• rengler on December 23, 2009

  highest rating - indoor cooking

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Mrs. Lenkh's cheese sablés

  • vinochic on October 12, 2016

    Made these as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. Rolled the dough in a log and sliced the sables. Super easy and delicious!

• Prosciutto-wrapped greens

  • danilouis on October 09, 2012

    Lemon dressing v. good. Better with Nalo greens.

• Ruby salad with crumbled feta & spicy pepitas

  • ChandraNH on November 12, 2022

    found in the holiday dishes 2014 version of FC magazine

• Roasted red bell pepper soup with star anise

  • Kringler on January 28, 2018

    It’s really good.

• Peppery pink lentil soup

  • IowanCorn on May 12, 2024

    This was not a good soup. It was too watery, not peppery as I expected from the title, and was a depressing meal. A cup and a half of lentils to 10 cups of water is a inadequate ratio of lentils, and the veg ought to upped considerably.

• Barley minestrone

  • MollyPellecchia on March 26, 2023

    My what a wonderful soup! Added some blanched green beans (diced) otherwise followed the recipe.

• Smoky black bean soup

  • chawkins on December 26, 2020

    Uses dry beans. Quite good. Instead of chicken broth, I used excess vegetable broth that I made from the Culinary Institute of America's The New Professional Chef recipe that was used as a base for the brine in Alton Brown's Good Eat Roast Turkey.

• Butternut squash soup with apple & bacon

  • eliza on December 16, 2022

    Very easy and delicious soup. Use a tart apple to work with the sweet squash. Reheats and freezes well.

• Spaghetti & meatballs

  • JKDLady on August 02, 2015

    This is an outstanding dish. This is very close to the spag and meatballs from my favorite Italian restaurant. This is exactly what I was looking for. I will use this as the starter for "my" new spaghetti sauce. I will add hot peppers to the sauce as I want a sauce with a bit more depth. Personally, I think these meatballs are too big, so I will adjust that next time. Other people may like the size though.

• Gemelli with asparagus & caramelized onions

  • eliza on May 08, 2022

    Really enjoyed this pasta; the combination of caramelized onions with pancetta and asparagus works well. Very easy if you have already caramelized the onions. When asparagus isn’t in season, green beans make a good sub. I have always used the caramelized onion recipe from Fine Cooking which is on the facing page in the book but doesn’t appear to be indexed.

• Double-cheese penne with sausage & hot cherry peppers

  • IowanCorn on November 03, 2025

    A quick, easy penne bake for a weeknight dinner. I subbed out bell peppers for cherry peppers since my family isn't fond of overly spicy dishes and the Italian sausage-style ground turkey I used was spicy enough. It made a lot, and yet, there were no leftovers.

• Minty quinoa tabbouleh

  • eliza on May 08, 2022

    Really good basic recipe for tabbouleh. I make this one a lot. Fresh and delicious.

• Crisp curried chicken fingers with honey mustard dipping sauce

  • Trackypup on December 07, 2011

    Really yummy. Something about the combination of the sauce and the curry really elevates this dish. Didn't use all the oil in the sauce, maybe just 2 tablespoons.

  • IowanCorn on March 03, 2024

    This was very tasty, and easy to make, even not as messy as some breaded chicken recipes I've done. The sauce had a bit of fruity backflavor to it - which I think came from the brown mustard I used. I also used regular bread crumbs, as apposed to the called for panko, and it worked out fine, if not as crunchy. This is a weekday dinner recipe and definitely repeatable.

• Stir-fried chicken with green beans & mushrooms

  • Kringler on April 15, 2025

    Pretty good dish. I loved the way the beans were cut. Shortcut: I used a heaping tablespoon of Thai green curry paste and omitted the ginger, garlic, chili pepper, and the homemade Big Four paste. I also prepared the beans by microwaving for a minute instead of blanching. The dish might have been better if I had followed the recipe exactly, and maybe I will next time, especially if I remember to make the Big Four paste the day before. But it was a good dinner, and I loved saving the time.

• Stir-fried beef with snow peas & shiitakes

  • wodtke on July 01, 2017

    Easy and fairly fast Asian dish. Not spectacular, but adequate for a weeknight.

• Texas beef chili with pobalanos & beer

  • JKDLady on May 29, 2014

    My family decided this isn't really a typical chili, but rather a pulled beef dish. I used half the beef but used all of the spices called for, and we did not find it spicy in the least. If I used the full amount of beef I would double the spices (plus more since I love very spicy food). I thought it was weird serving it with beans as a topping, but I did. Next time, I would serve it over a baked potato or polenta. This is definitely a cold-weather dish.

• Roast beef with a classic breadcrumb, garlic & herb crust

  • JKDLady on June 02, 2014

    This was very, very good. Definitely a keeper.

• Steamed mussels with wine, garlic & parsley

  • Kringler on October 11, 2013

    Very very good. Simple and classic.

• Spicy red pepper & cilantro sauce

  • JKDLady on July 31, 2015

    I served this with the seared scallop recipe, and it was delicious and elegant.

• Sear-roasted salmon with lemon-rosemary butter sauce

  • eliza on February 06, 2016

    One of my favourite ways to cook salmon; the fish comes out crispy on the outside and melting on the inside. I follow the method exactly and vary the sauce ingredients depending on what I have on hand. Recipe is available on the Fine Cooking website.

• Balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts with pancetta

  • SilverSage on January 06, 2011

    These are great. Even the non-Brussels sprouts people liked them.

• Smashed red potatoes with basil & Parmesan

  • IowanCorn on May 04, 2024

    Somewhere between mashed potatoes and potato salad - you need to be careful not to mash it too much or it will get gluey. A nice taste, nevertheless, although I would up the basil amount. I already lowered the parmesan to 1 cup, which is more than enough, as I was afraid it would overpower the rest of the flavors.

• Red potato & tomato gratin with leeks, Gruyère & rosemary

  • eliza on August 24, 2023

    This was delicious! I used all veg and herbs from the late summer garden and therefore changed a few ingredients. I subbed the leeks with red onions, and used basil for the rosemary. I didn’t have breadcrumbs so I used panko which I always have handy. I also blended Gruyère cheese with a little cheddar and some pecorino cheese, and baked 65 minutes. This toasty gratin smelled amazing and the taste didn’t disappoint. Would make a good vegetarian brunch dish. A lovely gratin without cream will def repeat, and added bonus is it reheats very well. By Susie Middleton and her recipes always work.

• Apricot-raspberry buckle

  • Shelmar on September 03, 2019

    Substituted in season white peaches; pretty good, very buttery

• Flourless chocolate cake with chocolate glaze

  • jessmonkey on January 02, 2015

    One of my favorite desserts. Everyone loves when I make this one. Delicious!

• Double ginger crackles

  • JKDLady on August 03, 2015

    These are terrific. I wouldn't change a thing. Just make sure to cook them until they turn brown on top.

• Mexican-style pecan-chocolate squares

  • eliza on December 08, 2024

    Made these following the recipe but reduced sugar in both the base (about 20% less) and the topping (cut by 25%), and I can’t imagine them any sweeter. I also cut much smaller, getting 36 tiny squares rather than 16. They are very good, however can’t really taste the cinnamon in the base despite using the full amount of fresh cinnamon. Very rich and sweet; this is probably something I’ll repeat but only at Christmas! For the nuts, I was short on the pecans so about two thirds of the nuts were some fresh walnuts…just as good imo.