Notes about Recipes in this book

• Spicy pretzel chicken fingers with hot honey

  • Emily Hope on May 11, 2022

    Made with sliced chicken breast, as written but omitted the hot sauce (cooking for the spice-averse). This was the rare meal these days that everyone in the family liked, and it's pretty easy to put it together (though trying to brush oil onto the coated chicken was a pain--this would be easier with a spray). Made both the honey sauce (which the adults liked) and the ranch dressing (which the kids liked). Only thing to watch for is that mine were cooked and verging on overcooked at the 15 minute mark -- I image this would depend on the size of your tenders. Served with a romaine/tomato salad w/mustard dressing. Will repeat!

  • ezwriternc on November 29, 2022

    This was a hit. I used boneless chicken thigh (thought I’d taken chicken breasts out of the freezer). I only had large pretzel rods and think i would have done better with smaller pretzels but it worked out fine. Just had to grind them up longer. I made the hot honey and ranch. I agree that mine may have been a little over cooked since i went past the 15 minute mark but nobody complained. I’ll definitely ate this again.

  • averythingcooks on January 07, 2023

    Two chicken breasts gave me 6 good sized "fingers" (to serve 2) and we really enjoyed these. I was surprised that my food processor (which I use for all kinds of things) did not handle the pretzels well at all and I quickly bailed and used a zip lock & meat pounder to get my crumbs. The chicken was really well seasoned (the salty pretzels, the additions to the crumbs & the hot sauce in the egg) and the hot honey (a 1st for us) is a delicious addition. I checked the chicken early (thanks to other comments) and I also made a "sorta ranch" for dipping. I would absolutely make these again.

• Mom's pot roast

  • southerncooker on April 17, 2022

    This was delicious served over mashed potatoes.

  • anya_sf on October 17, 2022

    I omitted the dried parsley (didn't have) and didn't use all the spice rub since my roast was just under 3 lbs. Tapioca starch worked as a substitute for arrowroot. Used the oven method, but at 325 F, as 350 F seemed high. This was very quick to throw in the oven and the gravy was super delicious. I added some frozen peas at the end and served over mashed potatoes. Family loved it.

  • christinezac on November 21, 2022

    Delicious!!!

• Uncle Joe's stuffed peppers

  • southerncooker on May 26, 2022

    Hubby, son and I all enjoyed this. The only thing I'd do different next time is precook the peppers some before stuffing, since they were to tough for hubby to chew, but he loved the flavor and the stuffing. I chose pobolanos for the Peppers. I had a coupon for a free jar of Mids Marinara sauce so used that. It's delicious. We loved the meat mixture of Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage and lean ground beef. I couldn't find the chicken sausage in spicy, so used mild and added a little cayenne, and some extra red pepper flakes.

  • Devons on June 05, 2022

    Delicious and flexible. Used poblanos. Cut them in half and lightly grilled (both sides) prior to stuffing per tip from southerncooker to precook peppers so they're not tough. Used 1 lb. mild pork Italian sausage and 1/2 lb. ground turkey. Substituted King Arthur pizza seasoning for the garlic, oregano, basil and pepper flakes. 1-1/2 C (not 2-3 C) Rao's marinara sauce was more than enough and kept it from being too soupie. Next time will serve over something like cooked farro or barley. All in all, a winner.

  • averythingcooks on September 23, 2022

    I used long red carmen peppers and after halving & seeding, put them in a 350 oven with olive oil, salt & pepper for around 20 minutes and then proceeded with the dish. I also used frozen spinach and this time some olive oil braised grape tomatoes in place of the canned. I had a home made marinara on hand and used of mix of mozzarella & parmesan and yes.....this was absolutely delicious.

  • anya_sf on June 24, 2022

    I used red bell peppers and, like others, precooked them since I wanted them soft. For the filling, I used mild pork Italian sausage plus a pinch of red pepper flakes, about 8 oz frozen spinach instead of fresh, then a mixture of mozzarella, monterey jack, and mild fontina on top. Assembled ahead of time and refrigerated, baked about 5 min longer. Absolutely delicious with garlic bread to mop up the sauce.

• Cheesy beef, black bean, and rice skillet

  • southerncooker on April 04, 2022

    I used mozzarella for the cheese and omitted the allspice. It was delicious. We had it with raw veggies.

  • averythingcooks on June 07, 2022

    I used a mix of mozzarella & Monterey jack, red & orange peppers in place of green and also skipped the allspice. The result was a really tasty pan of simple comfort. I put the bubbling hot pan on the table and we wrapped scoopfuls in small tortillas with salsa, pickled onions, chopped tomatoes & sour cream, One thing - I scaled this back to 1/2 (which should serve 3) and it still made what seemed like a ton of food to the 2 of us.

