• becmorris on June 10, 2012

  Tessa Kiros' recipes are perfection.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

  • Cheri on October 29, 2010

    Loved this one. Could make more tomato sauce (about half again as recipe calls for). Used fresh pasta sheets cut into quarters.

• Banana bread

  • Melanie on July 28, 2014

    This tasted good but wasn't the best banana bread I've made (not a huge depth of flavour, and although interior texture was nice there wasn't a good crust). As such I probably won't make it again in a hurry - it was a good basic recipe using ingredients I always have at hand though.

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on October 13, 2014

    Simply tasty! Increased vanilla to 1.5 - 2 teaspoons and cinnamon to 2 heaped teaspoons.

• Chocolate and cranberry cookies / biscuits

  • Melanie on March 08, 2014

    This is very sweet (made even sweeter by the fact that I substituted milk chocolate for the dark chocolate). I did like the flavour of these though.

  • jaxstar84 on June 30, 2013

    VERY sweet! Very nice, but not for those who don't have much of a sweet tooth. I would make them again (very easy) but lessen the sugar, perhaps sub in some honey. I used all wholemeal flour and they have a great texture, rose up beautifully :)

• Fried custard squares

  • Melanie on March 08, 2014

    Tastes really good however difficult to shape. Very much comfort food rather than something to serve to guests.

• Fried mozzarella sandwiches

  • Melanie on March 08, 2014

    I made these without the ham and thought they were good. A little messy to make. Would be nice served with a side salad if serving this as a meal rather than a snack.

• Macaroni cheese

  • Melanie on March 08, 2014

    This was a very soothing meal - soft noodles in bechamel topped with cheesy crunchy noodles. I used extra parmesan; macaroni noodles; skipped the ham and nutmeg.

  • e_ballad on June 24, 2020

    Found this to be very bland.

• Tomato risotto

  • Melanie on March 08, 2014

    This tastes good but is somewhat monotonous in flavour. If I made this again I would serve it as a side rather than the main event.

• Orange juice and olive oil cake with pine nuts

  • digifish_books on June 04, 2015

    Makes two 22cm (8.5 inch) cakes. Alternatively, halve the ingredient amounts to make one cake. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. My husband is not a huge fan of pine nuts so I may substitute them with almonds next time, or just omit them.

• Peppermint Crisp pie

  • VineTomato on June 09, 2017

    It has only taken me 40 years to make a peppermint crisp tart! Having grown up in South Africa this is a common dessert after a braai. On advice from a friend I mixed the caramel and whipped cream together - it does not look that great, I would stick with her method of layering caramel and whipped cream. I am not a baker or a dessert person so I did not enjoy the process. Have made it for a hen party, and a mini one on the side for my husband, so we shall wait for the verdict.

• Beef and potato croquettes

  • joneshayley on January 03, 2018

    These came out very dry. I won’t repeat these.

  • Zosia on November 03, 2019

    This method of oven frying worked extremely well resulting in crispy croquettes with soft, moist centres. With only salt, pepper and some Parmesan cheese as seasoning, the flavour wasn't particularly exciting but that’s easily fixed. They were popular with children and adults alike.

• Whole wheat apricot and apple pie

  • joneshayley on February 04, 2018

    Very easy and very nice. Good with custard. Have made with figs

• Vermicelli soup with tomato and basil

  • joneshayley on February 04, 2018

    Very basic, but nonetheless for that. My children adore this quick easy supper

• White loaf with honey / maple syrup, butter, and pecans

  • Zosia on November 03, 2019

    This felt like a cheater’s sticky bun…it certainly was an easy way to make a quick treat with ingredients I had on hand. A blend of butter, honey and pecans formed a sweet topping that was applied to a loaf of bread and baked. You need an unsliced loaf of bread that gets sliced horizontally to start. The author suggests her white bread recipe but I used a loaf of homemade whole wheat challah I had in the freezer.

• Brown rice risotto with butter and Parmesan

  • Zosia on January 05, 2014

    I managed to find short grain brown rice - the recipe doesn't specify type - so my risotto ended up quite creamy. The cooking time was longer than indicated but the rice didn't need much attention until the last 30 minutes of cooking. I used vegetable broth for added flavour and skipped the butter.

• Lentil rice

  • Zosia on February 21, 2014

    Really delicious dish made almost solely from pantry ingredients. I used basmati rice as I have in other versions of mejadra and only 2 tbsp oil to fry the onions, also omitting the butter at the end.

• Sole bundles with spinach

  • Zosia on January 05, 2014

    Easy and delicious with a nice presentation. Next time though, I'll skip the flour coating since it didn't help to brown the fish and wasn't needed to thicken the tomato sauce. I also wouldn't be averse to adding a splash of white wine to the sauce.

  • madelainelc on April 02, 2014

    I served this over some squid ink pasta and there was just enough sauce to make it perfect. The colours were great too! Worth the trouble I had working the cod into little rolls.

• Roast chicken and potatoes with thyme, lemon, and garlic

  • e_ballad on April 08, 2020

    There are SO many things about this recipe that simply make no sense. Dry the bird, only to pour lemon juice on it seconds later? Butter the back of the bird, but not the breasts? Surround bird with potatoes, only to have to dig them up seconds later to place the thyme underneath them? Where do the other 2x bay leaves end up? Despite all this, you do end up with tender meat & delicious lemony spuds.

• Pasta with cheese

  • gamulholland on February 18, 2024

    I made it exactly as written, and added peas as suggested. Our picky 10-year-old ate everything except the peas. Adults will definitely need some extra salt and black pepper and lots of extra Parmesan— it’s tasty once those are added, but without them it is very mild.

• Bibliocook

  It’s a satisfyingly chunky book (400-plus pages) with mouthwatering (yet realistic) photos of food...Charming and down-to-earth, this is a book with both style and substance.

  Full review

• KQED Public Media

  ...a book that gets under your skin. It beckons you, and seduces you to pick it up...the recipes have a casual, conversational tone...they aren’t as much hard-and-fast rules as they are suggestions...

  Full review