Notes about Recipes in this book

• Quick pickled onions

  • Soulkitchenjen on July 06, 2023

    Quick and simple. Delicious on everything.

• Weekly garlic confit, two ways

  • averythingcooks on February 25, 2026

    I scaled this back to 1 head of garlic and used the stove top method. 1st use was for her "Best Ever Garlic Bread" which I will admit, was pretty good :) With a 1 week fridge storage window, I'm glad I only made 1/3 of the recipe.

• Taco sauce

  • debakken on October 22, 2025

    I'm bookmarking this for future use. This recipes produces an excellent base recipe for homemade taco sauce. The cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder give a depth of flavor; more heat could definitely be added to taste (I always use hot sauce on my tacos, so didn't add that to the sauce). I was making sauce for 1 pound of ground chicken--the recipe made enough sauce for another round of tacos in a few days or a week.

• Peach BBQ sauce

  • ellencooks on August 31, 2025

    This was absolutely delicious!

• Avocado buttermilk dressing and dip

  • Soulkitchenjen on May 01, 2023

    This dressing is comically under seasoned. I don’t even know how to measure 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley or 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Add way more herbs, vinegar, salt and pepper than called for. Still really lacking.

• Balsamic vinaigrette

  • rhb on September 27, 2023

    Nice!

• Basil vinaigrette

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    This used a lot of basil, which I love, but I couldn't get the acidity balanced right. Used as a sauce here and there throughout the week more so than a salad dressing.

• Our favorite ranch

  • Soulkitchenjen on July 06, 2023

    Very good. I didn’t have Greek yogurt, so I used sour cream. Needed more salt and pepper than called for. Fresh herbs definitely preferable to dried. Fresh dill and parsley would have made a difference (I only had fresh chives).

• Caesar yogurt dressing

  • rhb on October 28, 2022

    A nice and easy Caesar dressing. My changes: I use a mix of yogurt and sour cream instead of all yogurt, 1 can of anchovies instead of paste, more lemon juice, half olive oil and half avocado oil, 1/8 t mustard (or none), add some Worcestershire sauce. A double recipe can be made in a small blender (like Hamilton Beach Personal Blender 14oz). Easier for me than using a food processor.

  • averythingcooks on May 25, 2026

    I just shook this up in the jar, using capers in place of anchovies + less oil & then thinning it at the end with buttermilk. Nice punchy flavour from the double hit of acid.

• Cinnamon shallot vinaigrette

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    Loved this: a pretty classic vinaigrette with the addition of honey and cinnamon. I did half evoo half canola oil for personal preference.

• Honey mustard vinaigrette

  • averythingcooks on April 28, 2026

    Very good! I always start vinaigrettes with 1/2 the oil, and this time that was perfect for our palates.

• Harvest honeycrisp salad

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    Really enjoyed this.

• Cajun lime sweet potato salad

  • Wende on July 24, 2022

    We really loved this salad. The layers of flavors and textures are deliciously pulled together with a yummy chili-lime vinaigrette. This will be made again and again

• How Sweet Eats house pasta salad

  • LaurenB on June 13, 2022

    Very bland, even after a day in the refrigerator. Added some balsamic dressing and it was a bit better. Won't make again, but if I did would use bowtie pasta (and less of it) and more spinach.

• Butternut minestrone

  • Kimberlyn on June 05, 2022

    This is absolutely delicious! I highly recommend that you do not skip the parmesan rind, and make sure the diced tomatoes are fire-roasted as called for—it gives the broth such good flavor!

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    This made a giant pot of soup that we enjoyed for the week.

• Baked sweet potato soup

  • debakken on September 13, 2025

    A delicious, easy soup, definitely one I'd make again. I added about a half teaspoon of Aleppo pepper, which gave it a warmer spice taste without much heat. For the leftover soup, I plan to make some homemade croutons as a garnish. The scallions and crumbled cheese were nice but didn't really add that much.

  • averythingcooks on May 05, 2026

    I added some very generous squirts of hot sauce to the finished soup to cut through the (expected) sweetness. Not one of the better soups I've made (based on our palates & not necessarily the fault of the recipe) but the single servings stashed away in the freezer will get eaten up AND it did give a purpose to 2 aging sweet potatoes lingering in the pantry.