  • anya_sf on June 04, 2022

    Good comfort food. I added 2 small diced zucchini with the green pepper, used just 1/4 tsp cayenne, gruyere and mozzarella for the cheese, and topped with parsley and avocado. It wasn't spicy and benefitted from extra seasoning (I should have been more generous with salt). Served 4 as a one-pot meal.

  • jay.moe on November 30, 2022

    I substituted fire roasted poblanos for the green bell pepper, cheddar cheese for the swiss, and omitted the allspice. This was a quick weeknight meal that was easy to put together with plenty of clean up time while the rice cooked. Served with guacamole instead of sliced avocado along with flour tortillas.

• Kale Caesar with house dressing and sourdough croutons

  • southerncooker on June 07, 2022

    I made a half recipe for daughter and I and we loved it. I used regular kale, red lettuce, tahini, fish sauce, nutrional yeast in the dressing, and Parmesan on top. We loved the dressing even though I forgot to add the vinegar.

  • averythingcooks on January 01, 2023

    I came for the dressing and was pleasantly surprised at how much we liked the use of tahini. As always, I added 1/2 of the fish sauce then tasted - that was enough for us. I used parmesan in the dressing, for my homemade croutons and then grated over my simple salad of romaine with thinly sliced red onions. I made a 1/2 recipe and there is enough leftover for tonight's dinner. A repeat idea for sure.

  • christinezac on July 24, 2022

    Great Caesar dressing without needing anchovies. I used apple cider vinegar instead of the champagne vinegar. Used nutritional yeast. Delicious.

• Better-than-the-box blueberry lemon poppyseed muffins

  • southerncooker on July 08, 2022

    These were delicious. These are made with whole wheat flour. The mix of fresh blueberries and Bonne Maman Blueberry jam was so good. I used local honey from my Tumbling Shoals Farm Share

  • anya_sf on June 22, 2022

    Very nice, fairly healthy muffins, not too heavy despite the whole wheat, with just the right sweetness. In place of coconut oil, I used half melted butter, half canola oil. Using regular lemons, the glaze was too tart, and also too thin, so I added extra powdered sugar (and did not need all the glaze). Also just put 1 tsp lemon zest in the glaze, not 1 Tbsp.

• Cheddar-fried eggs with bacon and herbs

  • southerncooker on April 17, 2022

    This was good, but my cheese stuck to my cast iron pan. I only used one egg, and precooked chicken bacon. I ordered flat leaf parsley in my grocery pick up and they gave me cilantro so I used that as one of the herbs in the herb salad.

  • christinezac on July 16, 2022

    Love this. I didn’t have some of the herbs- only cilantro ( not in recipe) and basil. Delicious! The cheese I had didn’t come out crunchy ( not sure why) but overall delicious!

• Jerusalem-style egg and cheese bagel with green zhug

  • southerncooker on May 19, 2022

    I used a skinny everything bagle and rainbow Swiss Chard from my farm share instead of spinach.

• Naan breakfast sandwich with soft scrambled eggs and honey

  • southerncooker on May 18, 2022

    I used mini naan and made just one for me. I used Italian parsley for the herb, smoked gouda cheese, rainbow Swiss Chard from my farm share instead of spinach, and one egg, along with the other ingredients.

• Herb and mustard potato stacks

  • Devons on June 05, 2022

    Tasty; guests liked them. Feeling dull because I didn't buy potatoes that were smaller in diameter than the muffin tin cups. Therefore, I had to trim the edges of the potatoes then slice so they would fit in the cups. Also, I'll use a whole grain mustard next time -- the mustard grains would help the final product look prettier than mixing in regular Dijon into the oil mix. Book photo p. 51, the stacks look quite tall. Be aware that this will depend on the depth of your muffin cups. My stacks were not as tall; maybe next time stack them higher than the top of muffin cup? Not sure.

  • averythingcooks on June 09, 2022

    I made these last night and we both liked them. I appreciate the fresh herbs and I used the grainy mustard (good tip Devons) & champagne vinegar. Maybe more time was needed to get crispier edges but by then, our steak was rested & ready so next time I would start them earlier/bake longer. Another thought is to use the thinner setting on my mandolin when slicing the potatoes.

  • christinezac on July 12, 2022

    Amazing! Just as described- crispy on outside and buttery on inside. I made one pan of the muffins and one pan straight up on tray- those also delicious and extra crispy like chips.

