 page spread (chorizo, pepper jack, smoky chicken & red bell pepper to be precise). Tasty/hearty quesadillas with a nice dip = good dinner.

• Bali-inspired chicken satay

  • Zosia on June 23, 2022

    Very tasty though a little sweet even though I used half the sugar in the meat. Half recipe of sauce was more than enough.

• Herby eggplant dip

  • tarae1204 on December 17, 2023

    The recipe calls for two medium eggplants. I used graffiti eggplants, which must be too small or too seedy as they only produced half the amount of roasted eggplant pulp. Adjusted accordingly, this is a good and easy recipe for a tangy dip. I used mint rather than cilantro.

• Roasted sesame party dip

  • ethedens on June 20, 2023

    Very good. The seasonings also work well with cottage cheese if you're a lazy dip maker like I am.

• Lemony angel hair with ricotta & pine nuts

  • anya_sf on January 09, 2022

    My lemons just yielded the minimum amount of juice, but that was OK as the sauce was plenty lemony. The instructions don't say to remove the cooked lemon peel from the pasta, but I did (maybe didn't need to?). The pasta package stated a 2-minute cooking time, so I just cooked it for 1.5 min. I reserved some cooking water and did end up using it to loosen up the pasta, which kind of stuck together - a common problem with angel hair. I added cooked broccoli florets for a one-dish meal. This was good and didn't seem that heavy, despite being quite rich. The ricotta really rounded out the flavors. Next time I'd consider using a thicker pasta, such as thin spaghetti, and increasing the pine nuts, which kind of got lost.

  • Cescelia on June 14, 2025

    Saw the note about the angel hair sticking together, and decided to use spaghettini instead. It was delicious! I did not add the extra tbsp of butter, I didn’t see much of a difference. This was really light and refreshing, while being well-rounded.

• Perfectly pink pasta

  • anya_sf on December 19, 2021

    Yummy, basic creamy tomato pasta sauce. Bucatini (Chrissy's favorite) was a good choice as the sauce clung nicely to the noodles. Next time I will try the extra cheesy version with a short, stubby pasta. No fresh basil this time of year, but it was still good without it.

  • brokencup on January 01, 2024

    A great basic pantry pasta. We like it with fusilli. Basil isn’t necessary!

• Cheesy spinach stuffed shells with roasted red pepper tomato sauce

  • averythingcooks on May 06, 2023

    This time I just made the cheesy spinach filling for some lasagna roll ups and 1/2 recipe was enough for 6 generously filled rolls. It has lots of flavour and next time I will make it as shells with her roasted red pepper sauce.

• Sourdough Jack Hamburger Helper

  • southerncooker on November 19, 2021

    While this was good I've had other homemade hamburger helpers I liked better. I made a half recipe. I used chicken bacon.

  • anya_sf on February 02, 2022

    I made 2/3 recipe using 8 oz cavatappi pasta, assuming 3 cups elbow macaroni would be 12 oz. This was good and my family happily ate it, but I did think the seasoning was a little lacking. Maybe some paprika or seasoned salt would boost the flavor.

  • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

    This recipe is pretty mediocre. I love Chrissy’s recipes generally, but this lacked seasoning and dimension. We added less bacon and it still tasted really bacon-y. It also feeds an army and took up all of my 5.5 qt Dutch oven, so keep that in mind!

  • averythingcooks on December 07, 2022

    This is a perfect example of how EYB can prevent mediocre results.....I read the member comments (always!) and so I used a 50:50 mix of ground beef & spicy sausage, cut down on the bacon and seasoned the pan with Montreal steak spice plus a little seasoning salt. I added sweet peppers to the aromatics and some parmesan to the bread crumb topping. I planned to make 1/2 then decided to go down to 1/3 and still it made enough for 2 dinners and 3 lunches. We both really liked the results.

  • aceedubs on October 27, 2023

    I halved the recipe and it was more than enough. I also swapped the swiss for pepper jack and added a bit of canned tomato sauce because my kids like it saucy.

  • shelbstirr on February 05, 2025

    As a big fan of the sourdough jack in my early 20s I was excited to see this recipe. At first, I thought it tasted bland, but then I couldn’t stop eating it. It makes a ton of food. Edit: season the meat with 1.5 t diamond crystal kosher salt and then add 2 t salt to the milk as directed in the recipe. The sourdough breadcrumb topping adds a lot, don’t skip it. Makes 10 servings for me.

• White pizza with cheese-roasted garlic (Pizza bianca)

  • anya_sf on May 14, 2022

    The dough was easy to knead in a stand mixer (and probably would be easy by hand too). I made it in the morning, then refrigerated until evening, and it continued to rise a lot in the fridge. Just having one 12" cast iron pan, I parbaked the first crust, removed it from the pan (easy to do with the foil) and parbaked the second crust while I topped the first one. I finished baking the first pizza in cast iron and the second one on a pizza pan. The first pizza was the pizza bianca, only half with red pepper flakes. I sprinkled fresh basil on top and enjoyed that addition. The garlic didn't really caramelize in the short baking time, but my garlic was mild so it was okay. The second pizza was pepperoni + mushroom. Again with the short baking time, the toppings didn't brown as much as I'd have liked. Pizza bianca was more successful with this parbaking method. The crust was decent considering how simple the dough was to make; the cast iron method probably improved the texture.

