• carolfo on November 06, 2022

  I substituted almond flour and some white rice flour for the a.p. Flour. We’re totally wheat free in our house. It doesn’t really change the muffin or most cookies to make the switch and I add some zanthum gum to it.

• Breadcrumbs on June 04, 2011

  I adore Ina and this book is one of my T&T favourites. You can always count on Ina for well-tested recipes with clear and thorough instructions. Ingredients are always accessible and, in our experience, dishes always impress. I've given this book as a gift time and time again to experienced and hoping to be cooks. This book is a treasure.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Jon Snow's fish salad

  • jaelsne on April 23, 2013

    Delicious salad, very similar to the taste of some potato salads with dill. In fact, I would consider adding small boiled potatoes to the dish to make it a complete meal.

  • MVitek on June 03, 2011

    Lovely summer dish.

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe using 1 pound cod and no fennel. It served 2 people over a bed of lettuce, The salad was good, but the onion was rather strong. There was plenty of dressing - could have used less.

• Lemon yogurt cake

  • jaelsne on December 10, 2013

    I made the cake exactly as written. Though not as pretty as the associated picture, it had a great crumb and tasted wonderful.

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 168 - Looks wonderful! Glazed cake, no butter!!! What's up w Ina!!! Rec calls for 1 c. plain whole milk yogurt, 3 x-tra lg eggs and 1/3c lemon juice, 1/2 c. vegetable oil.

  • micheleK on July 15, 2011

    Set oven at 160deg C fan forced. Cake rose very high and split. Used yogurt, sour cream and whole milk, as I didn't have enough yogurt. Didn't seem to make a difference to the texture, which was semi pound cake like. Didn't bother with frosting, lemon syrup was enough for us. A good cake. On tv, Ina turned the cake out onto rack and poured the syrup over the bottom of the cake. The recipe doesn't mention this.

  • nadiam1000 on March 01, 2019

    I subbed coconut oil for veg oil and used Meyer lemons. I needed more powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup) to thicken the glaze so it was thick enough to stay on top of cake. Very good lemon flavor - the syrup soak plus the zest and glaze with the yogurt make it nice and tart. I love lemon pound cake and this is one of the best I have ever made.

  • stockholm28 on February 07, 2016

    This is a very simple cake that does not require a mixer. It takes maybe 10 minutes to prep. She calls for both a lemon syrup (which is drizzled on the cake after baking) and a lemon glaze. I only made the former and thought that was all that was needed. This recipe is very similar to the yogurt cake recipe in Molly Wizenburg's "A Homemade Life" which I've made before. This recipe uses more yogurt than Molly's. Ina notes that she based this recipe on Dorie Greenspan's yogurt cake.

  • phembott2 on February 03, 2016

    Loved this cake! I didn't read the instructions carefully and accidentally mixed all the wet ingredients together instead of reserving the lemon juice & bit of sugar to pour over the cake after baking, but it still turned out well, just had to bake a few extra minutes. I also mixed in 2 drops of my Young Living Lemon Essential Oil in the glaze to make it extra lemony and it was absolutely delicious! I would definitely make this again!

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I love this recipe and have made it numerous times. I almost always add poppy seeds and often reduce or skip the glaze. This cake works with whole wheat pastry flour and nonfat yogurt, if you want to make it healthier.

  • Ntaake on November 20, 2018

    I added blueberries and used low-fat vanilla yogurt. Also skipped the glaze and only made the lemon syrup. One of my faves!

  • Sparkles75 on May 22, 2019

    My first Ina Garten recipe and off to a great start as this cake has a fantastic flavour and texture. I made exactly as written and to be honest I think it needs both the syrup and glaze as the syrup affects the flavour and the texture of the cake. Didn't last long at my house. Straight into keeper file.

• Tri-berry muffins

  • jaelsne on August 16, 2011

    I made these for a friend that just came out of the hospital. They were beautiful and absolutely delicious. I saved a few for myself!

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made the original recipe and thought they were just okay. Then I followed the mixing instructions on Food Network: mix all dry ingredients; toss with berries; mix wet ingredients and fold into dry. I made 1/2 recipe (11 muffins) using white whole wheat flour, 1 6-oz container each of raspberries and blueberries, omitting the cinnamon and adding vanilla. The muffins were very good.

• Chunky banana bran muffins

  • jumali on January 24, 2015

    I'm not a fan of raw bananas, so if I make this again (and I probably will), I'd mash the bananas rather than chop them. This was a nice alternative to raisin bran muffins. 6 T of molasses is a pain to measure so I will probably call 1/3 C close enough next time.

  • GiselleMarie on March 01, 2020

    I had only 1 1/3 cup of wheat bran, so I used 2/3 cup ground old-fashioned oatmeal to make up the difference. The results were excellent!

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe, yielding 12 muffins, baked at 350 convection for 25 minutes. The muffins stuck to the liners until completely cooled. They were pretty good, fairly hearty (I used half whole wheat flour), with a fairly strong molasses flavor that got stronger over time.

• Pear, apple & cranberry crisp

  • Breadcrumbs on December 10, 2015

    p. 200 – With a large basket of bosc pears on hand I decided it would be the perfect time of year to give this recipe a try. So glad I did as this was an instant hit. As mr bc pointed out, the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest made this smell very “Christmassy” as it baked in the oven. The pears are especially lovely in this. This will be a great brunch item through the holidays so I’ll definitely make this again. photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/baking-days-december-2015-edition-1028886?commentId=9776636

  • raybun on October 01, 2016

    A fabulous crumble/crisp for this time of year. I made the fruit part according to the recipe using local ginger gold apples and Bosc pears. I pulsed amaretti cookies with melted butter and some sliced almonds for the topping. 5*

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    Wonderful! I have a favorite recipe for apple crisp from the Pillsbury Family Cookbook with the yellow cover published in the 1970’s. Ina’s version is just as good!

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan, using Anjou pears and Jonagold apples. It took 1 hour to bake. Quite good! Lots of topping, which of course makes it super yummy, but you could use less. Next time I'd use less or no nutmeg.

• Eli's Asian salmon

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 118 - this looks amazing and would be a perfect company dish because the final assembly and cooking time is so short. Soy sauce mix c/b made ahead. Can't wait to try this. Calls for 1c soy sauce so I'm thinking low sodium w/b a good idea, 1/4 c rice wine vinegar, the sesame oil recommended is the toasted (dark) variety, 2tbsp fresh ginger and 1/4c green onions. The recipe does not call for chile bean paste (noted above) rather it uses chile paste.

  • mharriman on January 23, 2019

    Excellent. Refreshing twist on baked salmon. I halved all the ingredients since I made it for just my husband and me. Next time I’ll not put the salmon in the baking dish and then pour the soy sauce mixture over it as directed. Instead I’ll put it on a large plate and pour the sauce over, then sprinkle the panko, then more sauce— making sure all the sauce and panko is on the fish, and then put it in the Baking dish. This is what I ended up doing this first time because the sauce ran all over the baking dish. Baked for 10 minutes at 500 degrees (sockeye salmon) and it was perfectly baked. Served with a green salad, ginger dressing (Makado), and jasmine rice with peas.

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    This is extremely salty and not worth all the effort of assembling so many ingredients. Also, I thought the panko bread crumbs would be crispy but the topping turned out soggy. I should have guessed that would happen when I followed the directions to pour some of the soy sauce mixture on top of the panko-coated salmon. We like simply-prepared grilled or roasted salmon better.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    My salmon weighed 1.75 lbs, so I made about 2/3 topping/sauce, which was plenty. Roasted about 20 minutes. The salmon was very moist and the flavor was fantastic.