• Nonnie's sticky apricot chicken

  • peaceoutdesign on November 29, 2022

    This was a simple and okay meal. Searing the chicken first would have made the thighs a bit more tender.

  • averythingcooks on June 11, 2022

    My boneless skinless thighs always seem so small compared to what is called for in recipes so it was 5 thighs + 2 cups of broccoli for a 1/2 recipe. I also added a handful of orange pepper strips to the pan. With all the prep done early (including the Billion Island dressing & then the actual sauce) this was easy to put together at dinner. It was done in 25 -30 minutes (as I said, small thighs). To jazz up the steamed rice, I stirred in chopped spinach + basil. The chicken was moist, the sauce is delicious & I can easily see other vegetables being added to the pan. This one is a repeat for sure.

  • anya_sf on June 07, 2022

    Simple and good, with a sweet and sour flavor, enjoyable over rice. With 4 chicken breasts in a 9"x13" pan, the broccoli didn't fit around the chicken, but completely covered it, so the broccoli and chicken took 45 min to cook. The chicken was a little tough (but not dry, thanks to the sauce); thighs are probably a better choice.

  • jay.moe on December 02, 2022

    The sauce was overwhelmingly sweet even with the addition of crushed red pepper flakes. The chicken thighs were tender and cooked perfectly. Cooked the broccoli separately so it wouldn't overcook. I like the idea of cooking the chicken and sauce together in the oven, but just wasn't a fan of the flavor.

  • dHmUtuhFi on March 30, 2022

    Featured on The Splendid Table. https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2022/03/23/nonnies-sticky-apricot-chicken

• Pale ale cauliflower soup with rosemary bacon

  • peaceoutdesign on December 28, 2022

    Good but I thought that it had too much paprika, enough so that the color changed.

  • julesamomof2 on November 22, 2022

    Super delicious soup, especially with the bacon and cheese. I skipped the butter at the end and used a shredded white cheddar and it was very delicious although not something to be whipped up over a lunch hour. The extra effort does pay off with this one though.

  • anya_sf on October 19, 2022

    Delicious, filling soup - similar to potato, but lighter texture. The bacon topping was fantastic; I omitted the cayenne as my smoked paprika had enough of a kick. Instead of butter, I stirred in some creme fraiche at the end, as I had it on hand, and liked the tang.

  • Shaxon on April 11, 2022

    I served this as soup one night, and then served it as a sauce over a baked potato the next night. The cauliflower secretly makes it creamy without added cream; it's a good way to sneak in vegetables. I used vegetarian "bacon" for my husband; it would be much better with real bacon.

• Spiced chopped chicken salad with pita crisps and tahini vinaigrette

  • Rachaelsb on August 20, 2022

    Really tasty, very filling and hearty salad.

  • anya_sf on June 11, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe to serve 2 for dinner, but with a whole avocado and the full amount of lettuce. Instead of drizzling, I tossed the dressing with the vegetables; there was just enough. Skipped the pickled red onions and did not miss them. Quite enjoyable.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 27, 2022

    Not mind blowing, but easy and tasty for a hot day.

• Lemon rosemary chicken with forty garlic cloves

  • julesamomof2 on November 22, 2022

    I made the oven method of this recipe and it was clearly not tested before inclusion in the book. The chicken was fully cooked, almost bordering on over done and the garlic was still raw. Fortunately I took one look at the pan before adding them and reduced the garlic cloves from 40 down to 10 but still the garlic was to be avoided and lent a bitter note to the sauce. Oh and also, the instructions state to add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan but that was clearly a mistake also.

• Holy grail spaghetti and meatballs

  • Zosia on May 29, 2022

    This was good but not as good as I had hoped based on the name/description. Meat was a veal-pork-beef blend; meatballs were a little dry. I'll stick to my meatball recipe but borrow the addition of fish sauce from this one. Sauce was tasty.

• Crinkle-top roasted banana bread

  • adelina on April 10, 2022

    Nice spin on banana bread. Came out super moist. Used maple syrup and only 5 bananas since that is what I had at home.

  • someryarns on July 11, 2022

    I made this to use up some over-ripe bananas. I only had 4, but it still came out delicious. I substituted half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour and used fine sea salt instead of Himalayan pink salt. The batter tasted way too salty, and I was worried about the finished product, but the salt and chocolate chips worked really well together.

• Summer melon with cucumber and feta

  • ezwriternc on July 03, 2022

    Nice refreshing salad.