• Parm-dusted garlic-butter pull-apart dinner rolls

  • averythingcooks on December 18, 2022

    These are lovely! I did switch to my dough hook when I got to the 8 minute mixing stage which was a good idea and to get 18 even rolls I made roughly 1.85 oz balls of dough. I actually found a video to demonstrate the “cupped hand” roll shaping method she suggests and it really does work. I made them early in the day, gently reheated them in the microwave for dinner and they were VERY popular with my guests! My only issue was that I did have lots of the garlic butter leftover - and I did think I was brushing generously :)

• Crispy delicata squash chips

  • sam_q4d8yh on March 21, 2026

    Addictive

• Whole-roasted oyster mushrooms

  • southerncooker on December 02, 2021

    I got some beautiful blue oyster mushrooms from my farm share so I decided to try this recipe. They were ok and the crisper ones were the best tasting. I probably wouldn't make this again since I enjoy the mushrooms more in other ways.

• Tangy sesame cucumber salad with hot rice

  • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

    We really liked this one with how simple and nutritious it is. We are cucumber salad lovers in any form. It looks nice on a platter with rice in the center!

  • anya_sf on April 09, 2022

    Maybe I sliced the cucumbers too thickly, but only 2 Tbsp liquid was exuded after 45 min. Anyway, at that point I patted the cucumbers dry and the salad turned out great. We made a meal of this with extra rice and avocado, some edamame, and Dorie Greenspan's ponzu chicken. So good!

• Broccoli salad with creamy cashew dressing

  • averythingcooks on March 28, 2023

    This is a good twist on a broccoli salad. The dressing is very tasty but my big blender does not handle small quantities well. I chopped the cashews very finely & used my mini food processor...not really smooth so I moved it into my smoothie maker and that did a better (if not perfect) job. My preferences for repeating would be to skip the blanching step for the cold salad and also drizzling this dressing over a pan of hot roasted broccoli.

  • brokencup on January 01, 2024

    The dressing is great! Really great salad but not enough heft for a main

• A really great salad with lots of options

  • southerncooker on November 09, 2021

    Daughter requested this for her birthday. I used pecans, pear, garlic & fine herb goat cheese, and some living lettuce for options. Daughter and I loved this. The nuts were so good on this.

  • anya_sf on December 19, 2021

    Fruit, nuts, and cheese are a classic, winning salad combination. This time I used pistachios (just roasted and salted, not the sweet-spicy recipe given here - too lazy), mandarin oranges, and Boursin with escarole and red leaf lettuce. The Balsamic dressing was very good (half recipe was plenty).

  • averythingcooks on January 06, 2022

    I came here for the creamy balsamic dressing and although I loved it as written, T tasted it and felt it was "a bit.....aggressive?" So I added a quick squirt of honey and a spoonful of plain yogurt and we both really enjoyed it over a simple salad of green leaf lettuce with sliced red peppers & red onions.

  • hbakke on March 27, 2024

    Wow, such a great salad! We loved the candied nuts, dressing, and the Boursin cheese combination. I used dried figs, but fresh figs or another fruit would also be an excellent choice. I might try this with pecans next time instead of pistachios.

  • ginarae on March 15, 2026

    We loved this salad. There’s a lot of room to riff on this recipe, we went with the hat we already had in the house. Pecans, romaine, and apples. I will definitely make again.

  • Clairehg on April 06, 2026

    I thought this was a great recipe to make a quick and easy salad. Next time I will taste the dressing before putting it on the salad (amateur hour!), because it definitely needed a pinch or two of salt. Loved how it could be personalized, but enjoyed following it as written.

• Couscous salad with apricot basil dressing

  • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

    This is one of my favorite recipes I’ve made from this book so far! The flavors are fantastic and I could eat that basil dressing with a spoon. Perfect item to sit out at a party! Good warm, cold, and room temperature.

  • anya_sf on July 23, 2025

    My blender didn't get the dressing smooth (maybe try the processor next time), but it was good enough. My apricots were on the tart side; next time I'll hold back 1 Tbsp vinegar and taste it before adding more. Still, the salad was very good. I added some blanched broccoli florets, which went well with everything else.

• Citrus & burrata Caprese

  • anya_sf on April 11, 2022

    While I appreciate the frugality of squeezing juice from citrus rinds, I barely got 1 Tbsp that way. With an additional tangerine, I was able to make half the dressing, which fortunately was plenty for the salad. I skipped the jalapeno pepper as it didn't sound appealing. My family loved this! The extra dressing that pooled on the bottom of the serving dish was delicious mopped up with bread.

• Wilted kale with apples & bacon

  • Zosia on June 21, 2022

    Tasty side, especially for pork.