• Tuscan cheese tortellini soup

  • Soulkitchenjen on October 09, 2023

    Very good and very easy. Don’t hesitate to just use two quarts of stock. It’s not all that soupy even with the extra 3 cups. A little parm on top is a nice touch.

  • averythingcooks on November 14, 2025

    We both liked this soup. I used gnocchi (which I always have in my freezer) in place of the tortellini + added the meat from 1 Italian sausage. In addition to the sundried tomato pesto, I chopped up oven dried garden tomatoes from the freezer & grated parmigiano right into the pot. With spinach & fresh basil for the greens, this was a filling bowl of comfort worth repeating.

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    Really good, but just barely enough broth to call this a soup on day one. I don't mind leftover pasta that gets soggy but by day 2 it drank up what broth remained and became a (delicious) pasta dish, but not a soup.

• Broccoli fritters with chipotle yogurt

  • julesamomof2 on September 16, 2024

    These were a substantial and different side to grilled chicken. While I wouldn't serve them as a stand-alone main, they were quite filling. Could potentially be baked to cut down on the oil.

• Crispy orange cauliflower with coconut rice

  • rhb on October 28, 2022

    Fantastic recipe - we've made this several times! Better than any orange chicken dish. My son-in-law loved it so much that he asked for the recipe so that he can make it himself...and he almost never cooks! Instead of seasoned breadcrumbs, we use plain and add salt & pepper. We never spray the cauliflower with olive oil. For the rice, we use a nonstick pan. We now omit the shredded coconut (did not like the texture). Sometimes we use water instead of the coconut water. After the stirring in the coconut oil into the rice, we "fry" the rice a bit to get some chewy parts.

  • Mliston on January 21, 2026

    This was really good! The sauce is very very orangy - you only need a little! Definitely a make-again!

• Lemon, pea, arugula, and black pepper gnocchi

  • julesamomof2 on July 12, 2021

    I was interested in this recipe as the author has you bake uncooked gnocchi on the sheet pan, which I had never seen before. Now I know why, as the gnocchi remained pretty chewy and kind of dry. I used mini gnocchi as that is what I had on hand so maybe that is the reason why this didn't turn out all that great.

  • allison_afb2ny on March 20, 2026

    Added homemade pesto but should have waited to add in the final 5 mins

• Zucchini, lemon, and goat cheese puff pastry pizza

  • Soulkitchenjen on May 07, 2024

    It was good, but it was missing something. Can’t quite place what.

• Mushroom, Fontina, and balsamic puff pastry pizza

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    Fabulous! I probably could have winged this whole thing but I never think to sprinkle garlic powder while I'm cooking and it really does work some magic. Worth a recipe for that reminder.

• Roasted Italian white beans with burst tomato spaghetti

  • rhb on October 28, 2022

    Good flavors but quite dry. Next time, I will add a lot more olive oil, at least double.

• Cacio e pepe spaghetti squash

  • Breannetuttle on December 28, 2023

    This recipe was pretty darn easy. I only roasted one squash (recipe calls for 2), but used the same amount of butter and cheese as if I made 2. It added more oomph of flavor.

• Smashed broccoli fried rice

  • lauren424 on May 23, 2022

    This had good flavor. Instead of putting a fried egg on top, I scrambled the egg in the pan and mixed it all up. My broccoli was a little crunchier than I would have liked but still good! I paired it with chicken teriyaki.

• Comforting mushroom pasta with brown butter sauce

  • julesamomof2 on January 17, 2025

    This was delicious, but it's really buttered pasta and cheese and sauteed mushrooms on top so what's not to like. I did use vegan butter so maybe it didn't brown as expected but this was very barely a recipe.

• Black bean and avocado burritos

  • kshell on November 14, 2025

    Good doctored up can of beans. Ate as a rice bowl. Makes a lot.