  • christinezac on July 17, 2022

    Delicious fresh summer salad! Made this with the fish tacos - perfect for a hot summer day

• Strawberry basil margarita

  • ezwriternc on June 08, 2022

    A lot of ingredients but very good.

• Salty chocolate pretzel rye cookies

  • ezwriternc on June 16, 2022

    I substituted white flour for the rye. I thought they were ok. I couldn't really taste the pretzel very much. My husband complained that they had no sugar so it was interesting to see someone else thought they were not very sweet. It's not because of the rye since I didn't use it. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips as well, which I always use in chocolate chip cookies so I don't think they impacted the lack of sugar situation.

  • Camellia_Sin on April 03, 2022

    Salty chocolate pretzel rye cookies p. 254 I was a bit concerned about the amount of rye flour so I inversed the amount of rye and AP flour. Also seemed like too much dark chocolate so I used 1/2 bag of semi sweet chips and a small bar of 85% chocolate. These cookies were not very sweet, I think because of the rye flour… so I sprinkled the tops with bakers sugar instead of salt… I like the idea of these… next I will do the same thing with the flours but used milk and semi sweet chocolate.

  • ethedens on August 29, 2022

    There were okay; I'm honestly still debating if I really like them or not. They don't taste like rye, just like browned butter, chocolate, and pretzel. I think there are better cookies out there.

• Seafood Florentine

  • ezwriternc on June 17, 2022

    Good rendition of a very common dish. It’s always a hit in my house but this recipe is not unusual or unique. She has something similar on her blog and Skinnytaste makes a very good similar version.

  • anya_sf on October 16, 2022

    Really delicious. Mahi mahi was the perfect fish for this dish. Served over rice, we wouldn't have minded more sauce.

• Zuppa Toscana with gnocchi

  • averythingcooks on June 28, 2022

    This was really delicious! I used a spicy pork sausage, and as my pack of potato gnocchi was only 1/2 the size needed I added leftover cooked chicken. I did fuss a little as I am in fridge clean out mode right now (chopped sundried tomatoes, cream in place of coconut milk, a parm rind & chopped roasted red pepper). I keep some dried herbs on hand (ie thyme, oregano) but dried basil is something I never buy. Lastly, in place of kale, I used fresh spinach & fresh basil. We loved this hearty bowl with some garlic bread on the side.

  • kaityblueeyes on January 15, 2023

    This was so good! Used pork sausage because that’s what I could find. It feels hearty and nourishing.

  • Ducksinarose on October 25, 2022

    I used half pork Italian sausage from Whole Foods and half leftover rotisserie chicken. I used cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. So good and so easy. Highly recommend!

• Chipotle cheddar corn chowder

  • averythingcooks on June 10, 2022

    I cut this in 1/2 which = the perfect amount for 2 big dinner bowls plus lunch for 1. Shaxon's note readied me to "heat it up" if necessary and near the end I did add some ground chipotle chili and some pickled hot peppers for a pop of colour. I used my immersion blender but I also loved the look of the whole kernels in the photo so I held back 1 cob of corn & gave it a char in a dry pan - those kernels topped our bowls just before serving and the extras just went into the pot. A very nice dinner soup that I will make again for sure.

  • Shaxon on April 09, 2022

    could use more chipotle

• Crispy sour cream and onion potatoes

  • averythingcooks on October 01, 2022

    These were certainly good but for a 1/2 recipe (ie 1lb of potatoes) I scaled the yogurt back to 1/4 and there is still lots left over. We liked the drizzle but I never have dried parsley or dill on hand so I used a dried chimichurri herb mix I buy online. This was a nice way to dress up some garden fingerlings (which, let's be honest, are pretty spectacular simply roasted with with olive oil & fresh herbs) that I will probably repeat.

  • christinezac on July 23, 2022

    Did pressure cook with russets, then BBQ. They were very tasty, but didn’t taste much of the olive drizzle.

• Saucy, spicy, creamy cashew butter chicken

  • averythingcooks on June 06, 2022

    As promised, this was a creamy bowl with spicy heat that I served over Thai noodles. With no cashew butter on hand, tahini was a good substitute (and I'm always looking for places to use that ingredient). To make it more of a complete main, I added frozen peas, a mix of stir fried broccoli, red pepper & red onions and some spinach. Topped with the toasted cashews, Thai basil (in place of cilantro) and green onions, we really enjoyed this and I will repeat it for sure.

