• beautyperiodt on October 27, 2020

  add Ginger

Notes about Recipes in this site

• Red kidney bean curry

  • jaelsne on February 09, 2018

    Delicious. I followed the recipe, but lightened up the ginger as the author suggested. A winner;.

  • Laura on February 24, 2019

    Wow, this was great! I used canned kidney beans so added the cup of water and a 14 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes. I followed the recipe exactly with regard to the spices and, while I was prepping it I thought that it might be too spicy for us, but it was perfect. Served it over Jasmati rice. This is a perfect weeknight meal, simple and fairly quick to prepare. I'll be making this again many times over!

  • krobbins426 on December 28, 2012

    I used the full amount of ginger. Doable after work.

  • Lepa on September 17, 2019

    My family loves Rajma and this is a very good version. We loved the fact that it had a lot of tomatoes. I omitted the green chile because I have small children but otherwise followed the recipe. We serve this over basmati rice, with plain yogurt and mango chutney as a garnish (the flavor combo is outstanding!) My son loved it so much he had three helpings.

  • Agaillard on May 27, 2021

    I never had Rajmah so not sure of how well I did or how well the recipe fares! It is super simple to make that is for sure and flavorful, a bit like a vegetarian Indian style chili. Anyway it is so deceptively simple I might make again. To serve with rice; yogurt, and possibly a flat bread and mango chutney as suggested by Lepa.

• Alex's chicken and mushroom Marsala

  • jaelsne on February 25, 2012

    Absolutely delicious. It's a little different from restaurant dishes that I've tried, because the restaurants usually pound out the breast and lightly bread it before it is sauteed. Everyone raved about this recipe, made exactly as specified.

  • Jane on April 18, 2015

    I didn't love this though I did make a mistake by not reducing the Marsala before adding the chicken stock so I think the mushrooms and the sauce would have had more flavor if I hadn't got distracted. Also I made it with chicken breasts which was what I had but I think I'd prefer it with thighs. So maybe worth repeating with those changes.

  • Grywhp on July 03, 2020

    Great flavor and easy. Used thighs. A little bread on the side to soak up the sauce is nice.

  • anya_sf on June 03, 2017

    I made it with chicken thighs and cooked them longer in the liquid (did not pound). It was good, but the sauce wasn't thick enough for my taste, so I thickened it with cornstarch. I also increased the amount of mushrooms, as we are mushroom lovers.

• Broccoli slaw

  • Tommelise on September 13, 2011

    I love this recipe, and so does the rest of the family - including the children :) Since we only rarely have buttermilk in the house, I usually make the dressing with yoghurt and lemon. We always make a large portion, any leftovers are popular to take to lunch at school or work the next day.

  • westminstr on September 25, 2014

    I enjoyed the salad and leftovers held up well at work. But my kids refused to eat it.

  • milgwimper on April 14, 2019

    I have made this multiple times over the years, and we have changed the recipe multiple times due to what is available. We love it with tart dried cherries, and we have tried different nuts and seed combinations. I can eat this for my meals. Sturdy, holds up really well. Delicious.

  • cassiemcgannon on October 19, 2012

    A new favourite. I substituted yoghurt for buttermilk, spring onion for red onion, and currants for cranberries, as that's what I had in the kitchen.

  • Rinshin on April 23, 2019

    Halved the recipe. Followed the recipe except added 1 tsp white miso and some bacon bits after tasting the dressing. Miso made a good addition. Served with bbq baby back ribs and boxed! mac and cheese for our first homemade dinner after being in Japan for some Americana. This slaw is simple and delicious. Photo added.

  • rionafaith on June 30, 2016

    Made a big batch of this for a picnic and it was a hit. I used the shredding disc on my food processor to break down the broccoli, which was pretty fast. I also added some chopped cooked bacon to half of it, and that was definitely the bowl that went first!

  • amystar on January 18, 2022

    Delicious. the dressing is similar to a coleslaw dressing i already use, so putting this together was easy. i adore raw broccoli and now i finally have a recipe for it. this will be on high rotation in our household.

• Dark chocolate coconut macaroons

  • Directjudy on April 22, 2019

    Sensational! I used unsweetened coconut flakes and bittersweet chocolate.

• Kale and quinoa salad with ricotta salata

  • louie734 on April 13, 2014

    This is insanely, improbably good. It's converted my kale-hating husband, who can detect minute quantities of it ("It tastes like dirt."). We gobbled this giant salad, made with the cheap curly kale (give it a few squeezes after chopping, until it's bright green; it's tougher than cavolo nero). Then we made it again. And again. The crucial elements here are the strong mustardy dressing, the sweet from the fruit/honey, salt/tang from crumbly cheese, and crunchy nuts or seeds. Many riffs on this theme exist - but this is possibly perfect.

  • wcassity on July 26, 2015

    Great. Even better the next day. The dressing is nice. I had Cojita cheese on hand so used that in lieu of ricotta salata.

  • springandfall on June 19, 2015

    Had only two leaves of kale on hand and no ricotta salata, but this still turned out great - a salad-y grain dish rather than a grain-y salad.

• Broccoli, cheddar and wild rice casserole

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Woah, best vegetarian dinner ever. It'd been a long time since I'd made wild rice. We didn't have wild rice blend, so I made regular wild rice and some of TJ's harvest grain blend, adjusting the cooking times a bit. I think my wild rice took longer than Deb's.

  • chriscooks on February 05, 2017

    Cook in a fairly shallow pan or it stays goopy. I made sauce with 1% milk and water from the broccoli pot, no stock; also brown rice not wild. I made the roux over the onions because I had cooked rice in the fridge. This is a very forgiving recipe. Add breadcrumbs on top (like the Jane Grigson chicken & asparagus recipe - similar); I didn't broil it. Someone added water chestnuts; someone else added walnuts.

  • chawkins on March 01, 2022

    This is pretty good. I did not have any wild rice blend. Since I did not have any brown rice which could have been cooked together with the wild rice. I had to cook my wild rice and my long grain rice separately, adding one more step to the quite laborious process.

  • clcorbi on April 11, 2018

    I thought this was pretty good, but not amazing; I wish salt amounts had been specified for the rice and sauce, as I felt that the dish was bland despite me trying to compensate by salting the sauce at the end. Also, this recipe requires a lot of steps, making it less-than-ideal for a weeknight (if that kind of thing concerns you).

  • ginger2212 on October 16, 2022

    We loved this and found it so comforting! In the future, I will roast the broccoli because I think blanching it in water water-logged the dish. Top with hot sauce!

• Sizzling chicken fajitas

  • louie734 on January 19, 2015

    Great weeknight dinner. Followed the chicken + peppers + onions almost to the letter as far as spices and cooking. Served on homemade corn tortillas (Joe Yonan has the best directions in Serve Yourself, with ingredients are identical to everyone's). The keys to this recipe are 1) thighs, which cook quickly and contribute enough fat/juicy liquid; 2) method, screaming-hot skillet with enough time to blacken the peppers/onions & brown the chicken. The spices were more Tex-Mex than our taste, we even thought it tasted Cajun, maybe it was our chili powder. But this could be varied; simpler for more traditionally Mexican, or a spice paste like achiote?

  • Rutabaga on March 01, 2017

    This was a nice flavorful fajita recipe without being too spicy for my five-year-old. Those who like heat can spice it up with salsa, hot sauce, or pickled jalapenos; I found pickled chipotles were a really tasty addition. The marinade comes together very quickly, and the whole dish can easily be prepared in 30 minutes or less if you have marinated the chicken in advance.

• Lazy pizza dough & my new favorite Margherita pizza

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    I've done this a few times when my dough bucket was taken up with a different ABin5 dough than our traditional pizza. I appreciate it most for the formula - how much yeast for how much time, as well as for the amount - easy to scale up or down depending on how many pies you want to make. I bake it the same way we do our usual pizza dough - pizza stone, 8 minutes.

  • westminstr on September 29, 2014

    This recipe did not work for me at all. Not sure whether it was the temperature in my kitchen, substitution of half white whole wheat flour (which she does say is possible), my idiosyncratic oven or what, but the pizza once cooked was doughy, heavy, not anywhere near my standards. It was my first time trying to make pizza, but I have resolved not to try again since I live in Brooklyn where I can very easily buy amazing pizza any time I want.

  • kari500 on June 19, 2021

    I loved the chew of this dough, but hated trying to press it out. Got a tip from hirsheys that I hope to use next time. She suggested using the stickiness of it to tack it down to the parchment on the corners, which makes so much sense (thanks hirsheys!).

  • Imalinata on July 05, 2015

    Turns out fabulous every time. Love the flavor with half whole wheat.

  • lajaxon on August 01, 2015

    This is such an easy pizza dough recipe I feel like I should have some ready in the fridge whenever I want. Of course, once the dough is taken care of, figuring out what to put on it is easy! Love it!

  • anya_sf on May 22, 2021

    I just made the dough, overnight version, although only 19 hours ahead and my kitchen is cold, so used 1/4 tsp yeast. The dough rose a lot, so maybe 1/8 tsp would have been sufficient. The dough was easy to stretch after resting for 10-15 minutes. Baked in 2 quarter sheet pans, lightly oiled and sprinkled with cornmeal, placed on a baking steel, the pizza crust was nicely browned, fairly airy, and chewy. So easy - will definitely use this crust again.

  • aisy on May 04, 2021

    This is our go-to weekly pizza dough. I double it to make 3 pans of pizza.

• Cranberry-orange breakfast buns

  • louie734 on December 24, 2019

    For a half recipe of sweet orange rolls (cranberry-free), use an 8" cake pan (split the eggs by using 1 yolk, 1 whole egg). To use active dry yeast, add the yeast to warmed butter+buttermilk. Meanwhile, measure and assemble the rest of the ingredients, halved - except for the orange zest. Use zest of half an orange in the rolls, the other half rubbed into 1/4 c of granulated sugar for rolling inside. Beautiful, not too sweet, add glaze to taste, serve with leftover cranberry sauce on the side if you wish.

• Green bean casserole with crispy onions

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    We need to make this again, stat. This was the perfect use for some green beans that were languishing in the fridge around Christmastime. We had a few holiday leftovers but were tiring of them. This casserole was the perfect centerpiece. Will totally make this as a vegetarian main in the future.

  • lacyann84 on January 10, 2018

    Best homemade green bean casserole I've ever had. The crispy onions are what makes this dish shine-I suggest doubling the amount. I make this every Thanksgiving now since discovering this recipe & it's a hit every time!

• Eggnog florentines

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    The eggnog filling from this recipe ---- guh. Cannot get over it. Since Deb wasn't satisfied with her florentines, I tried a Cook's Illustrated florentine recipe with pecans, which was ok. The filled cookies keep in the fridge only for about a day before the filling softens the cookie too much and it's too hard to eat enjoyably. Also I wanted smaller cookies - the florentines spread into giant, thin rounds that aren't the right size for their spicy sweetness. I wonder how this would be with a very thin, barely sweet pecan shortbread cookie, the kind you slice, icebox-style. I'll try it next year.

• Linzer torte

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    We made this for Christmas, and liked it but didn't love it. It does smell amazing when baking, and the spiced dough + jam does taste like the essence of winter, but it was a bit dry. I enjoyed it most with coffee or tea at breakfast time, biscotti-style. Wonder if the bake time is too long for my taste.

• Cashew butter balls

  • louie734 on January 02, 2016

    See my note for russian tea cakes; the food processor method for making this type of nut cookie is perfect!

• Pickled vegetable sandwich slaw

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    We made 2 huge jars of this colorful slaw and it's a favorite for topping otherwise boring sandwiches. (Red cabbage looks pretty/turns everything pink: husband brought some to work and got the best comment: "What'd Kevin bring for lunch? Oh, ….scorpions?") BTW, it lasts forever in the fridge if submerged in its liquid.

• Almond-crisped peaches

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Made for a fall dinner party dessert. Used apples, not peaches, cut to echo the shape of the peach halves. Dipped them in lemon water, topped them, and let them sit in the baking pan, until just before sitting down at the table. Let them bake at 350 until they smelled good - turned the broiler on for just a sec to brown up the tops. They broke down a bit into almost applesauce at the very bottom of the pan, but kept their shape when spooned into bowls. The crispy topping is addictive. Vanilla gelato and the pan was all but licked clean. Subsequently made this many times over the winter, even making a big batch of the topping and freezing it in balls for smushing over the fruit. Cannot wait to make this in the summertime, as written.

• Miso sweet potato and broccoli bowl (with miso-sesame dressing)

  • louie734 on July 17, 2017

    We became obsessed with this recipe this past winter. Wild rice is great, easy in the rice cooker (mixed 50/50 with brown rice or another grain like farro). All sorts of veggies work, I particularly like the sweetness of sweet potato or winter squash in combination with broccoli or kale (added at the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, it gets addictively crispy-chewy-wilted). A can of chickpeas sprinkled at the edges of the baking pan near the end makes the bowl heartier. Avoid toasting the sesame seeds by sprinkling them on the veggies near the end of roasting. Really though, this is all about the dressing ... so, so good.

  • eliza on August 11, 2017

    After reading the comments on the site, I made the sauce only to go on some other vegetables from my garden. It was fine, but would probably be a better match with the sweet potatoes, so I will try it with those next. The sauce has a sour note so probably benefits from a sweet/starchy vegetable and I would hold back on the vinegar a bit in future to compensate. Went well with salmon and grains.

  • Queezle_Sister on October 28, 2013

    Amazingly delicious. The miso-tahini sauce is king here, and was the perfect complement to sweet potatoes and broccoli. Substituted quinoa for the rice for a bit more protein.

  • FJT on December 12, 2020

    I really liked this; my husband wasn't as keen but he really isn't a fan of sweet potatoes. The sauce could work well with a number of other things.

  • Yildiz100 on December 07, 2017

    Pretty tasty but the sauce was a bit too light, tangy, and sweet for my taste. It reminded me a lot of the dressing you would get on a Asian chicken salad at a place like Panera. I like a grain bowl to have a more substantial sauce, and the high acidity made it taste like it was meant to dress cold food. I had to add an extra TBS of tahini and that definitely balanced the sweetness but it still seemed a bit too acidic and salad-dressingish to me. I would make again but experiment with sauce proportions.

  • Wlow on December 16, 2018

    Third attempt with kids. I liked the sauce but found too vinegary in the end, as others have commented. Younger son liked at first but only wanted one portion, older son wouldn’t try the sauce, ate the veg (sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower) with soy sauce instead. Maybe would like sauce better as a salad dressing, which Deb Perelman first used it for: “I have my own miso-sesame dressing (used on the Sugar Snap Slaw in the book)...”

  • alisonkc on January 21, 2014

    Super delicious. This is a great lunch! When I pull the veggies out of the oven to cool, I throw some chickpeas in with them.

  • Lepa on April 14, 2020

    This is a great pantry meal (or sturdy, easy to find vegetable meal in times of quarantine). My family loved this. One son ate mostly broccoli and the other ate mostly sweet potatoes but both liked the dressing paired with their veg of choice and the quinoa. I thought this was delicious and want to eat it again tomorrow.

  • meginyeg on September 16, 2021

    This was decent. Fairly quick. We will probably make again.

  • clcorbi on October 19, 2017

    YUM. 5 stars. This grain bowl was so delicious and surprisingly fast to throw together, which was a pleasant surprise on a weeknight. I used PB instead of tahini in the dressing, which we both liked. Other than that, we followed the recipe as written. I'd love to try this with a heartier grain like farro or barley, but even with quinoa, these bowls are so lovely and filling. The vegetables kept perfectly and it all still tasted delicious as a cold lunch today. We will definitely be repeating.

  • Smokeydoke on November 07, 2017

    Just thought it was ok. The dressing is thick. I didn't roast the broccoli, blanched then pan-fried.

  • nyb34 on November 13, 2016

    One of my favorite recipes. The sauce is the best, put in whatever veggies you have on hand, even better if it's over a bowl of sushi rice.

  • luluf on November 08, 2017

    Absolutely delicious. I will do it with different veg and try substituting peanut butter for tahini for some variety. So easy!

  • sandiegoveg on May 22, 2021

    Substituted water for half the rice vinegar and reduced the ginger to a teaspoon to make more kid-friendly.

  • allisonsemele on January 24, 2023

    I've been making this dressing a lot--it's good as dip or a sauce or a dressing. Rice + roasted veg + chili-garlic sauce and this dressing makes for a pretty satisfying worknight meal. I made this version to use up a sweet potato, and added some other veg along with the broccoli at the end.

• Summer squash gratin with salsa verde

  • louie734 on September 10, 2020

    Made as a side for roast chicken, boiled baby potatoes. Jarlsberg cheese subbed well. Really enjoyed this with lashes of additional salsa verde at serving (loosely made as in the sk cookbook 2, with half the liquid to aromatics, cilantro instead of mint). (Surprisingly) the squash still held texture, the crumbs absorbed any excess moisture, the herbs and cheese came through. A win.

  • mrsmadam on August 29, 2021

    I really liked this. Having a pound of squash (one yellow, one zucchini ) from my CSA I made half the recipe. I substituted SeedSation bread from Central Market, a Comte cheese, because that’s what I had, and this turned out very well. I totally forgot the oregano. I baked it for 40 minutes to brown the top and it came out beautifully without the squash becoming mush. On my list for repeat.

• Classic pumpkin pie with pecan praline sauce

  • louie734 on December 24, 2019

    I didn't make Deb's crust or praline sauce (though I'm sure I'm missing out - love pecan caramel). The filling here is classic and easy, but leveled-up by the stovetop simmer. Together with Stella Parks' single crust, blind-baked pie (serious eats), this pie won Thanksgiving.

  • louie734 on November 27, 2020

    2 years running with this filling. Successfully subbed homemade cashew cream (1:3 cashew:water) for 1 cup of the heavy cream, and used 2 jumbo eggs. This time my crust slumped a bit so couldn't fit all the filling; the extra I baked crustless, in a ramekin, for a cook's treat. Its a beautiful pie, silky, plush, rich.

  • patioweather on January 06, 2022

    I don't know what I did wrong but this was way too eggy for my tastes.

  • Ishie1013 on November 25, 2022

    This is going to be my go to pie filling. Everyone really loved it. It’s nice and smooth and tastes fantastic.

• Salted chocolate chunk cookies

  • louie734 on March 17, 2016

    Didn't have turbinado, used granulated sugar. Baked 1 tray at a time from refrigerated balls of dough over 3-4 days. The 360F/11 minute timing was PERFECT for me, yielding gooey cookies that are almost not-done-enough in the best possible way - your first cookie will be gooey, the next holds together, and cooled cookies are firm. The chunks should be bigger than you think will work - gooey puddles of chocolate are the result. Whether or not I remembered to sprinkle with extra salt, we positively gobbled these up.

  • FJT on April 07, 2021

    These spread uncontrollably and ended up being very, very flat. I think putting them in the fridge to chill for half an hour would sort that out or baking them from frozen. Tasted great even if they didn’t look very good.

  • Kitchengeek on November 19, 2017

    These spread a lot during cooking and came out fairly flat for me, but they tasted delicious. They did not look good when they first came out of the oven, but they were quite pretty once fully cooled.

  • Rutabaga on October 05, 2015

    I made these again and used the full amount of brown sugar listed, along with four tablespoons of turbinado (not two each of turbinado and granulated, as listed). I also used about one third whole wheat pastry flour. Sadly, I did not get to taste this version, as the triple batch I served at church was quickly gobbled up, but judging by people's reactions they absolutely hit the mark.

  • Rutabaga on May 06, 2015

    After I tasted these, I knew they were destined to become my go-to chocolate chunk cookie recipe. I had to replace most of the brown sugar with turbinado, but the crunch it provided was great, although next time I want to try it as written. I also forgot to sprinkle salt on top, but had just enough salt in the dough to give them a little edge. These cookies are full of molten chocolate goodness, and the dough has hints of salted caramel. So good!

  • sldoug on May 15, 2015

    These were fine enough, but didn't really stand out to me. Perfectly good chocolate chip cookies, but nothing that made me want to make them more than any other basic chocolate chip cookie recipe.

  • leilx on October 13, 2018

    Simple and very good as made. The 11 minute time might be a bit long at altitude as I think they were slightly overdone but still delicious.

  • lacyann84 on January 10, 2018

    This is my go-to chocolate chip/chunk cookie recipe now. These always turn out for me and I've been asked for the recipe by many people who have tried them. What makes this recipe different is how much you whip the butter & sugar together-it seems like a long time, but I believe it makes the cookies super fluffy and makes them 5 star. I also buy the pound plus Belgium chocolate from Trader Joe's specifically for this recipe.

• Corn chowder salad

  • louie734 on July 17, 2017

    I really like this starchy, hearty salad as a potluck dish. Last year I made it with bits of crisped ham instead of the bacon, this year I wanted to make it vegan, so I sautéed the onions with about a teaspoon of smoked paprika - WIN. It's gluten free, which was important to my hosts. And despite feeling a bit creamy and decadent, it's dairy free - I scraped the starchy 'milk' from the cobs into the dressing bowl, and I'm sure a spoonful of creme fraiche wouldn't be a terrible idea, but skipping either works too. Balance the apple cider dressing with a squeeze of honey or agave syrup if the corn isn't quite sweet enough. Oh and don't skip the chives/green onions - they make the color pop!

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2020

    This is a tasty corn salad, and easy to make ahead of time. It shows off fresh sweet corn well, letting the flavor really shine through. Be prepared for a lot of salad. Although several people were eating it, we spread it out over three meals. Fortunately, it keeps pretty well for a few days.

• Salted peanut butter cookies

  • louie734 on January 02, 2016

    Made for my Christmas cookie trays, happy to find a flourless cookie for the gluten-free among us. Scooped dough balls (the big end of a melon baller worked) and tossed them into a tupperware, then baked the next day. Experimented with pressing a few choc chips into the tops - they got displaced by the aggressive rise, even without any leaveners. Chunky gray salt on top, just a few good crystals. Next year want to find a fudgey, truffley filling for these more interesting, grown-up PB cookies.

  • Rutabaga on May 30, 2020

    Wonderful! And so, so simple. My cookies were a little flatter, even after the dough rested in the freezer for 15 minutes, but that's because my scoops were flatter to begin with. They are delicious on their own or with milk, but I think they would also be wonderful crumbled over vanilla ice cream and topped with hot fudge.

  • sldoug on December 23, 2015

    Made December 2015. Followed the recipe almost exactly except I doubled the vanilla. Used a #50 scoop and didn't chill the cookies at all. Baked them for 14 minutes. They spread minimally and were nicely crispy and chewy after cooling (as described in the recipe). I turned some of them into peanut blossom cookies using Dove chocolates (what I had) and while my kids loved the melty chocolate on top, I found them to be excessively sweet. I think a thin chunk of dark chocolate would be nice (if you like such things) and I've made a similar recipe with orange zest that turned out very nicely, so I might also try that here. I don't usually love peanut butter cookies but I love the simplicity of these and, as far as peanut butter cookies go, these are quite good.

  • clcorbi on December 19, 2017

    I can't believe I haven't reviewed this recipe, because it's our very favorite house cookie. I made these again for our Christmas cookie tray, and they were the biggest hit out of all the cookies. I always make these with Skippy peanut butter and generally take the time to freeze them on the baking sheet before baking--it really does make a difference and they turn out so lovely and tall and chewy. Even if I don't have time to do that, I just compensate by under-baking them and the texture is still great. The sea salt on top is definitely essential. These are sweet, so bear in mind if you like a more refined cookie you might want to decrease the sugar a bit. To us they are perfect and far superior to any other peanut butter cookie recipe I've tried.

  • rionafaith on July 30, 2018

    Some of the easiest cookies ever. I used TJ's natural creamy peanut butter instead of the recommended Skippy, and dark brown sugar instead of light brown, and it was all good. I chilled the dough in the freezer both before and after scooping, for maybe double the recommended minimum time, and they held their domed shape quite well. They do look underbaked when pulled but firm up while cooling. The coarse salt on top is essential -- I used fleur de sel.

  • anya_sf on July 09, 2020

    Skippy natural pb worked well. With my large cookie scoop, 1/2 recipe yielded 10 cookies, which baked in 18 minutes (maybe could have gone 19 min). I froze the dough 15 minutes before scooping and 3 hours afterwards. The cookies flattened somewhat but were still domed in the center. They were quite soft inside and very rich (not surprising). My family loved them - weirdly, even the cat. My husband especially liked the salt on top. My son wanted more crunch, so next time I'll try crunchy pb.

  • sarahkalsbeek on June 16, 2019

    These are incredible!! I know she says they are best with a peanut putter like Skippy, but we used a natural peanut butter (with no sugar or oil added, only peanuts and salt) from whole foods and they turned out perfectly. Absolutely amazing!

• Date, feta and red cabbage salad

  • louie734 on March 17, 2016

    I add lots more parsley to this because I like the herbal and color contrast. The chopped dates are the key to this unusual slaw. It keeps better if you add the feta to each serving. I've skipped the sesame seeds (or subbed pepitas) and it's still doable.

  • FJT on March 26, 2021

    We really liked this. I didn't add sesame seeds but otherwise followed the recipe. Quick and easy.

  • amoule on January 28, 2017

    A friend of mine raved about this recipe, so I tried it. I made a triple recipe as part of a meal for a homeless shelter; most of the homeless women disliked it. I thought that it was good but not great.

  • BeckyLeJ on November 05, 2017

    This was pretty good, I made it as a quick, easy dinner after a heavy lunch. I did opt for more dates and also skipped the sesame seeds.

• Extra-billowy Dutch baby pancake

  • louie734 on April 29, 2019

    So impressive, so fun. Made in the 10" cast-iron with the headnote's adjustments - 3 eggs, 6 T flour, 6 T milk (split between half-&-half and water). Two tablespoons of butter allowed the pancake to remain free of the pan, as well as puddled atop - almost too generous. While in the oven, we sliced the season's first (crappy) strawberries: dressed with lemon and sugar, they were successfully disguised by the heat of the pancake, the generous spritzes of lemon, and the billows of powdered sugar gleefully showered atop.

  • Zosia on May 06, 2019

    As easy and delicious as others have noted. I used 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick skillet and that was too generous.....I'll try 1.5 next time.

  • Rutabaga on April 29, 2019

    This recipe worked very well in my cast iron skillet. I think it's the best Dutch baby I've made, so I'll continue to turn to it for an easy weekday breakfast.

  • ricki on January 16, 2021

    Easy and satisfying. Worked ok with non-fat milk (grocery delivery mistake) with just a bit of half&half. 1 Tbsp butter was plenty in my well-seasoned pan. A bit overcooked in 11 minutes, so I'll try lowering the oven temp. next time.

• Best cocoa brownies

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Prepped using 1 bowl, 1 spoon, spatula, pan, parchment. That's it. Microwave works great, in 30-second bursts, stirring frequently. Really good. Unseated my go-to Moosewood brownies? Not sure.

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    I don't know about 'the best'. as this is the only cocoa brownie I've tried so far, but it certainly is good: moist and chocolatey. A tad too sweet, maybe, but that was easily remedied by taking less sugar (240 grams instead of 280). And it's good it can be made completely from store-cupboard ingredients - I can't be the only one who has some trouble keeping chocolate in the pantry for long. 25 minutes baking was plenty for me.

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    This is my go-to recipe for brownies when I'm short on time and need something quick. The use of cocoa instead of chocolate has also saved me from needing to make a run to the grocery store on more than one occasion.

  • danibattle on August 05, 2017

    Brilliant recipe! I have been making that recipe on and off for about 4 months now, and it's a keeper. I too reduced the sugar a tad, and use mini milk chocolate chips instead of nuts - and my son snaffles up the lot!

• Shakshuka

  • louie734 on January 21, 2016

    So much greater than it's parts. Garnishes/possible add-ins include: yogurt-tahini sauce (Jerusalem), zaatar, harissa, cilantro, chickpeas, sautéed greens.

  • cespitler on December 29, 2017

    I love this dish. I Iike making it the first day of a long weekend and just re-warming and adding more eggs the following day. Depending what I have, I sometimes serve with tortillas or corn chips.

