Notes about Recipes in this book

• Everything but the bagel cottage cheese and lox bowl

  • bob.mack on March 15, 2024

    This was a nice change of pace from my normal breakfast options. It taste so fresh with all of the vegetables, yet it still has plenty of protein from the cottage cheese and salmon to keep me full for a while.

• Ham and Swiss omelet wrap

  • KaraCooks on November 16, 2023

    This is such a simple recipe for such low points but I am addicted...dont skip the hot sauce.

• Caramelized onion and fig flatbread

  • ascrivani on April 22, 2024

    Made for Kaitlin and Greg’s. Onions took FOREVER. Make them earlier next time, maybe in the crock pot. Used Gouda cheese, just ok? Try a different cheese next time. Overall was great though. Used naan flatbread from TJ’s.

  • averythingcooks on February 19, 2026

    We enjoyed this cheesy bread beside bowls of unadorned French onion soup. The Fontina was a good choice and as I currently have 2 open jars of fig jam in my fridge (!) I went 1/2 & 1/2 on 1 naan for the 2 of us to share. One is a fig/apple jam & the other a fig/chili jam and we agreed that both versions were good. I'll make this again.

• Stracciatella tortellini soup

  • Happykikkers on December 13, 2024

    Easy to come together, but nothing very special. Good quick fix. I think I messed up the ratios a bit when I scaled it down to 1 portion.

• Sheet pan tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons

  • averythingcooks on September 01, 2025

    I made a batch of this for the freezer (so no grilled cheese croutons this time) and it is pretty good. I gave my little tomatoes a quick seed (personal preference) with a knife slash & a squeeze) and stirred in some Vivian Howard "herbdacious" to replace the fresh herb garnish. Whitewater Cooks is still my gold standard tomato soup but these little containers will happily get eaten for upcoming lunches.

• Seared tuna and avocado salad

  • kari500 on July 19, 2024

    I made this for just myself, using 6 oz tuna, 1 avocado, and the full amount of dressing, and served it over rice. It was fabulous but very rich. Next time I will cut back on the dressing. Topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Didn’t need the sriracha she recommends.

• Skillet andouille sausage with potatoes and vegetables

  • Delys77 on October 04, 2024

    Used Turkey kielbasa and a touch more Cajun spice than called for and this was pretty good. I think it would be nice with the addition of some red onion at the potato browning step. Overall pretty good and filling

  • averythingcooks on March 30, 2026

    I also used slices of kielbasa & included red onion with the other veg. After a discussion, we changed the method, giving the potatoes a quick pre-boil & then dumping everything onto a sheet pan, roasting at 400 for around 20-25 minutes (I think?), adding the garlic near the end. We really liked the Cajun seasoning (be generous!) & this easy sausage/veg combo will be again (and I will try the andouille for sure).

• The juiciest Italian turkey fried meatballs (ever)

  • courtney_nb7i83 on March 08, 2026

    Loved these. They work great in an air fryer too.

  • teesa_qhz1mo on April 15, 2026

    These are excellent, I make these at least twice a month.

• One-pot chicken sausage pasta

  • Liz_Young on December 03, 2023

    Used 16 oz sausage instead of 12 oz. *Still* too much pasta compared to amount of meat. Flavorful, but sort of ordinary for us.

• Hasselback feta chicken bake

  • Delys77 on July 06, 2025

    An interesting idea but results are so so. I find a baked whole breast dries out. I thought perhaps the stuffing would help but it added flavour but no moisture. Overall not a repeat for us.

  • averythingcooks on March 20, 2026

    I echo the issue re: the chicken being a bit dry (I blamed myself for not pulling it out 5 minutes earlier) but we spooned over some leftover creamy, herby salad dressing which helped a lot. I stirred basil pesto into the suggested side of pearl couscous and we like the combo of the spinach filling (I tried to be generous here), jammy tomatoes & basil couscous.

• Pot sticker stir-fry

  • aceedubs on September 29, 2023

    Could easily be made with frozen veggies, including a stir fry mix. And if you really don't have time, you can use the sauce pack in the stir fry mix. If you do this, then use only 1/2 c water.