• Crispy Parmesan chicken wedge salad

  • Soulkitchenjen on May 01, 2023

    This is a VERY underwhelming recipe. The chicken is wildly underseasoned and I added a lot of extra salt and pepper. The breading is FINE, but it’s never going to get THAT crispy in the oven using just PAM as oil. The parm hides in the breadcrumbs. The dressing is not one I’ll make again. Dressing comments under dressing recipe.

• BBQ chicken pasta salad

  • julesamomof2 on July 12, 2021

    This made a nice lunch on day 1, pretty dry on day 2 and the recipe as written made ALOT of pasta salad. Nice combination of flavors, but I did end up throwing alot of it away. Next time, I would halve the recipe.

• Chicken tortilla soup

  • lauren424 on February 27, 2025

    Super easy and really tasty. I will make this again.

  • kguymon on February 19, 2026

    Everyone in the family loved!

  • j_of9mma on March 30, 2026

    Delicious

• Chicken thighs with creamy mustard pan sauce

  • averythingcooks on November 19, 2025

    This came together quickly in one pan and we ate it with roasted broccoli & some little roasted potatoes. Not ground breaking or life changing...just simple and good.

  • Mliston on January 15, 2026

    As the other commenter said - not life changing but really good and easy to prepare.

• Lemon butter chicken

  • julesamomof2 on July 12, 2021

    We liked this classic combo but I like Ina's lemon chicken better and it's easier too. Still, easy and good for a weeknight.

  • rhb on October 28, 2022

    Really good. We used chicken thighs and doubled the sauce. Will make again.

• Not-so-sloppy turkey Joes

  • julesamomof2 on July 12, 2021

    This made an easy dinner. Nothing earth shattering, but a good way to use up a pound of ground turkey.

• Grilled peach BBQ pork chops with napa slaw

  • julesamomof2 on July 12, 2021

    We liked this BBQ sauce-will make it again for pork chops. Plenty of sauce left over when making the recipe as written. The slaw was fine, nothing super special but decent combo with the grilled chops.

• Smashed chili sweet potatoes

  • julesamomof2 on July 12, 2021

    These were different than anything I've made before and while we liked them, they were quite spicy so would cut back on the chile sauce. I had to throw away the sheet pan I used to make these which was a bummer.

• Garlic + chive butter smashed potatoes

  • julesamomof2 on July 14, 2021

    Very good- microwaved butter and tried to keep butter/oil to minimum. These are take more time, but aren't much more work than regular roasted potatoes

  • rhb on October 28, 2022

    Love these! Salted water to boil potatoes. We toss the potatoes with olive oil instead of brushing the baking sheet. We found that using our hand to smash was better than using a glass. We double the garlic chive butter plus extra garlic.

  • Soulkitchenjen on July 29, 2024

    Absolutely delicious. Crispy, crunchy, buttery. Still thinking about them.

  • averythingcooks on April 28, 2026

    I also made the butter in the microwave & next time I might scale it back a little. I find using my hand just as easy as any other method to smash these and not surprisingly, they were crispy & delicious.

• Chicken Romano meatballs

  • julesamomof2 on July 14, 2021

    These meatballs were a different way to use a pound of ground meat (we used turkey instead of chicken). Easy and delish!

  • lauren424 on March 24, 2022

    These came out a little bitter to me from the lemon. I will try them again and maybe not add so much lemon.

  • Wende on July 24, 2022

    I love these meatballs. They were very easy to make and very flavorful. I've made it a few times and served it once with green beans and another time with broccolini. This is going to be repeated many times for sure

  • rhb on October 28, 2022

    Really good. Have made several times...I've used pino grigio and also pino gris for the wine. Baked for less than 15 minutes. For double recipes, used Cheat's Preserved Lemon instead of a second sliced lemon.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 11, 2024

    I made with turkey, because the store didn’t have chicken. It was good, but not life changing. I think the sauce would be better mounted with some butter. The lemon slices added a bitter note that had mixed reviews here. I liked it. The meatballs and the sauce need more salt than written. Served on buttered egg noodles and roasted green beans.

