• KatieK1 on March 20, 2022

  This is my favorite cookbook-- the one I would take to a desert island.

• Lunacran on December 21, 2018

  Definitely a common theme in these recipes is lemon, celery and lots of garlic (raw). I cut the garlic in the celery salad.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Rigatoni with meat and celery sauce

  • wester on March 15, 2010

    Not really anything wrong with this, I just had expected it to taste a bit more like celery. Instead, it's some kind of bolognese. Not bad, but just another bolognese.

• Celery salad with anchovy dressing

  • wester on August 28, 2010

    More of a starter salad than a side dish salad. Strong flavors - you'll reek of garlic for a week, but it does taste good. The fancy flower cuts are nice if you have some kind of party, but for everyday use I suppose you could just cut it in 1-inch lengths. Don't skip the iced water though, it makes it very crunchy.

• White bean salad with fresh sage and thyme

  • lorloff on October 01, 2017

    This was a really great dish. I used fresh sage and fresh thyme from the garden and added shredded sage to the thyme at the end. I increased the garlic slightly. Do not discard the stock that the beans cook in at the end - it makes a delicious broth or base for bean soup. Will make again - it was fantastic.

• Almond-vanilla creams

  • Bloominanglophile on November 05, 2013

    I have made this recipe many times--usually to accompany a lasagna, salad and garlic cheese bread meal that I prepare and bring to new moms. I always get compliments on it--kids love this and adults enjoy it, also. Although it is made with cream, I find it light and refreshing after a substantial pasta meal, especially with lovely fresh fruit--particularly berries (which I usually macerate or make into a chunky sauce). This is also a cinch to make!

• Aunt Flora's olive salad

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    Oh, I really liked this salad. Perfect for an antipasti table.

• Lemon-and-oregano-seasoned tuna mousse

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    I've made this recipe twice, and I just love it. The taste was not too strong and the texture was smooth, but not watery. I will keep this in my favorites.

  • KatieK1 on September 01, 2022

    Lovely spread; I've made it plenty of times.

• Penne with vodka and spicy tomato cream sauce

  • JKDLady on January 05, 2013

    I'm not sure about this recipe. It was pretty, but I didn't get a strong flavor at all. I didn't get spicy. I suppose I could've added more hot pepper flakes, but it just didn't seem to be going in the direction of spicy; it was more creamy than spicy. I guess I would make it again, but I would alter the recipe significantly, which would really be my own recipe at that point.

  • Rinshin on July 06, 2016

    Terrific tasting with robust taste of tomatoes from 20 to 25 min of reduction with garlic and hot pepper flakes. Used fire roasted tomatoes. Just the hint of vodka and richness from cream. Cooked penne al dente and that was perfect for this sauce. Served with steamed asparagus. Certainly repeating this quick but delicious recipe.

  • Lepa on November 01, 2016

    This is the recipe I have been using for penne with vodka sauce for years. I've tried many others and always come back to this one.

  • Running_with_Wools on November 23, 2020

    The best spicy vodka sauce method and recipe I've found. When I make this for company, they always beg for the recipe. I use Rao's marinara sauce as the base, but add garlic and red chile flakes to it.

• Arugula, pine nut, and Parmesan salad

  • stockholm28 on November 04, 2015

    Simple and delicious. This is a variation of a dish I've had many times with the use of red wine vinegar and addition of toasted pinenuts.

  • Lepa on June 15, 2017

    This was so easy to throw together and really delicious.

• Spinach-Parmesan frittata

  • ksg518 on May 24, 2021

    I've made this several times. It's a very good basic frittata but I also find it works well with the somewhat mature spinach I sometimes get from my CSA. Just remember to chop the spinach into fairly small pieces.

• Herb-infused savory custards

  • jdubuc on May 08, 2014

    See Paprika

• Saffron butterflies

  • Lepa on November 19, 2017

    We had little time and bare cupboards so I turned to this recipe, which I had always been curious about. It was okay. I think a cream sauce that had been cooked more and thickened might have been better. After this sat for a while it thickened and was better. It also benefited from some salt and lots of parmesan.

• Fusilli with walnut and garlic sauce

  • Lepa on July 09, 2018

    This recipe is so quick and delicious! It is fantastic when the pantry is bare, time is short and kids are hungry.

• Ricotta cheesecake with pine nuts and raisins

  • Minddancez on May 14, 2020

    This was almost too moist and had an odd, almost medicinal taste. If we made again, would cut back on cinnamon and nutmeg as well as make the extract amounts scant.

• Cubed pork with garlic, spinach, and spicy chick peas

  • Running_with_Wools on November 23, 2020

    This is a delicious, easy, one-pan meal for a family. Loved it.

• Eggplant Parmesan

  • benitamehta on February 25, 2022

    A bit more labor intensive than some "quick" versions I've made, but this is pretty traditional and tasty, although richer than my typical baked version.

• Speedy lasagne

  • KatieK1 on January 08, 2023

    Added a fair bunch of wild mushrooms from the greenmarket. Used the Bianco DiNapoli canned tomatoes rated as best by the New York Times, 12 ounces of Bella Italia pappardelle even though it was made without eggs, and some good ricotta which did not need to be drained. Cooked the sauce for less time because the tomatoes were already thick. If I had used the whole pound of pasta called for in the recipe it would have been too much. And the dish was amazing.

• Pasta and bean soup

  • syarfitz on July 07, 2022

    Used 1 lb beans, more veggies, more bacon, 28 oz can tomatoes, a little wine, swiss chard (added with pasta). Served with olive oil and parmesan cheese. Came out great.

• Sautéed chicken breasts with fresh sage

  • FatsyRoller on June 05, 2023

    Need to use best quality chicken breasts. Quite good - could use even more lemon. I did it with oregano which was a good choice, and added some garlic to the marinade just before boiling it down.