  • Agaillard on April 11, 2020

    Was so hungry I forgot to add the feta and parsley which would have been nice :) I replaced chilies with very finely minced normal peppers (i.e. not hot) with cayenne pepper to taste. It was great! I also used real tomatoes instead of canned, didn't have canned. I enjoyed it all :)

• Black bean soup and toasted cumin seed crema

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    The best black bean soup ever. Can be prepped a day ahead - sauté the veg, add the spices, etc, then pop into a container (rinse the skillet with 1 c of the water to get all the good stuff out) and refrigerate till ready to cook. Then all that needs done is rinsing the beans, dumping the veg in, and topping up with more water. My immersion blender makes the pureeing a breeze. DON'T SKIP THE CREMA! Wow does that toasted, ground cumin seed make all the difference!

  • Laura on January 01, 2015

    We found this soup to be very average, nothing special at all. It was very watery and, even after doubling the amount of chipotles, it wasn't particularly spicy -- we had to add chipotle-flavored hot sauce. Even the cumin seed creme fraiche was very subtle and would have needed about twice the amount of cumin seeds to deliver that flavor. Won't be making this again because there are much better black bean soup recipes.

  • Waderu on September 29, 2012

    I don't like chipotles very much so I substituted a can of fire roasted tomatoes and added a tsp of Spanish hot smoked paprika and a tsp of smoked black pepper. It turned out great - best black bean soup I ever had. Will definitely make this again.

  • mzgourmand on January 26, 2021

    I agree with Laura - this a very average black bean soup. I was sorry that we had used our precious Rancho Gordo beans in it, in fact. Agree with all Laura's critiques: soup was bland, topping was nothing extraordinary & would have had to have a lot more cumin. Was not received very enthusiastically.

  • shegan on March 31, 2019

    Fantastic! I made it in the instant pot. Added an extra chipotle. Six cups of water. Pureed some of it with an immersion blender. Whole family loved it.

• Meyer lemon and fresh cranberry scones

  • louie734 on December 31, 2018

    Made a variation swapping in orange zest for Christmas Day brunch. A tender, rich scone. Omitted the egg yolk and added the cream sparingly (some reviewers reported a very wet dough). The dough was indeed wet and I dropped it from spoons rather than shaping. This resulted in lots of craggy, nubby tops - nice texture. Fresh cranberries in the batter mean melty, jammy pockets of zingy tartness. Frozen and wrapped, these are still baking up well, one at a time for weekend breakfasts.

  • krusso119 on January 01, 2020

    I made these today, followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect.

  • Christine on February 16, 2015

    Delicious! My husband, mom, and myself all loved these. Used regular lemons instead of Meyer. A great use for frozen cranberries.

  • Hutchdawg on January 28, 2016

    I made these with blueberries instead of cranberries and they were great.

  • ashallen on August 30, 2019

    Good scones. Dough was quite sticky - I probably should have resisted the urge to try to fully incorporate all the flour. Recipe calls for cutting rounds from the dough, but given the stickiness it probably would've been easier to pat the dough in a circle and cut it in wedges (or lumpy things). I used regular lemons and found the flavor to be edging a bit too much towards bitterness in combination with the cranberries - I made a note to use Meyer lemons and/or dial back the lemon zest from the 2 tbsp called for in the Gourmet version, and see that the Smitten Kitchen website calls for only 1.5 tbsp - good idea. I also like louie734's use of orange zest - I prefer orange vs. lemon flavor with cranberries in general. [Cross-post with Gourmet, May 1997 and Smitten Kitchen online version.]

• Garlic butter roasted mushrooms

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    For a quick vegetarian supper using nothing more than a package of plain button mushrooms, look no farther. We use a pie plate and extra garlic, a squirt of anchovy paste is great in there too. The most time-consuming thing is wiping the mushrooms. With a salad and good bread, the dish is licked clean every time. Don't skimp on the capers - it looks like a lot, but don't overwhelm. This could be a great cocktail party appetizer, leave them whole and serve with toothpicks and bread.

  • Rutabaga on January 10, 2017

    I give this one five stars for being so easy to prepare and so delicious as a toast topping. The pan juices are probably the best part!

  • stef on December 10, 2017

    Dh loves mushrooms and loved this recipe. Will be repeated

  • rionafaith on October 29, 2016

    These are delicious and very easy. I could eat pounds and pounds of them.

• Roast chicken with Dijon sauce

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Made this many times exactly as described, most often with a cut-up fryer. Often I'll roast some B-sized potatoes for about 30 minutes or so, covered with foil at first, then toss in a handful of green beans for about 15 minutes as well, shaking them halfway through. Unbelievably delicious, and a fast favorite in our house. There is a LOT of sauce when the full recipe is made; if roasting less chicken (just for us two without expecting leftovers), could use just 1/2 cup each of wine and broth (I often keep sauce quantities the same when scaling). This is a weeknight recipe that wants to be served for special occasions; a great celebration meal when that day falls mid-week. Don't forget the baguette to sop up the sauce!

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    This was really good, just not as brilliant as the website itself suggests. The sauce was surprisingly mild - maybe I should have put in even more mustard.

• Cheddar, beer and mustard pull-apart bread

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Decadent. Spectacular. Made this twice, with various types of medium-bodied home-brewed beer. In a valiant (but doomed) nod to healthfulness, both times have used Cabot lower fat cheddar, about 1 1/2 cups (pretty good, considering). I've also split the total weight of the flours 3 ways - all purpose, white whole wheat, and rye (this tastes great, and makes me feel even better!). For the filling, I increased the powdered mustard, used hot paprika, and added a splash of pickapeppa, chasing even more bite. This needs longer in the oven for me - at least 35 minutes. We eat this with our fingers, with beer, and call it Friday night dinner. Why fight it?

• Multigrain apple crisps

  • louie734 on November 04, 2020

    Really a nice classic crisp, just what I was looking for. Held back a bit on the starch, even though I combined apples with juicy plums. The entire volume worked fine in an 8x8 Pyrex, and I dropped the oil back by a tablespoon, still resulting in a nice crispy, generous amount of topping that held up well in the fridge.

  • Rutabaga on November 24, 2015

    This crisp is delicious for breakfast, topped with whole milk Greek yogurt. Despite officially being a "dessert", I'd say it's probably a more healthful breakfast than many, too. I did find the topping to be very crumbly, so might increase the butter or oil by just a tablespoon or so next time.

• Zucchini rice gratin

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Love it! Made this twice. Due to the egg it's almost a quiche or strata - really nice texture. Of course, it makes a huge mess of dishes, oh well. Some parmesan-toasted breadcrumbs would be a nice topping.

  • Jane on June 28, 2019

    This was a good use of summer zucchini and tomatoes though I hadn't thought through having the oven on at 450 for an hour while my AC had packed up. Lovely dish though - I had it as a vegetarian main. I saved a bit of work/time/washing up by using slow roasted tomatoes that I always have in the freezer.

  • Lolliejean on August 03, 2012

    I added bread crumbs mixed with parm reg to the top and drizzled olive oil over it before baking. That little bit of crunch really made the (already good) dish fabulous for me.

  • Vanessa on August 03, 2012

    Wow o wow o wow, this is so much more than the sum of its parts. Increase everything by 1/2 because you are going to want to have more of this. Worth turning on the oven for in August in Charleston.

  • Vanessa on August 08, 2012

    Maybe it was the kind of cheese I used? (I think it was at least partly Gruyère (we were out of Parm).

  • Vanessa on August 15, 2012

    OK, so I made this again, partly curious to try to remember what I might have done differently from the recipe. But I did it even more differently this time, so that experiment didn't work. However, as made, it was a huge hit (again) with the whole family. This time, I once again multiplied the quantities by 1.5. I added two potatoes (cut in half lengthwise, sliced into 1/4" slices, and roasted), layering them with the zucchini. And the cheese was partly Parm, partly smoked Gouda, and partly something else unidentified that was lurking in my cheese drawer. I think the biggest modification that I made (both times) was that I used MUCH more than the tiny bit of cheese called for. Also, I used regular tomatoes, not Romas, both times. Anyway, I still love the dish - it is a great (and flexible!) one-dish meal!

  • eliza on September 19, 2018

    This recipe is easy but I found it labour intensive. After oven-roasting vegetables, cooking grains, grating cheese, and sautéing onions and garlic, it then comes together quickly and is baked in the oven. If I made this again I would make some of the components ahead. I subbed quinoa for the rice and used a mixture of good quality cheddar and smoked mozzarella as the cheese and also increased the cheese somewhat. I found this was an ok way to eat zucchini and it had a very mild flavour that probably most people would enjoy. One advantage of this is that it could be eaten as a brunch, lunch, or dinner dish. That being said, I didn’t care for it much and won't be making this one again.

  • adrienneyoung on August 08, 2012

    Note to self: try again with gruyere. Thanks, Vanessa! :-)

  • adrienneyoung on August 04, 2012

    Sadly, I didn't get the same wow that Vanessa and Jean did. Healthy-ish, and useful on the zucchini-using front but... Bland. Sigh. Maybe zucchini just doesn't like me?

  • Ishie1013 on June 02, 2022

    Made this to impress my boyfriend's mother on Memorial Day weekend along with the 40 garlic clove chicken. It was incredibly good and got a lot of compliments. It did use quite a bit of time and seemed to require half the dishes in the kitchen. I like the suggestion of gruyere here. I'll have to try that next time. But as is, it was a really nice recipe, a crowd pleaser, lovely and seasonal, and another Deb Perelman hit.

• Crackly banana bread

  • louie734 on January 21, 2016

    Made with a chia egg (1 T chia seeds, 3 T water). This doesn't rise much, if at all, but isn't mad about it. Love the crispy crunch from the millet, and without the egg, it's vegan. A favorite.

  • mlbatt on May 24, 2022

    We really enjoyed this banana bread, it's not too sweet and unique.

  • monica107 on February 08, 2014

    Turned out very tasty, a great way to use up old bananas. I like to toast it and spread peanut butter on top.

  • spharo00 on January 25, 2013

    I made this recipe exactly as written (using the larger amount of maple syrup) and cooked the bread for the full 35 minutes suggested. I was afraid with only the white whole wheat flour that it would be too stiff and dry. It was actually incredibly moist and had a great crunch from the uncooked millet. It was even better on the second day, and then the third. The more I eat it, the more I think it may be my favorite banana bread yet.

  • Rutabaga on June 13, 2016

    Everybody loves this banana bead. My husband was devastated that I passed it around at a gathering instead of keeping it all for us - he only got to enjoy one or two slices. The crunch of the millet makes it unique, and it is quite sweet, although not cloying. It would work well as a dessert, perhaps served with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. I baked it for 40 minutes, but it was still doughy in the center, and probably needed the full 50 minute baking time. My bananas were also incredibly soft and overripe (the peels were completely black), which may have affected it. Update: I made this again, with bananas that were ripe, but not mush like the previous ones. This time, the bread cooked thoroughly within 40 minutes, so obviously the ripeness and size of the bananas makes a big difference. It was still great, but my husband preferred the doughier overripe version.

  • Lepa on October 16, 2017

    This was pretty good but we didn't like it as much as other banana breads in our rotation.

  • ricki on November 04, 2022

    Very satisfying for someone who misses the banana millet bread at Hidden City Cafe! Went with the lower sweetness option and olive oil. Made this several times, sometimes substituting maple sugar for some of the brown sugar and usually leaving out the nutmeg. Nice baked in buttered muffin tins (no muffin papers)--we liked the buttery crispness. Be careful about baking time in a loaf pan, since we like it on the moister side.

• Strawberry summer cake

  • louie734 on July 17, 2017

    This summer I halved this and baked it off in a 6" smash cake tin. It worked perfectly and was exactly enough for 4 slices with ice cream or whipped cream. Dessert for 2, then breakfast!

  • Cheri on August 15, 2011

    I have made this twice this summer. Both times were great. Quick, good for breakfast or dessert.

  • TrishaCP on August 10, 2011

    This is a perfect way to enjoy strawberries when they are in season. I've tried it using both oat and barley flours and both versions were great. UPDATE May 2015- just made a version with "toasted" oat flour instead of barley and it was sublime.

  • mfto on June 05, 2017

    I have made this twice. Deb frightened me so about the size of the pie pan that I used a 9" springform pan which works fine except not great for presentation in looks or convenience. I should have baked it the maximum time but testing the cake is not easy. I recommend taking a look at Deb's cake. It is definitely brown. Because of the juicy strawberries, that is what you want. The 2nd time I baked the cake in a 10" pie plate and that was perfect. Also this time I had barley flour but since the cake was for a family dinner, there was not a crumb left for me. I like the suggestion for using turbinado sugar sprinkled on top. My strawberries were the usual mix of huge and medium sizes. My huge ones were more flat than round so I was careful to cut them in half with the thinner side down. Worked fine. Also when cooking for Two, I found the 2nd day was fine but the 3rd day was a little too moist.

  • eliza on May 17, 2022

    I made a half recipe to take to a group function. Mine rose a lot and wasn't all that attractive; I'm not rating since I halved it and it would probably look better if made in the pan called for. Tasted nice though and very easy. Not sure if I'd make this again. Baking time for half recipe was 10 min at 350 then 35-40 minutes at 325. My friends all liked this cake.

  • redjanet on December 27, 2012

    This was very easy to put together and came out beautifully. I used a 9 inch springform tin as suggested as a possibility in the recipe, which worked perfectly. I also quartered the strawberries instead of just halving them as they were quite huge. The juice from the strawberries seeped nicely into the cake making it very moist, but not too mushy and everyone seemed to really enjoy it and were coming back for seconds. It went very well with cream poured on top, but was also moist enough on its own. I will definitely make this again and may try it with other fruit, such as blueberries or raspberries. Also, I only used plain flour as it was all I had and it tasted great.

  • imaluckyducky on June 02, 2020

    Another 5 star review. Remarkably easy and quick to put together with a light, jammy, sumptious pay off. Works well with non-dairy milk (I used original non-sweetened oat milk) in a 10 inch pie dish. Used strawberries from the grocery store and was impressed by how well they shined in this dish. Will definitely make again.

  • Barb_N on May 10, 2020

    I requested this for Mother’s Day and our daughter who is quarantined with us, obliged. It met all expectations, especially the jam-like consistency of the strawberries.

  • planetClaire on January 04, 2015

    Yum "summer" cake, just got a pile of strawberries from the market - but 40 degrees celcius outside, *probably* shouldn't have lit the oven for this but did anyway & it was delicious - didn't have whipped cream, will now have to make it *again* because it will probably be even better with cream.

  • sldoug on March 07, 2016

    This cake is great even with the crunchy, flavorless strawberries you get at the grocery store in March. I used buttermilk instead of regular milk and sprinkled the cake with turbinado sugar and it was delicious, especially when still warm, with the tart berries as the perfect foil for the rich, sweet cake. Didn't even need the cream, but I'm sure that wouldn't hurt!

  • Lepa on July 29, 2016

    We LOVE this cake and make it all the time. Great with fresh whipped cream.

  • Agaillard on June 18, 2016

    Great cake idea :) Unfortunately I messed it up as I misread the end of the recipe and did it as an upside down cake (which does not look too good). I also accidentally superficially burnt it, which was not beyond repair as it was upside down. Flavours were all good, so blaming it all on my own carelessness and will keep trying.

  • anya_sf on June 11, 2020

    I used a 9.5" deep pie plate (glass), which wasn't full, but could have used a tad more surface area for the strawberries. The cake needed 5 extra minutes to bake through in the center; the sides may have gotten a little overbaked. Nevertheless, the cake was absolutely delicious. The strawberries developed a jam-like flavor, which I find is rare in strawberry cake. We enjoyed this with whipped cream.

  • Skamper on July 05, 2020

    I used all AP flour. I forgot to sprinkle the 2 T of sugar on top, but don't think it needed it. M really liked.

  • jhallen on July 25, 2020

    Made as written. Really good, easy recipe.

• Carrot salad with harissa, feta and mint

  • louie734 on March 17, 2016

    WOAH so good! I used a heaping 1/2 t of our very spicy harissa and it wasn’t too spicy. I also think I threw in a pinch of Aleppo pepper. Skipped the mint cause it’s not in season, but used a heavy hand with the parsley. This made 2-3 servings, and was still good a day later.

  • mlbatt on May 24, 2022

    Made this for cookbook club - delicious! No leftovers...

  • FJT on June 18, 2017

    This was quite good. The overwhelming flavour was definitely the harissa; I'm not sure I could tell that caraway, cumin or mint were in there. However it disappeared quickly, so it's obviously a good way to get my lot to eat a vegetable and on that basis it will be made again!

  • raybun on June 22, 2017

    I loved this! Crunchy carrots, salty feta, heat from the harissa and the cumin & caraway seed dressing takes it to the next level. Perfect summer food, I accompanied it with pomegranate glazed pork skewers & pita.

• Best chocolate pudding

  • louie734 on October 29, 2017

    A half recipe of this fills 3 ramekins (and perfectly overfills 2 ramekins with a few generous "tastes" from the pan). Easy, quick, with a huge payoff in nostalgic, silky spoonfuls.

  • eliza on November 17, 2017

    This is a snap to make and can be very good, depending on the chocolate used and the amount of sugar. Be sure to read the notes that precede the recipe. For me, semi sweet chocolate and 1/2 cup sugar is too sweet, although the kids liked it. Grated orange zest is a nice addition. Serving size is huge; a half recipe gives 6 small servings, which is fine since it's pretty rich with all that chocolate. A definite repeat.

• Russian tea cakes

  • louie734 on January 02, 2016

    This is the 2nd year I've made this cookie for Christmas, using walnuts - my least favorite nut to eat out of hand, but sooo right in this situation. I reference the cashew butter balls recipe for the food processor instructions, which, in true Deb form, are perfected. The dough lasts well in the fridge before baking off - in this case, a couple of days. The cookies turn out light in the mouth, perfectly melty, so much better then their simplicity. No cinnamon but otherwise follow the recipe exactly. Oh, a melon baller works great to portion out the batter. My only wish? That this early smitten kitchen recipe were updated to include the food processor method.

• Snickerdoodles

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    1/2 recipe makes 8 perfect cookies. Refrigerating can be cut down to only 5-15 minutes, then drop 1-oz scoops of dough directly into the cinnamon-sugar bowl and shake as you roll into quasi-round shapes. Took exactly 10 minutes. Makes the house smell amazing… oh, and the cookies are just as you remember them.

  • louie734 on October 02, 2020

    Egg-free (1 T ground flaxseed + 3 T water per egg) : TOTAL SUCCESS. That unique crisp-light-soft texture did not suffer in the least. The flavor is true. Next time? I'm subbing out the butter for a full-on vegan snick!

• Charred corn tacos with zucchini-radish slaw

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    These tacos totally rock. I've made them indoors or out, blackening the ears in cast-iron or on the grill. (Could make less zucchini-radish slaw - we usually only use about half.)

  • clcorbi on July 25, 2017

    These are good but not great. The charred corn filling is awesome, and I'd totally make it again, even just as a side dish. I'm eating some of it over rice for lunch today, with the extra feta mixed in--yum. But we found the slaw to be pretty bland--I added easily twice the lime juice and salt to perk it up, and it still wasn't really great. There was also way too much of it--more than twice what was needed. Considering how long it takes to matchstick all those veggies, I wanted more taste reward for the effort. I love the idea of a corn taco, but next time I'd definitely skip the slaw and just add some thinly sliced radishes, lime juice, hot sauce, and maybe arugula, and call it a day.

• The best baked spinach

  • louie734 on May 02, 2014

    Made alongside a steak dinner with broiled ribeye, halved potatoes, wedge salad. Successfully adapted to use frozen spinach (the store had none fresh, not one leaf!). I used 2 (1-lb) bags, prepped in the microwave to package directions, squeezed dry, then skipped to making the roux without butter-sauteing the spinach. Once the roux was done, tossed in the prepped spinach and turned it into the (8x8 pyrex) dish. Very good, easy too - I'll use frozen next time. Used turkey stock (good, but wanted a bit of cream), Swiss, Parmesan for the top, crappy store-bought breadcrumbs (next time use homemade), and a grating of nutmeg.

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    This was delicious and hopelessly moreish (although, luckily, quite filling as well). It is a bit more work than just throwing it in the pan. I needed three batches for the wilting, and I didn't even make the whole recipe. The boiling off of the liquid took longer than the recipe said, as well. Still, all quite doable, if you start early enough. I substituted Gouda for the Swiss cheese, as I don't like Swiss cheese. I thought I was going to miss nutmeg - I always use nutmeg in my spinach - but I didn't.

• Grasshopper brownies

  • Jane on March 17, 2013

    I made these for a St Patrick's Day party and they were a great success. The brownie layer is fudgey and the two ganache toppings - green mint and dark chocolate - look pretty and taste good. As suggested by SK and on the Epicurious site, it is a good idea to reduce the amount of cream for the ganaches in order for them to set more quickly. I cut them in one inch squares so a 13 x 9 pan produces a lot of brownies (117 to be exact) so it's a good recipe for a party.

• Lemon yogurt anything cake

  • Jane on August 28, 2012

    This was a great cake. It was easy to make and the result was a really moist, full of flavor, pretty looking dessert. I used a cake tester rather than a toothpick to make holes all over the cake before brushing with the lemon syrup after baking. In my oven it took 58 minutes rather than 50 to be done. Deb has lots of suggestions in the recipe for variations.

  • kari500 on November 07, 2020

    I didn’t have a full cup of yogurt, and used sour cream to make up the difference. Used frozen cherries in place of blueberries, and almond extract instead of vanilla. 50 minutes not enough, 60 possibly too long, but this is great. Very tender, delicious.

  • bernalgirl on January 12, 2012

    Easy, adaptable, very tender crumb. Subbed 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour.

  • bernalgirl on March 13, 2019

    An easy and adaptable recipe, we make this regularly, adjusting the flavors with the seasons.

  • FJT on January 15, 2021

    I made the lemon and poppyseed variation of this cake. I was distracted when reading the instructions and accidentally included the lemon juice meant for the drizzle in the batter. The batter was a bit loose, but the cake cooked through in 60 minutes at 170 celsius. It was a happy mistake and produced an intensely lemony cake; I think I would do the same again next time. I want to make a lemon and raspberry cake using this recipe when raspberries are back in season.

  • Cookie24 on August 19, 2018

    Nice moist cake for snacking. In my oven it took 60 minutes to cook all the way through. My only problem with this recipe is the extra-large eggs. I don't normally have those on hand, truthfully, I don't EVER have extra-large eggs on hand. If you add an extra egg the cake is very eggy but still good, if you only add 3 large eggs the loaf is a little bit dense but again still good. I don't understand why a recipe can't be written with the standard egg size.

• Pear and almond tart

  • Jane on November 09, 2013

    I love making (and eating) this tart. It always gains disproportionate (to the amount of effort) oohs and aahs from guests. I had a couple of quibbles. I think 55 minutes is too long - I baked it for 45 minutes and it was perfect. Any longer and the pastry edges would have been burnt. The first one I made, I chilled the pastry for 90 minutes and it rolled out well. The second one, I chilled the pastry for 24 hours and it was very crumbly and cracked a lot. Finally, she doesn't say so, but you should blot the poached pears with kitchen towel otherwise they will be too moist and throw off too much liquid into the tart.

  • Fiona on July 20, 2013

    I've made a few pear and almond tarts, this has to be one of the best, mainly because the pastry was so good. Followed Deb's instructions exactly and even though I thought it was a disaster when I took it out of the food processor as it seemed too crumbly it all came together. Didn't have time to fan out the pear slices so beautifully, so just stuck in the half pear - still looked impressive and tasted great. Hardest part was following weighing instructions - never figured out how to measure a tablespoon of cold butter - scales are so much easier!

• Mediterranean baked feta with tomatoes

  • Jane on September 01, 2012

    Very quick and easy to do. Very pretty dish as you can see from Deb's photo and tasty too. I think I used too much red onion as it dominated a bit much but the other flavors were great. I used a mixture of mini tomatoes - red, yellow, orange, purple and it looked and tasted really good.

  • ellabee on August 07, 2014

    Excellent way to plow through abundant cherry tomatoes. New area cheese producer makes goat 'feta' that worked well. Didn't use red onion because bagger somehow left it out of my grocery sack -- $1.55 gone, but judging from experience of Jane and Deb P., just as well for this dish. No amount of cherry tomatoes is too great for this, as you need the sweet fruitiness to counteract feta's intense saltiness. Actually made twice; used up first round of tomatoes, made another batch, poured over previously baked cheese and re-baked: outstanding! Mellower than the first batch.

  • eliza on December 20, 2015

    This was really fantastic! Used a creamy Macedonian feta, and less onion (just personal preference) and missed the parsley. It went really well with my homemade crackers with sesame, flax, and poppy seeds. Will make again; very easy.

• Buttermilk ice cream

  • Jane on November 25, 2011

    Deliciously rich and creamy ice cream though with the tang of buttermilk. I made it with just 6 egg yolks rather than the suggested 12 and thought it was easily rich enough. I served it at Thanksgiving with Melissa Clark's Spiced maple pecan pie wth star anise and it was the perfect accompaniment.

• Tall fluffy buttermilk pancakes

  • Jane on November 23, 2018

    These weren't great. Perfectly OK and easy to make but seemed rather dry. My daughter still prefers Aunt Jemima's Buttermilk mix to any pancakes I make from scratch. Got to find that recipe that will change her mind.

  • wester on May 13, 2017

    The children loved these. They were tall, they were fluffy, and they were tasty. The recipe was very clear, especially at the points were it would be easy to worry if you're doing it right (Should the batter be this thick? Yes!). Will be repeated.

  • hirsheys on November 27, 2017

    We were not impressed with these. They were dense and not all that tasty.

  • BigOrangeTiger on January 09, 2022

    These were tasty and really easy - made them with yogurt (and chocolate chunks in, which to be honest weren't necessary at all)

  • Rutabaga on November 16, 2017

    I chose these pancakes because I had only one egg and not quite a half cup of buttermilk to finish up, and these fit the bill (I added additional whole milk along with the buttermilk as needed). They're quite good, and quick to make, but not one of my personal top favorites for pancakes. It's still a very tasty breakfast to make on the fly.

  • Frenchfoodie on May 30, 2019

    Worked well, came out tall and relatively fluffy (I like some heft anyway).

• Lamb meatballs with feta and lemon

  • Jane on May 18, 2019

    These had good flavor. I don't normally fry meatballs, preferring to oven roast them but this time I did and they held together well. I used a little less water. The sauce was really good too. Served with orzo pasta and a Greek salad (also from SK).

  • JJ2018 on May 04, 2019

    This was really nice though meatballs came out very soft and broke up when browning. Would add extra feta in future and less water but would make again. Served with couscous

• Ultimate banana bread

  • Jane on April 24, 2020

    I've been on a spate of new banana bread recipes recently and this is my least favorite of the three (the others are the #1 from Flour and Nigel Slater). It uses a LOT of bananas (510g) and is quite dense. One thing I did like was the crackly sugar top and I will add that to the Flour recipe. I mean it would be hard for any banana bread recipe to be bad, and this is perfectly edible, it just isn't the Ultimate for me.

  • Rutabaga on April 19, 2020

    My family would agree that this is the ultimate banana bread - they loved it and asked right away to make it again. I had five very ripe bananas, the best for banana bread, and by weight they were a little less than what Perelman lists, but fortunately that didn't seem to be a problem. We also added some chopped dark chocolate, which is my boys' favorite way to enjoy their banana bread.

• Brussels sprouts, apple and pomegranate salad

  • Laurendmck on December 31, 2016

    This was delicious! I didn't have pomegranates so I used dried cranberries. The sumac adds an interesting depth.

• Blueberry pancakes and pancake 101

  • MrsGideon on December 28, 2012

    Worked well with self-raising flour instead of the plan and baking powder/soda. I also used a mix of Greek yoghurt and milk as I didn't have buttermilk. Nice and light with crispy edges.

  • Grywhp on April 15, 2012

    The favor is very good and love how the edges get all crispy, but is so thin - cooks up more on the crepe side of pancake.

  • chawkins on October 26, 2021

    Best pancakes I have made, not counting the lemon ricotta pancakes that are ultra rich. These were light and tender, I had them with a little bit of butter, no honey or syrup needed. Just great pancakes, however I doubled the amount of blueberries.

  • Lepa on March 07, 2021

    These are the best pancakes I have ever made! I was looking for a new recipe this morning because we were out of milk and had a lot of buttermilk and blueberries that were going to go bad. I was attracted to this recipe because it uses a large quantity of buttermilk. That's exactly what makes these pancakes special. They have a wonderful flavor and texture. This recipe made more than enough for our family of four (with two young, hungry boys). Note: my pancakes were not thin like the other poster's.