  • anya_sf on July 11, 2022

    Quick, easy, and delicious. I used half the lesser amount of cayenne so this just had a nice warmth, rather than being spicy. With cashew butter, the sauce was quite thick and rich; perhaps light coconut milk would work. Peas and cauliflower were welcome additions to help cut the richness.

• Pizza pasta with pepperoni bread crumbs

  • averythingcooks on September 16, 2022

    This was good but I'm not such a fan of so many dried herbs in the sauce...I know she was after "pizza sauce" but I don't actually use dried thyme or dried basil in my versions. Having said that, the flavoured crumbs with the cured meat (this time, a mix of thinly sliced soppressata, calabrese & Spanish chorizo) were delicious. I cut the sauce & crumbs in 1/2 but used close to the full mass of the meat, and just over a 1/4 of the pasta (8 oz of pasta is WAY more than the 2 of us need / will actually eat). I would repeat this idea for sure but use my own favourite style of pizza sauce.

  • anya_sf on November 30, 2022

    Lacking fresh basil, I used frozen in the sauce and skipped extra on top, but even with fresh basil, I think the flavor would be lost due to the huge amount of dried herbs. Next time I would cut back. Also, the spices were fragrant after just 1 minute; after 3-5 min, they would have burned. My sauce also reduced quite a bit, so I was glad I reserved 1 cup pasta water, as I used it all. We really liked the pepperoni bread crumbs, but the crumbs browned before the pepperoni got fully crisp, so next time I would start browning the pepperoni first.

• Billion Island dressing

  • averythingcooks on June 11, 2022

    I made mine with Miracle Whip (sorry - we happen to love it :) and a spoonful of pickle relish. Because it also called for brine, I used a splash (to taste) from a jar of pickled jalapenos. I needed 1/2 cup for a chicken dish from the same book and the remaining will be used on iceberg another night. I really like this dressing!

  • anya_sf on June 06, 2022

    This turned out well even with Best Foods mayo and Heinz ketchup. Definitely best made ahead to let the flavors meld. More zesty and less sweet than bottled Thousand Island.

• Mongolian beef

  • averythingcooks on June 17, 2022

    I cut this in half using a 14 oz striploin & I topped up a smaller amount of broccoli with extra veg (sweet peppers & red onions). Cooking the beef in small batches is really key re: not over cooking the thin strips and with everything prepped / ready to go, the beef, veg & really flavourful sauce (made with the suggested sambal oelek in place of red pepper flakes) came together quickly for a great dinner bowl served over coconut rice. This version is less sweet than others I've made and it's a repeat for sure.

• Roasted red pepper Bolognese

  • Kitiara121 on January 19, 2023

    2023.01.18 I liked this. Hubby thought it was a bit bland. This would be good baked. Also note: I made half the recipe and then I was able to split half the sauce and freeze it for another meal.

• Ginger-pepper salmon with garlic rice noodles

  • sosayi on April 13, 2022

    Made this for dinner to rave reviews by the two small people. Easy to adjust by taking out red pepper flakes and just topping with come chile crunch for the adult plates. Might simplify with a coconut garlic rice, made ahead in the rice cooker, for ease of weeknight dinner prep next time. Also: this makes PLENTY of sauce. In a good way. I normally like to double sauce ingredients, but didn't need to here at all. :)

  • anya_sf on September 21, 2022

    I've made this twice now. The first time was just for me, so I cooked the broccoli in the pan as directed, but served the fish and broccoli over rice (cooked in part coconut milk with some garlic butter stirred in). The second time was for my family and I knew the amount of broccoli we'd want would never fit in the pan, so the broccoli roasted separately. The rice noodles were prepared by soaking in hot water for 15 min (per package instructions), then simmered in the coconut milk a few minutes. Everyone loved this, even though the salmon skin did not get very crispy.

• Maple butter

  • anya_sf on June 14, 2022

    I never got the softened butter and maple syrup to blend well, so the mixture looked curdled, but was fine once it melted on pancakes. This was so delicious I will make it for other pancake or French toast recipes as well.

• Nutty, herby spring pasta

  • anya_sf on June 14, 2022

    I cut the potatoes smaller so they cooked in the same amount of time as the pasta. While the potatoes were good here, they didn't add a lot and could be omitted. I reserved some pasta cooking water and used a little at the end to help bring everything together. Quite tasty, with bright, fresh flavors.