  • Mliston on January 18, 2026

    Really good and easy! Agree with other commenters that the sauce is thin and might benefit from mounting with butter. I didn’t get the point of the sliced lemons - a nice squeeze of lemon for serving would be just as good. I would definitely make again and maybe pair with mashed potatoes!

• BLT corn salad

  • ellencooks on August 30, 2021

    I liked this but liked it better after I added some balsamic vinegar. Lime juice would be good too.

  • Wende on July 24, 2022

    I really liked this dish. It was easy and very flavorful. I added avocado cubes to it because I had one on the verge and it turned out to be a good addition. Will definitely make this again.

• Honey Dijon chicken tenders with Gorgonzola

  • lauren424 on January 28, 2022

    Delicious and easy! I ate some the next day in a wrap.

• Sheet-pan cashew chicken

  • lauren424 on May 03, 2022

    This was quick and pretty easy. I cooked the veggies an extra 5 minutes because I don't like them too crunchy. I would make this again!

  • rhb on May 26, 2023

    Really good! I used chicken thighs and added them at the beginning with the onions. My peppers were already roasted so I tossed them with some of the sauce and added after 10 minutes. I used more cashews. Even better when we added 2 T of Bachan's Hot & Spicy Barbecue Sauce.

• Roasted chili-lime shrimp taco salad

  • lauren424 on May 09, 2022

    This was excellent! I cooked the shrimp in a skillet because I wanted to cook them fast. Next time, I might make the shrimp on the grill. Will definitely be making this again.

  • kelley_dsv25l on April 09, 2026

    This was great. I would definitely make again. Skipped the cheese and added an extra avocado. Bought a jar of lime vinaigrette that we like and it made the recipe very quick and easy for a weeknight.

• One-pot sausage, greens, and beans pasta

  • lauren424 on May 24, 2022

    I liked this! Relatively quick, the longest part was waiting for the pasta to cook. I used cavatappi and subbed escarole for the swiss chard. I would make this again.

  • yestopesto on April 06, 2024

    The flavors were very good. I used diced red onion instead of shallot and spinach instead of chard, which my family doesn't like. The only problem was at the end of cooking. Merchant says to remove the pot from the heat; add the beans, cheese, and cooked sausage; then cook for 5-10 more minutes until everything is heated through. But doesn't that suggest putting it back on the heat? The recipe doesn't say. Also, there's no liquid left. I added about a third of a cup of hot water and put it back on low heat for about five minutes. It turned out fine, but the ambiguity at the end made me wonder how well this was tested/edited.

  • Mliston on January 19, 2026

    Very flavorful! The cooking the pasta in the broth made the sauce very silky and gave it a lot of body. Super easy too! Win-win!

• Roasted cabbage wedges with garlic oil and lemon

  • Soulkitchenjen on April 08, 2024

    Honestly, tastes like cabbage. It’s good, but not revolutionary. The garlic oil and chili pepper don’t do much. It really tastes like cabbage with salt and pepper. You don’t need a recipe for that.

• Sticky, saucy grilled pork tenderloin with chipotle corn salad

  • averythingcooks on November 11, 2025

    While my finished tenderloin didn't look like the pic (there is no mention of reserving OR heating the used marinade to use at end but clearly she has done something), it did taste good. I also tried to honor the flavours of the corn salad (chipotle, green onions, lime) but added other things we like with corn & turned it into a hot side dish rather than a cold salad which was still really good next to the pork.

  • Mliston on January 16, 2026

    The corn salad is the star here. We don’t have a grill so I used the oven but tasted great with nice and tender pork. I could eat the corn salad every day - smoky, spicy and sweet - what a great combo!

• Parmesan roasted broccoli

  • averythingcooks on November 19, 2025

    I've made a lot of versions of roasted broccoli from my books and not surprisingly, we also liked this one. However, I could not bring myself to put the pine nuts on the pan for the full roasting time at 425, (way too expensive to risk burning!), so I toasted them on the stovetop & sprinkled them onto each serving.

• Best ever garlic bread

  • averythingcooks on February 25, 2026

    This is easy to scale up or down as needed and with her garlic confit on hand in the fridge, it comes together quickly. AND we agreed that it is pretty good!