  • Jviney on June 10, 2020

    Salty and soggy are the best descriptors for this salmon...I had half the amount of panko called for and subbed bread crumbs for the rest. My salmon was the amount called for, but it seemed drowned in bread crumbs and salt. Bummer!

  • Ohrenschall on April 10, 2020

    Very salty and soggy

  • MissKoo on May 21, 2020

    I love salmon but this is one of the most disgusting dishes I have ever made. Salty in the extreme, soggy, and all around awful. I followed the recipe exactly but the balance of flavors was completely off. My husband asked me never to make it again and put it down the garbage disposal. So did I. Totally inedible.

• Loin of pork with fennel

  • Breadcrumbs on March 24, 2010

    p. 104 -Mar. 2010 – First use of this rec. and won’t be our last. We were very pleased with the results. Roast was excellent, moist and very flavourful. Minor changes to recipe: I omitted the pernod and sprinkled top of roast w garlic powder, crushed fennel seeds and sea salt. I also prepared the stuffing a day in advance (spread on saran wrap) to save time the following night. I’d definitely do this again as the final prep time took under 10 mins which was great. Leftovers used to make “porchetta-style” sandwiches. Delicious.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Used the 2 Costco pork loins with one cut apiece; 2 cups of bread crumbs too many; Only did 10 minutes @ 350, not 20 - fine when rested; Used dried, not fresh thyme; Sprinkled with fennel

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I cooked a smaller 2 lb pork loin and reduced the stuffing (2 cups bread crumbs, 1 onion); the stuffing barely fit. Used dried thyme. Roasted 50 minutes total, the interior temperature was 145-150 degrees. The pork was very flavorful and juicy, the stuffing very tasty.

• Zucchini pancakes

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 136 - looks really good. Uses 3/4lb zucchini, 2tbsp grated red onion and 2 x-tra lg eggs

  • julesamomof2 on July 05, 2018

    Super simple and delicious, I make this often

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I used white onion and one large zucchini. The batter needed the extra 2 Tbsp flour and still got kind of watery (maybe due to the large zucchini), but the pancakes cooked okay, although spread a bit. The flavor was similar to potato pancakes. They'd be good with sour cream and applesauce.

  • ChelseaP on July 07, 2022

    Make these all the time when courgette (what we call zucchini in NZ!) is in season.

• Stewed lentils & tomatoes

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 144 - Oct '07 - Delicious and v. tomatoey! I would replace curry and thyme w oregano next time and would serve w grilled meat using an Italian preparation ...like bisteca or, chx marinated in lemon garlic oregano. Cooking time is approx 1hr.

  • candrika.jo on October 31, 2011

    Delicious! We loved the spice combination of curry and thyme. I used hot curry instead of mild and added 15-20 mins to the cooking time. Served over brown rice.

  • cadfael on March 02, 2014

    A family favourite over the years

  • Lepa on January 29, 2020

    This is so good. I usually don't love carrots but the large amount here, with the curry powder, lentils and tomatoes, they are so perfect. My kids loved this, too.

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    I made this while a friend stayed with my family for a few days. We all loved this dish! In fact, we couldn’t stop eating it. As much as I love to cook, sometimes I get tired of cookbooks and magazines being full of complicated, multi-step recipes with long lists of ingredients. This is one of those old-fashioned, homey pots of yumminess that tastes like it was invented by someone’s mother the day before pay day. So good!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Dried thyme worked fine here. The lentils were pretty good, but the tomatoes were too prominent for my taste (I know the title is lentils *and* tomatoes) and the dish was rather soupy. The tomatoes were fairly sweet; extra vinegar might help. This would probably be better with some sausage added.

• Parmesan-roasted cauliflower

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 146 - this will be delish!! Perfect fall dish when cauliflowers are so plentiful. uses 1 lg head in addition to 1c. parm chs and 1c. gruyere. Bake 30 mins @ 350

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Very good! Even my son liked it. The cheese melted into the cauliflower so it wasn't that visually noticeable, but it added flavor and texture.

• Grilled tuna salad

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 68 - Looks delicious. calls for 2lbs fresh tuna steak, 2 ripe Hass avocados and 1/4 c. grn onions.

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    I seared the tuna on the stove; it was great using good-quality fish. The dressing was tart, which was good with the tuna. I served it over greens, adding more oil to the rest of the dressing used for them.

• Guacamole salad

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 85 - Looks great, would be perfect with some lime grilled chicken. Need 1 pint grape toms, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/4c. lime juice and 2 ripe Hass avocados

  • GiselleMarie on July 29, 2018

    My son-in-law and one of my daughters don’t like tomatoes, so for them I replaced the fresh tomatoes in this salad with a can of black olives that I cut in half. This version was a big hit!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I used yellow sungold tomatoes and red bell pepper. Easy and quite tasty.

  • Nettmahoney on March 09, 2023

    I like to add mango as well. This is a big hit every time I make it.

• Chicken piccata

  • Breadcrumbs on March 21, 2010

    p. 96 - Looks good, need 4 pcs b/s chx, 2 eggs, 1/3c lemon juice and 1/2 c dry white wine

  • pcrane on December 28, 2009

    Compare to Giada's

  • stef on February 28, 2022

    Chicken was nice and tender and we liked the sauce will repeat

  • HerBoudoir on January 14, 2016

    Tasty and simple. Usually put lemon zest in with the breadcrumbs. Really good with tilapia filets instead of chicken.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Serve over angel hair; Don't always sear first - sometimes just bake the whole way through

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    Excellent!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    There was enough coating for 6 chicken breast halves. The sauce was too puckery/lemony for me, even though I reduced it a lot. The chicken cooking method worked well, but I'd find a different sauce recipe next time.

  • Skamper on December 14, 2019

    Delicious and one of my husband's favorites. I make a half batch of two servings.

  • Megney on October 19, 2018

    One of my favorite recipes. This was so moist and full of flavor.

• Ribollita

  • Laura on December 21, 2014

    Pg. 38. Hmm, I can usually count on Ina's recipes to produce a delicious result, but this one fell short of the mark. Even on the second day, it was just lacking in flavor. I won't be making it again, but if I did, I'd increase the amount of pancetta and decrease the amount of bread and I'd use diced tomatoes rather than whole plum tomatoes.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Used White onions & No Cabbage; Added leftover Hot Italian Sausage

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    I made the soup a day ahead, but added the bread the day of serving. I used regular green cabbage instead of savoy and diced tomatoes instead of pureed; this soup is flexible that way. My family loved this soup.

  • Megney on October 19, 2018

    I LOVED this recipe. My parents ask for me to make it every year. Mine had lots of flavor, perfect for a cold night

• Mustard-roasted potatoes

  • Cati on August 20, 2012

    Have been enjoying these using my homemade grainy mustard.

  • mharriman on January 24, 2022

    The aroma coming from the oven was heavenly, but, as written, even with modifications, this recipe didn’t work. Based on notes here and at the online site, I roasted my onions for only 20 minutes and that was perfect. The whole grain mustard, however, was burned to a crisp and clumped in beads by the end of my reduced roasting time of 40 minutes. We couldn’t taste the mustard at all. If I were to make these again, I’d toss the cut potatoes in olive oil, roast them for 20 minutes, take them out of the oven and toss them with the mustard and onions, and roast everything together the final 20 minutes.