• Rosemary chicken avocado salad with bacon shallot vinaigrette

  • anya_sf on June 19, 2022

    There was a lot going on here, but everything went together well. Still, the recipe could be simplified (e.g., omit shallot from chicken marinade, use only nectarine or tomatoes) and would still be great. Thin-sliced chicken breast baked in 20 min, so tenders might be done sooner. Rather than discard the bacon fat, I reserved it and added olive oil to make 1/4 cup. Next time I'll reduce the vinegar to 2 Tbsp. My family of 3 devoured it all; everyone had seconds.

  • ethedens on July 23, 2022

    The family enjoyed this but thought that it was a bit of a hodge-podge between the fruit, the avocado, the dressing, and the chicken. LOVED the seasoning on the chicken though. May add a touch of honey to the dressing next time.

• Shredded Brussels sprout salad with brown butter walnuts

  • anya_sf on November 18, 2022

    Delicious combination of flavors. I shredded the Brussels sprouts using the food processor slicing blade, which wasn't perfect as some of the slices were a little thick. I used about 14 oz sprouts, which looked closer to 4 cups, maybe because they weren't as shredded? 1 cup pomegranate seeds seemed like enough.

• Salmon Cobb salad with nutty green ranch

  • anya_sf on June 30, 2022

    Delicious salad. The bacon needed a little more time in the oven. I added cucumber since it needed using. In the dressing, I used parsley and only 1/8 tsp cayenne for the tiniest hint of heat. I increased the greens (we like lots) and tossed them with some dressing rather than just drizzling it on top. The dressing was very good and there was only a little extra.

• Pumpkin streusel coffee cake with cinnamon butter

  • anya_sf on June 11, 2022

    This is what I'd call pumpkin bread rather than coffee cake. I used white whole wheat flour and vegetable oil. Perhaps because of that, or it may have slightly overbaked, the loaf was a tad dry, although not too bad. Not too sweet, the streusel ribbon was a nice touch, and I'd add that to other less-sweet quick breads. We enjoyed this for breakfast without the cinnamon butter.

• Sheet pan French toast with whipped lemon ricotta and juicy berries

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    Great, hands off method to cook a lot of French toast. I used a store-bought, presliced (3/4") brioche loaf (11 slices), and the pieces barely fit on the sheet pan - had to squeeze them together, but the method still worked. There was a lot of extra custard; next time would make 25% less. The toast puffed in the oven, but deflated upon cooling; a sturdier bread might deflate less. The ricotta and berry toppings were great on top (plus a little maple syrup). Next time I wouldn't bother processing the ricotta, as the slight graininess doesn't bother me.

  • kaityblueeyes on January 01, 2023

    This was very good and easy! Made with raspberries and added more salt and some lemon juice to the whipped ricotta. A great method for making big batch French toast.

• Whole-wheat popovers with maple apple butter

  • anya_sf on November 06, 2022

    The popovers were plenty salty made with unsalted butter. I baked 12 smaller ones in a muffin pan and they were dark and crisp after just 10-12 min @ 350 F. Some of them puffed nicely, while others sank in the center- not sure why. Fuji apples worked well in the apple butter. I loved that the apples did not need to be peeled. The apple butter was highly spiced, which I enjoyed - delicious with the popovers, and would be great on whole grain toast.

• Chocolate chip (and banana) pancakes

  • anya_sf on June 14, 2022

    I'm not a chocolate-for-breakfast person, but enjoy chocolate + banana and thought these pancakes were pretty good. I diced the banana and stirred it and the chips into the batter to coat them better (less likely to burn on the griddle). I got 6 pancakes from 1/2 recipe, but they were more filling than our usual ones. The maple butter was delicious on top.

• Double apple Dutch baby

  • anya_sf on November 17, 2022

    Very tasty. I liked the texture and flavor from the whole wheat flour. The pancake puffed in the center as well as the sides, so it was kind of funny looking. Skipped the whipped cream on top and just had this with apple butter and maple syrup (either topping would be fine on its own).

  • Shaxon on April 17, 2022

    There isn't sugar in the batter so don't skip the maple syrup drizzle.

• Chai orchard doughnuts

  • anya_sf on November 09, 2022

    I reduced the apple cider the day before baking, so these were quick to make in the morning. I only got 10 doughnuts. I needed an extra tablespoon of butter for brushing and there was a lot of extra sugar mixture. Baked doughnuts are really just muffins in a cute shape, but somehow they feel like more of a treat. Not too sweet, these were really good.

• Seeded whole-grain bread

  • anya_sf on October 11, 2022

    I used regular whole wheat flour and pumpernickel. Added 2 tsp whole grain bread improver. Chilled the dough overnight. Unfortunately I underbaked it - will check internal temp next time. The edge pieces made delicious toast, so I'll definitely try this again.