  • julesamomof2 on September 22, 2022

    We liked this alongside the Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary-Apple Cider Sauce from the same book. Delicious!

  • anya_sf on April 26, 2024

    I used a bigger pot and doubled the kale, but not the other ingredients, and would do so again as it cooked down a lot. As recommended, this went really well with the pork tenderloin from the same book. I cooked this while the pork marinated, then cooked the pork and reheated this at the last minute.

• Veggie & shirataki noodles with yolky broth

  • hbakke on June 07, 2022

    A lot of vegetable chopping, but worth it. This was a nice, brothy vegetable full soup. I would make this again. I used green fettuccine shirataki noodles, but ramen shirataki noodles would be my preference for next time.

• Greek-style lemon, rice & chicken soup (Avgolemono)

  • tarae1204 on November 05, 2021

    This is a soup I know I like, but hadn’t made in years. I thought I’d try this version. It came together easily and tasted fine. I think the sautéed chicken breasts came out perhaps a little too seared and unevenly cooked. The chicken was covered in oil and garlic, and the garlic charred from the extended time over medium high heat.

  • mirage on April 04, 2022

    Made with skinny little egg noodles, instead of rice, as advised by a Greek friend.

  • mdagl on December 17, 2022

    We are always on the hunt for a solid avgolemono recipe and were really satisfied with this version. We've made it twice and it's at the top of the list so far for this soup.

  • Miscopia on March 02, 2025

    This was fantastic, with a nice acidity and flavour. My favorite part was the chicken, as the method of cooking, seasoning and shredding was delicious. I kept nibbling on the chicken while making the soup and almost didn't want to add it on. Despite the rice, it reheated nicely the next day.

• Hot & sour egg-"flick" soup

  • southerncooker on November 12, 2021

    Delicious. Daughter and I both agreed it tasted like the hot and sour soup we've had in a Chinese restaurant.

  • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

    Agreed that this is delicious. My partner requests it often. Not too complicated. May replace baby corn with kernels next time, as I’m not a huge fan, but that’s about it.

  • karen_qnl5ds on March 30, 2026

    I made this in stages, making the basic soup ahead and adding the sprouts and eggs just before serving . As sprouts come in packages of more than a cup, I just used them all. Great results

• #Potatoleeksoup

  • Hansgee on March 11, 2022

    We enjoyed this soup a lot. We served it with warm bread rather than the gimmicky pie crust hashtags. Next time, we may leave more soup unblended for a chunkier texture.

• Cozy classic red lentil soup

  • averythingcooks on May 23, 2025

    As promised, this is a simple & comforting red lentil soup. I do prefer my lentil soup to be very smooth (ie a mug sipper!) and so I gave it good run through the blender at the end. I did think it could use a little perking up so I stirred in some Thai red curry paste and I will happily enjoy this for upcoming lunches.

  • Thehungryteacher on January 17, 2026

    I have made this recipe many times as written! My kids love it…. It’s very cozy and simple, and just hits the spot for them. I like that I almost always have all of the ingredients- it feels slightly magical to make a cozy pot of soup so quickly!

• Spicy sausage pasta fagioli

  • averythingcooks on January 20, 2022

    This is a really hearty & flavourful pot of soup. I had cooked navy beans in the freezer so there was no "bean liquid" to include (& I'm pretty sure we didn't miss it) and I used fresh rosemary in place of dried. I scaled the recipe back to around 1/3 and the yield was 2 big dinner bowls (served with garlic toasts) & enough leftover for lunch for one of us. I would make this again for sure.

  • anya_sf on January 25, 2022

    I used mild sausage with a pinch of red pepper flakes (didn't want it actually spicy). Added a parmesan rind and simmered the soup 15 min before adding the pasta. More like a stew than a soup, this was really delicious. There was a lot less left over than I expected! FYI, 1.25 cups ditalini pasta is around 5 oz/150 g.

• Salmon quinoa salad with carrot-ginger-miso dressing

  • Misha27 on January 20, 2022

    This was delicious. The dressing is super flavourful with the additions of ginger and miso. It's also filling and very healthy. The leftovers are great cold too. It's going into regular dinner rotation.

  • anya_sf on May 11, 2022

    Really good! Maybe I used too much water, but the quinoa seemed a little water-logged, even after spreading out on a sheet pan, but that wasn't noticeable after it was mixed with the rest of the salad. I tossed the salad with about half the dressing, rather than just drizzling on top; leftovers held up well. I used a whole 7 oz bag arugula and a whole can of black beans (because why not?) and omitted the red onion.

  • hbakke on June 14, 2022

    Very nice salmon recipe. The salad, and especially the salad dressing, was delicious. I cooked the quinoa in the pressure cooker using my usual method instead of following the recipe instructions. I also used frozen corn instead of canned corn, and I added the sliced red onion to the pan to be broiled with the corn since we aren't the biggest fans of raw red onion. I would make this again.

  • mdagl on December 17, 2022

    Husband absolutely loved this one. I found it to be a bit on the sweet side, which wasn't ideal for me for this dish. Also found the quinoa to be a little water-logged.