  • pattwilson on August 15, 2014

    Love these. Did them in foil on the BBQ.

  • Lepa on March 06, 2020

    My family loved these potatoes and was fighting over the last crumbs. I especially loved the caramelized onions. This is such a delicious way to cook potatoes!

  • averythingcooks on October 19, 2018

    These make a regular appearance at all kinds of dinners (summer bbqs and winter roasts) - reliable and delicious!

  • GiselleMarie on March 01, 2020

    I made these for a small dinner party at my house. My three guests all raved about them.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    The potatoes were quite good and done after 40 minutes, but by that time the onions were mostly burnt. I'd make this again, but would cut the onion into bigger chunks and toss them frequently.

  • Skamper on November 12, 2021

    To speed cooking, I parboiled the potatoes first. The were roasted in about 20 minutes, by which time the onions were mostly burnt. I prefer Molly Stevens' recipe for mustard roast potatoes.

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Delicious little side dish.

  • Megney on October 19, 2018

    A favorite recipe for Christmas dinner.

  • jimandtammyfaye on April 23, 2022

    Very flavorful. Stir often to avoid burning. Be generous with mustard. Try parboiling potatoes first as suggested in comments.

• Portobello mushroom lasagna

  • cwolf on September 06, 2010

    prepared by Sandy. Mmm!

  • Yildiz100 on December 30, 2017

    This recipe is basically perfect-really needs no tweaking other than maybe a bit more parm. It was a bit hard to know how much sauce to put on each layer so I did end up with a bit extra, but it was fine and wouldn't have been too much if I had used it all. I cut down on the nutmeg a bit. I think it would have been ok with the full amount of nutmeg so I should have trusted Ina! I only had table salt on hand so I reduced it to 1.75 tsp as a precaution, but I did need to add more to taste after that. Not sure how much but it may be that I ended up using the salt amount (1 tbs) that she called for. To my surprise it needs no other seasonings. It is simple, familiar tasting comfort food. Serve small pieces with a good salad!

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Rich! Added white wine to sauce; Added sausage to lasagna

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I used a 9 oz box of no-boil noodles, soaked in hot water (not boiled). In an attempt to lighten the dish, I used half whole milk, half 2%, and "only" 6 Tbsp butter for the bechamel, 2 Tbsp butter + 2 Tbsp oil to saute the mushrooms. I added chopped rosemary, thyme, oregano, and garlic to the mushrooms. Assembled the lasagna earlier in the day and refrigerated it, then baked for an hour. It was absolutely delicious.

• Peanut butter & jelly bars

  • moreace01 on May 09, 2011

    These bars are to die for.

  • nadiam1000 on June 26, 2021

    Made half a batch in an 8x8 pan. Subbed 1/4 c brown sugar for part of the white sugar. Used strawberry jam. Dough not really spreadable - pretty thick but easy to work with and portion for the base and topping. Really rich and sweet bars with a good texture - great recipe for fans of peanut butter and jelly.

  • mrsmadam on October 22, 2018

    These are very good. I weighed the dough after I mixed it to get the correct proportions for the top and bottom. Fussy, yes, but for me bottom crusts can be problematic.

  • jwolfe on June 24, 2022

    Used the largest “large” eggs I had instead of buying “extra-large” and everything worked fine. Pre-baked the bottom dough 15 minutes. Added extra 1/2 cup jam (tart jam balances the sweet bars). Used David Lebovitz’s salted candied peanuts and increased quantity from 2/3 to 1 cup.

  • averythingcooks on February 12, 2023

    I cut this in half for an 8 x 8 pan, used a mix of jams (raspberry, blackberry & a raspberry/blackberry) and used honey roasted peanuts for the top. I also weighed the dough (around 27 oz) which made portioning for the bottom vs top layers very easy. Next time, I might up the jam as jwolfe did. These are simple to put together, pretty rich and very tasty! I would think you need a lot of mouths to feed if you make a 9 x 13 pan :)

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan. There was plenty of dough for the pan and top (which didn't spread much). The bars were quite thick. We liked them, but they're really rich.

  • Melissa_427 on March 11, 2022

    I forgot that I had wanted to do a half batch, so went with the full batch, however, I didn't use all the dough. I ended up using some dough to create about a dozen peanut butter cookies that I threw in the freezer to bake later. If I think about it, I'll return here to update on whether that works out or not, but until then, the bars themselves are definitely still very tasty without use of all the dough. I also used a bit of strawberry pie filling I had leftover from a different occasion.

• Irish soda bread

  • Lu1950s on March 17, 2013

    I substituted 3/4 cup craisins in place of the currants. It was delicious. I liked that it wasn't very sweet. It really helped to use a pastry scraper with this really wet dough.

  • adrienneyoung on February 08, 2021

    Extremely sticky dough, and the bread crumbled apart as I moved it from baking sheet to cooling rack. It is very good, though!

  • lhudson on March 11, 2021

    Will be making this for St. Patty's Day. I think even the Grandchildren should like this one.

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe, which baked at 375 convection for 35 minutes. The bread had a nice flavor for breakfast and was not too sweet.

• Triple raspberry sauce

  • ahsafford on October 01, 2011

    Delicious! Can be made with frozen berries.

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    Delicious. Makes more than needed for the pavlova.

• Seafood gratin

  • MVitek on June 03, 2011

    Types of shellfish easily varied--I don't use the lobster. Make ahead. Nice for Christmas Eve.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I used 12 oz hake, 4 oz lobster, 8 oz shrimp, and substituted dill for tarragon. Made in one large gratin dish. Great flavor, but super rich. I think you could use a bit less butter to cook the vegetables and mix with panko. I just used 1/2 tsp salt and thought it was perfect. The proportion of seafood could be increased relative to sauce and topping.

• Fresh whiskey sours

  • MVitek on June 03, 2011

    Makers Mark makes all the difference

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    I don't normally drink whiskey drinks, but I loved these. They were very fresh tasting and not too sweet.

• Breakfast fruit crunch

  • southerncooker on February 12, 2022

    My Granola had a little burnt taste. I used Greek non fat yogurt and the suggested fruits. I added a tiny bit of honey to my yogurt. It was good but a different Granola or just toasted nuts would have been better.

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made the granola 2 days ahead and tried to be careful, but it almost burned. I used pineapple, blackberries, and Strauss nonfat yogurt. Fruit and granola were sweet enough to balance the yogurt, but I did not like the granola as much as my favorite store-bought granola. This is a classic and I'd make it again, but wouldn't bother making this granola.

• Caesar club sandwich

  • AreBe on January 09, 2012

    Our whole family loves this recipe. It's hard to eat other Caesar dressing after having had this one. This is a recipe we make over and over again. Also the recipe for the baked chicken is one of the best. Simple but delicious for cooked, moist chicken to go in a variety of recipes.

  • averythingcooks on August 23, 2020

    These were GREAT dinner sandwiches! We “sous vided” 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast & finished it to a nice char on the BBQ. I toasted 2 buttered ciabatta buns and then spread them with the delicious homemade dressing & some grated Parmesan. In addition to 2 slices each of crispy pancetta (lovely!), thick chunks of chicken and some lettuce, I had a smear of sun dried tomato pesto and T had a thick slice of fresh tomato. Because I wanted 2 sandwiches ,I cut the dressing recipe in half and yet still have some left. It’s unanimous.......absolute repeat!

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    I prepared the chicken and dressing a day ahead. There was extra dressing. The sandwich was a bit hard to eat due to its height, but the flavor was delicious. It was a bit salty, so I might cut back on the pancetta next time.