• Turkey unstuffed pepper bowls

  • ascrivani on April 19, 2024

    Was so delicious! Both kids liked it too!

• 15-minute turkey-bean chili

  • averythingcooks on September 01, 2025

    Full disclosure = I knew going in this wouldn't be spicy /varied enough for us BUT I came to try her tip re: pureeing 1/2 the black beans with a little water to thicken/enrich the broth in this quick chili. To satisfy our palates, I raided the pantry/fridge for lots of little extras & honestly, as it's full-on (busy!) canning season, this quick but pretty good chili (made with grd pork) was a perfect dinner choice. I'm not really about the "use fewer ingredients!" theme here & in other books, BUT YES, I will use the pureed beans idea again:)

• Chicken with hot cherry peppers

  • KaraCooks on November 16, 2023

    This was super easy to whip up and delish!

• Creamy chicken and spinach tri-colore pasta

  • KaraCooks on November 16, 2023

    I added some cayenne to the Kickin' seasoning used in this recipe but other than swapping the pasta made it exact. Delicious simple weeknight meal. Gina's technique for making this lightened up cream sauce is spectacular. She used the same one in the Cajun Chicken Pasta Lightened up and it is fantastic too.

  • ascrivani on April 19, 2024

    We felt like it could have used more spinach and maybe more chicken too. But overall it was really yummy and easy/quick to make. Everyone in my family liked it!

• Air-fryer chicken drumsticks

  • KaraCooks on November 16, 2023

    Kicked up the seasoning with some cayenne and this is a nice seasoning.

• Kickin' chicken poultry seasoning

  • averythingcooks on September 16, 2025

    With a small chicken on deck for roasting this am (destined for chicken salad sandwiches & maybe some soup), it seemed like a good time to try this seasoning. I made a small amount and we are happy enough with the results that I made a bigger batch (BUT with the salt scaled back) to keep on hand.

• Cheesy protein chicken quesadillas

  • bob.mack on March 16, 2024

    Clever idea to use cottage cheese to provide a delicious creamy flavor without a lot of regular cheese. The amount of heat from the jalapenos and fajita seasoning was spot on for me.

  • morleigh10 on April 16, 2024

    This is one of our go to recipes! Mixing the cottage cheese and the shredded cheese makes it extra creamy and the pickled jalapenos add great flavor.

• One-pot creamy gnocchi with chicken and leeks

  • pat_xokmtv on January 07, 2026

    Excellent! Made the poultry seasoning in the recipe instead of buying some.

• Instant Pot spaghetti rings with beef

  • morleigh10 on April 16, 2024

    Was not able to find pasta rings at my store, so bought another fun pasta shape and it still turned out great. Super easy and quick to make and we liked the added vegetables.

• Parmesan pork chops

  • hannah_jxh6fc on February 12, 2026

    Super simple to make - use grated instead of shredded cheese, but that’s all I had! Still tasted great.

• Sheet pan pork tenderloin with potatoes and spinach

  • jacqueline_2sc88e on March 25, 2026

    Loved this- I used stone ground mustard

• Skillet fish with caramelized shallots and lemon brown butter sauce

  • KaraCooks on November 16, 2023

    this was SPECTACULAR....super easy to come together, no changes except I made it with cod. Delish!!

  • chawkins on August 01, 2025

    Simple ingredients, fast and easy cooking, what's not to like. I made half a recipe using cod loin.

• Air fryer crispy salmon nuggets

  • Liz_Young on September 21, 2023

    Can use oven instead of air fryer

• One-pan shrimp and saffron orzo

  • Ducksinarose on February 29, 2024

    So good and so easy. I used pre-peeled shrimp from Costco and water instead of chicken broth. One can easily add add vegetables to this dish and have a one pan meal. I ate this with a side of broccoli.

• Skillet cornbread with zucchini

  • cookingbychapter on April 02, 2025

    My first ever cornbread, so not much to compare it to, but we enjoyed this. I liked the addition of the zucchini.

• Thyme-roasted carrot fries

  • pat_xokmtv on January 07, 2026

    We’ve been making carrot fries from many recipes. Love these when I have fresh thyme on hand!