  • Clairehg on October 25, 2023

    I kid you not this is one of the best meals I've ever made!! So light and delicious. The dressing is SOOO good. I made for a large group and everyone raved.

• Shawarma-spiced skirt steak salad

  • mdagl on July 21, 2022

    Salad was great! Dressing was very simple -- I feel like that's the only part that could've been improved upon. Loved the pita chips in there!

  • averythingcooks on May 18, 2025

    This was a great main course salad that I made with flank steak. I do agree with the other member's comment re: the dressing. Having made it as written I had a quick taste and then added minced shallot & garlic + a shot of honey and that worked well for us. I made my own sumac & za'atar seasoned pita chips and we will make this one again.

  • Tweedles81 on December 09, 2025

    This was a very good salad! I absolutely agree about the dressing being too simple - I would have added shallot at a minimum. I quick-pickled red onions (I hate raw onions) and that added a nice acid element to the salad. I only marinated the steak for one hour as I was crunched for time - it was good and I’m sure it would have been even better had I been able to do it for the time that the recipe called for!

• Chickpea crunchwraps

  • tarae1204 on November 03, 2021

    Tasty but not crunchy. If you seek crunch, perhaps crisp the crispy shells as per box directions, prior to assembling taco wraps. When creating the chickpea “glue” that binds the hard and soft tortillas, add some pan liquid to get the right consistency. I also added a spoonful of sour cream to the mashed chickpeas to make my chickpea glue richer, creamier and stickier. Pickling the red onions would also take this over the top. Just, some kind of pickle, a squeeze of lime, etc. it’s a delicious mouthful of mild with warmth from the cayenne and slight bite from the red onion. I also salted throughout and salted to taste, not quite following the directions.

• BBQ chicken & rice bowls

  • tarae1204 on November 04, 2021

    Flavorful and adaptable recipe. The baked beans up the kid appeal, the chipotles lower it. The boneless skinless chicken thighs stay super moist thanks to the thick bbq marinade. A few recommendations: (1) Use two sheet pans not one, and roast enough vegetables to serve everyone (e.g., recipe calls for six carrots which can’t be equally divided for family of four or five) (2) Cook 2 cups raw rice to yield enough cooked rice (you’ll have extra). The recipe just calls for four cups hot cooked rice, without tips for timing it with the chicken, (3) Chicken thighs might be cooked sooner than the vegetables depending on size, use a thermometer to check when they hit 165. (4) Finely sliced green onion greens go into the rice, using 3-4 green onions to yield 1/4 cup. Why waste the whites? Roast them or fry them to add to the baked beans.

  • anya_sf on December 09, 2021

    Two sheet pans were needed to fit everything in a single layer (I didn't put the green beans under the chicken) and most things took an extra 15 min to roast. I thought there was more sauce than needed and definitely didn't think more needed to be brushed on the chicken towards the end. The sauce (more like a paste) was pretty good except the tomato paste was too prominent. I removed the seeds from the chipotle chiles so they wouldn't be too spicy. I cooked extra brown rice and let people mix butter into their own portions if they wanted (was out of scallions). Although it seemed like a lot of food, my family of 3 finished all the chicken and roasted veggies. Overall, I loved the concept and my family ate this enthusiastically, so I'd make it again with whatever vegetables I had, possibly just using bottled BBQ sauce.

• Super-crunchy tofu ginger stir-fry

  • hbakke on November 08, 2021

    Nice, easy dinner. I skipped frying the tofu and just lightly seared the pieces. It was fine that way and I would do that again.

• Spatchcocked Thai grilled chicken with sticky rice balls & spicy sauce

  • Zosia on November 08, 2021

    Flavours were very good. I made a half batch of rice with sushi rice and halving the time didn't exactly work as it was a little dry though it did stick together. I didn't brown the chicken stovetop, just roasted it at 425.

  • craftycarmen on January 01, 2026

    Flavor is reminiscent to Pepper Thai’s roasted lemongrass chicken. I followed the sticky rice instructions to a T, but it came out kind of dry/hard. I probably should’ve kept adding more water as I continued to uncover and stir, not just the first time. I ate it with sweet chili sauce to add some sweetness and to balance out the flavors. Also, Chrissy’s spice level is high to me and I have a moderate spice level. I’d use less Thai chili powder if you don’t want it as spicy.

  • kalli_uzu7du on February 27, 2026

    This recipe never fails to deliver. It and the sauce with the rice balls is addictive

• Lamb & feta smashburgers

  • southerncooker on November 10, 2021

    Son and I thought these were good. I don't think the olive oil is necessary for frying since I had to keep pouring out greese to get the patties to brown. For the spread we used mayonnaise only since my yogurt was bad. I was out of lettuce and jalapeños. I used a red Serrano instead of the jalapeno.

  • ssouss on May 06, 2022

    This is so delicious! Used ghee to fry the patties, cook the onions and toast the buns.