• Roasted shrimp & orzo

  • hirsheys on March 18, 2017

    This recipe is fantastic! Cooking the shrimp this way leaves them succulent and delicious, plus the dressing matches beautifully with the rest. When I made this, I was so excited by the shrimp that I left out two major ingredients - the cucumbers and the feta. It was good even without them, but even better with them. Definitely a favorite.

  • jnetlw on November 06, 2012

    My go-to picnic/summer potluck salad. Charming & refreshing.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Great way for cooking shrimp!

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    I made everything except the shrimp one day ahead. Served over a bed of romaine lettuce, half the recipe served 2 people for dinner. It was very flavorful, but the red onion was a bit overpowering. I think you could use less feta and crumble it instead of dicing.

• Maple-roasted bacon

  • hirsheys on June 30, 2018

    *Make sure the bacon is thick-cut. Made Christmas ’08 – very yummy.

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    This is a really easy way to cook bacon; the slices don't curl and you don't have to watch them. The maple syrup adds an interesting sweet flavor and nice shine, but I don't love sweet bacon.

• Mexican chicken soup

  • chawkins on July 12, 2017

    Made the stock with the carcass of a chicken that I harvested the breast and the legs, the carcass from a Rick Bayless roadside chicken and the tips from three dozen wings. Both carcasses still had a lot of meat attached, so I did not roast the chicken breasts. Used three jalapeños and it was not spicy. The tortillas thickened the soup a bit. All in all, a very good tasting soup with avocado and cheese added.

  • ksg518 on February 27, 2017

    This is a good basic Mexican chicken soup recipe. Ina calls for roasting chicken breasts to use in the soup. I just used the remains of a roasted chicken so the amount of chicken was probably somewhat less than if I made the recipe exactly, which was fine with me. It also meant the soup was ready in less than an hour. I wasn't sure about adding the tortillas to the soup but I ended up liking it. For what it's worth, the soup looks nothing like the picture here.

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    I prepared the soup a day ahead (except the tortillas), storing the chicken separately. I also added a can of black beans. The soup was pretty good, but there are better recipes out there. I'd increase the cumin and coriander and add fresh cilantro.

  • ginger2212 on October 18, 2022

    We love this version of mexican chicken soup! There are other, more authentic recipes out there but every time I make this - it's a hit with everyone and makes a lot.

• Bibb salad with basil green goddess dressing

  • Yildiz100 on September 20, 2017

    Made a quarter recipe of the dressing (for a different salad) and just eyeballed the quantities. I had to add some chives as a I didn't have quite enough scallions but otherwise I tried to follow as closely as possible. Nice but not outstanding. I wouldn't have minded more garlic but I am sure the recipe will keep better the way it is, with very subtle garlic.

  • averythingcooks on June 23, 2022

    I made this dressing to serve over leaf lettuce, red onions, radishes, celery & sweet peppers. 1/3 of the recipe covered salad for 2 with extra (some of which I used as a dip for the crusts from my reheated pizza - perfect!). We both loved the flavour and I appreciate the use of anchovy paste which I do often have in the fridge. As always, I read the notes and used Greek yogurt in place of sour cream & upped the garlic. The rest will disappear tonight and I would make this dressing again for sure.

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    I made 1/3 recipe using a 7-oz bag of butter lettuce; there was twice as much dressing as needed. I added cherry tomatoes and cucumber. The flavor was nice. I think you could use yogurt instead of sour cream to lighten it. Leftover dressing was really good on seafood salad.

• Lemon fusilli with arugula

  • Yildiz100 on October 25, 2022

    If you are cooking by weighing the ingredients then this recipe calls for way too much arugula. If you watch the Youtube video of this recipe she takes just a large handful which is much less than a half a pound of arugula. More like a sixth. I would make this again but I would just add arugula to taste, and I would finally dice the tomatoes and just add them on top as a garnish. I thought they were a little too cold and the texture of the larger pieces of halved cherry tomatoes didn't really work for me in this pasta, but the color was nice.

  • bktravels on September 18, 2020

    Other versions of this recipe include broccoli crowns, so we always blanch some cut into small florets and add them to the pasta along with the tomatoes etc. We cut the recipe in half and serve it as a side dish.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Used 1 1/2 cups almond milk + 1/2 plain greek yogurt instead of heavy cream

  • Lepa on April 11, 2020

    Why have I waited so long to make this? It is easy to throw together and absolutely dreamy! This will certainly go into my regular rotation- even if it does use two cups of cream (so worth it!)

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Wonderful! The lemon cream was fabulous. Instead of adding lemon slices at the end, I just squeezed in some extra juice.

• Fruitcake cookies

  • KarinaFrancis on June 20, 2021

    I really liked these, but I love fruitcake so it was an easy win. They capture the flavours of Christmas and as per previous reviews, not too sweet. I halved the recipe and made 30 cookies.

  • EmilyR on January 03, 2021

    I used montmorency tart cherries and added a little bit of lemon zest and some extra cloves. My fruitcake loving husband declared they are excellent. The cookies are not super sweet, which I liked, and once the prep work is done they are super simple slice and bakes.

  • inflytur on January 20, 2018

    Don’t be afraid of this cookie, even if you think you hate fruitcake. It is a delicious cookie chock full of dried fruit enlivened with just a touch of sherry. It doesn’t include dried citron, which is what most fruitcake haters object to.

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    Fruity, chunky, chewy, fantastic! I used candied cherries because I somehow acquired several cartons of them and I need to use them, but I would like to try these cookies with dried apricots instead.

  • anya_sf on December 16, 2019

    Note that the fruit marinates overnight and the cookie dough must chill several hours. I despise candied cherries, so I substituted dried bing cherries, which weren't as pretty but tasted better. Half the recipe yielded 30 cookies. Regular sugar worked instead of superfine. The cookies took 22 minutes to bake. They tasted like fruitcake in the best possible way. I wasn't sure I'd like them, but my whole family enjoyed them.

  • pattig on December 04, 2019

    Try reducing cherries to 2 oz and adding 2 oz chopped apricots. (Per her recipe on Food Network)

• Stuffed cabbage

  • andreathurm on February 03, 2015

    I had the same problem. The cabbage rolls cooked unevenly. After 1 hour, the one on top that I checked was totally raw. After 2 hours, the meat was cooked, but it was a bit hit or miss. Some of the rice was cooked and fluffy, some not. This also after reheating the next day. Arthur Schwartz in his "Jewish Home Cooking" suggests parboiling the rice for 3 minutes. I made his recipe years ago and I don't remember having the same problem. Both recipes are delicious.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Rice didn't fluff properly - too al dente, so should try again.

  • anya_sf on November 02, 2021

    Normally I make Scandinavian stuffed cabbage (no tomato) and worried that these would be too sweet-sour, but the flavor was well-balanced. I made 1/2 recipe, but since I had to get a whole cabbage, I used slightly less filling in each and ended up with 12 (!) rolls. I sliced the unused cabbage center into wedges to cook on top of the rolls (why waste it?). Based on previous reviews, I baked the stuffed cabbage a little over 1.5 hours, by which time the meat and rice were cooked through.

• Pesto pea salad

  • infotrop on April 02, 2020

    Couldn't resist adding the chopped cherry tomatoes for a color pop to this already pretty (and tasty) dish.

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    Quick, easy, and delicious.

• Chicken stock

  • stockholm28 on December 24, 2014

    Good basic recipe. She has you add the fresh herbs and peppercorns in the beginning and this makes it difficult to skim the broth. I'd start without the herbs, skim, and then add the herbs to the pot.