  • cucinahalcon on December 30, 2018

    The best pancakes! The higher ratio of buttermilk and eggs to flour makes them better than the ATK pancake recipe.

• Cumin seed roasted cauliflower with yogurt

  • Cheri on November 15, 2011

    Yum! We loved this. Easy, very tasty. Nice fall side. Omitted feta (didn't have it) - but didn't need it. Creamy, crunchy, savory, tart, sweet all in one. Also, had to use ground cumin, as I didn't have the seeds, sprinkled over cauliflower and it worked just fine. Flavors are really a great mix.

  • wester on October 25, 2011

    Deb does it again! She has found an already brilliant recipe (by Melissa Clark) and added the perfect finishing touch to it. Those pomegranate seeds are exactly what this salad needed, not just visually, but also taste- and texturewise. I had this for breakfast today, and I will serve it for dinner too. And then I will try some moderation, but I don't know if I'm going to succeed.

  • e_ballad on September 21, 2016

    Yum. Tried this initially with the dressing mixed through (laziness more than anything), but it's actually better if served like the accompanying photo.

• Pear cranberry and gingersnap crumble

  • Cheri on November 15, 2015

    Meh, this was ok, but nothing I would rush to repeat. The ingredients sounded better in combination than they really were. I've had much better pear desserts than this.

• Squash toasts with ricotta and cider vinegar

  • robinorig on October 18, 2016

    This is delicious! I made it using my own sourdough so I didn't cook the bread. I used butternut squash. The onions were especially yummy.

  • seherhussain on April 01, 2019

    Made this twice now; delicious combo of flavours and easy to put together. I roasted the squash in the oven and then mixed it in with the onions.

• Cheddar cornbread waffle sandwich with creamed greens and poached egg

  • gastronom on February 11, 2018

    Agree, these are dry and dense. Somehow the cheddar cheese flavor was lost. Good combination, but waffle needs improvement in texture and flavor.

  • Rutabaga on September 23, 2017

    The combination of flavors here works very well. I added a little heat with some chopped leftover sauteed Padron peppers, and lightly sauteed some fresh "wild and spicy" famers market greens in a little butter, leaving out the cream. The greens were a great match with the poached egg. The waffles were sturdy and savory enough to support it all, but I found them a little dry. Not bad, just not great on their own. Perhaps fine cornflour, rather than the medium-grind cornmeal I used, would make for a lighter waffle. My kids didn't devour these the way they do traditional waffles, but my six-year-old found that they were still pretty good when topped with maple syrup.

  • inflytur on August 14, 2020

    Perfect for a "Breakfast for Dinner." Make a double batch of the spicy cornbread waffles. You will want to have leftovers.

• One-pan farro with tomatoes

  • westminstr on October 28, 2014

    This was decidedly not a hit at our house. The main culprit was the long pieces of onion which caused my son to have a meltdown. I should have chopped them finely (I was worried they would be too harsh if I did that, because they weren't sauteed first). The dish was a bit stodgy as well. I subbed barley for farro, but I don't think that was the problem.

  • mindyb on May 21, 2018

    This recipe is in our regular rotation- hearty, forgiving, and great if you have a vegan in the house. Timing should just be a guideline given all the different types of farro. We slice the onion into thin half-moons and it works fine. Sometimes we need to add additional water.

  • Emily Hope on September 05, 2013

    Given her raves about this dish, I had high hopes, but we thought it was just so-so. One-note and a bit bland (even with excellent sungolds). Improved somewhat by the addition of some leftover braised kale and an egg on top, but not one that we'll be repeating.

  • TrishaCP on August 26, 2018

    This recipe really worked for us. I used a large chop on the onions, and some small tomatoes from our garden that had been languishing for a while. (I guess the cherry tomatoes give it more texture?) I was really generous with the red pepper flakes, and we liked it that way.

  • Grywhp on September 24, 2016

    My farro needed the extra 5 minutes to cook. Used fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden and a good glug or two of white wine. Thought it turned out nice and creamy, but I treated the cooking process more like a risotto. Would make with homemade vegetable stock next time and keep the addition of white wine

  • pistachiopeas on May 03, 2015

    This is good but not a substitute for the one-pan pasta that inspired it.

  • StoicLoofah on May 04, 2018

    We loved this recipe. Agreed that the onions should have been in a large chop.

  • lholtzman on December 28, 2020

    A bit salty. Reduce to 1 tsp salt. This is a great recipe to use out of season tomatoes. Subbing parsley for basil works well.

  • kgiven on October 24, 2019

    Easy and delicious! Used pearled instead of semi-pearled because that was all I could find, and the reduced cooking time worked fine.

• Breakfast apple granola crisp

  • jumali on September 12, 2011

    I halve the recipe and bake it in an 8X8 pan--delicious!

  • Vanessa on October 22, 2012

    What a great topping - oats. almonds, coconut (I used unsweetened), bound with a honey/butter mixture. Do cover or it will burn. I used HoneyCrisp but I think some other apple might be better suited - the HoneyCrisp really keep their shape and next time I will try for an apple that is a bit "saucier"!

• Broccoli Parmesan fritters

  • jumali on June 26, 2012

    The batter mixture was very very dry before adding the broccoli, so I added a couple of tablespoons-fulls of liquid egg substitute. They were so tasty!

  • zorra on February 25, 2016

    Broccoli as dinner attracted me, but something about the flavor just didn't appeal. Maybe try again with Gruyere instead of Parmesan?

  • imaluckyducky on May 28, 2017

    Fantastic! Can be made egg-free by using a flax egg (1TB ground flax + 4 TB warm water) without ill effect. Great way to use those square blocks of frozen chopped broccoli that are go on sale for $1/pack. The kid really liked them.

  • macfadden on August 01, 2016

    I love these and make them all the time. They're delicious! The mixture seems very dry before you add the broccoli, but everything works out in the end.

• Oat and wheat sandwich bread

  • jumali on September 27, 2015

    I used rolled oats and let it rise in the refrigerator for 4 days. The flavor is excellent, but it's a very petite loaf. I couldn't get it to rise much over the rim of the pans.

  • Skamper on April 14, 2020

    The first time i made this, i cut the amounts in half and mistakenly used bread flour rather than whole wheat. I was worried the hydration level would be totally off, but the bread rose beautifully and had great flavor. the next time I used all whole wheat flour (still a half batch = 1 loaf since there are only 2 of us) and it barely rose at all and was quite dense. Trying to decide if I will try again.

  • MKBGeorgi on June 06, 2022

    So, based on Skamper's comment below, I tried making this bread with 50/50 whole wheat and bread flour. It came out light and fluffy but tasty and still healthy. More than that, now my kids who like to complain that bread has 'chunks' liked this. This is a winner.

• Cauliflower-feta fritters with smoky yogurt, pomegranate

  • jzanger on January 30, 2013

    These were fantastic as a side to shakshouka. A few suggestions I would have to make sure fritters stay together... One, go ahead and weigh the cauliflower, and make sure you really are using mostly the florets. Also, be sure to dry off the cauliflower before you mix it all together. They are best right out of the pan. Will definitely make again

  • wester on December 08, 2012

    The flavors of this work well together, but we already knew that, thanks to cumin-seed roasted cauliflower with yogurt (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/10/cumin-seed-roasted-cauliflower-with-yogurt/) of a year ago. Casting it in fritter-form is a nice idea, but as they fell apart quite badly (probably due to my lack of fritter-baking skills), it didn't quite work for me. I'll stick with the cumin-seed roasted cauliflower: it's exactly as flavorful and a lot less work.

  • elisarose on December 17, 2012

    These did not hold together very well for me, but they were quite delicious.

  • Skamper on February 05, 2020

    I had about 14 oz cauliflower and used the recipe amounts for everything else. My Bulgarian feta was quite salty so didn't add salt to the fritter batter. My cauliflower didn't really break into pea sized pieces but worked ok in the fritters. Next time I'll add oil as I go rather than 2-3 T at once.

• Triple coconut cream pie

  • jzanger on June 21, 2020

    Fantastic! Could be made over the course of a few days without a problem. Follow all of Deb’s suggestions and you’ll be successful.

  • jzanger on June 21, 2020

    Fantastic! Could be made over the course of a few days without a problem. Follow all of Deb’s suggestions and you’ll be successful.

  • babyfork on April 17, 2020

    I had a frozen parbaked pie crust from Three Babes Bakeshop leftover from Thanksgiving so I didn't make the coconut crust, but made the rest of the recipe. I used Clement Mahina Coconut Rhum Liqueur instead of the optional dark rum. I used an Isi Mini Cream Whipper to make the whipped cream and it takes a half pint of cream. I thought this produced more than enough whipped cream for the topping (the recipe says to use 2.5 cups). Made this for Easter since Dan was disappointed in the storebought coconut cream pie we had during Christmas. He had two pieces so definitely liked this one much better!

• Peppermint hot fudge sauce

  • jzanger on July 01, 2014

    What a fantastic flavor this has. I chose to leave out the peppermint extract. Most ingredients are going to be your pantry staples, maybe with the exception of the heavy cream. I substituted 3 oz. semisweet chocolate chips and 3 oz. 72% good dark chocolate (chopped) for the 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate her recipe called for. Unsurprisingly, it worked perfectly. Next time I would sift the dutched cocoa into the pot to be sure there were no clumps to fight with.

• Everyday chocolate cake

  • jzanger on May 23, 2014

    I will make this again for sure. I think that using quality Dutched cocoa is the key to its success. I subbed dark brown sugar for light, and would do it again (deeper flavor). My egg was probably closer to an xlarge or jumbo egg (forgot to weigh it) and the batter was still pretty thick. So I would use a jumbo egg again next time. I weighed my dry ingredients.

  • wester on September 14, 2013

    My children wanted to bake a cake, and this one was pretty easy, and nice and chocolatey (according to them - I don't eat flour or sugar).

  • vinochic on December 19, 2011

    Made into cupcakes, added some chocolate chips to batter. Baked about 30 minutes. Very moist, really liked them!

  • Melanie on August 05, 2013

    I thought this was a great easy recipe. I added a little bit of Nutella into the cake mixture as I had some to use up.

  • sarahkalsbeek on February 02, 2020

    This was good! Added one cup of chocolate chips. Did not use Dutch cocoa and it was still tasty, but I'll definitely use better quality Dutch cocoa next time.

• Balthazar's cream of mushroom soup

  • Breadcrumbs on March 03, 2016

    This recipe has rec’d rave reviews online so I thought I’d give it a try. The only change I made was to add ½ cup of dry sherry to deglaze the pan after the mushrooms had cooked (before adding the chicken stock). The recipe produced a delicious, rich and hearty mushroom soup. It keeps well in the fridge and also freezes well. The second time we served it I dusted each bowl with some parmesan and this further enhanced the appeal of the dish. Definitely a keeper recipe worth repeating. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/show-winter-2016-meals-1030300?commentId=9818043

  • Rutabaga on March 23, 2019

    This is a very nice cream of mushroom soup. I'd love to make it with a mix of wild mushrooms in the fall. My husband and I enjoy a somewhat chunky texture, which is easy to accomplish by briefly using an immersion blender. Unfortunately, the kids weren't big fans.

• Thai-style chicken legs

  • Fiona on October 30, 2012

    I made what I thought would be enough for leftovers for school lunches but they were so delicious 3 teenage boys soon demolished them. I didn't marinate them as long as suggested, - only about an hour. I cut into the skin and flesh so they flavour was still strong. Mine looked much crisper and a bit blacker than the picture but I cooked them on a grill. Definitely a 'do again'.

  • redjanet on December 27, 2012

    As I was only serving two when I made this I halved the ingredients and it still worked really well. I probably didn't marinate the chicken for as long as I should/could have due to lack of time, but it was still very flavourful and I would definitely make this again as a tasty weekday dinner. It went very well with basmati rice on the side.

  • mharriman on September 23, 2019

    I used six chicken legs (without thighs attached) and the same amount of marinade called for. The marinade worked well as a sauce over white rice when the legs were finished baking. I marinated the legs for 20 hours and they were very flavorful. Served with white rice and the suggested mango slaw. This is an easy dish to pop in the oven after a busy day. A definite keeper.

• Indian-spiced cauliflower soup

  • Laura on October 19, 2016

    We loved this soup! The flavors were bold and perfect. I made some changes. Instead of cauliflower florets I put in 3 cups of cauliflower rice. I also subbed chicken stock for the water. And, I added 12 ounces of Brat Hans Spicy Cilantro Chicken Sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices. I cut the potatoes very small, so with that and the cauliflower rice, I didn't feel any need to puree the soup to any degree. Didn't bother to add any rice, but did add lime juice, but no other finishing ingredients. I'll be making this again very soon!

  • TrishaCP on October 26, 2016

    We also loved this soup. We didn't serve with rice either, subbing grilled cheese sandwiches instead, which went well with the heat. We did a coarse puree because I had left the cauliflower pieces rather large. This will definitely be a repeat.

  • aargle on January 07, 2023

    This soup is absolutely delicious and it will go on regular rotation. I had a whole small cauliflower so used 4 cups of water straight up. I only partially blended it so it still had some texture otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter using rice and a dollop of yoghurt. I served it with naan. The whole family loved it.

  • FJT on October 12, 2016

    My husband said the apartment smelled like a proper Indian restaurant when he walked in this evening! Didn't puree the soup too much so that it retained some texture. It really is very nicely spiced and we loved it. Thought the rice was superfluous.

  • meggan on October 10, 2016

    We finished with lime, cilantro and a dollop of greek yogurt but no rice. I also used Romanesco instead of cauliflower which gave it a less appealing green tinge. Pretty good but next time I won't puree it so much.

  • clcorbi on October 25, 2018

    Excellent. I followed the recipe as written, except I used canned tomatoes and added 1/4c or so of quinoa towards the end of cooking, in place of rice. I love the big, bold flavor of this soup. No yogurt garnish this time, but I can see how it would be delicious here.

  • hourlongshower on October 18, 2016

    Husband made this. Do not think we'll make it again. Either he didn't boil/simmer the soup long enough or he cut the florets too big. There are few things as unappealing as under-cooked cauliflower. He didn't mash or puree either so the broth was runny, this was a miss for us.

• Cannellini aglio e olio

  • Laura on April 11, 2019

    Made this intending it to be a snack, but it turned into lunch for me and my husband, served over toasted sourdough slices. It was so delicious that there are no leftovers. As the previous reviewer said, it's fast and simple to put together. It would be a great make-ahead lunch to take to work. I can see making this frequently and changing it up with some different ingredients and ways of serving. Next time I think I'd serve it over salad greens.

  • kari500 on January 12, 2022

    Not much to add to the glowing reviews here. I loved it. Definitely want it over toast. Made again a couple months later and had it over pasta. Doubled the artichoke hearts, and probably a bit more olive oil. Fantastic, easy, satisfying cupboard meal.

  • hirsheys on May 26, 2019

    I found this super easy and quite tasty, overall, though next time I might add some acid or a little lemon zest to brighten the flavors. Also, though I usually find parsley superfluous, I found that it added a lot here and would definitely not leave it out. (I might even add more next time.) All that said, the dish was quite filling and yummy with all that garlic olive oil flavor. Very solid dish. Toasts pretty essential, and I like the idea of mashing the beans a bit so they stick. ETA: I think I prefer this cold - the flavors are brighter. Still delicious on toast.

  • Wlow on July 03, 2019

    Very good with cheese and crackers but would be even better over toasted crusty bread. Used Aleppo Pepper.

  • Rutabaga on April 25, 2019

    Super simple, but the addition of artichoke hearts is a nice, bright contrast to the earthy beans. I added a few heaping spoonfuls of nettle pesto that I had made the day before.

  • edekerka on May 11, 2019

    Delicious but I suggest mashing the beans just a little so they stay on the bread and don't roll around the plate.

  • clcorbi on April 09, 2019

    Excellent, and takes all of five minutes to prepare. I added a generous amount of red pepper flakes. Perfect spooned over toast--I plan to toss the leftovers with arugula and eat with crackers for lunches.

  • sharone7 on April 18, 2021

    This is quick and delicious. I can't wait to make it again.

• Lentil soup with sausage, chard and garlic

  • Laura on September 28, 2021

    I printed out this recipe last January, and certainly it’s best made in winter. I made it yesterday and we found it to be perfectly adequate but nothing special. I wouldn’t make it again.

  • bernalgirl on March 14, 2019

    Bland

  • thekitchenchronicles on January 26, 2013

    Solid recipe with good flavors- a lot of the punch comes from the garlic oil and pecorino added before serving. Used green lentils which cooked a bit more quickly than brown. Would make this again.

  • Agaillard on November 28, 2022

    I have cooked this for my parents in order to use up a rest of carrots briefly ressuscitated with cold water. I changed the recipe slightly to fit what we had : a larger proportion of carrots, Montbeliard sausage for Italian, and leek for celery. I added stock as I found the whole thing a bit bland, and seasonings. My parents really liked it and it yielded enough for about 5 servings. This is really like a minestrone but with lentils and sausage. Would probably be even nicer with small croutons and a dash of wine.

  • sharone7 on December 01, 2022

    I only had red and split black lentils, so I added the tomatoes and broth and let everything simmer for 20 minutes and then added my lentils for 20 more minutes. Simple and delicious, especially with crusty bread alongside it.

• Slow-roasted tomatoes

  • Laura on March 06, 2015

    I first made these last summer when I had wonderful, fresh tomatoes at the peak of their season. I couldn't believe how fantastic they were. Lately, I've been craving tomatoes, and normally I wouldn't dream of buying tomatoes in March at the grocery store, but then I remembered this and thought it might be just the thing for out-of-season supermarket tomatoes. So, I brought home a carton of Camparis and they're in the oven now. Fingers crossed!

  • FJT on July 16, 2020

    Why haven’t I made these before?! Maximum taste for almost no effort. These were great.

• Tomato and sausage risotto

  • Laura on February 11, 2016

    I don't know what went wrong, but I didn't like this as much as the previous reviewers. It was just lacking in flavor. It could have been the sausage and rice that I used. I bought spicy Italian pork sausages, but their flavor didn't really come through. I also used Carnaroli Rice and found I didn't like the taste as well as that of Arborio. I might try it again with a different type of sausage and the Arborio because my husband really liked it and I did like how simple it was to put together.

  • lesliepolk on January 27, 2015

    In the Blizzard of '15, wanted to make this but didn't have arborio rice. I used red quinoa instead and made it exactly the same.. it was fabulous! Will make again with the quinoa! I also used Lightline italian sausage as we are vegetarian and it came out great.

  • Lepa on February 01, 2023

    This was a good and easy one pot meal. We all enjoyed it. I like the other poster's idea of adding some garlic and I might do that next time I make this.

  • Agaillard on September 20, 2019

    This was great, but not as fabulous as other reviewers said... I used white wine, and otherwise the exact quantities from the recipe. It lacked a bit of kick/was a bit bland I found, even if it was still a great comfort dish! I used pork and leek sausage. I finally added stock and quite a bit of pepper, upped the parmesan, and this was a bit nicer :)

  • Skamper on May 28, 2018

    This was delicious! I used red wine instead of white as I had some left from last night. Used Lightlife meatless Italian sausage (Meatless Monday) and a 12 oz bag of Trader Joe's baby spinach. Added one minced clove of garlic for the last minute of sauteeing the onions.

• Mango slaw with cashews and mint

  • Laura on January 17, 2016

    This made a very attractive, light and refreshing dish. But it left me unsatisfied. I didn't feel the dressing did much for the flavor, maybe a bit of sugar would have helped. Also, while I like mint very much, I think it was misplaced in this slaw -- if I were to make it again, I'd replace the mint with Thai basil. But, I won't be making it again, because I didn't like it that much.

  • peaceoutdesign on July 11, 2019

    Good but would probably shred and maybe taste better with a greener mango. I didn't add the mint and used pineapple balsamic instead of the rice wine vinegar which added a little sweetness.

  • mharriman on September 23, 2019

    My husband and I thought this was very refreshing, especially alongside the Thai chicken legs (referenced and linked in online recipe). I julienned what was supposed to be shredded: the mango and Napa cabbage. My husband thought the 1/4 cup of mint was a bit too much. I’m a mint lover and, as an added component, tasted great to me. This recipe makes a LOT of slaw. I would halve the recipe next time.

• Curried lentils and sweet potatoes

  • Laura on January 18, 2014

    I followed the original NYT recipe from which Deb 'adapted' this one. The only difference between the two is that the NYT's called for grated fresh ginger and I thought that added a lot. The recipe doesn't specify what kind of lentils and since I had green lentils on hand, I used them. I didn't have any garam masala and was too lazy to make some, so I left that out and simply upped the curry powder by about 1/3. We really enjoyed the dish a lot and it was substantial enough to serve as an entrée with a green salad on the side. I reheated it in the oven the next night and I have to say I did not enjoy the leftovers nearly as much as I liked it the first night. That may have been my fault; I think I heated it a little too long and it dried out. I would definitely make this again, but maybe only half the amount.

• Cream biscuits

  • Lolliejean on August 01, 2012

    I used gluten free all purpose flour and added a little psyllium husk to the dry ingredients. They turned out well!

  • hirsheys on January 07, 2018

    These are really delicious - easy and very tender. So tender, actually, that they were a little tough to spread stuff on, but tasty enough to ignore that. Also, these felt more scone-like than biscuit-y. (I made drop biscuits, rather than cut outs. Just flattened the tops a bit. This could be why they were so tender - no gluten formed.)

  • sgpinson on December 05, 2022

    Delicious, very tender - to the point (as someone else noted) that they kind of fall apart!

• Slow-roasted sweet potatoes

  • wester on February 14, 2018

    The family loved this. It is quite simple to make, as well - it does need almost three hours in the oven but hardly any hands-on time. I served it with chili and a yogurt-cumin sauce.

• Quick pasta and chickpeas (Pasta e ceci)

  • wester on October 21, 2018

    Very very easy and quick to make and still very tasty. My daughter loved it, my son not so much but he still ate it. This is more like chickpeas with pasta than the other way round as written - I might increase the amount of pasta next time, even double it. I liked the flavored oil but the children did not care for it.

  • hirsheys on November 02, 2019

    Very easy and tasty. Agree with Frenchfoodie, though - wonder if it would just be easier to add the rosemary and hot flakes from the beginning. Worth trying again for sure.

  • mrsmadam on October 13, 2017

    This is so good. I made it as written, with the cannellini and Deb’s finishing oil and it is just perfect. Some red pepper flakes in both the pasta and the oil added some nice heat.

  • Zosia on October 10, 2017

    Super quick and tasty and family loved it. I had a little chicken stock to use up so added it in place of the water.

  • bching on December 20, 2018

    We really liked this. One component I really appreciate is being able to use the bean cooking liquid. The flavored oil is an excellent addition. So easy, too.

  • Rutabaga on January 01, 2018

    This was probably the best version of pasta e ceci I've made. The tomato paste (I used Bomba) and flavored oil set it apart. It was a great, speedy meal to throw together when I didn't have many fresh foods on hand.

  • Hannaha100 on February 21, 2021

    This went down relatively well with my fusspots although littlest wouldn't eat the chickpeas. Next time I might try with cannellini beans instead. Added a rosemary sprig at start instead of infused oil and veg stock for water. Upped the pasta to about a cup as suggested and the stock needed increasing by about 250ml to compensate. Hearty and satisfying. Very easy.

  • Lepa on April 26, 2018

    Wow, this is so easy and delicious! I made it because I didn't have any groceries in the house and had low expectations but it was so, so good.

  • clcorbi on December 28, 2018

    I really enjoyed this. I skipped the final infused oil step and thought it was very flavorful even without--next time I might grate over a little cheese, too. I think I'd prefer a little higher pasta to chickpeas ratio next time as well.

  • Frenchfoodie on July 27, 2019

    Nice, quick and relatively tasty. I’d just put a rosemary sprig and a dash of mild chilli in from the start though - the finishing oil didn’t add much.

  • StoicLoofah on March 29, 2020

    Tasty. As others have suggested, you can increase the amount of pasta. I also cut back on the salt and then seasoned to taste in the bowl to control for salt with canned beans.

  • Kduncan on December 04, 2018

    Added 1 cup of pasta instead of 1/2 a cup of pasta. I actually found it not as flavorful as everyone else has. It is very easy, just didn't wow me.

• Burrata with lentils and basil vinaigrette

  • wester on October 28, 2017

    All three adults liked this, all four children did not. I changed the vegetables back to carrot and fennel.

  • hirsheys on June 23, 2018

    I found this delicious. I love burrata (I used the TJs kind and it was perfectly fine for this) and the lentils + zucchini taste wonderfully delicate with the thyme. My only issue was in making the vinaigrette - I made a half recipe and my mini food processor struggled with the small amount. I transferred it to a small jar and used a stick blender, and that worked slightly better.

  • yaxattax on January 19, 2023

    Fantastic! We use ricotta instead of burrata

  • anya_sf on July 06, 2020

    Very good. I accidentally spilled some of the cooked lentils, so I had to make extra and may have ended up with more than called for. I forgot to add the thyme, but the dish was quite flavorful anyway. I added the full amount of dressing to the lentils and didn't think they were overdressed. Two 8-oz balls of burrata may have been slight overkill, but we never complain about extra cheese. This made a satisfying vegetarian dinner with bread.

• Cucumber yogurt raita salad

  • wester on June 14, 2016

    A lovely summery salad. I can see this one become a regular. She does say to play around with the salad, but it's probably best to make it as written first, so you can appreciate how well-balanced the flavors are. First time I made it I added both cumin and mustard seeds, and that was a bit much as there is plenty going on here. I do think that next time I will change the ratio of mint to cilantro as the mint tends to overpower the cilantro, so either much more cilantro than mint, or possibly just one of them.

  • TrishaCP on July 04, 2016

    I love cucumber and yogurt salads, and I think with tweaking, this could be a great one. I used only nigella, but would add mustard seeds next time for more flavor. (I agree the flavor of the dressing was a bit muted.) I also agree that the mint needs to be reduced. I thought it really overpowered everything else, and, since my cherry tomatoes were so sweet to begin with, made it a bit cloying, which wasn't pleasant in a salad.

  • blintz on June 15, 2016

    Wonderful raita salad! I made too much but it lasted for days in the fridge. Served it with Mum's Chicken from Made in India.

  • adrienneyoung on January 04, 2017

    A definite keeper: served with butter chicken, basmati and a bit of chutney on the side, it was a fab dinner. Note to self - no mint, so subbed in parsley.

  • Rutabaga on June 15, 2016

    This is a beautiful version of cucumber and tomato salad. On its own, the raita was full of flavor, but I feel that some of that was lost when I mixed it with the veggies, so I would amp up the ginger and garlic next time, and maybe try nigella seeds in addition to the black mustard.

  • e_ballad on September 02, 2016

    A great side for our crumbed whiting, though I think it needed either less veg (to be more of a condiment) or more veg (to be more of a salad). I'm definitely leaning more towards the latter.

• Egg salad with pickled celery and coarse Dijon

  • wester on February 09, 2013

    The egg salad is good, the pickled celery is great. I did not add sugar.

• Baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms

  • wester on April 23, 2014

    Good & easy (and vegetarian), but not that special. It's pretty difficult to check the doneness of the eggs, as a firm skin forms quickly and you can't really tell what's underneath.

• The crispy egg

  • wester on October 12, 2014

    More a technique than a recipe, but an excellent technique. Why didn't I think of this before? Because I'm too chicken to heat an empty pan on high heat. Will (probably) become my go-to method for frying eggs.

• Obsessively good avocado cucumber salad

  • wester on November 13, 2018

    Not spectacular, but very simple and very good, even with lemon juice instead of lime. The children want to eat this again tomorrow. Also perfect on a low-carb diet. ETA: hubby did not like it at all, says the avocado is hardly noticeable.

  • TrishaCP on July 14, 2020

    We really liked this salad. I used the called for lime juice and hot sauce.

  • eliza on May 15, 2015

    Excellent salad and so easy. Recipe notes give several adaptations too.

  • bernalgirl on February 06, 2022

    A delicious and easy salad. The combination of textures really works here

  • Barb_N on July 14, 2020

    I had a perfect avocado and cucumbers that needed using, so gave this a go. A nice change from my usual Asian inspired cucumber salads but not life changing.