  • averythingcooks on May 24, 2025

    I cut this in 1/2 using 8 oz of grd pork (in place of the lamb) to convert these smash burgers into 4 sliders. With its mix of aromatics + feta, the meat mixture was great but I cut back on the added oil because...maybe pork is fattier than lamb? Regardless it worked well. We loved the creamy spread (with a dried Greek seasoning blend added with the fresh oregano) & this time a red onion relish replaced the sauteed onions. With chopped romaine & brioche slider buns, these easily passed the "repeat" test.

• Pad see ew cabbage with a runny egg

  • hbakke on November 20, 2021

    Very simple, but delicious dinner. The recipe initially seemed too basic, but I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce and the texture of the cabbage combined with the runny yolk. I would make this again, possibly with some different added veg or protein.

  • anya_sf on March 17, 2022

    The flavor was indeed reminiscent of pad see ew, despite having different ingredients. I cooked some carrot along with the cabbage and fried the egg using my normal method rather than her oil-basting one. Very enjoyable.

  • kaityblueeyes on October 17, 2022

    This is quite delicious! Perfect when looking to cook on a budget. I had all the ingredients on hand and half a cabbage that I needed to use up from another recipe. Great idea to have in my pocket.

  • hirsheys on January 21, 2024

    Quite good and very easy. Made it with half a large cabbage and didn’t reduce sauce (served with rice). Could have used a bit of acid, maybe, but otherwise very yummy. Good use of fried cabbage. Used massive Chrissy cast iron, which worked great.

• Yai's Thai sloppy Joes

  • gamulholland on November 21, 2021

    This was really tasty and a hit with the family. I went light on the cayenne and white pepper because of the more mild tastebuds of some family members, but next time I’ll put in the full amount. I also added the toppings in the other “Pepper Thai’s sloppy Joe’s” recipe— canned fried onions and cilantro— definitely adding those again!

  • Zosia on January 28, 2022

    Quick and very tasty. Though it wasn't very saucy, I thought the mixture was a little too wet for a pita filling; I served it with buns (and knives and forks!)

  • anya_sf on May 11, 2022

    These were good, a nice twist on sloppy Joes and not too spicy for my son. I found it easier to cut the pitas in half before filling them.

  • averythingcooks on March 31, 2023

    We really liked this variation of a sloppy Joe eaten as wraps in lettuce lined tortillas. I used a 50:50 mix of fish sauce + oyster sauce (our preference) & I added diced Fresno chiles to up the heat a bit. There is lots of flavour here from items I always have on hand and this is a repeat for sure...could be this way, in pitas, on buns or as straight lettuce wraps.

• Corned (& ground) beef stuffed cabbage rolls

  • southerncooker on December 06, 2021

    These were delicious. I brought deli corned beef and diced it. I opted for the grainy mustard. A hit with my family. Will make again.

  • korkyporky on March 08, 2025

    I liked this a lot! Only used ground beef because the store didn’t have corned. It was very flavorful.

• Beef Stroganoff with buttered salt & pepper noodles

  • anya_sf on December 10, 2021

    I used beef tenderloin, closer to 1.5 lbs, and wonder if I should have cooked it in batches, as it barely browned and ended up steaming a little; to avoid overcooking, I removed it from the pan when still slightly pink since it simmers more later. Chrissy does say to "leave the juice in the pan", so I think this is expected. The stroganoff was super flavorful, but surprisingly did need extra salt at the end.

  • meginyeg on January 08, 2023

    My family loved this. I thought the soy sauce and fish sauce were a nice twist on the traditional stroganoff. We will probably make it again.

  • nikki_ml27zt on May 18, 2026

    Very very good! Took a bit of time and lots of dishes but was well worth it. Will be in our rotation for dinners.

• Chicken tikka masala with "garlic naan" pita

  • anya_sf on December 22, 2021

    Not true tikka since the chicken is browned in a pan, not cooked in the oven, and I find with this type of recipe that the yogurt marinade browns rather than the chicken. Still, some browned flavor is there, and I appreciate a one-pot meal. This is a pretty good version made with ordinary supermarket ingredients. It's super saucy and pretty rich. I added cooked cauliflower and doubled the peas. Didn't make the "garlic naan" pita, just served with rice. My family enjoyed it.

  • averythingcooks on June 25, 2022

    I cut this in 1/2 with 11 oz of chicken and added broccoli & sweet potato. I used coconut milk as the dominant creamy ingredient but did top it up near the end with a good splash of heavy cream. I made 1/2 the spice mix and after using what was called for, I opted to just add the rest and that certainly didn't hurt anything. I finished with Thai basil (cilantro = soap!) and served this with Alison Roman's sour cream flatbreads (in place of both the suggested pitas & rice ). A very nice dinner bowl that I would make/play with again.

  • dc151 on August 15, 2022

    I made this to go with some homemade samosas. I didn't read the directions well enough, didn't realize I had to divide the garlic and ginger, so that all went into the marinade. It would likely have been a bit better otherwise, but the flavor was nice, I enjoyed it and it was simple enough to make. The yogurt helped make the chicken nice and tender.