  • anya_sf on August 18, 2022

    Same recipe as Ina's other books

• Blueberry crumb cake

  • Rinshin on March 04, 2020

    This is very good tasting with sweetness that is minimal (we don’t like very sweet foods) and perfectly light texture. I used more blueberries but otherwise followed the recipe. Love the taste and texture of strudel with the coverage that was perfect for a 9 inch pan. The blueberries did not sink to the bottom like a photo from foodnetwork and and mine were more dispersed throughout the cake. No problem with sticking.

  • GiselleMarie on March 01, 2020

    Great texture and very tasty!

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    Half the streusel was plenty. I used 1.5 cups blueberries, half yogurt/half sour cream, and white whole wheat flour. The cake took a few extra minutes to bake through. I didn't sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar - it was plenty sweet. It was really good and kept well for a couple of days.

  • Skamper on May 15, 2018

    This was very tasty. Made exactly as directed, but didn't add powdered sugar (plenty sweet already). Next time, line the pan with parchment.

• Coconut cake

  • julesamomof2 on July 01, 2022

    We loved this cake, it was perfectly moist and not too dense. The coconut in the batter keeps it moist I think. I used 8 inch pans, took them out right at 45 minutes, and used all the frosting (which seems a bit much but delicious).

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I baked it in a 9"x13" pan for a party, just frosting the top and sides, using about 3/4 of the frosting for a generous covering. The cake took 45 min to bake, and I lowered the oven to 325 after 35 minutes. If using round pans, I'd check early. The cake was dense, but good. The frosting was fabulous. It served 15-20 people.

• Green green spring vegetables

  • julesamomof2 on August 19, 2017

    Key here is the vegetable combination. Otherwise its just sautéed vegetables. I serve almost every Christmas-it's nice and light, I can prep the vegetables ahead of time, and it's one less dish I have to fit into a crowded oven. Keeper.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Fabulous. You don't need to use all 4 vegetables and can substitute others (e.g., fresh peas instead of sugar snaps, spring onions instead of shallots). Simple but great.

• Summer borscht

  • ksg518 on June 28, 2016

    Great chilled summer soup. Online recipe doesn't specify dicing the cucumber but that's fairly obvious. I think smaller dicing is the way to go with this recipe. Next time I'll add more dill but I'm a dill lover so add accordingly.

  • anya_sf on June 03, 2020

    My large beets took nearly an hour to cook. The soup was refreshing, yet rich from all the sour cream. I think you could lighten it by using more yogurt or even using light sour cream since it isn't cooked. I quite enjoyed the soup but my family was less enamored.

• Rib-eye steaks with cornmeal-fried onion rings

  • mharriman on May 03, 2020

    This was my first time making homemade onion rings, and they were incredibly good! I had a hard time stopping eating just a few, and I’m usually not a fried onion ring fan. I was surprised how easy they were to make and how light and delectable they turned out. Using a candy thermometer to monitor the temp was very helpful and using silicone tongs aided me quite a bit in transferring the cooked rings to the baking sheet. My husband grilled the steaks and followed the recipe instructions but didn’t baste with oil, and they turned out great. My steak was a bit more flavorful than his, mainly because mine was thicker (two steaks / two different sources).

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I cooked boneless rib-eyes which were only 1" thick, using the stated cooking time for medium-rare. I did not brush them with olive oil while on the grill - seemed awkward and unnecessary. They were good (how could grilled steaks be bad?), but quite large.

• Roasted pepper & goat cheese sandwiches

  • mharriman on July 05, 2019

    Outstanding sandwich. My husband said he’d like to have it again, and that’s saying a lot since we normally don’t have sandwiches for dinner. I had two peppers- one red, one yellow- starting to wrinkle in my fridge, so when I saw this recipe I went to the store for the remaining ingredients. Since it was just for two of us, I halved all the ingredients. It was very easy to roast and peel the peppers and prepare the sandwiches, And they went well with zucchini soup. A really nice lighter meal on a summer evening.

  • averythingcooks on December 22, 2021

    I made these using herb & garlic Boursin and I added slices of roasted chicken breast but the marinated peppers were what makes this sandwich truly special. The oven roasting results in lovely soft peppers - I won't be using my "chunks run quickly under the broiler" method anymore. I also cut the salt in the peppers back by 1/2. My pieces of ciabatta used as buns were pretty thin (good tip anya_sf) and we both loved these sandwiches beside a green salad.

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2020

    I roasted the peppers a day ahead at 400 degrees because I had something else in the oven. There was more goat cheese than needed. I omitted the onion as I don't care for raw onion. This is a tall sandwich - hard to eat - so use very flat bread, serve it open-face, or open your mouth really wide. If serving open-face, there is plenty of cheese for both sides of the bread. The flavors were very nice, especially the peppers. The sandwich is also really good with salami.

• Fresh pea soup

  • mharriman on March 13, 2019

    This is the best pea soup recipe I’ve ever made, and I’ve made several. The added bonus was that it took under 30 minutes to make. I used frozen peas and fresh mint leaves. My only quibble is the instruction to puree the soup on ‘low’ in the blender. That resulted in a chunky texture that I didn’t like. I just re- blended everything at a higher speed in my Vitamix and the mixture was smooth and creamy with just faint bits of fresh mint in the mix. I went ahead and made the suggested croutons since that was such a simple and fast recipe. Those added a nice crunch. This is so good, I’m thinking of making it as a first course for our family Easter dinner and ditching my usual vichyssoise.

  • anya_sf on December 27, 2018

    I usually use frozen peas and frozen sliced leeks, and have used both fresh mint and dried thyme instead of mint. Both versions were delicious and really quick and easy. An immersion blender makes it even easier, if you don't mind a slightly chunky texture.

• Cornish hens with cornbread stuffing

  • mharriman on July 10, 2019

    Delicious. The cornbread stuffing was flavorful and added to the juiciness and flavorful meat. Mr. Harriman and I really liked the pan juices and pan roasted onions that accompanied the hens. After looking over the (high fat content) suggested cornbread in the same cookbook, I decided to make my own which was from the back of the package of Indian Head Stone Ground Cornmeal. My stuffing was moist and tasty, so I’ll do the same again when I repeat this recipe.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Half the stuffing was left to bake separately. The hens took 1.5 hours to roast because a lot of liquid pooled in the pan, preventing the bottoms from cooking. I had to drain off the liquid, but the bottoms still did not brown. The hens were tasty, but a bit dry on top. Next time I'd roast them on a rack, although the onions were good. The stuffing was okay, but the cornbread made it sweeter than I prefer.

• Creamy rosemary polenta

  • LoriPerrault on March 12, 2014

    This is one of our favorite recipes. Yummy.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Good with chicken cacciatore. Fairly thick.

• Chicken salad Véronique

  • stef on January 30, 2018

    This is a very nice salad with baguette and a glass of white wine

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Other chicken salad recipe in this book better for sandwiches! Added spiral pasta

  • GiselleMarie on August 08, 2020

    A good simple salad. The grapes elevate it beyond ho-hum. We like this better than the others chicken salad recipe in the same book. I thought it made a tasty sandwich on whole grain bread.

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    I added salt and pepper to taste and served the chicken salad over lightly-dressed greens. Really nice combination of ingredients. I think the dressing could be made with half mayo, half yogurt.