  • clcorbi on May 15, 2017

    We enjoyed this--I don't know that I'd call it obsessively good, but definitely easy, tasty and fresh. To be fair, I was out of limes, so I did substitute lemon juice. And I imagine it would be slightly nicer with the lime juice. I would definitely make this again as a nice veggie side in the summer. I will note that leftovers don't keep very well--better to make a half-recipe and eat it all at dinner.

• Roasted peppers with capers and mozzarella

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    A simple salad of roasted peppers, and a few slices of mozzarella on top. A lovely summer lunch or light supper. I like it that the mozzarella is not melted here, I prefer it that way.

• Mustard-roasted potatoes

  • wester on October 03, 2015

    The dressing/marinade is not just great on potatoes, but can be used on roast fish as well. or as a salad dressing. Loads of possibilities.

  • seherhussain on October 30, 2011

    excellent!

  • mharriman on May 09, 2022

    We loved this version of mustard potatoes. I cut the recipe ingredients to a third since it was just two of us with enough for leftovers. With several ingredients in the mustard mixture, the mixture adhered better and was more flavorful than my try at the Barefoot Contessa version. I roasted my potatoes for 30 minutes and they were ready to eat at that point. I agree with Wester (note) that the mustard mixture would work well as a marinade or dressing on fish or vegetables. Will repeat. Went well with coffee-rubbed strip steak and green beans.

• Mixed citrus salad with feta and mint

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    Quite simple, very good. Complex flavor, visually stunning. I made it with blood oranges and tangerines. I think it would be even better with some grapefruit as well. Lemon juice worked well, but I think red wine vinegar would enhance the savoriness even more. I'm not sure it really needs the mustard. I forgot the feta, so I used black olives instead. This also works very well, both flavor-wise and visually.

• Roasted eggplant soup

  • wester on July 22, 2016

    I used creme fraiche instead of heavy cream and still felt the soup lacked acidity. Next time add some wine or vinegar.

• Pasta with cauliflower, walnuts and feta

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    An Alice Waters recipe. This is a very unusual combination of ingredients, but it works perfectly. The cauliflower is sauteed over a high heat which makes it very crunchy and lovely. Do make it exactly as prescribed, at least the first time, because the details really matter here.

  • monica107 on December 30, 2012

    This is one of my favorite recipes. I skip the vinegar in favor of more lemon juice and don't worry too much about the quantities.

  • allisonsemele on November 24, 2022

    Added some capers as another user suggested, and overdid it a bit on the lemon. Made a half recipe with a purple cauliflower and regular pasta. I really enjoyed the leftovers cold.

• Endive and celery salad with fennel vinaigrette

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    Crunchy, slightly bitter and aromatic. This definitely takes green salad a step further. Very flexible as well. The minimum you need is both bitter greens and less bitter ones (say, lettuce and endives), or alternatively, celery. When you've got that, combine away!

  • viewfromnowhen on July 01, 2022

    The dressing is tasty and well balanced. I've added a poached egg and some shredded cheese and it worked wondefully well.

• Brownie roll-out cookies

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    Very lovely, very chocolatey, cookies. Quite soft in the middle. A very good recipe to let the children help with. I mixed with two forks, and the last cup or so of flour I mixed in with my hands. It does make me wish I had a dough whisk. It does make a lot. Next time I will halve the recipe, at the moment I've got a roll of dough in the freezer and I will see if they work as well as slice-and-bake. I might try decorating them with walnuts next time.

• Green bean salad with fried almonds

  • wester on August 22, 2012

    This was slightly disappointing. I can see these flavors could be brilliant together, but somehow it didn't work. It does still feel like it could be brilliant with small tweaks, and the quick-pickled onions are definitely worth repeating anyway. Possibly my beans were too crunchy. I do feel that if they had been softer, the other ingredients would have showed themselves more. I used normal green beans and cooked them for 8 minutes (twice as long as Deb says to), then cooled without the ice bath, but next time I will definitely cook them even longer.

  • sheepishjen on June 24, 2017

    I follow this recipe pretty closely - just don't worry about times for cooking my beans and cook them until they have the right texture depending on their size and how old they are. I think the almonds, fennel, celery and pickled red onions all add important flavor and texture. This is a go-to summer salad for me.

  • ahsafford on October 12, 2011

    This is my all-time favorite green bean salad recipe. I have never included the fennel or celery, and I add dried cranberries for a little sweetness. The pickled onions are fantastic!

  • ccanderson210 on September 15, 2022

    Lovely salad. We used walnuts as they were on hand. Cut back a little on the pickling liquid to the final, but added a splash of vinegar. Very nice accompaniment to spaghetti with meatballs.

• Smashed chickpea salad

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    Delicious, easy to make, and vegan.

  • Rutabaga on March 08, 2016

    This is a delicious blend of flavors. Good olive oil really brings this salad together, making it feel a little decadent, not just like a healthy hippie dish. I like to take a little time to rub off some of the chickpea skins, as that helps them soak in the flavors. For maximum flavor, it also works well to make the salad at least a couple of hours in advance. Roasted red peppers would be a good addition, or spread some harissa on the bread to give the sandwich a nice kick.

• Quick zucchini sauté

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    Really quick and really tasty. I did not bother with the cheese as I have a cheese-hater in the house, but it was lovely all the same. Make sure you make enough of this! As I could not resist tinkering with this either, I tried it with some lemon zest, which was not really an improvement, although it was still very good. I also tried sautéing in butter instead of olive oil, and I found that different but equally good.

  • Grywhp on August 03, 2019

    Pleasantly surprised - I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for over a year and am now wondering why I waited so long to make it. Deceptively simple, the flavor added from toasted almonds makes it easy to forgive the watery nature of the zucchini. Great summer side and so quick to make (I used a mandolin to julienne the zucchini).

  • chawkins on July 24, 2020

    Simple, quick and tasty. I used Parmesan but it is great without cheese as well. The key is not to overcook the zucchini.

• Spinach and chickpeas

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    This is one of those dishes that is sure to become a staple. To start with, it tastes totally lovely. The slightly bitter silkenness of the spinach with the nutty firmness of the chickpeas, deepened by the richness of fried bread and the acidity of a touch of vinegar, finished with cumin and smoked paprika. Hearty, comforting, spicy, all of them. Hopelessly moreish. Some notes on details: The fried bread should probably be either in or under this, not both. Unless you want it gluten-free, then I'm sure it will be fine without as well. When I set out to cook this, I found I was all out of tomato sauce. I used an equivalent amount of mild Turkish red pepper paste instead. Great. Now I've tried both I can say I actually prefer to substitute the pepper paste. It will probably work with frozen spinach as well, as long as it is whole-leaf or only roughly chopped. The feel of leaf should still be there, not the totally fine mush that cheap frozen spinach can be.

  • imaluckyducky on February 03, 2014

    4 stars. This is incredibly delicious, and if you already have cooked or canned chickpeas on hand, this comes together very quickly. The bread adds some heft to the dish and makes it very filling, although I've made this without the bread (didn't feel like getting the food processor out) and it was still very filling and flavorful. The smoked paprika and the acid is key. Works well with drained frozen spinach. Spinach doesn't have to be completely drained, since this dish benefits from a little liquid to make it smoother. Will make again.

  • Rutabaga on March 13, 2016

    This is a very handy one pot dish made mostly with pantry ingredients, and it's also very adaptable. I pureed a 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce, and also added some panko crumbs in with the scant amount of stale bread I had on hand. It's healthful, tasty, and both my four-year-old and husband ate it with no urging - what more could I ask for? Next time, I'd like to add Aleppo pepper, as wester suggests.

• Ribboned asparagus salad with lemon

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    I quite liked this, but I thought the asparagus flavor wasn't that distinctive. Maybe I put too much lemon in? It didn't look as lovely as on the website either, it was quite flat. I also found it difficult to keep on slicing once the asparagus had become quite thin. I did like the flavor combination with almonds, but I don't think this one will make me stop cooking my asparagus.

• Jacked-up banana bread

  • wester on September 29, 2013

    Easy to make, it smelled wonderful, and the children told me it tasted great too. My cake needed almost exactly one hour baking time. The interval between the inside still being quite liquid and the cake being done was quite short, so be careful not to overbake.

  • eliza on August 13, 2015

    A good and easy banana bread. I liked that it only takes one bowl and that it's not too sweet. I used the 3/4 cup of brown sugar option and found it just right. Some commenters increased the spices and I think I would do that next time since I didn't really taste them. Nutmeg is a nice addition. Took 45 minutes in my convection oven. Mini loaves take 32 minutes .

  • eliza on May 08, 2016

    Made this again and doubled the cloves and cinnamon, next time I might add some cardamom too. Used olive oil instead of butter and added walnuts. Very good.

  • mharriman on November 05, 2018

    My loaf was wet/moist in the middle at 45 minutes, so I added five minutes and that turned the crust a bit too hard and brown for my taste, but the inside was lovely. I’ll take the loaf out at 45 minutes next time.

• Tomato sauce with onion and butter

  • wester on June 15, 2012

    Why did I wait so long to make this recipe? Over two years since I first saw it here. Maybe it looks too simple. All the raving in the blogosphere may raise the expectations a bit too high. You shouldn't expect miracles here. It is as velvety as advertised though, and the flavors are very well balanced. It is a bit plain, but that doesn't matter. I will definitely make this again, and I don't feel the need to add anything to it.

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    I know many people love this recipe, but I don't understand what the fuss is about. It's a solid tomato sauce, but I don't understand the raves.

• Big crumb coffee cake

  • wester on August 11, 2011

    I quite liked this but it was a lot of work. I think next time I'll make my rhubarb into a normal crumble again. Both cake batter and crumble turned out a bit to dry to handle well. I could not spread the batter well and the crumble did not form boulders. If I make this again I will add the last quarter cup of flour of both very gradually, if at all. If you do not have paddle attachments, you might not want to use a mixer for that part of the recipe. Maybe dough hooks would work, but I don't have those either.

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    The crumb step has to be followed very carefully to form the boulders. I prefer a slightly higher cake to crumb ratio and have made it with doubled cake and halved crumb.

  • mskonieczny on August 26, 2015

    Delicious! Adjustments made by me: 70% of sugar in the cake, made only 1/2 of the crumb, used 0.7 lbs of rhubarb (instead of 0.5 lbs). Reduced the amount of sugar in the filling as well. Bake for 45 min +/- 5 min.

• Roast chicken with schmaltzy cabbage

  • wester on May 05, 2020

    Very simple, very good. I think my cabbage would have been even better if I had let it stay in the oven for a bit longer to get some really brown bits - don't be afraid of burning the cabbage here. I do think that next time I will cut up the chicken before adding it to the cabbage.

  • Emily Hope on April 20, 2020

    This recipe is genius, and produced what may be the most delicious cabbage I've ever had. All you do is put a little butter, salt and pepper on the bird, and roast it in a cast-iron skillet on top of some "planks" of cabbage. By the end, the cabbage is caramelized and schmaltzy. The chicken is fine -- your basic roast chicken -- but the cabbage is the star here. Also--I forgot about basting the chicken with additional butter, so only used 1 tablespoon, and was still good. Will definitely make again, perhaps change up the chicken by dry-brining for a couple of days or using the fennel rub from Small Victories. Served with an arugula/roasted pear salad and toasted bread (which seemed unnecessary).

  • hirsheys on December 13, 2020

    Made this last night to go with my latke feast. The chicken came out nice and moist, and the cabbage was quite tasty, though it was definitely wetter than I wanted it to be, so it didn't get super browned. I think it's super dependent on how wet your chicken is - I tried to find an air-dried, non-brined one, but it still let off a lot of liquid, so the cabbage kind of steamed, rather than roasted. On the other hand, if it hadn't had that liquid, I'm not sure it would have gotten so nicely silky and tasty. Regardless, we concluded that this was an excellent candidate for cooking alongside the latkes. It provided protein and veggies for those who wanted it, but also wasn't much fuss and didn't compete flavor-wise. I started the chicken upside down and flipped it halfway through, which is my usual way. Next time, I'd also cook the cabbage even longer than I did this time to cook it very brown (as noted below).

  • anya_sf on October 24, 2020

    My shopper somehow found the smallest cabbage ever, which mostly covered the bottom of the skillet, but of course cabbage cooks down a lot, so the edges got quite charred. The chicken was fairly large and needed 75 minutes to roast. Amazingly, the burnt-looking cabbage bits actually tasted pretty good, although the cabbage was quite salty from the chicken drippings (I used 1 Tbsp Kosher salt as advised). The underside of the chicken was super pale, so I flipped the chicken over an extra 10 minutes. I also neglected to baste the chicken while roasting, which didn't seem to matter. The combination of chicken and cabbage was quite delicious and the recipe so easy that I would definitely make this again with a bigger cabbage, flipping the chicken partway to brown the bottom.

• Apricot pistachio squares

  • mindyb on August 05, 2019

    These were excellent and easy. Used a hybrid plum/apricot that they were selling at Trader Joe's (sweet and excellent) and vanilla instead of almond extract. Otherwise made as written. Would be easy to riff off this and use other nuts and other fruits.

  • kari500 on July 25, 2020

    Made with peaches (about 2 and a half) since I have a ton of them, and almonds since I don’t have pistachios. Used vanilla and bourbon, and added some cardamom. Didn’t glaze. Absolutely delicious.

  • joanhuguet on August 05, 2019

    Made to use up a pound of apricots leftover from jam making. Very buttery and not too sweet. Could use other nuts or soft fruits.

  • Lepa on June 06, 2018

    I have been anxiously awaiting apricot season since I bought this book because I wanted to try this recipe. I was not disappointed. This bar is not to sweet and the buttery crust is perfect. My younger son didn't like the tartness of the apricots. Next time I will add the apricot jam glaze or sprinkle some sugar on top to make it slightly sweeter (even if I think it is perfect as written). I also might add some cardamom or try toasting the pistachios before grinding them to boost the flavor.

• Pumpkin bread

  • mindyb on February 11, 2020

    Made exactly as written. Very good, very easy one bowl recipe with pantry staple ingredients. In my oven it needed the full 75 minutes.

  • chriscooks on December 23, 2018

    I made a hybrid of this and the pumpkin bread in the 2006 Joy of Cooking; Deb's recipe uses the whole can of pumpkin, which is useful. Joy has considerably more spice and I upped it further, adding 1 T or so of minced fresh ginger. Could have done with less cloves. Added 1/2 c or so of fresh cranberries and about 1/3 c of diced candied ginger (I diced it myself to about 1/4", didn't buy the pre-diced which seems to be mostly sugar). Dropped some pecans on top but pepitas would be better; didn't use the cinnamon sugar. Also upped the oil as noted in a comment at the blog site; used 1 1/3 c sugar. Baked it in one 5-c loaf pan and 2 smaller pans (2.5 cup). I didn't have any overflows. They take a long time to bake but came out well. It's lighter than a commercial pumpkin bread and not cloyingly sweet.

  • eliza on October 19, 2017

    This was a really good loaf in a similar style to the banana bread on the site. I made the following changes: I used one banana for some of the pumpkin and used my own cooked squash, I upped the spice slightly and made half the recipe with one egg. I baked 2 mini loaves for 40 minutes at 350 convection. The loaves rose dramatically, tasted great and I will definitely make again. Could probably double the spices with no ill effect.

  • Smokeydoke on November 07, 2017

    Good basic pumpkin bread, keeps well in the fridge and is moist. I agree the spices can be upped, it seemed like a lot of spices in the beginning, but after baking, the spices mellowed out. It's a bread, not a cake, it's not sweet. A simple powdered sugar glaze could make it dessert worthy. Photo included.

  • anya_sf on October 22, 2020

    I used white whole wheat flour (not noticeable in the bread) and reduced the sugar slightly to 300 g. Concerned about overflow, I used a 10"x5" loaf pan and the loaf was plenty high; baking time was 60 minutes. The bread was plenty sweet and moist with great flavor. I liked that it had less oil than my other favorite pumpkin bread recipes. Delicious!

  • ivyhopegirl on December 31, 2022

    Absolutely wonderful. It could use some texture in the bread (nuts, seeds), but my dear husband hates that, so. As mentioned in other comments, I increased the spices. A rave review from my husband's uncle: "Usually I hate pumpkin, but can I have some of this to take home?"

• Spicy squash salad with lentils and goat cheese

  • vinochic on March 13, 2013

    Easy to make, filling and tasty. I used puy lentils, and a sheep feta instead of the goat cheese. I did serve it with arugula as well. Make sure the lentils and squash are completely cooled, otherwise it will all get mushy when you mix it together.

  • kari500 on January 26, 2020

    I also made this with feta. I used TJs pre-made lentils instead of cooking my own, and bought roasted and salted pumpkin seeds. Left out the arugula. We aren't thrilled with the mint; maybe dill might work better for us? Or a little sliced chive or scallion? Also, if I make this again I will use lemon juice instead of red wine vinegar. I expected to love this, and only like it.

  • ellabee on March 05, 2014

    Used green lentils; next time I will ignore Perelman's instructions to cook them in vigorously boiling water, which agitated them too much & turned some to mush before most were done. Lentils cool quickly spread on a baking sheet. Liked this a lot and will make often -- delicious and nutrient-dense, especially if you include the arugula, which is IMO essential for taste and texture. Optional ribbons of mint and topping of toasted pepitas (hull-less pumpkin seeds) added a lot.

  • shoffmann on November 06, 2017

    We enjoyed this. The squash would have been far too mushy if I cooked for the full time. I think I pulled it out at around 20-25 minutes instead of the 30-35 minutes called for. I also used feta instead of goat cheese. I will very likely make this again.

  • purrviciouz on April 16, 2020

    I like this easy weeknight salad. I also didn't add arugula and didn't think it needed it. I added extra vinegar and pumpkin seeds for some crunch. I loved how the first half of the goat cheese sort of creamed to coat everything when mixed with the vinegar.

• Chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake

  • vinochic on January 02, 2013

    really good, not overly sweet. perfect with a cup of tea or coffee!

  • stef on February 19, 2023

    Nice moist coffee cake. I cut sugar by 20%.

• Majestic and moist honey cake

  • vinochic on September 28, 2014

    Very good-moist and flavourful.

  • ecasey830 on September 06, 2021

    An easy one-bowl cake that comes together easily and tastes delicious!

  • bernalgirl on September 26, 2022

    Finally a honey cake I enjoy! And so easy! I made a few substitutions: 1/2 cup buckwheat flour for all-purpose flour, 2 t French four-spice for 2 t cinnamon, strong chai as the tea/coffee option, snd reduced the wire sugar by 1/2 cup. Also, I found it easier to combine the wet ingredients and sugars in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring pitcher before adding to the dry ingredients, which didn’t complicate the recipe significantly. I loved this for Rosh Hashanah and actually look forward to enjoying a piece with a cup of coffee.

  • Jodeedoo on June 06, 2019

    Really moist and a delicious flavour.

• Cauliflower and Parmesan cake

  • vinochic on September 30, 2012

    Good, but we thought it lacked a little flavour. Used 1 cup each good Parmesan and pecorino. Also roasted the cauliflower. Will try again with different cheese. Feta? Only needed 35 minutes cooking time.

  • bernalgirl on May 01, 2012

    Delicious! A great weekday breakfast on the go or a nice light supper with a salad. Came out a bit dayglo with purple cauliflower but still delicious. A really nice balance of flavors. Watch the cooking time, check in increments after 25 minutes. Mine was done in 35 minutes, too far gone in 40 minutes. Still tasty, though.

  • Skamper on April 28, 2018

    I liked this for meatless Monday with a salad, and it was a nice light lunch through the week. I used about 1.75 cups of parmesan (all I had) and some extra rosemary. I love the concept and will experiment with different vegetables and herbs.

• Sour cream cornbread with aleppo

  • veggie va on January 25, 2012

    Needs to bake way longer then stated in recipe. But delicious once done. Very moist. This time I baked in a 9x9 pan. Cooked in about 35 minutes.

  • chawkins on September 16, 2019

    Nice bread, moist, tender with good flavor, but it did not taste like cornbread. It also did not rise much.

  • CynthiasCooking on January 03, 2022

    Couldn't taste the pepper but a nice moist cornbread. I will add more pepper and a touch more salt next time.

  • Rutabaga on May 26, 2018

    This is a lovely cornbread, super moist and lightly tangy. My extra picky two-year-old even liked it (although the less picky seven-year-old wouldn't touch it, on the grounds that he doesn't like cornbread). Mine took about 35 minutes to bake, but that was probably in part because the oven wasn't yet up to temperature when I popped it in. I doubled the Aleppo pepper since mine has lost some flavor over time, and that provided just a hint of pepper without making the bread spicy.

  • stef on June 17, 2018

    Nice cornbread but it didn't rise as much as I thought it would. The Aleppo pepper is a nice touch

  • Lepa on June 07, 2019

    This is a good cornbread. It took 35 minutes to cook and could use a bit more salt- perhaps 1 teaspoon instead of 1/2 a teaspoon? I added the teaspoon of Aleppo pepper and it was not spicy- the kids ate it without complaint.

  • amandacooks on April 07, 2017

    This cornbread is delicious and super moist. Having made it a few times now, I've found that in my oven it consistently bakes up in 25 minutes in a 9x5 loaf pan. I use finely ground cornmeal from Anson Mills. In my opinion it doesn't need to be served with butter...the sour cream makes it plenty rich and moist.

• Asparagus and egg salad with walnuts and mint

  • radishseed on August 19, 2020

    Delicious. I made this with a mix of green things from the garden (green beans, snow peas, radish pods, and Swiss chard stems) instead of asparagus.

• Black bean pumpkin soup

  • MelMM on February 01, 2019

    11-4-2017 This recipe called for canned pumpkin, but I cut a big cooking pumpkin into wedges and roasted them off. I already had a batch of cooked black beans from an earlier meal. I added some extra seasoning to the soup - ground anchos and smoked paprika. To replace the ham, I roasted some diced mushrooms with smoked salt until chewy (hard not to eat them all right off the pan). I had arugula and pickled jalapeño pesto from a previous meal. Mixed that with some homemade non-dairy yogurt, and used that, plus some fresh cilantro, for the garnish. Really nice, but very far from the original recipe.

  • wittwoman on December 27, 2015

    Classy flavor. Good with kale pecorino walnut salad by Smitten Kitchen.

  • fbcd on April 24, 2022

    Although Deb introduces this as being a pumpkin soup the she likes, i would class it as a black bean soup. It is basically a slight variation on the Pumpkin Black Bean Soup in the New York Times Cookbook. It was okay, but I ended up adding a chilli because the black bean soup vibe just cries out for it.

• Caramel walnut upside down banana cake

  • kari500 on June 12, 2020

    If you read her note you realize she found the topping too sweet. So we (mostly Lulu) made it without, and drizzled chocolate syrup over it. Moist and delicious. Used a 10 inch springform pan and cooked for just under 45 minutes.

• Skirt steak salad with blue cheese

  • kari500 on September 18, 2020

    I subbed ribeye and romaine for the skirt steak and arugula called for here. I'd do the romaine again in an instant, but the sirloin wasn't really the right cut. I've been getting flat irons in our CSA boxes, and I think those would be nice. Halved cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, and sliced scallions round out the salad. Aside from going with a different steak next time, I'd happily make this again. I mixed the dressing with the lettuce and tomatoes, then plated and put the steak on top, then scattered the scallions. I really liked the vinaigrette and this was a very satisfying meal with a slice of homemade bread on the side.

• Pearl couscous with olives and roasted tomatoes

  • kari500 on June 19, 2021

    I added a handful or two of peas and two cans of tuna to make this a full meal which may have watered things down a bit, but we still really enjoyed this. The dressing is absolutely delightful.

• Chicken gyro salad

  • kari500 on August 18, 2020

    This is fantastic. I did 3 chicken breasts, marinated about 9-10 hours, roasted 450, 20 minutes, let sit a few minutes, slice. Chopped a cucumber, yellow pepper, sliced a yellow onion (no red available) and let sit in lemon juice and salt, about a container and a third of halved cherry tomatoes. The tatziki in this is the best. I served as a composed salad with the veg next to the sliced chicken breast, and a big dollop of the tatziki next to it, and a basket of flatbreads on the table.

  • TrishaCP on July 17, 2021

    We were also big fans of this meal. (I used the tzatziki from Taverna instead because it was on hand, not this recipe though.) I marinated the chicken overnight and it was very flavorful. I used thighs but I think this would probably be really great with chicken breast.

  • hirsheys on September 20, 2021

    Very tasty and quite quick. I made SK's yogurt flatbreads, so it was more complicated, but still easy enough and the tzatziki is great. Next time I'd love to try with chicken breasts and roast like Kari/PP. Only made half the chicken and definitely glad - no need for 3 lbs of chicken!

  • stockholm28 on September 12, 2020

    This is very good and quite low in calories if you skip the bread.

  • pistachiopeas on April 01, 2017

    The marinade on the chicken is excellent. I used breasts and seared them on the stove top and then finished them in the oven. No bread needed. Lots of leftovers. Absolutely delicious.

• Summer squash pizza

  • kari500 on July 21, 2022

    I liked this a lot, but as Zosia says, wasn’t amazed by it. I would make it again. Could use a little garlic. I used premade crust, and panko for the breadcrumbs. Make sure to get as much moisture from the zucchini as possible. This is extremely easy and quick.

  • Zosia on July 12, 2019

    I'm not sure I loved this as much as Deb did but it was very good. The topping did taste more complex than you would expect from the ingredients and was moist, not wet, with chewy and crispy bits. I used Rose Levy Beranbaum's pizza dough (Bread Bible), my go-to for an unplanned pizza night.

• Stuffed eggplant Parmesan

  • kari500 on August 22, 2022

    This was delicious. I think, even after all the years of cooking I've done, that my knife skills must be a lot worse than most people's. This took me longer than 30 minutes to put together - all the scooping out, and chopping seemed to take forever. But worth it! I did 3 eggplant, and we each had a half (plenty filling, even for big eaters) with a roll on the side. Heating up the leftovers 2 nights later for dinner was an unexpected bonus!

  • FJT on April 30, 2021

    This was a nice weeknight dinner. I used pork mince rather than suasagemeat and then added a lot of seasoning. Worked well.

  • chawkins on July 09, 2022

    Really enjoyed these. The eggplants are not breaded like traditional eggplant Parmesan, hence not as greasy and there is sausage in it. I used hot Italian sausage, garden eggplants and bottled sauce, making it real easy.

  • peaceoutdesign on December 23, 2021

    Good easy dinner. Make sure to leave a 1/2 border of eggplant when you make the boats if it is less the eggplant flattens out. I did add oregano as well as the basil.

  • mharriman on September 23, 2021

    We liked this and thought it would have been even more appealing on a cold winter night. I added Nature’s Promise brand Italian chicken sausage which we thought was a very tasty addition.I would add more seasonings, like oregano, next time to increase flavor. One halved eggplant was enough for two of us. Update: I let the remaining two stuffed eggplants sit in fridge for two days and when reheated ( 350 degrees, 25 minutes) we thought they were better than first night’s eggplants. We think recipe improves by letting stuffed ingredients meld together for one to two days.

  • Skamper on April 05, 2020

    This was tasty and pretty easy. I used lightlife italian sausage.

• Skillet ravioli with spinach

  • kari500 on June 06, 2020

    Last night was my second time making this. First time I played by the rules, and my ravioli were from the fridge. We loved it. This time they were frozen, as was the spinach (Covid cooking). I added a can of artichoke hearts while sautéing the spinach, and that was wonderful. I used a local cheese (vauche) and it worked perfectly. Definitely had a problem with sticking, and took longer to cook, but it was so good. Maybe a bit more olive oil in the pan when the ravioli go in would help?

  • Emily Hope on November 15, 2019

    This is a good idea and we mostly liked the end result, but steaming the ravioli in the pan did not work for me at all--the (frozen) ravioli got completely stuck to the bottom of the pan, took at least 2x as long to steam as she said, and several ripped into pieces when I tried to dislodge them. By the time I was finished dealing with it, I deeply regretted not having just boiled them, which would have both taken less time and been less messy; live and learn. BUT, the idea is good for a quick and easy weeknight pasta. I added several slow-roasted tomatoes from the freezer and would do so again, along with doubling the spinach (or maybe just using a bunch of spinach instead of baby--more work but it doesn't shrink down to nothing. Or maybe frozen!) I'd also like to try creme fraiche instead of mascarpone, as the mascarpone made it pretty rich without adding much to the flavor.