  • ethedens on June 20, 2023

    I think I would sub with half and half cream for the heavy cream next time as it is very very rich. It was good, but there are other recipes I like better.

  • mdagl on February 25, 2026

    This was delicious! A little more time consuming than I’d prefer for a weeknight but we enjoyed it.

• Panko-Parmesan-crusted salmon

  • anya_sf on December 24, 2021

    I just made the salmon, a fairly thin 1.5 lb fillet, which cooked through in 20 min (it wasn't the greatest piece of fish, so I wanted it well done). The flavorful crumb coating ensured that the fish remained moist. Simple and delicious. I lined the pan with foil for easy clean-up. Had I also cooked summer squash rounds, I would have put them on a separate sheet pan, as there wouldn't have been enough room on the pan with the fish.

  • Nkrieda78 on March 26, 2022

    I halved this recipe for two people and added asparagus to the pan with the zucchini. Didn’t halve the bread crumbs and sprinkled those on the veg too.

  • aceedubs on August 02, 2023

    Used three similar sized salmon fillets because it was what I had. Worked well. Any left over breadcrumb mix went on the summer squash and zucchini, which was delish. Also sprinkled some lemon juice over the squash and zucchini. I cooked the veg on a separate pan from the fish. Worked out great.

• Crispy chicken-Caesar wedge salad

  • averythingcooks on January 05, 2022

    This resulted in a delicious plate of dinner! I was a bit tentative while adding the fish sauce to the salad dressing and then ultimately ended up using it all - it works great here. Using part of the dressing as the panko glue worked perfectly - the chicken was crispy & really tasty (and cooked in the air fryer in this household). I had olive oil braised cherry tomatoes in the freezer & added fresh basil to serve with the chicken (in place of the raw tomatoes in the salad). The thick dressing was wonderful with the bacon & blue cheese over the crispy lettuce and we scraped our plates clean.

  • anya_sf on January 23, 2022

    I used a different baked panko-crusted chicken recipe, served with this salad. It was delicious! Half the dressing was just right for our small head of iceberg lettuce, with the full amount of bacon, tomatoes, and blue cheese, plus a diced avocado.

  • Zosia on January 25, 2022

    The dressing was fabulous and made the dish. This was a big hit with family and will be made again.

• Mother f*ckin' Islands-style Yaki tacos

  • anya_sf on January 10, 2022

    Delicious! My family of 3 (including a teenage boy) finished it all for dinner (8 tacos). This would also make a great rice bowl.

  • mdagl on February 23, 2026

    Should’ve doubled it for our family of five. The little ones ate them deconstructed. We enjoyed these!

• Cookie butter-filled croissants

  • anya_sf on January 17, 2022

    Yummy, sort of like almond croissants. I just used Biscoff cookie butter rather than the gingersnap cookie butter in the book, which I'm sure would be even better.

• Grilled pork chops with old-school Marbella sauce

  • hirsheys on February 03, 2022

    Made as written, but with boneless pork loin chops. As a result, chops were thinner and got a bit salty (because they were a bit smaller, I think). Also had to leave out prunes because I didn’t have them in pantry as I’d thought. Otherwise made as written and served on mashed potatoes and found this very tasty. Not sure I’ll make it often, but I definitely enjoyed it.

  • anya_sf on February 25, 2022

    While the flavor of the pork went well with the sauce, since they aren't cooked together, the dish wasn't as cohesive as classic chicken marbella. We had extra sauce since my son didn't like it at all. We ate this with mashed potatoes, but couscous would probably be better. Cooking instructions for the pork chops were spot on, but I think brining the chops would have made them more tender than marinating them in the oil/garlic/herb mixture.

• White chocolate macadamia cookies

  • anya_sf on March 08, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe = 10 cookies, baked in 2 batches: (1) per Chrissy's instructions, (2) on a parchment-lined pan, slightly flattened, and without flaky salt. Both batches baked 16 min, at which point the bottoms were light brown, edges were set, and centers were still a bit gooey. Batch 1 did not spread much so the cookies were much thicker. Batch 2 spread quite a bit. (Photo shows Batch 1 on the left, Batch 2 on the right.) All the cookies were soft and yummy. We preferred the salted ones to balance the sweetness, and next time I will try parchment without flattening the cookies. They tasted best warm, but reheated easily in the microwave.

• Beer-braised short rib burritos

  • averythingcooks on March 31, 2022

    I prepped the full amount of short ribs (intending to get at least 3 different dinners for the 2 of us) following these instructions except that I put the Dutch oven in a 350 oven to finish braising (rather than try to maintain a 3 hour simmer on a burner.....not an easy task with my stove). The resulting meat & jus are really delicious - as always with short ribs, be sure to leave time to chill/defat the liquid. For dinner one, I took part of the meat and carried on with this recipe, adding corn to the mix and then making some really tasty knife & fork quesadillas instead of burritos. Her homemade salsa and a little lime crema were great additions. And lastly, it will be really easy to find ways to use the remaining meat.