  • KarenDS on June 18, 2022

    Used medium organic rye instead of dark rye. Needed quite a bit of extra flour during mixing. Bread turned out very nice.

• Coq au vin blanc meatballs

  • anya_sf on June 27, 2022

    The meatballs were fine, but more work and not better than chicken thighs (and actually more expensive at my market). For the dairy, I used half-and-half, which instantly curdled when poured into the reduced wine. Maybe heavy cream wouldn't curdle, but milk surely would. Also wanting a thicker sauce, I added a flour-heavy cream slurry to thicken and smooth out the sauce. In the end, the dish was very tasty, but I wouldn't make this again as written.

• Spicy chicken madras

  • anya_sf on June 15, 2022

    I used 2 Tbsp not-too-hot Madras curry powder + 1 Tbsp mild, with 1 tsp mild Kashmiri pepper instead of cayenne. The sauce ended up heavily spiced, but not too spicy (which was good for us). The large amount of dried spices might have benefited from being simmered longer (without the chicken, to avoid overcooking) or being made a day ahead to let the flavors meld. I used 1.5 lbs chicken plus some cauliflower florets and chickpeas. My family enjoyed this over plain basmati rice, which I think is preferable here given the strong spices in the curry.

• Sheet pan meatball pitas with garlic fries, tzatziki, and the works

  • anya_sf on October 30, 2022

    I just made the lamb meatballs and tzatziki, to serve with Greek salad. In the meatballs, I used finely chopped red onion (about 1/4 large one) instead of a whole grated onion, and they were not too oniony. The meatballs were fine, but kind of dense; they'd probably be better with some bread crumbs to lighten them. The tzatziki was pretty standard, but very tasty with the meatballs.

  • jimandtammyfaye on July 02, 2022

    These were ok. I used 1/2 lamb and 1/2 beef, but I wish I had only used the beef. Did not make the fries.

  • ethedens on August 13, 2022

    Delicious and easy to put together

• Herby avocado steak salad with browned walnuts

  • anya_sf on July 05, 2022

    Steak is missing from the ingredients list (rib-eye or filet mignon)

• Crispy feta cauliflower bowls with goddess sauce

  • anya_sf on June 11, 2022

    I made 1/2 recipe, which served 2 people, although I got 3-4 cups cauliflower florets from 1/2 head (we ate it all). This dish has several different components, but the flavors work well together. The goddess sauce was fantastic, although leftover did not keep that well (discolored). The only thing I'd do differently would be to toss the arugula with some thinned goddess sauce before serving to avoid dry bits.

  • christinezac on August 03, 2022

    Great salad. I didn’t have romaine so used kale. Also didn’t have fresh herbs ( basil, cilantro) so just used some dried basil. My mom and grandma loved it!

  • Shaxon on April 01, 2022

    I served it over reheated leftover basmati rice instead of lettuce. Very good vegetarian dinner. The cauliflower was still pretty crisp and dry. Next time, I might steam it in the microwave a few minutes to be sure it is tender.

• Sunday sauce

  • anya_sf on September 22, 2022

    I chopped the vegetables in the food processor to save time. Despite using a very wide Dutch oven, the mushrooms exuded so much liquid that they never caramelized, which may have affected the flavor. The sauce's flavor improved a lot during simmering, so a longer cook time might be even better. I'd consider adding a parmesan rind as well. There was enough sauce for at least 2 lbs pasta. I stirred some sauce into the al dente pasta along with some pasta cooking water so everything melded together better, which I strongly recommend doing, as it also improved the overall flavor.

  • kaityblueeyes on January 29, 2023

    This was really good, quite spicy. Great flavor for a vegetable sauce. Made fresh pappardelle with it. Delicious!

• Reuben melt

  • anya_sf on June 17, 2022

    Although I wasn't fooled into thinking this was a reuben, it was quite enjoyable. I omitted the sauerkraut (didn't have), which probably would have added another flavor dimension, although be careful with the salt - even with low-sodium soy sauce, the cabbage was fairly salty.

• Zucchini sauce pasta

  • anya_sf on July 07, 2022

    This isn't a zucchini sauce like Smitten Kitchen's, more like pesto pasta with zucchini. I used more zucchini (almost 1.5 lbs) plus added diced tomato at the end. The cheese clumped together; extra pasta water helped loosen it, but there were still clumps. I didn't have extra fresh basil, but the pesto provided plenty of flavor. The optional lemon juice added brightness.