  • hirsheys on September 30, 2021

    I also had success with this one. I used artichoke ravioli (though I like the idea of adding a can of them, too!) and flipped the amounts of spinach and ravioli - 10 oz of spinach and maybe 7 oz pasta? I would do so again - the ratios were right on for me. The only issue I had was that my leftovers split a bit, so I might actually make this fresh in small batches, rather than heat up leftovers.

  • stef on August 27, 2020

    This was delicious. I used cream cheese and sour cream for the sauce. A few stuck to the pan and the broiling was uneven. I used fresh ravioli, so quick to make

• Mushroom Marsala pasta bake

  • kari500 on May 28, 2020

    Fantastic. I didn’t have quite the amount of mushrooms needed. Not a problem. Used more mozzarella (almost all of an 8 ounce ball), a little more pasta (plain penne), and had to use dry sherry since I only have sweet marsala. Took me a lot longer than 30 minutes, but i had to clean and slice the shrooms and onion, and the waiting for liquid to dry seemed to take a while. Only two tablespoons of flour. Will definitely make again.

  • FJT on January 22, 2017

    YUM! So easy to make and very tasty. As rionafaith commented this is serious comfort food. I used some dried mushrooms and the water that they were soaked in and I think that really intensified the flavour.

  • Yildiz100 on October 27, 2017

    I guess I am the dissenting voice on this one. I thought sauce was a little slimy and over thickened. Three tablespoons of flour seemed like a lot for 1.5 cups of chicken broth, and I thought it muted the flavors of the cheese and mushrooms. If I made this again, I would reduce the flour by half and I think it would still thicken well. Also, might replace a bit of the chicken broth with heavy cream.

  • bching on February 04, 2017

    We really liked this. Used dried mushroom soaking liquid in lieu of broth (like one of the previous commentators). I'm wondering if taleggio would taste even better than mozzarella.

  • stef on February 01, 2017

    Mushrooms are dh's favourite Veggie. It didn't disappoint. Delicious

  • Agaillard on April 14, 2022

    I cooked it for myself (home and sickly) and it said this would yield "4 really generous or 6 slightly more moderate ones" - thus I halved the portions. thinking to freeze the other half. How wrong was I, this is not big at all, I mean, to me half of the recipe looked like what someone hungry would eat. I barely had enough left to freeze :) Aside from this portion issue, I found it good but not extraordinary either. Like Yildiz, I did find the sauce slightly overthickened. I used Emmental and Parmesan as this is what I had in hand.

  • raybun on March 13, 2017

    This was delicious! We loved it, and the child picked every single bit of mushroom out. Can't win 'em all!

  • rionafaith on December 17, 2016

    Serious comfort food. I used elbow macaroni, and ended up using a whole pound of white button mushrooms instead of 3/4... and honestly, I could have had even more. Unfortunately I slightly overcooked the pasta, and also made the mistake of using my 5.5qt Le Creuset dutch oven as the "one pot" (I'm not sure why I was thinking it would be comparable to Deb's braisier...), and the high sides really prevented the top from getting nicely browned. A deep skillet would be a much better choice... or just transferring to a gratin/casserole dish. Still delicious! UPDATE: Unfortunately this does not reheat very well. :(

  • Smokeydoke on January 23, 2017

    Fabulous. Deb does it again. All her recipes work, I'm a believer! Not adding any chicken was brilliant and I highly recommend it. This dish is bubbling with umami from the mushrooms and sauce. I only baked for 10 mins and it tasted fine. I used small ziti noodles.

  • anya_sf on May 15, 2021

    I increased quantities by approximately 50%, using 12 oz pasta and 1 lb mushrooms. Also stirred 12 oz frozen chopped spinach into the sauce, making this a spinach-mushroom pasta bake, which was delicious. Without the spinach I'd increase the mushrooms. I used a wide Dutch oven for a one-pot meal; the top browned nicely, although the pasta stuck to the sides a bit.

  • luluf on August 17, 2021

    Loved by my husband and son who finished it all off quickly. I cooked it as per the recipe but I don’t think we have cremini mushrooms in Australia so I just used white button mushrooms and I think they could have been tastier. Next time I will use Swiss browns and maybe some soaked or ground porcinis. I like the suggestion of substituting taleggio for mozzarella.

  • paisleymonsoon on August 03, 2021

    I added chicken, broccoli, and garlic and topped with cheddar (mozzarella would have been better). I should have made the full amount of sauce (or more), but I only made 2/3 since I used 2/3 of a pound of pasta. More sauce is always better.

• Double chocolate banana bread

  • kari500 on January 11, 2021

    Easy/quick to put together. As others have said, the banana flavor comes through.

  • cespitler on March 29, 2020

    Delicious. Perfect for chocolate lovers. Banana flavor still came through.

  • hirsheys on July 22, 2017

    Yum. I was worried that the banana taste wouldn't be there, but it is. Also, not too sweet. Super easy, too.

  • BigOrangeTiger on March 15, 2015

    Very chocolatey, even without all the chocolate chips in! A more grown-up chocolate than a kiddie one. Very, very good.

  • Mayandbill on October 16, 2021

    Agree with others - easy and good. I reduced the bananas as only had 2 and it was still banana-ey. Slightly reduced the sugar as I find Deb’s bakes can be overly sweet for me. Delicious.

  • Sebeza88 on October 02, 2017

    Very very tasty. Didn't have chocolate chips at home so just omitted them. This recipe works wonderfully with flax egg.

• Asparagus-stuffed eggs

  • ellabee on May 27, 2014

    Delicious but seriously fussy: sieving egg yolks and food-milling asparagus for 2 tablespoons of puree take an eternity. I used chives and sour cream.

• Spring vegetable potstickers (with scallion dipping sauce)

  • ellabee on October 27, 2013

    Can be assembled and frozen on tray, then stored in freezer in bag.

  • Agaillard on May 04, 2022

    Quite an original dumpling filling and spring-y indeed! I made them with green beans, fava beans, and peas, and served them with spicy mango sauce for dipping instead of the scallion sauce. Now the filling is very bland (meh!) - the only seasoning called for in the recipe is a clove of garlic and a tablespoon of ginger for the whole 50 potstickers 8-/ I used the same amount for 10 and added also soy sauce and cayenne, because that was way too bland for me, but otherwise, it worked quite well.

• Yogurt panna cotta with walnuts and honey

  • ellabee on July 14, 2013

    Halved, made three of the heavy half-cup custard cups. Added a bit of lemon zest along with the juice. Topped with macerated blueberries. Perfect summer dessert!

  • Vanessa on August 04, 2013

    Made with 100% full fat buttermilk, cut recipe down to 3/4 (3 cups buttermilk). But used all the gelatin.

• Roasted yams and chickpeas with yogurt

  • ellabee on March 25, 2016

    Made an adaptation/fusion of this and the Moro-inspired chickpeas salad. Used last of that tahini-lemon dressing to coat some chickpeas while sweet potato wedges roasted (coated with honey, olive oil, garam masala). Chopped some cilantro to replace scallions. Made yogurt dressing as specified. Outstanding, 45 minutes start to finish. Via firetomfriedman on Tw.

  • Lepa on May 06, 2019

    I'm working at home today and this was a fantastic lunch. I added some crispy chile sauce and the combination of flavors is delicious!

• Everyday yellow dal

  • ellabee on October 19, 2015

    Onions for the tarka never darkened appreciably, but the result was tasty. Mistake to cut down cayenne, will stick with specified amount next time.

  • lean1 on April 22, 2020

    I love this recipe. It just takes time, so prepare well in advance. The topping is the best part. Even my picky eater son enjoyed it.

• Winter squash and spinach pasta bake

  • ellabee on September 10, 2022

    Optional sage & nutmeg add a lot. Made in 8x8 pyrex, w/one sheet parchment with slits cut inward from corners. Used broken-up lasagna. Made twice in winter '21-'22 pantry reduction drive.

  • yaxattax on February 04, 2023

    excellent/beautiful veg main. I served on a cake platter. Good use of winter squash. Easy to come together, about 30 mins including ingredient prep. I subbed Gouda for fontina, frozen spinach and broken up lasagna noodles.

  • allisonsemele on October 18, 2021

    I used 3/4 T coarse kosher salt (but not Diamond brand) and it was VERY salty. Any more salt would have made it inedible. I might roast and add the leftover slices of squash to the top just to dilute the salt some. Apart from the salt level, this was pretty good, though it takes some time to throw together. A commenter on the SK site mentioned subbing aged gouda for the fontina, and that sounded good to me. I might make again using that sub and 1/2 T of salt.

  • furiouslycooking on November 14, 2021

    missed the sage, garlic, and nutmeg

  • Rocklizard on January 31, 2023

    This was delicious! Even the squash haters in the family didn't complain about it and even took seconds. Used Gruyere instead of Fontina as that is what I had on hand. Super easy to assemble just need to plan ahead for the looooong bake time.

• Blackberry cheesecake galette

  • mlbatt on May 24, 2022

    Made this for cookbook club - really delicious and quite easy. It reminds me of a large cheese danish.

• Pizza beans - tomato and gigante bean bake

  • MMarlean on February 06, 2018

    Adding to my repertoire. Didn't have kale. Substituted zucchini and marinated artichoke hearts.

  • wjjjww on May 13, 2022

    i used some leftover lasagna filling and jarred spaghetti sauce (raos) and spinach. refrigerator clean out! so delicious!

  • Rinshin on January 24, 2023

    As written it is surprisingly bland baked beans dish with catchy name made more visually appealing with cheesy topping much like Tex Mex pinto beans. Going in I knew I had to up the flavor by adding more herbs and small splash of fish sauce but wished I did not add the full amount of canned tomato called for in this recipe. The cooked taste of Marcella beans cooked with sofrito were already very good, but adding this much tomato ruined the wonderful bean flavor. I much prefer charro, cowboy, bbq, or simple baked beans than this one. I normally like Smitten Kitchen recipes but this one was disappointing. Even though i love Marcella beans in other applications, I ended up throwing out the leftovers.

  • Barb_N on March 01, 2021

    EYB to the rescue! I was wracking my brain to come up with a tasty way to serve gigante beans I cooked yesterday. This came up near the top of my search and I had all the ingredients on hand, including mozzarella which I usually don’t keep around. Not wanting to dirty another baking dish, I kept this in the Dutch oven but I wish I had put it in a lasagne dish so there would be more surface area for the top layer of cheesy browned beans.

  • kzwa on January 09, 2021

    This was good. It wasn’t quite savory enough for me, so I’d probably add a little more parm or some meat next time

  • sayeater on August 12, 2022

    A popular recipe online. I've made this a few times. Amped up the spices quite a bit to my liking. Even made a vegan version with Myokos fresh "mozz". A good recipe to serve to those who are skeptical about beans.

• Shaved asparagus pizza

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    I've made this several times with many variations. My boyfriend was skeptical the first time I suggested it, but has since been converted as well. I like adding goat cheese and a few cherry tomatoes when I have them around.

  • MollyB on March 14, 2018

    Great pizza. I have made it many times, and it takes well to variations. Truffle oil is good drizzled on at the end, and red pepper flakes are a good addition. The last time I made it, I added some porcini powder to the asparagus when tossing it with olive oil, and that was the best variation yet.

  • stockholm28 on May 04, 2017

    This was great. I cooked it on the grill and loved the fresh asparagus with the parmesan and crisp, slightly charred crust.

• Braided lemon bread

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    The bread is excellent. I have tried with multiple filling combinations. Some favourites were raspberry curd and one with brie and slices of pear for a more savoury take on it.

• Pumpkin cupcakes

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    The frosting was tasty, but a little on the runny side and light on maple flavour.

• Spiced applesauce cake

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    I prefer the pearsauce variation of this cake, but either way, it's an excellent, moist cake.

  • Littlemuls on December 27, 2019

    Made into cupcakes, made 18 cupcakes. Dave's favorite.

• Cappuccino fudge cheesecake

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    This recipe is a lot of work, but the results are worth it. It is an incredibly rich dish though, best saved for large gatherings. I've made it twice and have had many requests to repeat it.

• Chocolate soufflé cupcakes with mint cream

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    This is one of my favourite dessert recipes. The cupcakes are light and airy and the mint cream adds just the right bit of something extra.

• Rhubarb streusel muffins

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    This is a filling breakfast that feels healthy, but still tastes delicious. The mixture seemed a bit dry when I was putting it into the cups but turned out well. I measured the stalks based on weight and think I ended up with more than 1 cup of diced rhubarb, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted to have less.

  • leahorowitz on May 13, 2018

    Didn’t have sour cream at home so I used greek yoghurt instead (same amount). The batter was only enough for 11 muffins. My muffins turned out extremely fluffy and light, they were done after 15 minutes. Note to self: reduce the amount of sugar and/or butter a little next time

  • Rutabaga on April 25, 2016

    While the batter did seem dry, I also found that the muffins themselves turned out moist and delicious. The rhubarb adds a great bit of zing without overpowering them. I used a heaping cup of diced rhubarb, and cooked the muffins for a full 25 minutes without overbaking them.

  • stef on June 21, 2018

    Made these with all unbleached all purpose flour. Nice and moist not too sweet

  • pistachiopeas on June 03, 2022

    I used yogurt instead of sour cream. Excellent for after school snack or breakfast. Not too sweet. Kids loved them.

• Cheesecake-marbled brownies

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    This is one of my favourite brownies recipes (along with her grasshopper recipe). It's especially good with fresh raspberries instead of chocolate chips.

  • ecasey830 on July 08, 2018

    I feel like the cheesecake batter made too much and the brownie batter too little.

  • ssdrabek on August 10, 2012

    Super yum! I added the fresh raspberries and chocolate chips!!

• Martha's macaroni-and-cheese

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    Incredibly cheesy and makes a huge amount. For an even more over the top meal, use this as the filling for Dessert for Breakfast's macaroni pie.

  • nightswimmer on August 29, 2011

    One word: cheesy. Too cheesy, maybe. But still delicious. I added some bacon as well (and felt a little bit like Paula Deen). A bit more pasta and slightly reducing the amount of cheese in the sauce would make it a bit less heart-stopping, but still delicious. A half-recipe made plenty for my two-person household.

  • Miquette on January 12, 2013

    I am a macaroni and cheese fiend and this is one of my favorite recipes! I too sometimes add bacon and caramelized onions.

  • mharriman on December 14, 2021

    I made half a recipe for four adults and a toddler as a birthday dinner side dish. As others have noted, it’s very rich and cheesy. For me, it was a bit too rich and cheesy. I’m not a fan of bread cubes over Mac and cheese but other family members loved it, so I’m glad I didn’t leave that out. If I make this again just for my husband and me, I’ll leave the topping off and try it with 2% milk.

  • Rutabaga on December 22, 2020

    This makes an excellent classic macaroni and cheese, and as amraub says, it makes a whole lot of it. I liked the chunkier bread topping, which added great crunch. It's a little too much sauce for my family's taste, so I would decrease that next time, maybe by about a quarter. The extra sauce could easily be used to top cauliflower or broccoli.

  • Lepa on November 23, 2018

    This mac and cheese, requested by my vegetarian son, was the star of Thanksgiving. It was the dish that everybody wanted seconds of. Very good. Having seen what it is in it, however, I doubt we will be eating this frequently. It's a delicious, decadent treat!

• Whole wheat goldfish crackers

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    These are incredibly easy to put together (I think I usually spend more time cutting them into cute little shapes than making the dough) and so good. I have yet to find someone who doesn't love these little cheese crackers.

  • maggiewt on May 13, 2013

    Would double this next time - delicious! I used a pastry cutter to cut into little fluted squares, and docked with a fork. I managed to avoid having to chill the dough, but had to work quickly.

• Vermontucky lemonade

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    This is now one of my go-to summer drinks. So simple, but so good.

  • Jviney on September 25, 2022

    I really liked this; I used smoked maple bourbon and it was a lovely transitional lemonade, just right for fall.

• Blackberry gin fizz

  • amraub on July 12, 2012

    The recipe made very little blackberry puree once filtered out for us, although our blackberries were gigantic (and I used a bit more than 1/4 cup). We ended up adding some raspberry liqueur (we were out of everything that would've been a closer match) to increase the fruit flavour. The colour is very nice though.

• Triple berry summer buttermilk bundt

  • amraub on July 19, 2012

    Skipped on the icing. Used a 4 cup mixture of currants, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. The berries sunk a bit, but there were no issues with sinking.

  • michalow on January 06, 2019

    Rich, delicious, and rather difficult to remove from the pan. I included cranberries in my berry mix, and love the brightness this gave the cake. Perfectly baked at 55 minutes.

• Rhubarb snacking cake

  • amraub on June 03, 2012

    I wanted to love this one, but the proportions seemed off while I was putting together. The cake layer was so thin that it was very difficult to spread and I would've like to have just a little bit more. The rhubarb also ended up being a much thicker layer than described (maybe because my rhubarb was on the thin side and I measured based on weight?). Oddly, I liked the cake much more on the second day when the mixture had time to set.

  • Kattancock on May 21, 2022

    Nice cake! It does seem like a tiny amount of batter when you spread it on the pan but it works out fine in my opinion. I did a half recipe in an 8x8 pan because I didn't have enough rhubarb for the whole thing, and used kefir instead of sour cream. I think next time I would skip the cinnamon in favour of maybe cardamom, vanilla or more ginger.

  • BigOrangeTiger on May 14, 2017

    I found this cake was tasty. I had to split it into two tins as I didn't have one big enough - I was nervous the proportions seemed wrong too but it worked out ok. It's like the rhubarb cake you might get in Germany. I've frozen one of them - if that turns out to be a disaster, I'll note it here, otherwise assume it freezes well!

  • Lepa on May 25, 2018

    This is the best rhubarb cake I've made. My family loved it. Yes, the cake part was thin but using a metal offset spatula I was able to spread it to cover the 9X13 pan. The resulting cake was delightful. Not too sweet.

• Double coconut muffins

  • amraub on June 01, 2012

    A friend of mine first made these, but we weren't satisfied with the texture (very dense) and thought the yogurt gave it an odd tang. I remade them later, making quite a few substitutions and we both loved them. I used her suggested coconut milk instead of yogurt to make them three coconut muffins. I used dark brown sugar instead of regular and buckwheat flour instead of whole wheat. I also added a cup of raspberries. The end result was a very moist, but not too dense cupcake.

  • Rutabaga on October 22, 2019

    I made these as written, except I used unsweetened rather than sweetened coconut, and felt they were just right as far as sweetness goes. A stronger coconut flavor would be welcome, however, so I'd also like to try making it with coconut milk instead of yogurt next time. While I often top my muffins only with butter, jam is best here.

• Blueberry boy bait

  • LaurenB on July 21, 2017

    Much prefer Martha Stewart's Blueberry Buckle. This wasn't bad, but wasn't great. Needed more blueberries and I didn't love the very cake like texture, it was too dense and buttery.

  • stockholm28 on August 10, 2018

    I liked this, but found it just a bit too sweet. It is a very buttery cake. I used buttermilk

• Swiss chard and sweet potato gratin

  • FionaC on September 05, 2022

    Made a scaled down version as we didn’t need enough for 12 people. I kept the ratio of chard to sweet potato the same, and added most of the cheese to the bechamel. I did three layers (potato, chard, potato) and poured all the bechamel over the top plus some extra grated cheese. Not really much work to put together, used the same pot to sauté the chard then cook the sauce. Cooked beautifully and would lend itself to other veg substitutions.

  • okcook on August 21, 2022

    I had to half the recipe. For us, it ok. Nothing special considering the work involved. Ours was not “ really cream to us.

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2012

    A really really enjoyable recipe- everyone in my family, children to adults, loved it. I made a few tweaks- out of necessity, I used milk instead of cream, omitted the parsley and only used one bunch of chard since that was all I had on hand. My bechamel got quite thick and so I baked the gratin with a foil cover in case there wasn't enough liquid to cook the potatoes through. I shouldn't have worried however as there was quite a bit of liquid at the end. A really nice play of savory and sweet.

  • KarinaFrancis on July 23, 2018

    This is delicious, creamy, and a bit nostalgic for me. It’s was the star side of our Christmas in July celebrations. It does take a little work but it can all be done ahead of time. I can see this making a return appearance for sure. Update: I've made this 3 times now, its a winner every time and has become a firm family favourite

  • Frenchfoodie on January 13, 2021

    Really delicious, creamy, comforting and good colours too. I didn’t have parsley but otherwise followed the recipe. Reheated well in the microwave the next day for lunch too. A definite repeat.

• Magic apple plum cobbler

  • FionaC on June 29, 2022

    I reduced the sugar as others suggested, and added some broken walnuts in with the apples to add some crunch. I baked it in a 9 inch circular casserole which was ok. I think a larger dish would produce a thinner crunchier batter to fruit ratio. Quick and easy to make and I think would suit almost any mix of fruits.

  • brynapg on June 06, 2020

    Have made it twice, once with plums once with cherries. So easy. Very tasty. quite buttery. Definitely magic.

  • Lepa on June 13, 2017

    This cobbler is not only easy but it is also insanely good. Do yourself a favor and make it right away!

  • raybun on March 13, 2017

    Easy and tasty! I used apples and plums as suggested but this really is a flexible recipe. I could have used a larger dish, but was worried it would be too thin.

  • sosayi on August 31, 2019

    Absolutely delicious dish... we made it twice in one week. First, with all plums and second time with peaches. In both cases, I cut the sugar in the cake/cobbler portion to 130 g (from 175) and only sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on top until it looked right. It was definitely less than the 1/4 cup and 3/4 tablespoon called for, but the flavors were perfect for us that way. I also let the butter start browning in the baking dish, which added more depth and the 2nd go around we added a hearty splash of bourbon to the browned butter, too. Will make again and again.

  • annettle on January 13, 2021

    A simple, cheap, homely pudding from basic ingredients. I made this with apples and pears and it was delicious, but very buttery. Next time I will reduce the quantity of butter a little, and brown it as one of the other commenters here suggests! (It is rather sweet too, but that's pointed out in the recipe and I'm okay with it.) I can't see this going wrong with really any type of fruit, so will be handy to keep in my pocket for those seasonal gluts.

• Chicken empanada with chorizo and olives

  • sck on January 07, 2013

    Very good but a little mild. Next time I will add a little more spice.

• Homesick Texan carnitas

  • sck on January 10, 2013

    Use the recipe from her blog instead of this one. This is good but the other is perfect!!

• Zucchini fritters

  • Cati on December 07, 2011

    Seems a lot of zuccini per egg. Should it be 2 eggs. I used 100gms grated zuccini to 1 egg and heaped tablespoon of plain flour. This was a good consistency and worked well. Plain flour kept Na level down and it made 3 fritters, enough for 1 person.

  • RosieB on March 02, 2017

    2 zucchinis did not make many fritters. Next time I would double the recipe. I added feta cheese for a classic fritter. These were good.

  • Maura on August 03, 2014

    Subbed fresh breadcrumbs for half the flour so they wouldn't be as heavy, they were great. Also love the Shulman Mid East version and put zaatar in some yogurt to top! Yum

  • eeeve on May 10, 2020

    We love these, have been making for years. Would also agree that these probably only feed two people (with a salad on the side), but maybe we’re just too greedy.

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2020

    My husband and I really liked these fritters, which were nicely crispy on the outside with a light interior. For whatever reason, the kids don't really go for zucchini, even in fritter form, although they managed to eat some and the older one agreed that if you have to eat zucchini, this is a better way than most.

• Israeli salad + pita chips

  • fprincess on July 31, 2012

    Great salad with a nice crunch from the cucumber and red onion. I love the taste of sumac and you can use plenty of herbs (in my case, parsley and chives). I also added a little bit of lettuce. Picture here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50488464@N02/7391691786/

• Quick, essential stovetop mac-and-cheese

  • cwfourleaf on January 09, 2020

    Really good! I doubled recipe and used about 3/4 cup store brand sharp cheddar and 1/4 cup parmesan or similar cheese.

  • lholtzman on November 27, 2019

    I’ll argue that this recipe is just as easy and cheaper than buying boxed. Definitely a true pantry recipe and one that gets food for a hungry toddler on the table fast. I used 1/2 sharp cheddar and 1/2 pecorino. Honestly, I could not taste the difference between this and boxed, except this is obviously better.

  • allisonsemele on December 19, 2020

    This is good and easy—I used half cheddar/half pecorino, so it was sort of a cross between mac and cheese and cacio e pepe. It tastes rich but not over the top.

• Moroccan-spiced spaghetti squash

  • lorloff on May 14, 2022

    We really liked this. Roasting the spaghetti squash worked great. The seasonings were lovely. I agree that adding some lemon at the end might be a good idea, but we liked it very much with the level of garlic which we thought was perfect. We would not reduce it at all.

  • imaluckyducky on October 22, 2014

    4.5 stars. This is pretty stinkin' easy and good. Deb gives a "cheat" of cooking the squash in the microwave (read: this is the perfect quick side) that has everything done in 10 minutes or less. The garlic may be a bit strong, if you're like me and have garlic cloves that were steroid-taking-large. Used cumin seeds that I toasted first since I didn't have ground. I thought this dish could use a hit of acid at the end after tasting, so I added a little squeeze of lemon juice and it brightened everything without making it sour. Will make again.

  • Jardimc on September 14, 2022

    Simple to make, and delish. I doubled the cayenne.

• Pie crust 102: all butter, really flaky pie dough

  • cespitler on May 21, 2017

    I agree-a go-to pie crust. For years I made pie crust in the food processor, but the set of instructions here brought me back to doing it by hand.

  • Rutabaga on September 16, 2014

    This recipe really works; while I can't claim my crust was perfect (is it ever?), it was flaky and buttery, and definitely better than many shortening-based crusts I've made. Follow these simple steps for a great pie pastry.

  • sldoug on April 02, 2016

    This is my go-to pie crust. It always turns out beautifully and so very flaky. Plus, it's so easy, just like pie crust should be (I mean come on, pie involves a lot of steps! The crust needs to be easy if you're going to make it through the entire pie!) I'm a bit lazy with the water and tend to err on the side of it being a bit wet since lots of flour helps with the rolling anyway.

• Grapefruit yogurt cake

  • cespitler on January 16, 2018

    This is one of those super simple breads with just a few ingredients, which you can typically find in your pantry or refrigerator (the citrus can be switched out). A quick mix and this goes right into the oven. The final product is gorgeous with a beautiful crumb. Delicious!

  • lawrencecharcuterie on February 26, 2022

    This doesn't work with a more subtle citrus like blood orange. The citrus flavor just isn't enough to carry through. I guessed that might be the case but wanted to try it anyway. I think this would have fit better in a 9x5 pan.

• Almond rhubarb picnic bars

  • cespitler on May 21, 2017

    In the right season, the Almond Rhubarb Picnic Bars are perfect for a party. I love the ease of making bars and combining almond with rhubarb was a great match.

• Huevos rancheros

  • Waderu on February 11, 2013

    Used slow cookermblack beans, fiesta cheese (has spices in it - whole foods), jarred salsa, TJ's guacamole.

• Carrot soup with miso and sesame

  • Emily Hope on March 25, 2013

    This is a delicious vegetarian carrot soup--not too sweet as they can sometimes be. I used leeks instead of onions as that's what I had on hand, reduced the liquid by a cup, and cooked in the pressure cooker for 5 minutes before pureeing (I just added the miso to the vitamix rather that blending in separately). Topped with scallions and sesame seeds that had been toasted for a couple of minutes in butter, and then mixed (in the hot pan) with soy sauce. Yum!

  • Vanessa on January 15, 2013

    Hooray, hooray, this is the best carrot soup ever! Used red miso, and just threw in chopped scallions (didn't pickle them first). Terrific, Even better a couple of days later, but who can wait?!?

  • eliza on January 24, 2016

    This soup was just barely ok and we really didn't like it at all, which is interesting seeing the reviews from others. For me, the miso just didn't go with the other ingredients, tasted very flat. Won't be making this one again.

  • krobbins426 on February 08, 2012

    Loved the addition of the toasted sesame oil at the end.

  • cassiemcgannon on October 14, 2012

    Really good, complex flavours, particularly for a vegetarian soup. Pickled scallions are a great idea.