  • anya_sf on April 09, 2022

    I used closer to 4 lbs short ribs, some boneless, with the stated quantity of braising liquid. Made a day ahead since short ribs are notoriously fatty. After removing the fat, bones, and as much of the chewy membranes as I could, I used about 3 cups meat with half of the rest of the ingredients, initially to make 3 burritos, but we got a bonus 4th burrito, which my husband and son shared as seconds. Topped with the salsa, sour cream, and diced avocado, the burritos were really good. My only quibble is that if you crisp the tortilla before rolling, it is difficult to roll. The tortilla softened after being wrapped in foil (I saw no need for parchment), but I would crisp it after rolling if that's how you like it. I can't wait to use the rest of the meat for rice bowls.

• Spicy homemade salsa

  • anya_sf on April 09, 2022

    Easy to make and very good. I used white onion since that's typically used in fresh salsa, and removed the seeds from the jalapeno so the salsa wouldn't be spicy.

  • mdagl on December 17, 2022

    VERY spicy, but fresh and delicious. Would make again but would remove more seeds or use less jalapeno next time.

• Tres leches strawberry cakes

  • anya_sf on April 15, 2022

    Quite delicious, if a bit overkill with both milk soak and butter cake. The cake took a few extra minutes to bake. The cake had very good flavor, slightly coarse texture, and would have been fine without the milk soak, with just the strawberry topping and extra whipped cream. Alternatively, I'd use a more traditional, lean sponge cake for the tres leches. Portions were generous, and the recipe could serve 8, especially if the cake is cut into 8 rectangles (bonus: no scraps).

  • anya_sf on May 08, 2022

    Made again since I had leftover cake, this time cutting rectangles for convenience, skipping the tres leches, and just making extra whipped cream. Delicious.

• John's jerk seasoning

  • anya_sf on May 14, 2022

    Easy to mix together and really tasty on the shrimp. I used half the cayenne to make it less spicy.

• John's jerk shrimp & grilled pineapple salad

  • anya_sf on May 14, 2022

    I made about 1/2 recipe, but with the full amount of lettuce and avocado and about 10 oz shrimp. Mixed the dressing by hand; there was twice as much as needed. Used less coconut as it seemed like a lot (my coconut was finely shredded). Delicious! My son doesn't love shrimp, but he liked it here. Two of us ate it all for dinner.

• Skillet chicken Marsala with cauliflower gnocchi & spinach

  • anya_sf on May 19, 2022

    My gnocchi (TJ's cauliflower) stuck to the pan so most the browned parts actually separated from the gnocchi; next time I'll try the package instructions. I used 12 oz chicken and 16 oz spinach, and there was just enough to serve 3. The sauce was quite rich, but delicious. I worried it would be to boozy, so I reduced the marsala some before adding the broth and cream. I just used 1/8 tsp cayenne and would probably omit it next time.

• Sancocho-inspired chicken & corn stew

  • kaityblueeyes on September 14, 2022

    Very yummy! Took a while to make with all the prep but worth the effort. Makes quite a bit of stew so great for meal prepping. I didn’t seed the jalapeño so it had quite a bit of heat. Used 4 cups of broth, 1 cup water and two bouillon cubes and was seasoned great!

  • anya_sf on May 28, 2026

    Even with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, this simple stew was quite flavorful. However, the rounds of corn were really difficult to manage - the only way I could eat them was to pick them up with my fingers and nibble the edges, or else set them on a plate and cut the kernels away, then add them back to the soup. Next time I will cut the kernels off the cobs, but add the cobs to simmer with the soup (for flavor), then remove them at the end. Could do something similar for the chicken.

• Shortcut Thai chicken & rice (Khao man ghai)

  • kaityblueeyes on September 20, 2022

    This is very good! Used chicken fat from the sancocho chicken and corn stew (as suggested). The broth is light but tasty (makes great rice) and the sauce is so amazing! Made too much rice and broth for the amount of chicken but they are versatile enough to use with other dishes throughout the week.

  • anya_sf on December 16, 2022

    I made the full amount of chicken and broth, but 2/3 rice, and was happy with that meat-to-rice ratio. Rendered chicken fat from the trimmed chicken skin and fat. The rice cooked in 15 min; it was fairly wet and a little mushy, but I think that's how it's supposed to be. We preferred to eat the chicken warm. Everything was very flavorful and tasted very much like what we've had at Thai restaurants. We didn't eat the extra broth (so now I have it leftover for another dish), but enjoyed this with the cucumber salad from this book.

• Pork tenderloin with rosemary-apple cider sauce

  • julesamomof2 on September 22, 2022

    This made a nice dinner served with the suggested Wilted Kale with Apples and Bacon. I thought the two combined with all the apples would be too sweet but it was the perfect pre-fall dinner. Things got a little complicated and rushed trying to execute both dishes at the same time, but they complement one another nicely.

  • anya_sf on April 26, 2024

    Delicious, especially with the kale side. The sauce on its own tasted too sweet, but was great together with everything. Next time I will slice the pork slightly thicker and cook it in batches if needed, as it got overly crowded in my 12" skillet and started to steam.