  • ginger2212 on October 18, 2022

    I love this method for making chicken salad! This salad feels too mayo heavy so I lighten it up a bit. Flavors are wonderful with the grapes and tarragon. Highly recommend serving with the herbed basmati rice.

• Chicken with goat cheese & basil

  • HerBoudoir on January 14, 2016

    Since I can't get skin on boneless breasts, I bought split breasts and boned them. The skin shrunk quite a bit and didn't crisp much, so not sure it was worth the effort. Goat cheese was tasty. I would bone chicken thighs instead next time.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Split & stuffed instead of putting under skin

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    The chicken needed 45 minutes to cook through. I feared the goat cheese would melt too much and leak, but it didn't. Easy and good.

  • Megney on October 19, 2018

    I didn't love this. Felt like it was lacking flavor, and turned a little dry.

• Lamb kebabs with couscous

  • ddenker on October 20, 2016

    We made this 10/20/16 (marinated for two days in advance) and thought it was delicious (though might have slightly over cooked the lamb). We forgot to make the sauce, but it was still very flavorful without. Served with Ina's couscous with pine nuts and currants.

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Don't need the sauce - juicy without!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I marinated the lamb 1.5 days. Realized too late I only had 4 long metal skewers, so I used 3 for lamb and 1 for tomatoes, then cooked another tomato skewer after the lamb was done, which worked fine. Maybe my lamb cubes were small, but they were a little overcooked, although still tasty (the sauce helped).

• Couscous with pine nuts

  • ddenker on October 20, 2016

    Delicious! Made this 10/20/16 and we would love to cook it again. Very simple as well.

  • averythingcooks on July 06, 2019

    This is a lovely (and buttery rich!) side dish that I often serve next to grilled pork tenderloin. I do use dried cranberries in place of the currants.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Easy and very tasty. I used 5-6 Tbsp pine nuts and 2 Tbsp butter, which seemed like enough.

  • Megney on October 19, 2018

    This is such a solid side dish. I recommend!

• Blue cheese burgers

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Just used ground beef, not chuck & sirloin

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I made 1/3 recipe using 85% lean organic grass-fed beef; I imagine the fattier chuck/sirloin blend would be better. I'm not sure how much the butter and egg yolks helped. Sadly, the burgers were well done after 7 minutes, although they were fairly juicy (so maybe the butter and egg did help?). The blue cheese was very tasty. We had the burgers on brioche buns, which were great.

• Old-fashioned potato salad

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Use white wine (not buttermilk or milk)

  • Lepa on June 19, 2021

    This is such a delicious potato salad. I keep sneaking back to the refrigerator for tiny bites. It's so good I can't stay away!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    We loved this potato salad. Half the dressing was enough.

• Blue cheese coleslaw

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    Great with / on buffalo chicken sandwiches

  • averythingcooks on January 30, 2021

    I came here for a fresh side to serve with some leftover beef & Guinness pie. We loved the blue cheese hit with the 2 mustards and the cider vinegar in the dressing (as always I added carrots, red onions & red peppers in addition to the parsley called for) but here is the thing... I made 1/3 of the dressing for the 2 of us (the full recipe says serves 6-8) and I have a MOUNTAIN of dressing left over.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    The dressing was very rich and there was a lot of it. I made it again using 1/4 dressing for 12 oz broccoli slaw and about 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese and 1/2 c parsley, which was very good.

• Herb-roasted onions

  • Lnevva on December 29, 2014

    45 minutes too long - about 35 is right

  • averythingcooks on November 16, 2020

    I wanted a small side for a pork roast which brought me here. I cut this way back to one whole red onion and around 2/3’s of a yellow onion. I made 1/3 of the marinade and so went slowly with the end drizzle......and I believe I used it all. We loved these onions!

  • GiselleMarie on March 01, 2020

    A truly great recipe! And it goes with everything!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe. Roasted 40 minutes, turning the onions twice. Excellent flavor. Good at room temperature and also reheated in the microwave.

  • ginger2212 on October 18, 2022

    What a simple, brilliant recipe!

• Beatty's chocolate cake

  • ebs on October 23, 2022

    I make a chocolate cake every year for my birthday and every year I had resisted making this cake - I'm not sure why. But for my birthday this year, I made it and it was So Good. The very centers of the cake layers sank a little bit and I think it was because I used slightly too much buttermilk. i will not make that mistake again. For frosting, I made a chocolate sour cream frosting from the View from Great Island's website - delicious.

  • GiselleMarie on March 01, 2020

    Fantastic cake! For the frosting I used Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” chocolate frosting. The recipe Ina includes in the book to frost this cake calls for a room temperature egg yolk, but I don’t like eating raw eggs in any form.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    This is the best chocolate cake recipe. I made 1.5x the recipe in 2 9"x13" pans for a party. Used Dutch-processed cocoa. The cake was amazingly moist and delicious without being oily. The texture was firm enough to slice easily, yet light, not overly dense. Fantastic!

  • sgpinson on September 08, 2020

    I halved this recipe (including the frosting - omitted the egg yolk) to make 12 cupcakes...best chocolate cupcakes I've ever tasted! So moist (which often seems to be an issue with cupcakes), chocolatey, and best of all, easy. I can't wait to make the full recipe as a cake.

• Maple baked beans

  • Lepa on March 01, 2020

    This dish made my house smell amazing. The beans were pretty good but not as good as I hoped, especially after spending eight hours cooking them! My kids thought the beans were too sweet and barely touched them.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe, using a scant 1/3 cup each syrup and sugar.The bean liquid reduced a lot and I needed to add extra water. I also added a little extra water before baking because the sauce didn't quite cover the beans. The beans baked 6 hours. I made them a day ahead and reheated them on the stove (adding extra water again to prevent scorching). The texture of the beans was good and the flavors were good overall, especially the chili paste, but too sweet.

• Buttermilk mashed potatoes

  • Lepa on March 09, 2021

    This isn't as decadent as cream/sour cream version in her Family book but it was delicious! Like the other poster, I used a ricer.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I used a ricer instead of a food mill; the texture was very smooth. Good, tangy flavor.

• Herbed basmati rice

  • Lepa on February 27, 2020

    The head note spoke to me. It reads, "if every dish on your plate hits you in the head with flavor, it will give you a headache." This rice is perfect when you need a plain but delicious side for an exciting main dish. I made it to accompany fish with a butter sauce and the combination was glorious. I don't think I could eat one dish without the other ever again.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Nice recipe, easy, good with lemon chicken.

  • Megney on October 19, 2018

    Delicious! I make this all the time, so easy to make

  • ginger2212 on October 18, 2022

    A wonderful rice recipe! Goes with everything!

• Summer fruit crostata

  • Lepa on August 23, 2021

    This dough was easy to make and very good. The mixture of fruits here was just okay. I felt like the orange zest gave it a slightly bitter flavor that I didn't love. Overall, this was good but not great but I'll use the dough recipe in the future because it's a winner.

  • GiselleMarie on March 01, 2020

    This is SO good! This dough is soft so I find rolling it directly on the parchment paper and then transferring it to the baking sheet worked out well.

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I made the pastry a day ahead and chilled it. The crostata was fairly easy to make and was not too sweet, so you can serve it with ice cream. There was a lot of topping - could use less - but it's tasty. It's best eaten the day it's made, as it gets soggy the next day.

• Chocolate cupcakes & peanut butter icing

  • tmitra on September 05, 2020

    I like the icing, but I'll try a different cupcake recipe next time. I find the flavor funky and not all that chocolatey.