• Roasted apple spice sheet cake

  • Emily Hope on November 09, 2015

    Alas, this is the rare SK recipe that didn't work for me--I found it to be a bit dense and heavy (and I speak as someone who loves moist spice cakes). C liked it better than I did, but I wouldn't repeat.

• Southwestern pulled brisket

  • Emily Hope on March 01, 2012

    This was quite good served on Rancho Gordo tortillas with the green onion slaw (also from Smitten Kitchen). However, the making process was a bit of a disaster--I was short on time so I tried to make it in 7 hours (instead of 10) in the slow cooker, turning the cooker to high for a couple of hours at various points. The brisket wasn't tender enough, and the next day, I ended up cooking it for another couple of hours in the oven at 350, after skimming the fat off the sauce and blending the sauce in the Vitamix.

  • DKennedy on August 04, 2020

    Covid meal I made this using my dutch oven - 5.5 lb brisket at 350 for 4 or so hours. Rested, and was much better the following day. Note that this recipe is identical to one found in the Food Network cookbook - AND the Food Network recipe definitely predates Smitten Kitchen. Tisk tisk. Very flavorful. Great for tacos, tostadas or sandwiches.

  • Imalinata on August 02, 2015

    Delicious! I doubled this for company and cooked it in the oven (not enough room in the slow cooker). For 6.24lbs of brisket, it was perfectly cooked in 5 hours at 350. I did rotate the briskets so that the same one wasn't always partially out of the sauce while cooking. I forgot to buy the canned chipotles in adobo sauce so I substituted 1tsp chipotle chili powder per chili (total 2tsp for double batch) and it was just the right amount of spice, not too spicy, but not bland either. The pickled onions she references in the main recipe were a great addition and complemented the brisket quite nicely in the soft tacos.

• Crusty baked cauliflower and farro

  • Emily Hope on January 19, 2017

    This was quite good! Rich without feeling super heavy, it's not exactly diet food, but healthier than mac and cheese. I didn't have ricotta so I mixed about 1/2 a cup of creme fraiche in with the farro and cauliflower. (I also added in some thyme leaves with the sage, which I'd do again.) I was worried it would be time-consuming, but it wasn't terrible--about an hour from start to finish. Served with the kale salad with anchovies and dates from Cook This Now, a nice match.

  • ecasey830 on January 23, 2017

    This was delicious! Will definitely be adding to the rotation

  • omegabeth on November 02, 2021

    Lovely! Great as is, but also super flexible—at various times I’ve swapped out some cauliflower for edamame to make something closer to main dish, tossed in small amounts of other leftover veggies, and mixed in broccoflower, which totally changed the look!

  • anya_sf on July 13, 2022

    I liked this much better than Ina's pasta version, where the cauliflower and pasta were both too crunchy for my taste. Roasting the cauliflower worked great. In place of fontina, I used a mixture of cheddar, gruyere, and toma cheeses, plus a full cup of ricotta which needed using, and was happy for the extra creaminess. Great with a cherry tomato salad on the side.

  • sandiegoveg on February 18, 2022

    So delicious, the kids had seconds! Omitted the fontina and just added a hearty handful of shredded mexican blend cheese. Took a full hour to make but worth it!

• Easiest French fries

  • MollyB on March 24, 2019

    This is an easy and very good recipe for French fries. I've gotten inconsistent results, however. Sometime it takes the amount of time given in the recipe, other times it has taken twice as long before the potatoes crisp and brown. I'm guessing it has to do with how long the potatoes have been out of the ground, maybe? Or perhaps some yellow potatoes may be sold as Yukon gold but aren't really, and might have a different starch content? That said, I'll still be making them again - even if they take 45 min to cook, it's still pretty easy and we have never had a single fry left when we serve them.

  • Rutabaga on November 10, 2020

    These turned out well, even though I ended up overcooking them a bit. I wanted them to get nicely browned at the tips, but by the time that happened, they were on the dry side. I used some fairly fresh Yukon Golds, and probably cooked them about 15 minutes more than what Perelman suggests. Next time, I would remove them once they taste nicely done, even if they haven't browned. It's definitely an easy way to make French fries in oil, but I'm not sure if I prefer them over a good oven chip recipe.

• Zucchini carpaccio salad

  • Vanessa on September 03, 2012

    Amazing. I used this great slicer we got at a street marked in Spain for 5 euro (made in some Eastern European country) that actually cuts 2 slices of zucchini at once(!) and the arugula I forgot to put into last night's pasta salad, and I had the time to salt the zucc, and let it sit, and then really get it dried in a towel before putting it in the salad (so it actually was both thin and nearly crisp).

• Almond macaroon torte with chocolate frosting

  • Vanessa on August 17, 2013

    Amen sister!

• Best birthday cake

  • Vanessa on May 27, 2012

    Make this cake, then use the chocolate frosting that is part of the Espresso Chiffon Cake with Fudge Frosting (also on Smitten Kitchen). I would have overlooked this, but a family member requested "yellow cake with chocolate icing". Thank you Frank! Sometimes, the simplest things are incredibly good.

• Chocolate peanut butter cake

  • Vanessa on August 28, 2012

    We figured out this cake has something north of 12,000 calories in it. If my math is right, that means, each slice checks it at something over 500 calories IF you manage 24 slices. But SO worth it!

  • trudys_person on March 02, 2014

    My niece made this for her mom's birthday - it was amazing! And we got 16 slices out if it ... c. 750 calories a slice - but soooo worth it!

  • Rutabaga on May 16, 2016

    This cake is perfection for peanut-butter-and-chocolate lovers. I made it for my husband's birthday, and everyone loved it, but it is rich, no doubt. Between ten adults, we didn't even eat half of it. Mine was a two layer cake baked in nine-inch pans, as I don't have three cake pans of the same size. After 35 minutes, the cakes were done. As Perelman notes, the cakes are very soft and fudgy; I put them in the freezer for about an hour prior to frosting. It was also difficult to cleanly cut the cake because it is so soft and moist, but using a sharp knife that has been run under water helps. I flubbed the ganache, unfortunately. My attention was divided, so the mixture cooked too long on the double boiler when I wasn't watching and the texture became rough and thick. Fortunately it still tasted delicious, and looked rather like an extra layer of chocolate buttercream atop the cake.

  • HalfSmoke on February 24, 2017

    Fantastic cake! We followed Rutabaga's tips and did a two-layer, 9-inch cake and freezed the layers for a bit to make it easier to frost. My wife used about 1 cup less of powdered sugar in the icing than called for and it was plenty sweet. Agree with others that small slices are more than sufficient.

• Espresso chiffon cake with fudge frosting

  • Vanessa on May 27, 2012

    Use this recipe for the instant fudge frosting, if nothing else. What a brilliant chocolate icing, and SO EASY !!!

• Gramercy Tavern's gingerbread

  • Vanessa on October 01, 2012

    I've been a big fan of Laurie Colwin's gingerbread for years. Until now, I've not been tempted to stray. But this Smitten Kitchen/Gramercy Tavern version is incredibly good. I used Dogfish Head Palo Santo for the beer (and that might have had something to do with the results, too!). I did think that the cake was a bit too sweet, though it has a lovely crispy gooey sweet crust, and next time I will use less sugar, and less oil too.

  • clcorbi on December 15, 2017

    Delicious. I split the recipe into two loaf cakes and, while they both ended up rather short, this cake is so rich that I don't mind having smaller slices. There is so much sugar in this recipe that you end up with a really lovely crackly crunch, yet the inside of the cake stays super moist. I can't wait to have a slice with some whipped cream.

  • trmarvin on February 16, 2019

    One of the most outstanding cakes I've ever made, and this is coming from a houseful of people lukewarm on gingerbread. Don't worry if it won't unmold nicely for you, just serve it as a trifle with maple whipped cream (possibly even better).

• Peach blueberry cobbler

  • Vanessa on July 09, 2012

    I came home from a weekend out of town knowing that I could make a peach cobbler that was light-years better than the one my husband had ordered at a fancy farm-to-fork restaurant in Charlotte. And YES, this was it. I used 100% peaches, and doubled the cornmeal biscuit topping as suggested; I used plain old Quakers yellow cornmeal rather than stone-ground (though I did add some lemon zest to the biscuit dough); bottom line, this was the best peach cobbler I've ever made or eaten.

• Light wheat bread

  • Vanessa on September 03, 2012

    I made this with "Rapid Rise" yeast, sun-dried tomato oil instead of butter, and a half cup or so of chopped sun-dried tomatoes. None of the dried milk powder. Boy, did it come out great! And rapidly, too ... I didn't start until 4 PM but it was ready for a (late) dinner. (I also used regular AP flour rather than bread flour ... well, you use what you have when it is 4 PM on Labor Day and all of a sudden you want homemade bread!)

  • eliza on July 10, 2016

    I made a few changes to this recipe. I used oil instead of butter, white whole wheat and all purpose flours, and made it in the bread machine. It's an excellent sandwich bread, slices well, tastes great, and it's relatively healthy. Will definitely make again.

• Herbed summer squash and potato torte

  • Vanessa on July 29, 2012

    Whoo boy. I made this earlier this summer; using the quantities specified, I ended up with two 8-inch cake pans. Took them to a party, where one pan disappeared, and then we were able to nosh on the other one for quite a few days. Delicious!!

  • Rutabaga on September 07, 2015

    This is late summer comfort food - cheesy, crispy potatoes and summer squash, but without the heaviness of milk or cream. I used slightly fewer potatoes and squash, and found I only have enough for three layers, but I liked the thinness of my tortes, as the best part is really the browned potatoes at the bottom of the pan. The only downside is they are rather time consuming top prepare as compared with many other vegetable dishes, and need more than an hour in the oven to bake.

• Cheese straws

  • Vanessa on October 21, 2012

    I like these better than my former favorite (from the New Vegetarian Epicure). I think you could even eat these BEFORE dinner without ruining your appetite (at least if there were several other cheese straw fans around). I used hot smoked Spanish paprika from La Tienda. Next time I'm going to roll into a log, roll in sesame seeds, and slide thinly before baking. (Got to try several variations before Thanksgiving this year!)

  • jbelden13 on February 07, 2021

    These were super easy to make. I used some Gouda & Colby Jack cheddar I had on hand. I made the dough on Saturday and wrapped it up in plastic wrap then put in fridge. Super Bowl Sunday I just rolled out the dough & cut into straws. I baked for a little over 10 minutes. They're so crispy & delicious...I doubt they will make it to the party. Definitely will be making these again & again.

• Mediterranean eggplant and barley salad

  • Vanessa on September 11, 2012

    Woo boy, this was great. I substituted brown rice for barley, and didn't add either the red onions or the mint, but the technique for cooking the grain was so much fun -- I'll use that again! -- and the salad came together really well in spite of my insipid purple eggplants. (I'm not sure what was up with those eggplants - super fresh from the farm down the road, but just not a lot of flavor when roasted, and what kind of eggplant doesn't like that treatment??).

• Vanilla roasted pears

  • Vanessa on October 15, 2012

    This was easy and delicious. Somewhat "saucier" than anticipated, but I just reduced the liquid a bit. Then, we topped the pears with leftover pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. Even with that, it was still a light dessert, but celebratory.

• Upside-down cranberry cake

  • Vanessa on January 27, 2013

    Wee hee, hoo hooa!!! Is this ever good!! In the middle of an un-South Carolina cold day, this was PERFECT. I made it in a 9-inch square pan, which was almost too small. (Thank goodness I didn't use the deep 8-inch round pan, or I would have had an oven disaster.) But the results - just terrific, and gorgeous.

• Chocolate swirl buns

  • Vanessa on July 29, 2012

    Chocolate swirl buns are amazingly awesome. And simple. Definitely going on the "keepers" list!

  • DKennedy on January 09, 2020

    AKA Babka muffin

• Flourless chocolate walnut cookies

  • Vanessa on October 21, 2012

    The Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies from Payard are to die for. Gluten free. Full of walnuts. Great way to use up egg whites! Make them smaller than she suggests - half the size or less. Make a half-recipe for a quick dessert solution that NO ONE will turn down.

  • cassiemcgannon on March 01, 2013

    Made these with hazelnuts rather than walnuts as that was what I had, which worked really well. I made them smaller than suggested - I quartered the recipe and got 10 3-inch cookies. They do spread a lot.

• Burst tomato galette with corn and zucchini

  • Vanessa on August 10, 2013

    Great combination. I used Aleppo pepper rather than standard red pepper flakes, and added cumin seeds to the veggie mixture to go with the "Mexican cheese" (shredded bag cheese) that I had instead of Parm. The yogurt dough was super easy to handle and turned out better than similar buttermilk doughs, I think.

  • hirsheys on August 29, 2021

    This was my least favorite of Deb's three spring/summer galettes, but then again, I didn't make the edits that Caitlin on Chowhound suggested (adding garlic and gruyere), which would have elevated it. I *did* leave out the lemon juice in the crust and reduce the water a touch (according to her more recent versions) and it came out nice and flaky. I think I would have preferred an all corn or all tomato galette - the flavors competed for me, rather than complemented. That said, I enjoyed it very much and I will enjoy the leftovers, too.

  • stockholm28 on September 09, 2018

    This was very good although I think you could jazz it up a bit with some fresh herbs. The crust held up quite nicely. Even two days after made, the crust crisped up nicely when reheated in the oven.

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2017

    While my six-year-old was not a fan (he still has issues with mixing cooked vegetables together), I think this is great. I appreciated that I could cook the filling and make the pastry dough in the morning, then quickly put it together for dinner when I arrived home from work. Served with sausages and a simple salad on the side, it makes an easy but delicious and seasonal weeknight meal.

  • Agaillard on May 01, 2021

    Super nice! The yogurt pastry is original, holds and folds nicely! The ingredients combine well... I guess you can do this with any vegetable pretty much... Will make again :)

• Pumpkin cinnamon rolls

  • Vanessa on October 07, 2012

    Oh boy oh boy oh boy! We didn't find the dough nearly as sticky as I feared it would be, just beautifully soft. With rapid-rise yeast, the entire production from start to eating only took about 2 1/2 hours. The flavor was great (head and shoulders above plain cinnamon rolls), and the icing was terrific (and terrifically easy) too.

  • trudys_person on November 06, 2021

    @anya_sf Funny! I made these the same day, from the original recipe in Baked Elements. I used instant yeast called for in that recipe, and didn't have any problems with rise. I agree about sugar/sweetness, so I skipped the icing this time. I made a long note on that recipe. I think the perfect recipe is somewhere between Deb's and Matt and Renato's ... But these are definitely worth the trouble! Your photo looks great!

  • anya_sf on November 05, 2021

    I bought active dry yeast just for this recipe, hoping the rolls would rise faster in the morning (after chilling overnight), but after 1.5 hrs, they had hardly risen. I was in a hurry, so I baked one pan anyway. I let the other pan rise another 1/2 hr, at which point the rolls were definitely larger. Both pans rose a lot in the oven and ended up basically the same. There was a lot of sugar filling so I didn't feel any need to add back the sugar that fell out - next time I'd reduce the sugar by 25%. In the icing, I just used half the powdered sugar and thought the sweetness was just right. These rolls were soft and delicious, definitely a treat.

  • Taginediary on October 17, 2021

    I used "instant dry" and not "active dry" as she specified in notes (doh!) and it took *so* long to rise, both 1st and 2nd times. Otherwise the flavor was delicious, would def make again with the right yeast. I learned that if I keep my oven open with a spoon to crack it a little the oven light will bring the temp in there to the optimal 70-80 degrees for rising (although it still took a long time on my 2nd rise, about 3 hrs!). I froze half the batch and will see how that works out!

• Strawberry rhubarb crisp bars

  • DKennedy on December 20, 2019

    Doubled recipe and used gf flour. I did not put another layer of crumble on top. Perfect results. Next time line the pan.

  • Kfaber on July 04, 2014

    So easy and yummy!!

  • Rutabaga on May 19, 2014

    My husband took these to a work potluck, and they were so popular that only a few uneaten bites of oatmeal crust remained in the corners on the pan when he brought it home (and I had even doubled the recipe, anticipating this). For myself, I can say the oatmeal crust was very tasty, and I can only imagine it was even better with fruit. Making the dessert in one pan was also a great time saver.

  • Rutabaga on May 08, 2016

    I made these again - and this time, I even got to eat some! They tasted great, but were very soft, easier to eat with a fork than by hand. Perhaps I should have added more flour, or baked them a full hour (they were in the oven about 50 minutes). For flour, I used 2/3 whole wheat pastry and 1/3 white. The bars also make a great yogurt topping.

  • ChristineL32707 on June 28, 2019

    Easy to throw together and so delicious. I didn’t have strawberries so I increased rhubarb to 1-1/2 cups and added a tablespoon-ish more sugar. Then added a pint jar of my own “crazyberry” jam. (Cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.) it baked for around 50 minutes total - checked until rhubarb was soft. Loved that there is a bottom crust. Served warm with lightly sweetened whipped cream on the side. This is such a flexible recipe - I can’t wait to try with peaches, plums, apples...or combination thereof. Make this!

• Plum squares with marzipan crumble

  • DKennedy on October 04, 2021

    Made these using 2 lbs plums and 1/2 a passionfruit to add a bit of contrast. Subbed gf flour for regular. Used lined rectangular tart pan. The crust and topping were sandy. Not too sweet. Good but not outstanding.

  • raybun on March 05, 2017

    These are easy to make and quick to bake (30 mins). Perfect for afternoon tea. I used a half of a 200g block of marzipan that I recently found at IKEA in the food department ($2.49!).

  • Kinhawaii on October 03, 2021

    I love these - the tart plum with the crunchy sweet crumble. I made them in a 9 in square - because of the comments about thickness in the 8 in. I realize now though that I didn’t put 1/2 cup of topping under the plums but 1/2 of the topping- I think though I wouldn’t like that much crumble on top. Definitely on repeat.

• Winter fruit salad

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    In spite of its name- this is definitely a dessert rather than a salad. (I brought it to a brunch.) Pears and a bit of apple, along with dried figs and apricots, are marinated in a simple syrup flavored with star anise and vanilla bean. Pomegranate seeds are added as an accent. The fruit is supposed to sit in the syrup overnight, but I only had time to allow it to marinate about two hours and it still had a lovely taste of the spices.

• Sour cherry pie with almond crumble

  • TrishaCP on May 21, 2014

    This pie is tricky- I blind-baked and found it made the crust prone to burning, because the cherry filling really needed the full cooking time. (The topping was prone to burning as well.)

• Acorn squash with chile-lime vinaigrette

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2013

    This is wonderful. I subbed garlic powder for garlic for less assertive flavor and skipped the cilantro (I was out), but the heat and tang completely wake up the sweetly bland roasted squash (I used buttercup). Will definitely be using this recipe frequently this winter.

  • ahsafford on October 23, 2011

    Really good vinaigrette - added a little honey to it. Can also roast squash in halves and glaze with vinaigrette.

  • hirsheys on May 23, 2018

    Delicious. Dressing would taste good on shoe leather.

• Whole wheat apple muffins

  • TrishaCP on January 18, 2015

    Not a groundbreaking recipe or anything, but I really liked the whole wheat flour in these muffins. I did not find that they lasted that long though without freezing- the size of the apple chunks made them quite soft after just a day. My yield was also 18 muffins.

  • cjannace on September 23, 2014

    I've made these twice and my boyfriend and I absolutely love them. A great easy-to-grab breakfast. I froze half of the batch (which does make 18) and take them out in the morning. By the time I'm ready to eat, these are ready to munch on.

  • Frogcake on September 21, 2017

    I liked these but agree with TrishaCP that there are no brilliant innovations in this recipe. They are greatly enhanced served warm with Martha Stewart's apple butter or my blueberry maple jam. Not sure if I will make these again as there are so many better apple muffin recipes out there.

• Avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing

  • TrishaCP on August 10, 2011

    I only had red miso so that's what I used. There is a stronger miso flavor but it still worked.

• Double chocolate layer cake

  • TrishaCP on August 10, 2011

    The cake is absolutely amazing, moist and delicious and 5 stars. I had real problems with the consistency of the frosting however.

  • rionafaith on June 09, 2017

    Split the batter between two 6" round pans and baked them for about 23-25 mins, which made a great last-minute small birthday cake. Very good basic chocolate cake -- not super rich or chocolatey, so you can have a decent-sized wedge, and it's moist and rather dense. Very good birthday option. If I were making it a layer cake again though, I would increase the frosting quantity by a little bit (maybe 25-50% more for the same size cake), as I was spreading it rather thin on the edges to have enough. (But then I like a LOT of frosting.)

• Strawberry rhubarb pecan loaf

  • TrishaCP on June 16, 2015

    This was a really good loaf cake. I subbed yogurt for sour cream (using what I had on hand) and omitted the topping since I didn't have time to make it. Instead I sprinkled sugar and pecans on top, and I found it did need that extra bit of sweetness. I would consider subbing oat or barley flour for the whole wheat flour next time- I think that would make it amazing.

  • eliza on July 08, 2015

    Really liked this loaf. I used cherries and toasted almonds instead of the strawberries and pecans; otherwise followed the loaf ingredients as written. I used cinnamon sugar for the topping instead of the butter topping in the recipe and it was good. I liked that it was not too sweet, and used a bit of whole wheat flour. I made it again without rhubarb and using frozen cherries (one cup) and frozen raspberries (1/2 cup). Excellent!

  • eliza on April 20, 2016

    Using the basic recipe, I changed the fruits to apple, frozen cherries from last summer, and walnuts. I completely omitted the topping this time. Worked really well with the change of fruits. According to the comments I increased the fruit a little. Also love that this recipe uses oil instead of butter; I use olive oil. A great fruit loaf recipe. Update: finally made this with the strawberries and I didn't like it much at all. I used frozen strawberries so maybe that was a problem. Loaf was much more moist (too moist, really) and the berries weren't as tasty as the cherries. So I will stick to cherries in future.

  • seherhussain on October 23, 2011

    excellent!

  • chawkins on June 28, 2015

    Very good. It rose a little during baking but then sunk back overnight, so I was worried that it would be dense, but it has a very nice tender crumb. I also used yogurt for the sour cream, I also did not have enough rhubarb and did not want to go out in the pouring rain to harvest more, so I made up the difference with strawberries. I was also going to skip the topping, but I'm glad I didn't, it is a great complement to the loaf or even on its own.

• Perfect, uncluttered chicken stock

  • TrishaCP on April 20, 2014

    Could not be simpler, and the final result was a beautifully clear and simple stock.

• Ramp pizza

  • TrishaCP on April 24, 2022

    This was a fun way to use ramps when they are in season.

  • sosayi on May 22, 2018

    Absolutely delicious. A great spring dish! I would make this again in a heartbeat, and might try to replicate with garlic chives and some scallions later this summer when ramps aren't in season. I did sparingly add some mozzarella (mentioned in the notes on the recipe, but not listed in ingredients), which I enjoyed, so know that it's an option.

• Perfect corn muffins

  • TrishaCP on November 26, 2021

    I may have over baked these, but they came out very dry for me. I won’t be repeating this recipe.

• Roasted squash and tofu with ginger and garlic

  • chriscooks on February 01, 2020

    I made this with about 3 lb (cut up) butternut squash and sweet potatoes, but no tofu. Flavor was very good. Next time I'll reduce the oil by about half because there was a big pool of oil left on the parchment. I roasted the veg for about 30 min; the sweet potatoes were done but the squash could have used an additional 5 to 10 min - there were hardly any caramelized edges. My oven thermometer said I had the correct temp. As commenters on the web site noted, the lime juice is essential. Easy and tasty.

• Gingerbread biscotti

  • chriscooks on November 08, 2021

    Very tasty. I added about a cup of chopped candied ginger (from TJ's, doesn't have sugar granules on it), and some cardamom as recommended by a commenter at the SK site. I used the normal creaming method rather than melting butter and I used all white sugar with about 1T of molasses; I also skipped the egg wash and dusting with cinnamon sugar.

  • michalow on December 25, 2018

    These are good. If I make them again, I will include a couple of tablespoons of crystallized ginger. I used a bit less flour than I was supposed to (forgot to add the 2 Tbs. part of "2 cups plus 2 Tbs.") and noticed no ill effects, although the dough was a bit stickier and trickier to shape than my usual biscotti recipe.

  • leilx on December 04, 2019

    Very good and simple to make. Doubles easily. Nice flavor. Would make again.

• Pasta salad with roasted tomatoes

  • chriscooks on July 28, 2018

    Made this with canned garbanzos instead of pasta but even cooked garbanzos are pretty dry. And I overcooked the tomatoes a tad; they need to be juicy still. Flavor was good but texture was unappealing. Would need to use pasta for guests.

• Intensely chocolate sables

  • chriscooks on September 11, 2020

    These are wonderful. I buzzed the chocolate in the food processor, and then used the FP to make the dough. The chocolate wasn't uniformly fine but the (smallish) lumps disappeared during baking. I rolled the dough into a cylinder and left it in the refrig overnight; it was easy to slice the next day. Before baking I dropped 1 or 2 flakes of sea salt onto each one. I made small thin cookies and got about 6 dozen.

  • meggan on February 15, 2015

    These are difficult to roll out as they are very crumbly. I sprinkled a little water on the dough which helped a little but don't expect to use complicated cookie cutters on them.

• Spring asparagus pancetta hash

  • chriscooks on January 04, 2022

    This is easy and tasty. Also very adaptable. I've made it as written but have also substituted bacon or Canadian bacon for the pancetta, and used TJ's frozen French filet beans instead of asparagus. It was even good to eat when made with some asparagus that was so tired it must have walked all the way from Peru.

• Parmesan black pepper biscotti

  • chriscooks on November 07, 2021

    I made 2 half-quantities, one with all purpose flour and the other with GF. Not a lot of difference. Both took a bit longer to dry out than the recipe recommends. It is a very soft wet sticky dough; I think it could be made with less butter. Next time I'll try replacing some butter with more cheese because the cheese flavor wasn't as strong as I'd like.

  • Aleese1219 on April 28, 2014

    These sadly got soggy...maybe try it w/o an egg like a more traditional biscotti?

• Mushroom and farro soup

  • chriscooks on February 18, 2020

    This is OK but needs something. Maybe thyme.

• Alex's mother's cranberry sauce

  • mfto on November 16, 2011

    I just had to try this recipe because it was so "unusual". Since I have always made the back-of-the bag cranberry sauce, I had to buy all the ingredients except the walnuts. The strawberries in the bag of mixed frozen berries were huge so I cut them in forths. I served it not long after the fruit had defrosted and my husband said the sauce was OK but I thought the canned stuff was very bland, almost tasteless. A day later I tried it and what a difference a day made. It was now very flavorful. Since it makes a lot, I would save it for a large group. But really, it is surprisingly good.

• Pecan pie

  • mfto on May 15, 2017

    This is now my favorite pecan pie recipe. So easy and so good. Deb explains every step so that even I can understand it. Fortunately her idea to paint chocolate on the bottom crust before adding the pecan filling is optional. What a terrible idea. However I have a daughter and several grandchildren who will put chocolate on everything. I followed Deb's instructions for prebaking the crust and it works. I have done this a little differently from another recipe but Deb's is easier. Definitely use Golden Syrup.

  • JoCam1717 on December 30, 2015

    This has now become my absolute favorite pecan pie recipe! Toasted pecans, golden syrup, bourbon, and chocolate on the bottom, make for an amazing taste. I did not use her crust recipe, so cannot comment on that aspect.

  • ebs on November 26, 2020

    Fantastic pecan pie recipe - easy and delicious. I parbaked the crust (used Zingerman's pie crust recipe) and I did not add the chocolate on the crust. I made it in my larger pie dish and it did not quite fill it, so next time I would either use a smaller pie pan or scale up the recipe

  • Frenchfoodie on November 02, 2020

    Delicious, straightforward and very forgiving - even accidentally cooking at 200 (the blind bake temperature) rather than 175 for 30 minutes didn’t affect its gooey deliciousness.

  • leilx on November 26, 2020

    Love this pie! I used a different crust. I did not add chocolate.

  • emstovall on November 26, 2021

    Used 12 oz of chopped pecans which is family tradition (2x the amount on the karo recipe)

• Tangy spiced brisket

  • zorra on March 14, 2014

    Inspired by rave reviews & a new slow cooker, I tried this. Only okay to me--but guess I just don't care for cooked-forever beef. (Writing this down so next time I consider cooking brisket or pot roast I'll remember.) Sauce is nice, though (even with a quarter of the sugar).