• Oven-fried eggplant Parm

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 15, 2022

    Easy and yummy version of eggplant Parmesan. I liked how the panko on top mimicked the breading of coated and fried eggplant.

• Crispy carnitas taquitos

  • jay.moe on December 04, 2022

    Cooking the pork in a slow cooker made the long cooking time easier since it didn't have to be watched as closely as if it had been cooked in the oven. The pork tasted good although it could have used more salt (the recipe didn't specify an amount to use). Most of the rub cooked off the pork while braising when the pork started releasing fat and juices. Next time I would sear the pork before putting it in the slow cooker so the flavor stays on the pork rather that ending up in the juice left in the slow cooker. The lime juice squeezed on the pork before broiling was a nice addition. Baking the taquitos was a problem. The corn tortillas never seemed to brown or crisp like the picture in the cookbook. I finally shallow fried them on the stove as they were starting to dry out in the oven without adding any color. The taquitos were ok. I'm not sure I would make them again.

• Wild mushroom pappardelle

  • christinezac on July 16, 2022

    Made this with maitake (shogun) mushrooms found at Costco. Didn’t have the kale or goat cheese. Despite this was still delicious.

• Sweet potato pierogi in sage butter sauce

  • christinezac on July 18, 2022

    Yum! I may not have rolled them enough, but they were delicious! A fun take on pierogies.

• Lemon chai bourbon smash

  • christinezac on July 12, 2022

    Delicious! I admit I didn’t have chai tea so skipped this and instead just put in some maple syrup. Great summer cocktail with a perfect fall vibe ;)

• Herby sun-dried tomato salad with chickpeas and lemon vinaigrette

  • christinezac on July 22, 2022

    Delicious!

  • JulieCruz on August 16, 2022

    Very tasty, don’t skimp on the herbs.

  • Shaxon on April 11, 2022

    my husband said yum...for a salad!

• Garlic yogurt with poached eggs and chile butter

  • christinezac on July 17, 2022

    A good mix of flavors but I « over- lemoned » and too much oil/butter.

• Honey roasted carrots with herb oil

  • christinezac on August 11, 2022

    Didn’t have the goat cheese or pomegranate seeds so it wasn’t as special, but still delicious!

• Crispy chipotle fish tacos with creamy poblano sauce

  • christinezac on August 11, 2022

    Delicious- was missing the mango, cilantro and for the poblano- the poblano! Also didn’t broil the garlic. Still delicious.

• Spinach and pesto-stuffed butternut squash

  • JulieCruz on December 13, 2022

    Very tasty and easy to make. Problem with serving, the skin is awkward to work around, I will peel it before baking next time.

• Dad's cheesy baked tacos

  • Shaxon on April 20, 2022

    Made with soft corn tortillas and seasoning salt as directed, but used black beans instead of beef. They were difficult to eat with hands, so we ate them with a fork. They were more like a quesadilla. Very tasty and interesting for our weekly Taco Tuesday.

• Balsamic stuffed mushrooms with basil and orzo

  • Shaxon on April 23, 2022

    pine nuts would be much better than walnuts

  • ethedens on July 23, 2022

    Easy and delicious dinner. Only problem I had was that the mushroom caps pooled with water after the initial roast, so I had to drain them all before filling them with the cheese.

• Easy ricotta ravioli with lemon herb corn

  • Shaxon on April 03, 2022

    Store bought cheese ravioli would be much easier. The "sauce" came together quickly, but it wasn't very saucy. Overall pretty good as a vegetarian dish to serve to company.

• Garlicky greens pizza

  • kaityblueeyes on January 21, 2023

    This was so delicious!! Will definitely make again. Only thing, definitely doesn’t feed 4 hungry people. Three max, but more like 2 with some leftovers.

• Pizza dough

  • kaityblueeyes on January 22, 2023

    Easy dough, delicious taste.

• Cauliflower gnocchi

  • kaityblueeyes on January 15, 2023

    These were quite good! Light and held together pretty well in the zuppa toscana soup. Pretty easy to make and handle.

• Maple-sesame smashed sweet potatoes

  • kaityblueeyes on January 09, 2023

    These were tasty! Only did about 2 mins under the broiler and that was enough to carmalize. Update: I froze these last weekend since we are trying to keep carbs low during the week. Reheated them on the stovetop with scrambled eggs this morning and there were better than fresh out the oven! Almost like candy.

• Blackened salmon skewers with feta Caprese

  • ellwell on August 04, 2022

    These were very good and everyone especially loved the dipping sauce. The caprese was good but I think i would prefer it without the honey.