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I got 16 large cupcakes. They had great flavor and a fluffy, rather crumbly texture - best eaten with a fork. Frosting was fantastic, and made a generous amount.

  • Kinhawaii on March 11, 2019

    My favorite chocolate cupcakes! Usually makes 16 to 18 for me. Peanut butter icing is good too but I usually make a dark chocolate or 7 minute frosting. Always moist.

• Green herb dip

  • averythingcooks on August 05, 2019

    This has made lots of appearances at dinner parties - I mostly serve with celery sticks and cucumber slices (on the diagonal)......and for lucky guests, Ina's version of homemade potato chips. Fresh dill is NOT my favorite but it works beautifully here.

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    I followed the recipe exactly but we thought the results were just okay.

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    Half the recipe was good for 4-6 people served with crackers, cucumber slices, and carrot sticks. Definitely make it in advance. We ate the leftovers with potato chips and it was awesome - like the best onion dip ever.

• Honey white bread

  • averythingcooks on January 05, 2019

    The decision to make a loaf of bread with a new recipe lead me here. This was easy to cut in half for a single loaf but some substitutions were required. I'm not sure who buys extra large eggs (other than Ina!) but I worried about my large egg yolk so I added a bit more beaten egg hanging around from an earlier recipe. Also, no whole milk meant some math to make a mix of 2% milk & 5% cream which I'm sure did not come out to 3.5%! The dough was lovely to handle and rose beautifully both times but then came out of the oven a bit "flat". It tastes nice but as my husband said......not as "bread-like" as other loaves. I'm not sure if my technique or substitutions had an impact but it is good toasted & I'm going to try this again.

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe to produce 1 loaf, and used 1/3 white whole wheat flour to boost the nutrition. Baked at 325 convection, the loaf was done in 43 minutes. Good, basic recipe.

• Tomato feta salad

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    If you like tomatoes and feta cheese, it doesn’t get any better than this!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Nice salad, refreshing flavor. The first time I made it, I used feta and thought there was more than needed and the pieces could be smaller. The second time I used fresh goat cheese (Andante's morning fog) with a milder flavor, cut smaller, which was really nice.

• Chicken salad sandwiches

  • GiselleMarie on August 06, 2020

    Meh. My family says I make the best chicken salad in the world but I still like to experiment....This was a disappointment. There’s not much to it. I bought tarragon just for this salad, but I ended up mixing in fresh chopped dill to make it a little more like my regular chicken salad.

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    My chicken breasts were larger and needed an extra 10 minutes. I used "grain and seed bread" and thought there was enough mayo in the chicken salad, so I didn't spread any on the bread. There was leftover filling. The sandwiches were delicious, although I'd use less salt next time.

• Frozen berries with hot white chocolate

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    This was an unusual dessert for us. I made it for guests and everyone really liked it. Very simple but elegant.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    So good! I used already-frozen blueberries and raspberries and diced (and froze) the strawberries. Used Ghirardelli white chocolate. Scaled down the recipe to 1 oz chocolate (but still 1/2 pint berries) per person. Light but flavorful.

• Jalapeño cheddar cornbread

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    Although I gave this cornbread 4 1/2 stars when it was fresh out of the oven, it tasted horribly the next day! I would make a half- or quarter-recipe next time to ensure there will be no leftovers.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan, using 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, and whole grain cornmeal. I omitted the jalapenos so my son would eat this. The cornbread was pretty good, but not as flavorful as expected. The cheese and onions weren't that prominent and the corn flavor was mild. This recipe is pretty fattening for cornbread.

• Summer garden pasta

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    Excellent summer recipe!

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Really great using ripe, in-season tomatoes, even when marinated for less time. For less sweet tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar.

  • ginger2212 on October 18, 2022

    Very delicious! Warning though - it is very very garlicky!

• Mixed berry Pavlova

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    My friend Penny was staying with us for a few days when my sister called to say she was stopping all treatments for her cancer and was accepting her inevitable death. I had planned to have friends over for dinner and promised Penny we would cook an Ina Garten meal together. Well, I had to DRAG myself through preparing this pavlova and I thought it would never be worth it, but it is! Every time I look at this recipe, I think of my sister and that sadness followed by the happiness and satisfaction I felt when I served it and ate it. I called my sister later to tell her how wonderful our dinner turned out, and she was happy for me that I had a beautiful dinner with friends at an otherwise gloomy time in my life.

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    Quite easy. I made the meringue the day before. Raspberry sauce was yummy; the recipe makes more than needed for the pavlova. Overall, I thought it was too sweet and needed more whipped cream (possibly unsweetened) to balance the flavors.

• Ultimate ginger cookie

  • GiselleMarie on February 28, 2020

    My husband and I love the sharp, spicy taste of crystallized ginger so these cookies were a hit with us. I brought them to a family party and many people there thought the ginger was too strong. The texture is perfect!

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    Nice texture. Very strong, hot ginger flavor from the crystallized ginger, which I don't really care for, but ginger fans may enjoy.

• Peach & blueberry crumbles

  • GiselleMarie on July 29, 2018

    Another delicious fruit recipe from Ina! I transported this to my parents’ house, which involved a three-hour drive, so I chose to assemble it in a 9X9-inch square aluminum foil pan rather than individual ramekins. I baked it in my parents’ oven after it spent several hours in a cooler, and it came out very well!

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I made one large dish, using pear and blackberry with no zest. Very good!

• Sunday morning oatmeal

  • GiselleMarie on July 29, 2018

    I found 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to be too much, even with a little real maple syrup poured over my bowl. I eat old-fashioned oatmeal every morning and I don’t use salt, so it’s just not what I’m used to eating. I only had old-fashioned oats in my cupboard so I used them instead of quick oats and they took 15 minutes to cook and thicken. I used one cup of blueberries in place of the banana and an assortment of chopped dried fruit in place of the raisins. I don’t want to be one of those people who doesn’t follow the recipe and then reviews it, but I’m trying to use up all the food hanging around my pantry, refrigerator, and freezers. I will definitely make this again, but without salt.

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I used lowfat milk and old-fashioned oats, which cooked a couple of minutes longer, and substituted dried cranberries for cherries. The oatmeal turned out perfectly. Served with brown sugar and maple syrup, it was very tasty.

• Roast capon

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I feared this wouldn't work and it didn't. Based on past experience with undercooked bottoms, I placed the bird on a shallow rack, which helped the underside cook more evenly, although my 7-pound bird still needed 15 extra minutes. The carrots and onions were charred. Most of the carrots were at least edible, but not the onions. The capon was tasty, but pricey (had to special order it). The drippings were a salt bomb.

• Warm duck salad

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I adjusted the proportions to make 2 dinner salads: 1 duck breast, half the dressing (more than enough), 3 endives, 1 bag butter lettuce, 2 small oranges, 1/2 pint raspberries, 1/2 cup pecans. The duck was no longer pink, but wa still plenty juicy. I didn't make cracklings, but would next time to balance the sweetness of the fruits. Oranges and pecans were great, but I'd omit the raspberries next time or just garnish with a few. Overall the salad was very good.

• Garlic croutons

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    It was hard to distribute the oil evenly; it really just coated one side of the bread. The croutons still tasted good, but would be better if more evenly coated. The garlic wasn't that noticeable. Croutons get soggy quickly once added to soup, so perhaps stale or rustic bread might be better for soup, while softer croutons like this are ideal for salads.

• Cream of wild mushroom soup

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2020

    I used 8 oz cremini, 3 oz shiitake, and halved the amount of butter - it was plenty. The soup was quite good and rich, but could have been thicker. I'd add another 2 Tbsp flour next time. The soup did not need all the salt at the end; 1 tsp was enough.