• Greekish roast chicken with potatoes & feta

  • averythingcooks on July 26, 2025

    I used my largest cast iron skillet and did have to modify a few things because I was using a spatchcocked chicken. I made/used the garlicky, lemony, herby paste as instructed, tossed the red onion + slightly lower amounts of tomatoes & potatoes with the oil etc in the pan but, mindful anya_sf's comment, I saved the feta until the end to sprinkle over each serving. With no upright bird to stuff, I skipped that part and after "nestling" the flattened bird in the pan I added the rest of the veg fill all the gaps. I started this at 400 and then at around 30 minutes, lowered to 375 until the meat hit 165. We thought this was a really great, summery, guest worthy roasted chicken .

  • anya_sf on August 03, 2024

    I used a 12"x17" low-sided Misen roasting pan, so there was plenty of room for a full pint of cherry tomatoes - which I'm glad I used, as they basically formed the "sauce". The chicken was moist and flavorful. The feta, on the other hand, got hard rather than creamy and stuck slightly to the pan; it tasted fine, but honestly I would skip the feta next time. Otherwise, everything was delicious.

  • ingrid_mehujm on March 18, 2026

    Based on comments, I added the feta at the end which worked well. My garlic paste burned a little. I think I should have ground it more. Regardless, it was a tasty meal

• Meatloaf Wellington

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2025

    This was so good, plus much easier than traditional beef Wellington, but the recipe has an error: it calls for a whole box of stuffing mix, crushed, but then says "a generous 1/2 cup crumbs" - the full box was more like 2 cups. I went with the heaping 1/2 cup. Trader Joe's puff pastry and 85/15 ground beef worked well and I only needed 4 oz/8 slices prosciutto (6 underneath, 2 on top). I trimmed the top pastry before tucking it under so the bottom wouldn't be too thick. As it was, there was a thin layer of undercooked pastry next to the prosciutto on the bottom, which I'm not sure could be avoided; otherwise, the pastry was beautifully crisp. My Wellington took 10 minutes longer to bake. It was very flavorful and borderline too salty, which we were fine with, but decrease the salt if you're sensitive.

  • EatnCookFood on January 10, 2026

    I made this for Christmas dinner a few years back and have been asked for it each time since. The mushroom mixture can be made ahead so it is not quite so time consuming. It is rich and will feed a crowd. Served with Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

• Twice-baked actual scallop potatoes

  • anya_sf on February 07, 2025

    I didn't measure the cooked potato, just used all of it. Also used more scallops (3 oz per potato) and half the sriracha for just a hint of heat. Undoubtedly that's why the potatoes were slightly dry and underseasoned. Fortunately, that was easy to remedy by tasting the filling (prior to adding the raw scallops, of course) and adjusting as needed. Cute idea that might be even tastier with more flavorful choice of seafood.

• Orange chicken fried-chicken sandwiches

  • anya_sf on December 06, 2025

    Great sandwich. Sauce slightly sweet - I'm sure it's meant to be, but I'd reduce the honey slightly next time. Used more cabbage in the slaw as there was plenty of dressing; served the extra slaw on the side. Chrissy doesn't specify this, but be sure the chicken cutlets aren't too thick.

  • craftycarmen on November 07, 2025

    Great recipe! The sauce yields more than needed. Definitely recommend saving it for dipping/extra sauce on the side.

  • kyliedwilson on May 22, 2026

    Family loved it! Turned it into a chicken finger recipes for my daughter.

• John's Spaniversary paella

  • Baxter850 on June 16, 2024

    Good (non traditional version). Used Arborio rice. It needs the 10 minutes of covered time to finish cooking the rice. Didn’t take the chorizo or chicken off before adding the veg (I forgot). Will do so next time for better browning.

• Mile-high-worthy veggie-stuffed poblanos

  • hbakke on May 24, 2023

    Delicious stuffed poblanos recipe. I made some adjustments, but I don't think the end result was much different than intended. I subbed a can of butter beans for the mushrooms and cut the poblanos in half for stuffing. I also used a 9x13" baking dish and all the sauce (instead of discarding half) and they were perfect. My only change would be to pre-cook the poblanos a little since they were a tad undercooked when they came out of the oven. I would make this again.

• Cheesy turkey rollup with creamy pesto sauce

  • Clairehg on February 17, 2026

    Okay I cannot believe this recipe is not all over the internet - it is so dang good!! A little involved, but nothing crazy. Makes an amazing date night meal or just something a little more special. Also heats up excellently! Truly delightful and a little different. I use chicken every time (I’m a turkey hater) and cannot recommend enough.

• Date-night cod in spicy tomato butter sauce

  • Mliston on April 29, 2026

    This was REALLY good! I subbed in canned diced tomatoes, lemon juice and Aleppo pepper and it was awesome! This may be my new favorite way to make cod. The sauce was light and silky with great flavor! Served it with cauliflower mash - will definitely make this again!