  • hirsheys on June 30, 2018

    Very good and quite easy. My sister loved it and actually preferred it to my pot-roast (which is horrifying). Regardless, it's a lovely change of pace and quite zippy. Great texture. I use bottom round as opposed to brisket, as per my usual with pot-roast, which worked well here.

• Sweet and smoky oven spareribs

  • zorra on September 02, 2014

    Since it's been perhaps 3 years since we last barbecued ribs, decided to try Harold McGee’s recipe, originally in New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/dining/30curious.html?_r=0) & here. Mixed results: THE RUB—his spice rub was appealing as, unlike so many, it isn’t highly salty. But it is sugary sweet, otherwise added little. Per Smitten Kitchen advice, I cut sugar, by 25%. Also added coriander. Next time I'd use another rub. THE TECHNIQUE worked well. Seems that when I dropped temperature after 4 hours, oven wasn't cooperating for the last 2 hours, so with 7 hungry people waiting, baked 7th hour @ 300°F, probably a bit too long or high. THE GRILL—final charring on the grill (with hickory smoke) made them terrific, wouldn't skip it. THE SAUCE—his too sweet sauce we supplemented with a family favorite recipe. THE CUT—we bought baby loin ribs, not spareribs, worked fine. Everyone said they were delicious, few leftovers.

• Strawberry-rhubarb pie, improved

  • zorra on November 10, 2017

    Spring pie perfection! Per other recipes, I let the fruit mixture sit 15 minutes before filling. With a warm kitchen & soft dough, I also froze the pie briefly prior to baking. Topped with sparkly sugar it was the prettiest I've made. Pity that's not reproducible every pie.

  • Rutabaga on June 17, 2019

    This pie was excellent, the best strawberry rhubarb pie I have ever made. Smitten Kitchen's all butter crust worked like a dream, and the filling was full flavored and not too sweet, letting both the rhubarb and strawberries shine. The tapioca gelled successfully, but it was still a little messy when serving, as the fruit spilled out the sides. No matter - it was so delicious, no one minded a bit.

• Apple slab pie

  • zorra on November 29, 2016

    Worked beautifully & vanished fast. Relied on this recipe plus 2: my crust crutch, the Cooks Illustrated vodka pie crust (x 1.5) & per advice in a King Arthur Flour blog, divided the crust 60/40 before chilling & added graham cracker crumbs beneath the filling (no sogginess). Used Granny Smith & Golden Delicious apples. Sprinkled with sparkly sugar before baking & skipped the sugar glaze. Not too sweet & held well overnight.

• Homemade Irish cream

  • zorra on January 08, 2017

    Never cared for Bailey's, but made this for sisters who do. Very drinkable, dangerously so. To the second batch I added the optional teaspoon of espresso powder & preferred that version, authentic or not.

  • Barb_N on December 14, 2020

    I made this as DIY gifts for a few friends. I don’t know if it tastes like the real thing, until one of them reports back.

• Endive salad with toasted breadcrumbs and walnuts

  • zorra on January 05, 2018

    Cheffy, by my salad standards, with its 2 dressings, but just what I wanted in something different & delicious for Christmas eve. Used homemade sourdough peasant bread, the prescribed cheeses & served it all tossed together, with the remaining half orange sliced as a garnish. Imagine, a holiday vegetable dish that doesn't get ignored for greater temptations!

• Feta tapenade tarte soleil

  • debkellie on March 13, 2016

    This looks so pretty it becomes a talking piece! And it tastes yummy.. fiddly, but worth it!

  • blintz on December 16, 2018

    Huge hit for the app at a dinner party with four of us sitting around the coffee table with glasses of rose. Next time I might try pesto for a filling. The dip is simple, but the lemon adds an extra dimension. It is fiddly, but Deb's instructions are spot on. Used Defours pastry and I think it could have made a 12 inch circle, but went for 10 per her note.

  • pennyvr on December 11, 2018

    Yum! This makes a lot of dip and the rest will go well with some cut up veggies or on a sandwich. My feta was very salty so I added a bit of Greek yoghurt to dilute the dip.

  • joneshayley on January 16, 2018

    This is lovely- deceptively easy, takes 40 minutes start to finish! Perfect for guests and parties

  • Barb_N on January 28, 2018

    This is a beautiful appetizer that is a HUGE return on effort, especially since I subbed jarred pesto for the tapenade. Added feta crumbles also. Notes to self: Bake on parchment, less oily pesto, smaller cheese crumbles.

  • Rutabaga on January 21, 2018

    This creates a show-stopping appetizer for surprisingly little effort. Both the tapenade and feta spread come together easily and can be made in advance. Following Perelman's instructions, creating the "soleil" is quite simple. My package of puff pastry contained two sheets of dough, and each sheet was large enough for a twelve inch circle. You only need two packages if yours are small.

  • leilx on January 02, 2019

    Very good. I thought the dip was unnecessary. It looked impressive and tasted good

• Fork-crushed purple potatoes

  • EdM on November 20, 2017

    Important to fork crush to help make chunky, not mashed, consistency.

• Oven ribs

  • EdM on May 01, 2020

    Same as Smitten Kitchen's Sweet and smoky oven spareribs, with slightly different rub, and more cooking tips.

  • sldoug on August 10, 2015

    Served for dinner along with watermelon and esqiutes on 8/9/15. I stretched out the prep quite a bit, rubbing the ribs on Friday night, slow baking them on Saturday (six hours at 200 because they started out so cold), and then reheating them on the grill on Sunday. They were definitely fall-off-the-bone tender, but I wasn't convinced that the flavor was the best. Certainly the technique is good though, and I'll continue to tweak the rub.

  • anya_sf on June 12, 2020

    Other recipes recommend rubbing the meat ahead of time, so I did it the night before. I honestly don't know if it made a difference. In the rub, I used 2 Tbsp chili powder (blend) and 1 Tbsp chipotle chile powder (and not any extra), so the spice was mild but a little smoky. Sweetness level was good (not too much), but the ribs actually benefitted from a bit of salty glaze. However, the glaze was super greasy - wish there were an easy way to remove the fat without waiting for it to cool. I started roasting the ribs at 200 F, but after 3 hours could not smell anything (did not want to risk opening the foil packet), so I increased the temperature to 250 F for another 2 hours, then 300 for another 45 minutes. The ribs were just about falling off the bone, which is the way I like them. I broiled them a little at the end as I like some char. They were good, not great. Next time I'll tweak the recipe or try a different one.

• Soy-glazed chicken

  • blintz on May 23, 2021

    This was delicious both hot and cold. I did the half rice vinegar/half black vinegar version. it would be good on the grill too.

  • Agaillard on January 24, 2022

    I used a huge chicken breast I got from the butcher (really huge, I am not even sure what piece that was as I never saw a chicken breast this size!). The sauce did work perfectly well for me, and it was delicious. Not extremely creative, but simple and effective;

  • aisy on May 29, 2021

    For some reason, this didn't work well for me. The sauce separated and burned. I used chicken tenderloins, and they were significantly overcooked in the cooking time. I'd be willing to try again, though.

  • SKidd on December 01, 2022

    I use thighs for this, keep the sauce amounts but used a little less chicken. Quick, easy, a nice protein to add to a veggie stir fry. Thighs can take extra cooking time but you could also pull the meat and reduce the sauce down a bit more.

• Pear bread

  • blintz on January 11, 2016

    I needed to use up some overripe pears, and this recipe did the trick. Light and delicious; a perfect tea bread. Next time I would cut the sugar a bit. I kept it plain without topping it with confectioners sugar or icing.

  • eliza on May 30, 2020

    This made a good pear loaf. I cut the sugar a bit after reading the previous comment and it was sweet enough for me. I skipped the topping and added some blueberries in the centre. I also halved the recipe and made 4 mini loaves, baked for about 30 min at 350 convection. A good use for pears ordered during the pandemic that were about to turn.

  • Kinhawaii on January 04, 2022

    I agree- good use of overripe pears. Half a recipe fit nicely into my 8.5 x 4.5 inch pan. Used chopped crystallized ginger instead of nuts & less cinnamon. I used kosher & not regular salt. Definitely better 2 days later!

• Fennel and blood orange salad

  • blintz on February 05, 2014

    Nice version of this salad. Walnut oil and Pernod are mentioned as part of the original recipe and I added both!

  • imaluckyducky on February 22, 2014

    4 stars. Subdued flavors but still tasty with a satisfying textures. Dressing mellows out a tad if taking for lunch the next day. Mint is a must-have, making this salad lean more towards delicious than boring. V-slicer makes the salad come together very quickly.

  • Rutabaga on April 02, 2014

    This salad is an ideal accompaniment to a rich winter main dish (I made it to serve alongside a creamy, cheesy casserole). The fennel flavor was fairly muted here. I think I was hesitant to add too much in case someone I was serving didn't care for anise, but next time I would add more. I think mixing a little grapefruit in with the blood orange would also be good. I find it difficult to cut out clean orange segments without losing too much of the flesh, so I opted to slice the oranges crossways in circles after removing all peel and pith. This worked well, and looked much more attractive. Somewhat to my surprise, this tasted pretty great leftover, too.

  • tmitra on January 09, 2023

    Deb advertises that the fennel's "licorice vibe is neutralized" here, and indeed, I was expecting (and wanted) a brighter flavor, given the ingredients. I wouldn't repeat it.

• Cauliflower and caramelized onion tart

  • Astrid5555 on April 15, 2020

    Even when you have a strange combination of ingredients in your fridge that need to be used, an EYB search always turns up something. In my case it was store-bought tart dough, a carton of mascarpone cheese and a small head of cauliflower lingering in the crisper. While for me this tart was a little bit too rich, mascarpone, heavy cream and cheese, husband happily finished everything, Definitely needs a leafy salad to cut through the richness.

  • Grywhp on January 01, 2019

    Have made this several times - it is so very good! Complex and savory, would serve with a vinaigrette-dressed side salad.

  • mrsmadam on May 06, 2018

    This was great. Like Deb I forgot to slice the cauliflower after roasting it. Also, I got distracted and forgot to put the cheese in the custard until I was half done filling the crust. Using the clean knife method I took it out when the knife was just clean. The florets were browning a bit much for my taste and the final consistency was bit looser that I would have liked but I chalk these up to not slicing the florets and the late cheese addition. I will definitely make this again.

  • Miquette on January 12, 2013

    This is outstanding! Don't skip the mustard on the crust, it adds a subtle complexity to the overall flavor.

• Pasta with longer-cooked broccoli

  • Astrid5555 on February 21, 2023

    Much better than expected, perfect weeknight low-effort family dinner!

  • Barb_N on February 21, 2023

    I saw a link to this and immediately made it. We usually have broccoli in the fridge and all the other ingredients. I used chopped preserved lemon for fresh lemon but otherwise followed the recipe. It took me a long time to realize I am not a ‘crisp-tender’ or roasted broccoli fan. I like it ‘longer cooked’. I plan to try gluten free pasta next time.

  • allisonsemele on February 22, 2023

    This technique didn't work for me--both the broccoli and the pasta were softer than I like, and though I didn't have the puddle of liquid that some commenters on the SK site mentioned, the broccoli itself held onto too much moisture, which diluted the flavor. I like bolder flavors and more texture, so I much prefer the Marcella Hazan broccoli and anchovy sauce. I will not repeat this.

• Perfect blueberry muffins

  • abrownb1 on June 27, 2021

    Looks like I'm the outlier - ended up chucking these. They were dense and the sugar on top was a bit much. Maybe it was something I did though since everyone else seems to love this recipe.

  • michalow on August 21, 2020

    I made these with blackberries and, based on what was available in my kitchen, a combination of sour cream and buttermilk. Very nice. Used about a third of the recommended top-sprinkling sugar, and thought this was enough to give a sweet, crackling contrast to the tart berries.

  • aeader on December 30, 2013

    This is the best blueberry muffin recipe I have tried. They are a little more work than some recipes and they do require using an electric mixer, but the results are worth it...the flavor and texture of the crumb are wonderful. I often make them with frozen wild blueberries rather than fresh.

  • Bloominanglophile on August 23, 2020

    These are some of the best blueberry muffins that I have made to date. They are also quite easy to make--one bowl using a whisk until the batter got too thick, then changed to a rubber spatula. I noticed Deb's original recipe said the yield was 9 muffins, but I got a dozen using 1 1/2 cups of blueberries. They only took about 23 minutes to bake. I do think next time I will add a smidge of lemon extract to up the lemon flavor (but they are still good as is).

  • chawkins on July 23, 2014

    Great and easy muffins. I used my large muffin tin and got 5 muffins, convection baked @350F for 32m in my countertop little oven.

  • mharriman on August 03, 2019

    We liked these better cooled down than right out of the oven. That’s a different experience for me because I usually prefer just out of the oven muffins. I agree the sugar topping adds a nice crunch. I doubled everything to make regular and mini muffins. I used half light sour cream and half Fage plain two percent yogurt. My yield was 12 large ‘regular’ muffins and 12 mini ones. I took out the mini muffin pan at 20 minutes; the regular pan at 25 minutes and they were both perfectly baked. I’m freezing most of them to eat one at a time for breakfast or a snack.

  • MWFhome on July 17, 2014

    Simply fabulous! Made with 1/2 ww flour and sugar 1/4-stevia 1/4 bulked up with more yoghurt and the last of last year's frozen berries.

  • anya_sf on July 19, 2018

    These are my ideal healthy blueberry muffins. I used white whole wheat flour and lowfat yogurt and probably 2 cups of blueberries (OK, that amount was a teeny bit excessive, but they still turned out fine). I made the batter the night before (with fresh berries) and scooped and baked them the next morning. I got 10 muffins. Not too sweet and bursting with blueberries.

  • ChelseaP on June 29, 2021

    These are so moist and juicy with a great crunch on top from the sugar.

  • annettle on January 13, 2021

    Very moist, packed with blueberries - we loved these. I didn't do the sugar sprinkle because I didn't have raw sugar on hand, but I think it would have been a good idea for texture so will not skip in future, even if I have to use regular sugar. I got 12 medium-sized muffins from the recipe using what would be considered a "standard" muffin tray here in New Zealand, though that may not align with other countries' muffin sizes!

• Crisp rosemary flatbread

  • eliza on December 04, 2014

    I've made these many times. They are easy to make and very tasty; mine turn out more like a cracker than a flatbread. A nice variation is to roll them out in a seed mixture (poppy, sesame, flax, etc) and to cut into thin rectangles. Great for guests with her baked feta dip from the same site.

• Butternut squash and caramelized onion galette

  • eliza on October 19, 2021

    This made a good savoury galette. The squash and caramelized onions are both sweet, and for us, the fontina just wasn’t strong enough to counteract the sweetness. In future I will use a strong cheddar instead. The cayenne was barely detectable. Will definitely make this again, since it uses squash and onions which are often abundant in the fall veg garden. Extremely easy to make, just make sure you assemble it directly on the parchment-covered baking sheet.

  • chawkins on November 09, 2022

    Outstanding dish! Both the pastry and the filling were stellar. I made half a recipe into a 9” galette. Used sage and gruyere for the Fontina. Will continue to use gruyere in the future because I always have that in the house but seldom Fontina.

  • Alro9 on November 01, 2013

    I loved this, especially the pastry and then the combination. it is not a thing of beauty looking most home-made but was still wonderful.

  • dianev on April 09, 2019

    Wonderful flavors! I substituted my own food processor piecrust which worked fine. This will be in the regular rotation.

• Oat and maple syrup scones

  • eliza on January 29, 2016

    This scone recipe seems lacking enough liquid so for anyone who makes them, be ready to add more. I liked them, they aren't too sweet and are a bit heavier in texture due to the oats and whole wheat flour. I freeze leftovers since they stale quickly, or freeze unbaked shaped scones and just bake a little longer straight from the freezer.

• Blondies, infinitely adaptable

  • eliza on April 13, 2018

    These were super easy to make and were very good. I browned the butter and added 3/4 cup of chocolate chips which seemed like enough to me. I also made gluten free using 1 to 1 flour and some sorghum and rice flour (I ran out of the 1 to 1 and made up the rest with the other flours.). Baked at 350 fan for 22 minutes in 8 inch pan. Very rich so I cut them a bit smaller. They freeze well.

  • sldoug on May 31, 2015

    I made these blondies using a white chocolate chip, macadamia nut, toasted coconut variation, with browned butter and sugar in the raw (I didn't have enough brown sugar). They were super rich and delicious but I wanted them just a tiny bit more cakey/chewy than fudgey. I've heard the Cook's Illustrated recipe provides that. I will try them next.

• Crispy potato roast

  • eliza on January 04, 2018

    Mine looked lovely, all crisp with golden edges, but ultimately we found it bland despite adding all the seasonings. I much prefer simple roast potatoes to these, but I'm glad I tried it. Took only about 1 hour in convection oven at 350.

  • VineTomato on September 17, 2017

    Great dish and a success first time round. Don't usually have great success with potato dishes and they are not my favourite thing to eat. This was great. I made it with baby potatos to use up some left overs so was a little worried how it would turn out. Delicious! Urfa chilli flakes added a slight heat and some extra, attractive colour.

• Ridiculously easy butterscotch sauce

  • eliza on December 24, 2013

    Really good and very easy. Only has 3 ingredients and about 7 minutes to make! Makes a nice gift too.

• Espresso-chocolate shortbread cookies

  • eliza on October 06, 2016

    I had high hopes for these since we love coffee and chocolate. The resulting cookie tasted pretty bland however. I wouldn't repeat this one since there are so many great cookie recipes out there.

• Thick, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies

  • eliza on May 19, 2020

    Didn't care for these at all. I read the comments, reduced sugar a little and chilled as described in the recipe. The resulting cookie was oddly underbaked in the centre and just a bit too salty. I might still give them to my Mum as planned, but basically sorry that I used my pandemic ingredients on these.

  • FJT on October 15, 2022

    These are rather good and came out much better than the David Lebovitz recipe I made last month. I used dark brown sugar because that's all I had in the cupboard and I also used up the end of a bag of ground almonds (about 25g) subbing it for some of the flour (I used a gluten-free mix). Chilled the dough for a couple of hours. Lovely thick, chewy cookies. Will make again.

  • michalow on January 03, 2018

    I've made these both with and without the walnuts, and much prefer them with--otherwise, too sweet. Regardless, I keep the sugar measurement on the scant side. For spices, I use about 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp each nutmeg and allspice. After chilling the dough and baking, they come out as promised -- crisp on the outside with a soft, tender center. Now that I've worked out the tweaks, I think these will become my go-to oatmeal cookie.

  • chawkins on January 02, 2019

    I should have read the notes here before I made these. I rolled them into balls and froze them, when baked from frozen there was no spreading, they remained in ball shape, tasted great though.

  • babyfork on March 04, 2016

    These were good. I followed the directions (even weighed ingredients v measuring), but subbed in Dark Chocolate-Covered Raisins for the regular ol' raisins. The first batch went into the oven frozen and spread a bit on the edges, although not much. I had some dough leftover that I had put in the fridge and I loosely rolled that into balls for a small second batch and baked. These seemed to spread less...so I would do a long chill in the fridge versus frozen in the future. I only got 16 cookies of about a 2 and a half inch diameter. I'm not sure why other people seemed to get so many more as I didn't think my cookies were particularly large.

• Beef, leek and barley soup

  • eliza on October 21, 2014

    This is a great fall and winter soup since it's nutritious, easy to make, and delicious. Easy to adapt to veggies you might have on hand. Freezes well. Like many soups it tastes better the next day.

  • Zosia on January 26, 2017

    I agree with the previous review - easy, delicious, adaptable, and tastes even better the next day.

  • clcorbi on September 26, 2017

    Agree that this soup is very good and easy. My only complaint is that I wish Deb had specified a quantity of salt to use, otherwise this was perfect. I used bone-in short ribs so I ended up with more meat than called for. I used a mix of storebought beef broth and homemade stock for the liquid, and I substituted farro for barley. I also added one medium-sized carrot, diced, and about 1/2c extra liquid to compensate. I imagine you could make any number of changes and this soup would still be delicious.

• Escarole and orzo soup with meatballs

  • eliza on February 18, 2016

    As others have said, very easy and tasty. I did brown the meatballs first for flavour, and used quinoa since I had no orzo.

  • bernalgirl on January 08, 2012

    A relatively easy to assemble soup on the order of an Itslian Wedding soup but more streamlined. Comforting, good for a cold Sunday night along with some good crusty bread.

  • chawkins on May 20, 2013

    Very easy and simple soup when you already have homemade chicken broth and super easy when you used turkey meatballs from Trader Joe instead of making your own. Parmesan shavings on top added a lot of umami.

• Sour cream bran muffins

  • eliza on January 01, 2017

    These are nice, if unspectacular bran muffins. I made them to use up sour cream, and used the oil option instead of butter, and dried cranberries for the fruit. The author gives lots of options, and the comments give a lot more (jump to the end of the comments for those). I couldn't taste the cinnamon at all, so would probably increase that next time. If made with oil, the mix is very runny, but rises well in the oven.

• Pickled sugar snap peas

  • eliza on June 22, 2016

    I really liked this, but made a few changes according to my taste. I used a bit more water and a little more sugar, and they were ready to eat after sitting in the fridge overnight. I added them to a grain salad with quinoa, farro, wehani red rice, arugula, and goat cheese and they were great. A super way to enjoy my home grown snap peas.

  • bernalgirl on May 24, 2012

    An easy and addictive refrigerator pickle.

• Zuni Cafe's roasted chicken

  • eliza on March 24, 2015

    For me, this was just ok. The chicken is cooked at high temperature and turned periodically. Although it gets rave reviews from others, I will probably not do it again since I found it a bit of a pain to take out a really hot bird and turn it without getting burnt! Also, my result, while good, was not exceptional.

• Red wine chocolate cake

  • eliza on June 25, 2015

    This made a good, moist cake. Mine took longer to bake (40 minutes rather than 30), and it did not look like a "puddle of chocolate" when finished. I skipped the icing and just dusted with a little icing sugar and it was very rich. Very nice taste, enjoyed by everyone in our group.

  • cjannace on January 01, 2015

    A delicious dish! I made this for New Year's Eve and it got rave reviews! My cake didn't resemble the "puddle of chocolate" described in the recipe, but the taste was on point.

• Blue Sky bran muffins

  • eliza on November 04, 2016

    A really good recipe for barely sweet bran muffins with fruit. Very easy to make and they come together quickly. Took about 16 minutes to bake in my convection oven. I'll definitely make these again with various fruits. They are best on the day they're baked, but also keep quite well, and can be frozen. Note that the ingredients tab lists mixed dried fruits which do not appear in this recipe.

  • wittwoman on April 10, 2016

    We've used buttermilk and whey leftover from making ricotta. Any kind of chopped up frozen berries, peaches and mangos have been terrific. Freeze exceptionally well. We bake one or two batches at a time and freeze them to use for quick breakfasts. Flavor is not too sweet.

• Mushrooms and greens with toast

  • eliza on December 22, 2018

    I made a simplified version of this and it was excellent. I didn't add the bread to the dish, just served the vegetables on sourdough toast. Keeps well in the fridge for a few days. Will definitely make again.

• Carrot cake with cider and olive oil

  • eliza on February 04, 2018

    This is more of a bread than a cake as it's not too sweet. Mine rose well, tasted good, and had a nice texture. The spices could probably be increased, although I would keep the cinnamon the same. Very easy to make and uses pantry staples that I always have on hand. Definitely will make again. Took 60 minutes at 350 convection.

• Everyday meatballs

  • eliza on December 20, 2017

    I made this in my instant pot as suggested in the comments on the site, 5 min pressure on meat setting, let sit 10 min then released. The meatballs were quite tasty but really I prefer meatballs that are sautéed first since I think it adds a lot of flavour. A good basic recipe, but not my favourite for taste so I may not make this one again. It was, however, very fast and easy to make, taking only about 25 min once the meatballs are chilled. Edited to add: the next day these tasted better, so they might be a repeat for me after all.

  • Grywhp on November 30, 2018

    Not too fussy, I’ve made this many a weekday night after getting home from work. Great flavor, I always make this with ground beef and usually add some chopped peppers and sometimes browned mushrooms.

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on April 29, 2016

    Gorgeous recipe. I agree the sauce was thinner than I anticipated - but, the spaghetti, garlic bread (see Smitten Kitchen's gorgeous garlic bread!!!) or whatever - benefits from this lovely sauce. As I doubled recipe (will freeze for quick and easy future teas) - I used a large can of chopped toms and one of 'triturado' - kind of puree'd. I loved preparing, I loved the cooking - and the eating: very yum!!

  • Rutabaga on March 14, 2016

    This is a great go-to recipe for basic meatballs. There are some things I would do differently next time, mostly having to do with ways I deviated from the basic recipe. I used ground turkey, and the meatballs were quite wet before I cooked them, probably in part due to the fact that the meat was not quite fully defrosted. In such a case, I would recommend halving the amount of milk, adding more breadcrumbs, or both. For tomato sauce, I pureed two cans of whole tomatoes. While the flavor was good, the sauce was a thinner than I'd prefer, possibly because I didn't have time to cook it down. It became very watery when "parmesaned" under the broiler with buffalo mozzarella, partly due to the moisture in the mozzarella. I would definitely give the sauce more time to thicken. Crushed tomatoes would probably be the best option if you have them.

• Granola bark

  • eliza on June 03, 2017

    I found this to have a strange texture and I didn't like it much. Probably just personal preference. I made half the recipe and baked about 30 minutes with convection fan. Barely sweet. I don't think I would make this again.

• Morning glory breakfast cake

  • eliza on October 28, 2020

    This cake came out very well, and the classic combination of pineapple, coconut, carrot, apple, and spices worked nicely. I added the optional raisins and used a small amount of spelt flour along with all purpose. I reduced the sugar very slightly since my pineapple was very sweet. A light and pretty nutritious cake. Will definitely make again.

• Mathilde's tomato tart

  • eliza on August 18, 2020

    A good solid recipe for a savoury tart. Used tomatoes, garlic, and herbs from my garden and a mix of cheeses I had left over. I didn’t have the basil and parsley called for so I made an arugula pesto and that worked just fine. The pastry was crisp and flaky. This would make a good vegetarian company dish. I made a smaller tart and it took 45 minutes to bake.

  • sharone7 on May 25, 2021

    This tart is so good I think I made it several days in a row. The flavors are so gorgeous and summery and savory.

• Perfect vegetable lasagna

  • eliza on February 26, 2020

    This recipe makes a good vegetable lasagne. For the veg I used lots of leeks, a few small carrots, and spinach. I used a good quality strong cheddar for the cheese (instead of mozzarella), and also used no boil noodles. I'm glad I increased the vegetable amounts since the 4 cups in the recipe would not have been enough. I would make this again, varying the vegetables as noted in her post. A fair bit of work, but that's always the way with homemade lasagne.

  • Kinhawaii on February 01, 2023

    This was delicious. We made half a recipe in an old deep Corning ware dish about 8 inches square-& the finished lasagne was over 3 inches high with its many layers. We used closer to 4 instead of 2 cups of mushrooms, zucchini & spinach. I will definitely be making this again. I liked the flexibility of this & it wasn’t too cheesy.

  • Acarroll on February 19, 2023

    This was ok, but not mind-blowing. The tomato sauce was very good, much better than the jarred stuff. My very picky child kept sneaking spoonfuls. Part of my mistake was using frozen veggies instead of fresh - I used frozen spinach and a frozen Mediterranean veggie blend. Despite seasoning the veggies well, the water content was too high and they seemed a bit soggy. Will definitely use fresh veggies next time.

• Carrot cake with maple-cream cheese frosting

  • monica107 on April 21, 2014

    I made these as mini-cupcakes. The frosting came out a bit too sweet for my tastes, but everyone else thought it was a perfect complement to the cake. I used a whole 2-lb bag of carrots and still didn't quite get the required amount - but it was enough. This will definitely be a go-to dessert option for me.

  • michalow on August 07, 2021

    These did a good job of satisfying my carrot cake craving, even without the frosting. I used part whole wheat pastry flour, and while this no doubt made my cupcakes a bit denser, I didn't mind. I found them quite salty, though -- if I make them again, I will reduce the salt by at least a third. Took considerably longer than expected to bake.