  • Lucylew on September 23, 2019

    I have made this several times. It is my favorite mushroom soup.

• Tomato, mozzarella & pesto panini

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2020

    Really good, but rich. I used regular pre-sliced bread with about 2 tsp pesto on each slice, which was plenty.

• Smoked salmon & egg salad tartines

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    I used whole wheat bread and Nova lox and chopped the eggs by hand (I scaled the recipe down, so didn't feel the need to dirty the food processor). I used my regular method to boil eggs: place in cold water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and sit for 10 minutes. The tartines were delicious.

• Seafood stock

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2020

    I didn't have whole shrimp shells, just tails and bits of shell, which wasn't 1.5 cups, but I used what I had. It still produced a very flavorful stock. The stock simmered for 1.5 hours, so I added extra water to make 1 quart.

  • Kinhawaii on March 11, 2019

    Easy to make, tastes great!

• Heirloom tomatoes with blue cheese dressing

  • anya_sf on March 28, 2020

    I made 1/4 recipe, so I mixed the dressing by hand, using white wine vinegar and no parsley. The salad turned out great.

  • Kinhawaii on March 11, 2019

    Good, made with stilton.

• Shrimp bisque

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2020

    Since I used the shells in the stock (which I did not make ahead), I didn't have extra shells, so I skipped the first step. The recipe didn't say whether to cut the shrimp; mine were large so I did, but maybe with the food processor it wouldn't have mattered. The flavor of the bisque was very good, but I wanted more texture. I would leave some larger pieces of shrimp and maybe add chunks of potato or corn, although I guess then it's no longer a bisque.

  • Kinhawaii on March 11, 2019

    Love it, made it many times!

• California BLT's

  • anya_sf on June 09, 2019

    Great version of a classic. I toasted the bread in the toaster oven. This sandwich is quite tall, so it's hard to bite into, but so good. It's easy to scale the recipe up or down.

• Broccoli rabe with garlic

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Wonderful! This method works with regular broccoli and broccolini also.

• Chocolate frosting

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I made 1.33x recipe (8 oz chocolate, just 1 egg yolk) for 1.5x cake recipe, leaving the sides of the cake unfrosted (would have needed a little more for the sides). The recipe worked well. The frosting was not too sweet, but the coffee was very strong. I had to call it mocha frosting.

• Cornmeal-fried onion rings

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    The coating did not stay on the onion rings. The rings were tricky to fry and time-consuming since only a few can be fried at once. I had trouble maintaining the oil temperature, so many of them turned out greasy. The ones that fried correctly tasted good. I would not attempt these again though.

• Garlic & herb tomatoes

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I just used basil and thyme and added salt to taste. The tomatoes seemed cooked enough after 4 minutes. Very flavorful and easy.

  • ginger2212 on October 18, 2022

    Great side dish! I prefer these to the roasted ones in Parties.

• Seared tuna with mango chutney

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    The tuna was very good (I used a cast iron pan). The chutney was tasty, but too sweet for the tuna in my opinion.

• Easy lobster paella

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe for 2 people, using 8 oz shrimp and 6 oz Spanish chorizo (so proportionately more rice, which I prefer). The shrimp were uncooked, so I added them during the last 10 minutes in the oven. The flavor was very good, but the rice was rather mushy.

• Orange-honey glazed carrots

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    I didn't have enough orange juice, so I used half Meyer lemon juice. The flavor was pretty good, but a little sweet. I liked the orange, but would use less honey. The carrots were quite tender but still held their shape.

  • taste24 on June 11, 2020

    I really enjoyed these as a sweet carrot recipe. The orange flavors paired nicely with the honey and overall natural sweetness of the vegetable. Easy to prepare, great leftover too.

• Broccolini and balsamic vinaigrette

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2020

    Easy and really good, but use less salt. Don't skip the lemon juice at the end.

• Sweetened whipped cream

  • anya_sf on August 18, 2022

    Good, basic whipped cream recipe.

• Kathleen's peanut butter icing

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    Easy and delicious. Makes a generous amount for the cupcakes.

• Panna cotta with balsamic strawberries

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I used nonfat yogurt, cream, and half-and-half, and slightly more gelatin, which worked fine. Loved the panna cotta, which was delicious and not too sweet, but thought the balsamic vinegar was a bit strong/sharp - would use less or seek out a sweeter, aged balsamic vinegar instead.

  • Ohrenschall on April 13, 2020

    Simple and delicious. Use a little less balsamic and a little more sugar for the strawberries.

• Chocolate sorbet

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I made 1/2 recipe (1 batch) using Callebaut cocoa and brewed coffee instead of espresso. The flavor and texture were great! The sorbet was smooth and chocolatey, with a pleasant hint of cinnamon.

• Black & white angel food cake

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I grated the chocolate in the food processor, which worked well. Skipped the glaze. The eggs just barely fit in my mixer - best if you have a large model. Quite tasty for an angel food cake, which I usually find too sweet and one-dimensional. I liked it, but didn't love it, although the glaze would probably help.

• Pumpkin mousse parfait

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    I used peparkakor. Overall, the parfait tasted pretty good, with a nice pumpkin spice flavor, and was not too much work, but it didn't wow me.

• Easy cheese Danish

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    There was extra filling for a couple more Danishes. I also added a dollop of cherry preserves to each. I folded all 4 corners to try and avoid leaks, but they still leaked a bit. The Danishes were very tasty with the jam, but without it maybe could stand to be sweeter.

• Cranberry orange scones

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe, which I patted into a circle and cut in 8 wedges. I didn't use the egg wash and sugar, but doubled the glaze. The scones were very nice.

• Omelet for two

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    The ingredients barely fit in the pan and my eggs were large, not extra large. I used 3 oz cheddar with no extra on top. The omelet took 25 minutes in the oven and I broiled it a bit to speed it up. Overall, the flavor was quite good, but very rich.

• Caramel pecan sundaes

  • anya_sf on March 02, 2019

    A good, easy, basic caramel sauce recipe. Make sure the sugar gets dark amber before adding the cream, or it will be too sweet and bland. I stored the sauce in the fridge and reheated it in the microwave. It got a little grainy, but that didn't really matter. The sundaes were tasty.

• Scrambled eggs & salmon

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I substituted chopped onion for shallot and added dill. It was quite good. The salmon and butter were a bit hard to fold in at the end; I'd add them a little sooner. Watch the salt if the salmon is salty.

• Fresh peach bellinis

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made these for lunch to accompany tea sandwiches, using Kern's peach nectar and inexpensive prosecco. They were really good.

• Spicy Bloody Marys

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I reduced the celery seasoning mixture by 1/3, then used 1/2 of that for each drink. I omitted the onion. Overall, this was a good recipe - very zesty - still deciding if I liked celery bits in the drink or prefer the drink without them.

• Anna's orange marmalade

  • anya_sf on February 29, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe as I didn't have a stainless steel pot large enough for the full recipe. I used Cara Cara oranges and Meyer lemon. The marmalade simmered 2 hours, but after turning the heat up to medium, it burned in 10 minutes. I tried a 2nd batch, but didn't turn the heat above medium-low; it didn't reduce as much, but the temperature was 220, yielding 2.5 pints. I sterilized the jars in boiling water, but was still nervous about food safety, so I stored them in the fridge. The marmalade gelled nicely and tasted pretty good, although marmalade isn't my favorite.