  • okmosa on March 23, 2021

    I’ve made this cake many times because carrot cake is my daughter’s favorite and she asked for it again this week for her birthday. I usually make this in three 7” pans for a taller, narrower cake pile-up. The frosting is just enough to get a coating all around but not much more than a crumb coat which is enough for cream cheese frosting. The only other changes I make are adding/substituting grated fresh ginger if I have it on a hand and adding a couple healthy pinches of salt to the frosting.

  • sldoug on March 26, 2016

    I feel like I can hardly rate this recipe since I made so many changes to it. I had to use half olive oil as I ran out of canola, I forgot I was halving the recipe and had to carefully scoop out the double baking soda and salt I used (meaning who knows how much I actually added), I didn't have powdered ginger so I used twice as much fresh, hoping that was a reasonable substitution. I used about 190 g carrots, which was a cup and a half, fairly firmly packed. Per the end result, that seemed about right, although mine didn't turn out as prettily orange as the recipe photos suggest. The flavor was good though, although I'm not sure the cream cheese frosting was exactly what I was looking for...maybe it was too sweet? Maybe it should have had vanilla? The tiniest pinch of salt? I'd make the cupcakes again though, and maybe just try a different frosting.

  • sarahkalsbeek on January 12, 2022

    This review is for the maple-cream cheese frosting, which I made to go with gingerbread cupcakes. Absolutely delicious!

• Warm lentil and potato salad

  • krobbins426 on January 27, 2014

    This was great, especially with the runny egg on top. Was short on fresh parsley, so I used a bit of dried in the dressing and cut some kale really small and let it hang out in the dressing (which I doubled given the amount of kale I had) while the lentils and potatoes finished cooking. First lentil recipe I've made that husband requested I make again.

  • allisonsemele on May 13, 2021

    This was pretty good, and very filling. Would slightly increase the capers and mustard next time. This makes just enough dressing. Not the most visually appealing salad, but tastes good.

• Gingerbread apple upside-down cake

  • krobbins426 on September 29, 2011

    Super easy recipe. I used a springform, since that is the only 10 inch pan I have. Required a baking sheet underneath it and a lot of additional cooking time (30 min). A little lighter than a lot of traditional gingerbread since it's half honey, half molasses.

• Spinach and cheese strata

  • adrienneyoung on November 24, 2013

    Could be ok or could be great: so much depends on what ingredients you use. Needs (in my opinion) very high quality gruyere, caramelized onions, lots of fresh baby spinach and lots of sautéed, sliced mushrooms.

  • adrienneyoung on December 26, 2013

    Made, this time, with high quality gruyere, park, 12 oz fresh spinach and about a pound and a half of sautéed mushrooms for boxing day morning. Yup. It was marvellous!

  • adrienneyoung on January 01, 2018

    Made, again, with mushrooms. Absolutely terrific!

  • Yildiz100 on September 22, 2019

    The only thing SK changes from the original recipe in Gourmet/Epicurious is that she does not direct you to squeeze the excess water from the spinach first. That is an important step to getting great results. I made this version first, but after finding and making the original, I have found that I prefer it.

• Broccoli cheddar soup

  • adrienneyoung on December 18, 2020

    Very good. A worthy version of this soup!

  • mharriman on September 28, 2021

    This version of broccoli cheddar soup has more dairy in it compared to others I’ve made. I liked it but perhaps not as much as the Williams- Sonoma 365 Soup version I’ve made in the past. I think I would have liked it more by leaving some of the cooked broccoli and carrots floating on top of the puréed soup. Very easy to put together and cook.

  • sldoug on October 15, 2015

    Made October 2015. Followed the recipe exactly but my immersion blender was broken and I was too lazy to bring out the regular blender, so I merely mashed it a bit at the end and called it good. My family enjoyed it (although I think it would have been better blended) but the leftover soup wasn't as good. Still, it was easy and cheap. I'd make it again.

  • JJ2018 on April 17, 2019

    This was delicious will definitely make this again - warm and comforting and really quick.

  • allisonsemele on October 08, 2022

    This was quite satisfying. I used a big splash of heavy cream (probably not a full half cup) and chicken broth for the rest of the liquid. Subbed red pepper for carrot and added a small diced potato. Also cut way back on the cheese and didn’t feel like it was lacking in dairy.

• Corn bacon and Parmesan pasta

  • adrienneyoung on August 17, 2018

    Not a fan. I found it rich and sweet: not super-interesting to eat, and pretty heavy for a hot summer evening. That could have been because of the quality of the corn: it is one of those ultra sweet varieties that is showing up more and more at my farmers’ market. Not the best, but it’s what we can get. Maybe with something acidic to offset? Tomatoes?

  • stockholm28 on June 13, 2020

    I enjoyed this. It is a fairly quick skillet pasta dish and easy to scale down.

  • Rutabaga on August 08, 2018

    It's very simple, but this is a great combination, especially with fresh sweet corn. Tomatoes or herbs would be a lovely addition. I used a small amount of pepper Jack since I was out of Parmesan.

  • BeckyLeJ on October 28, 2017

    This is quick, incredibly tasty, and makes for a perfect summer supper!

• Roasted pear and chocolate chunk scones

  • Queezle_Sister on October 28, 2012

    Nice rich scone, but the chocolate flavor overwhelmed the pear. I really had a hard time tasting any pear (also my family). Use your pears for Deb's vanilla roasted pears instead.

• Sheet pan chicken tikka

  • aargle on February 23, 2018

    This was really quick, easy and delicious - upped the chilli but still not enough and added sweet potato which I will repeat. Will make again but with extra spice.

  • FJT on February 11, 2017

    Very easy to make and packed with flavour. This recipe is a winner.

  • stockholm28 on October 26, 2020

    I loved this. I substituted boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it was ready in 35 minutes. The whole milk yogurt resulted in a lot of liquid on the sheet pan, and I pored some of that liquid off about half way through.

  • Barb_N on June 26, 2018

    This smelled so good as I took the chicken out of the marinade that I had to slap my hand and remind myself it was raw chicken. I used a ‘tikka masala’ spice mix, appropriately neon. The fresh ginger imparted a bitter note and I would skip it in the future. The marinade made barely enough to coat 4 large bone-in thighs, would double next time so I can be assured of leftovers.

  • runoutofshelves on November 02, 2016

    yummy, and pretty simple to prepare on a week night. I love all the tray bake, sheet pan, all in one recipes. They multiply the flavour so effortlessly.

  • tmitra on March 03, 2017

    I like this concept, but I found the result very bland, maybe because I regularly cook from Indian cookbooks? It certainly has potential.

  • clcorbi on July 13, 2018

    Add me to the list of people who loved this. I didn't have time to make the pickled onions but I think they would have been welcome here, and won't skip them next time. The effort to flavor ratio on this dish was amazing.

  • rionafaith on July 16, 2017

    Very good! I used a whole serrano pepper and the full 1/2 tsp of cayenne and it was barely spicy (though I did use a few tablespoons of extra yogurt as I was trying to use up the container). The pickled onions are great on top.

• Salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread

  • aargle on February 15, 2018

    I liked them but didn't love them as much as I thought I would. I found the dough very crumbly when it came to slicing so won't repeat.

  • hirsheys on September 07, 2018

    I didn't have too much trouble with them, though they did spread a LOT more than the picture. I cut up the butter while it was still cold, but let it sit a minute or two before whipping it with the sugar and vanilla. Otherwise, the recipe went smoothly, though I absolutely did NOT like rolling the logs of dough in egg and then sugar. Something about the texture of raw egg on cookie dough... Yuck. On the other hand, I didn't have much trouble with the dough crumbling, which is good. I didn't have space for both baking sheets in the oven at the same time, so I froze the waiting sheet of raw cookies before baking - that tray spread less and probably had a nicer texture. If I were to make these again, I'd do that purposely. All in all, these are good, though they aren't as earth-shattering as the internet made me think they would be. On the other hand, I brought them to work/school and while everyone liked them, a few people went bananas over them. They are certainly worth trying.

  • clcorbi on January 05, 2018

    I want to give these cookies 5 stars because the flavor is so delicious, but I'm giving them 3.5 just because the dough didn't really work for me as written. These are very similar to Dorie's World Peace Cookies, just without cocoa powder and with more salt. Unlike Dorie's recipe, though, this dough just doesn't hold together. I could barely slice through the logs without them crumbling into sand, no matter how slowly and carefully I sliced. I noticed a lot of other people in the blog comments had this same issue, and one reader recommended adding a splash of milk to the dough to help it hold together. This trick worked for me and didn't affect the flavor, but my cookies did turn out really ugly because I basically had to patch them together. All complaints aside, though, these are seriously delicious cookies. They are so buttery and luxurious, my boyfriend and I each ate multiple as soon as they'd cooled. I would definitely make them again and add that splash of milk straight away.

• Double chocolate chip muffins

  • aargle on July 19, 2022

    I have been searching for many years for a truly great chocolate muffin and finally my search is over. Chocolaty but light with ingredients that I always have on hand. Also very easy to make. I used melted butter and Greek yoghurt.

  • FJT on June 06, 2022

    Made with gluten-free flour and a little xanthan gum, these were light and very chocolatey …. just perfect!

• Penne à la vodka

  • redjanet on December 27, 2012

    I'd never used vodka in cooking before so I was really intrigued as to how this would taste. It ended up being a very flavourful sauce which went very well with pasta. I didn't have fresh basil unfortunately, but I used dried and added lots of black pepper, which gave it a nice kick. My only minor complaint is that I ended up halving the ingredients as I was only serving my OH and myself and there was still way too much sauce for just the two of us. However, I would definitely make this again as the sauce itself was delicious and it was a quick and easy midweek meal.

  • FJT on April 16, 2020

    We liked this a lot. I did add half a chilli pepper (not a very hot one) that needed using up, so I can't really comment on how it would have tasted without. Will definitely make it again and I will probably add the chilli again as it worked really well.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on November 06, 2017

    Superfast and easy dinner. Nice comfort food. This will taste good in every occasion.

• Stewed lentils and tomatoes

  • ecasey830 on October 07, 2011

    Delicious! I've also added cooked Italian sausage to this with great results

• Chive biscuits

  • ecasey830 on August 02, 2015

    Good biscuit but not a lot of chive flavor. Cheese would be a good addition.

• Strawberry cornmeal griddle cakes

  • ecasey830 on July 05, 2021

    Used a medium grind cornmeal. Would def try again with a finer grind as I found them too grainy with the medium grind

• Zucchini rice and cheese gratin (Tian de courgettees au riz)

  • Grywhp on September 24, 2016

    Enjoyed this as a main course. Makes good leftovers, too, especially when topped with a fried egg.

  • Melanie on December 05, 2016

    Delicious, froze the extras. Followed the original directions.

  • sldoug on September 29, 2015

    Made September 2015. Followed recipe exactly except did not blanch the rice. After 30 minutes my zucchini released just over a cup of liquid so I had to add just over a cup of milk. This made for quite a rich dish! My kids really liked it but it was a bit much for me.

  • Smokeydoke on December 10, 2016

    Agree with the others, this was delicious. I sorta followed the original directions, but I heeded sldoug that the dish was too rich, so I dialed back on the olive oil and didn't add any butter to the topping. And I added 3/4 cup of buttermilk (needed to get rid of it) in lieu of the milk/zucchini water. I also added more rice than the recipe called for. All these substitutions and it came out fine. I'm going to guess that it's a forgiving dish and a great way to get rid of leftovers. A fried egg on top would've made it fabulous.

• Purple plum torte

  • Grywhp on September 24, 2016

    This cake really delivered, so simple and decadent. Used plain purple plums.

  • Barb_N on September 07, 2020

    This is an iconic recipe that I have read about for years. My Farmer’s Market had Italian prune plums so I baked it at last. I was waiting for the visual cue of ‘jammy plum puddles’ to quote Deb Perelman, and baked it so long it was more like a cracker than cake. A little softer on day two, it has potential. I will try again following the baking time more closely. I dusted with allspice and 5 spice rather than cinnamon & I will do that again. ETA- this became moist and buttery after a day or so at room temperature in a tupperware. Will most definitely make this again!

  • kbrooks on May 30, 2022

    Works with sliced peaches as well

  • luluf on June 05, 2020

    Very simple and delicious. I used gluten free flour for my coeliac daughter and she was very pleased

• Devil's chicken thighs

  • Grywhp on January 01, 2019

    This was a lot of work and, for me, the view wasn’t worth the climb. It was tasty but not miraculous.

  • hdrinkwater on January 31, 2018

    Very tasty. Made with the braised leeks. Note that the shallot liquid to put in with the mustard and the leek braising liquid is very similar; make extra and use for both. Used packaged breadcrumbs, did not toast. Cooked, and crumbs browned, at 40 minutes, no 10 min extra needed. Not convinced marinade is needed.

• Warm butternut squash and chickpea salad

  • Grywhp on November 30, 2018

    Bright and creamy, I tripled this recipe to use as a side at thanksgiving, but I’ve also made it as a meal on a weekday night. Just as good cold as it is warm, it disappears pretty fast and makes me feel like I’m eating well.

• Oatmeal pancakes

  • Grywhp on November 30, 2018

    I can’t say enough good things about these pancakes. A little extra work upfront to cook the oatmeal, but definitely worth it. Nice crispy edges, surprisingly light and fluffy for an oatmeal based cake, and not dried out.

• Linguine with tomato-almond pesto

  • bernalgirl on March 12, 2019

    This recipe makes an addictive pasta sauce, I prefer it to other versions of pesto alla trapanese

• Quick potato pierogi

  • bernalgirl on January 12, 2012

    Follow these instructions for making turkey or other stuffed vareniki. Very good!

• Wild mushroom pierogies

  • bernalgirl on January 12, 2012

    Wrap in wonton wrappers, or use this recipe to sauce pre-made vareniki.

• Ultimate zucchini bread

  • bernalgirl on September 02, 2021

    My regular zucchini bread, this quick bread is easy (one bowl!, no squeezing!), moist and flavorful. My family doesn’t like predominant cinnamon so I use 1 teaspoon quatre epices and 1/4 teaspoon. I also substitute 1/4 cup flour for rye flour. Delicious!

  • anya_sf on October 10, 2021

    Great zucchini bread! We liked this just as much as the Alexandra's Kitchen recipe. White whole wheat flour worked well. The bread needed a few minutes longer in the oven.

  • Jviney on August 07, 2019

    Perfect zucchini bread. Wouldn’t change a thing.

• Lemon cream meringues

  • bernalgirl on April 26, 2022

    This is an outstanding recipe. Her directions are perfect. I don’t make dessert often and don’t love to bake, but these are 100% worth the time and effort. And I love that the recipe serves 12, a perfect make-ahead recipe for entertaining

• Easy freezer waffles

  • bernalgirl on March 11, 2023

    An easy, very tasty waffle for when I don’t get my discard started the night before. Will find out about the freezer part

• Salted brown butter crispy treats

  • seherhussain on September 18, 2011

    this never fails! an excellent recipe

  • jenmacgregor18 on February 26, 2022

    Regular rice krispie treats are always great, but these are even more buttery and delicious. It's worth a couple extra minutes to brown the butter.

  • spharo00 on January 27, 2013

    Anytime I make rice crispy treats now, I use this recipe. These are buttery and salty and really addictive. Sometimes, instead of using unsalted butter and salt, I will just melt down some salted butter and it seems to have the same effect.

  • Rutabaga on May 29, 2014

    Delicious and fun! Without adding to the basic ingredients for rice kris pie treats, this recipe manages to make them better. All it takes is a little extra time for the butter to brown, and some crunchy sea salt added to the mix.

  • Smokeydoke on January 30, 2017

    Best rice crispies ever.

• Fennel, prosciutto and pomegranate salad

  • seherhussain on October 30, 2011

    impressive salad to have on the side.

  • Rutabaga on January 25, 2015

    This is a vibrant salad for winter, when pomegranate seeds provide a pop of flavor that you can't find in winter tomatoes. They are a must for this salad, balancing out the saltiness or the prosciutto and adding brightness to the greens. I made this two nights in a row - once without the mint, the second time with mint, but only a few shards of fennel as my husband decided he wasn't a fan of the anise flavor. Unfortunately, I could barely taste the mint when I did add it. Ultimately, plenty of pomegranate and a good sweet balsamic will showcase this salad at its best.

• Zucchini and ricotta galette

  • FJT on July 13, 2020

    I used shop-bought gluten-free puff pastry for the base which made this a very quick weeknight meal. Added some lemon zest to the cheese mixture which worked well. Thinking about doing this again with different vegetables. Delicious.

  • hirsheys on August 02, 2020

    I had already decided to make this today with the huge zucchini I had in my fridge and then Deb posted it on instagram this afternoon! Clearly a good sign. However, late in the day I discovered that I didn't have the ricotta I thought I had, so I decided to wing it and replace the ricotta called for in this recipe (which also has mozzarella and parmesan) with some creme fraiche instead. I found the crust a pain to work with - as usual, I didn't follow my instincts and added all of the liquid called for in the recipe. The dough ended up too sticky and was challenging to roll out, but I managed. Otherwise, the recipe was quite easy and the end result was very tasty. The crust (maybe because it was wet?) was lovely and crisp and the light garlic flavor permeates the whole thing. It was decadent with the creme fraiche, though I'm sure it would also be good with the ricotta. A definite win.

  • Summerlandsky on July 04, 2015

    This was really delicious. We had it as a light summer dinner with a salad, but it would work well as a side dish too. The crust was tender and flaky and easy to put together, although it did require some advance prep work for chilling. Next time, though, I will slice the zucchini thinner than the 1/4" recommended. Definitely makes the list of "Ways to use buckets of zucchinis".

• Dijon-braised Brussels sprouts

  • FJT on February 05, 2019

    A good, tasty alternative to my usual sprout recipes. Didn't take as long to cook the sprouts as the recipe says - they would have been mush after 20 minutes simmering!! I'm sure I'll make this again on occasion.

  • hirsheys on November 23, 2017

    Made these for Thanksgiving 2017 - they were a good option because they didn't need to be cooked in the oven. I didn't pull them out of the pan to make the sauce, which was fine. (Mine were pretty well cooked after 15 minutes.)

  • nyb34 on November 12, 2016

    Made for a Stuffsgiving, very delicious! Took longer than written to cook, perhaps because I had tripled the recipe. Light mustard flavor, not very strong.

  • rhb on January 28, 2023

    Great recipe; I did not scoop out the sprouts, just added the cream, simmered a bit, then added the mustard. Next time I will cook the sprouts for about 10 minutes to start.

• Nancy’s chopped salad

  • FJT on June 22, 2019

    This was a nice salad. I'll make it again because it is quite substantial and will be great when it's too hot to cook. My husband loved it.

  • Lepa on May 26, 2019

    This is one of the best salads I have ever made. Even my kids loved it. Hard to overstate how satisfying this is.

  • averythingcooks on June 24, 2019

    Yum! I made the dressing exactly as given and simply added to the salad ingredients . In addition to ingredients called for I added chopped celery, carrots and both yellow & orange peppers. I did sub crumbled feta for provolone, chopped hot red peppadews for the pepperoncini and added crunchy tortilla strips. This time I stayed true to the original with iceberg lettuce which was crunchy and fresh! A definite do again - and a great way to clean out the crisper :)

  • BeckyLeJ on November 05, 2017

    I love this salad! It’s hearty and super tasty, perfect for lunch or dinner. My husband is quite fond of it as well - it’s definitely a fave in our house.

• Chicken curry

  • FJT on January 26, 2020

    Nice easy curry to make; we weren't blown away by it but in fairness my chicken didn't have much time sitting in the marinade.

  • inflytur on October 23, 2019

    Bright, delightful tomato and yoghurt based curry. The chicken benefits from a long marinade but a short time will do.

  • anya_sf on April 26, 2020

    Great for little effort. I used 2 lbs chicken, mostly thighs and one breast, which just marinated for the time the other ingredients were prepped and cooked. Using kashmiri chili powder, the curry just had a hint of spice. There was plenty of sauce, so I added a small cauliflower, cut into florets, for the last 15 minutes of simmering. I did need to adjust the seasoning at the end (mostly salt).

• Chocolate puddle cakes

  • FJT on March 30, 2021

    I used 70% chocolate and the lowest amount of sugar. Baked straight from the fridge for 9 mins at 220 fan. Very gooey and delicious

  • Skamper on May 17, 2020

    A perfect quarantine treat. I used 2 oz of 60% and 1 oz of 72% and added 1 T of granulated splenda. I could see what she meant by whisking until it's glossy; it thickened perceptibly and became very smooth. I prepared in advance and left the covered ramekins in the fridge for a few hours. I baked for 8.5 minutes and let cool for 1 minute on a rack and they were perfect. Next time we may need to split one.

• Crispy oven pulled pork

  • FJT on June 14, 2020

    Nice and easy! I read the comments on the blog post and decided to line the dish I baked it in with foil for easier clean up and I'm so glad I did. A 1 kg boneless shoulder took 4 hours at 150 C to become pull-able. I might be tempted next time to pressure cook the pork for 45 minutes and then pop it in the oven with the mop to finish it off and get some crispy bits just to shorten the process slightly.

  • Rutabaga on January 20, 2020

    I was looking for something simple to prepare for a small gathering, and this slow-cooked pork fit the bill. While it takes a long time to cook, it's dead simple to prepare, and you can do other things while it slowly roasts in the oven. I baked it for around 5 1/2 hours, basting it every hour or so. While it's a little too salty on it's own, it's perfect in a sandwich with the slaw. Be sure to add plenty of extra "mop", and hot sauce if you like it spicy. The crispy bits are especially tasty.

• Belgian brownie cakelets

  • FJT on January 13, 2017

    Oh dear, these are dangerously more-ish. I was looking for something to make with stuff I had in the pantry and these fit the bill perfectly. Ridiculously easy to make and very, very, very good. I may not be sharing these!

  • dmass on September 04, 2022

    Delicious!

• Crispy cabbage and cauliflower salad

  • FJT on February 18, 2022

    Very easy to make and it disappeared very quickly. Will make again.

• Eggplant involtini

  • FJT on September 22, 2022

    I enjoyed this on its own; served it with sausages for my husband!

  • allisonsemele on September 15, 2022

    Delicious, and kind of fun to assemble. I cut back on mozzarella and threw some arugula leaves on top with the basil. Some wilted spinach would make a nice addition, too. I will make this again.

  • mademoisielle on January 04, 2023

    super easy to make and really delicious! a nice twist on eggplant parmigiana.

• Corn coconut soup

  • FJT on September 09, 2020

    Nice, tasty soup and quite quick too if you make the corn stock in the pressure cooker (15 minutes on high using just 4 cups of liquid). I added a chilli with a slit in it to the soup and fished it out before blending. I couldn't really taste the ginger or the chilli, just a background warmth.

• Charred eggplant and walnut pesto pasta salad

  • Melanie on December 11, 2016

    Tasty and easy - can make the dressing ahead of time and then stir into the pasta once cooked, handy to make ahead. Roasted the eggplant.

  • michalow on August 20, 2020

    Served this as a hot pasta, with just a few adjustments. Cooked the eggplant in the oven, using the method in the recipe, and it came out great--meltingly tender and not at all oily. Skipped the cheese, added some roasted fennel, and topped with some marinated tomatoes. Really a fantastic dinner.

  • dinnermints on July 04, 2017

    Everyone at the 4th of July party loved this. I doubled the recipe and cut the oil in half; could have even used 3 T with the oil in the sun-dried tomatoes. I added a jar of roasted red bell peppers, and poured some of the liquid from the jar in for some more moisture, and that was perfect.

  • shoffmann on October 03, 2018

    Took some liberties with the recipe, but enjoyed this salad. My changes were to use dill instead of thyme in the dressing, and to use feta cheese instead of ricotta salata. Would definitely make this again.

• Spinach sheet pan quiche

  • Melanie on December 11, 2016

    Easy and tasty. I skipped the blind bake (left exposed from the start to bake before filling) and the pastry edges, just lined the base. Used cheddar cheese and extra cream cheese.

• My old-school baked ziti

  • Melanie on December 05, 2016

    Delicious. Made using minced beef and added lots of dried Italian herbs.

• Thick, chewy granola bars

  • Melanie on December 11, 2016

    Delicious. Stores well in the fridge and freezer. Used honey, peanut butter, chia seeds, dried digs, sultanas, sunflower seeds etc.

  • spharo00 on August 25, 2012

    They are delicious, but both times I made them they were so crumbly that I couldn't cut them into bars. I keep them in freezer so they are a little easier to handle.

  • Rutabaga on December 29, 2015

    These are delicious, really the best granola bar recipe I have found! I found them to be very sticky, not crumbly, although the stickiness also makes them difficult to cut. In my case, I added a scant two cups of whole almonds and a scant one cup of dried cranberries, and left out the cinnamon and vanilla. My husband really liked this combination. They were likely stickier than usual because I added about a third cup of honey rather than only a quarter cup on accident. I used a little over half a cup of sugar, but next time would stick with only a half cup total, as well as decrease the honey to the correct amount, as they were plenty sweet.

  • rionafaith on July 25, 2017

    Super versatile depending on what you have in the pantry... I used 1/2c slivered almonds, 1/2c coarsely chopped hazelnuts, 1/2c dried cranberries, 1/4c cocoa nibs, 1/8c chia seeds, and 1/8c flax seeds, and the dregs of my almond butter jar that amounted to about 1T. I used honey for the main liquid sweetener and agave instead of the 2T corn syrup, and these were still very sweet despite using the smaller amount of granulated sugar (1/2c).I would try omitting the white sugar entirely next time, I think the liquid sweetener would be enough. These are sticky and soft but still quite crumbly and fall apart while trying to cut them... I think packing them more firmly into the pan next time would help.

• Lime yogurt cake with blackberry sauce

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    This is a great cake - incredibly quick to prepare, great texture and delicious. My partner loved it too and it was quickly destroyed in our household.

• Roasted chestnut cookies

  • Melanie on December 11, 2016

    Made using our own chestnuts. Asides from peeling them, this was quick to prepare - the food processor makes quick work of the dough.

• Flatbreads with honey, thyme and sea salt

  • sarahalley on October 28, 2011

    Quick and easy to make, comes out beautifully every time.

• Sautéed radishes and sugar snaps with dill

  • wcassity on July 04, 2022

    Nice and bright for summer

• Chickpea and kale shakshuka

  • wcassity on May 02, 2020

    Delicious! I used one can of chickpeas and just a handful of feta.

• Simple chicken tortilla soup

  • wcassity on April 06, 2022

    Great! Made as-is along w/ a diced carrot and shredded radishes to go on top - delicious.

  • dmass on April 12, 2022

    Delicious soup! I followed the recipe with one substitution, I used boneless chicken breast instead of thighs. Easy weeknight meal.

  • jrmisener on August 05, 2022

    Used 2 jalapenos and 1 tsp cayenne - spicy but not overwhelmingly so

  • chefandra on September 16, 2022

    Substituted a Sazon packet for the cumin and chile powder. This is absolutely delicious, and it is really simple to make.

• Big apple crumb cake

  • michalow on September 24, 2022

    I reduced the crumb topping by half, and this was the right balance for me. Agree with those who've said (here and on the recipe page) that there's a bit too much salt, but overall very tasty.

  • averythingcooks on November 27, 2021

    I used an 8 inch pan, 2 very large Cortland apples and I also skipped the icing sugar. This recipe did not disappoint....this cake is delicious.

  • anya_sf on November 16, 2021

    This was just delicious. I used a 9" square pan, so the bottom was quite thin, but not too thin. Baked about 55 min. The cake was plenty sweet so I didn't bother with powdered sugar.

  • Kinhawaii on October 28, 2021

    Love this- the crumb layer is big & the cake layer thin. Used peeled honeycrisp apples but I had a hard time seeing any bubbling around the apples because of the crumb-& at 50 minutes was a tiny bit crunchy. Used a 9 inch pan. Because of what I read online on her site & at lower temperatures my oven runs cooler, left it in for another 10 minutes as others did. Eating it the next day it was moist & the topping was still crunchy.

  • sarahkalsbeek on November 06, 2021

    Absolutely amazing! Used four apples of various types but actually might use one more next time. I used a bit too much salt. Cooked for 55 minutes, plus maybe a few more (I forgot to set a timer for the last five minutes - yikes!)

• Blueberry crumb cake

  • michalow on June 08, 2022

    This was a good way to rescue some aging berries. I used a mix and the bites with strawberries were my favorite bites. The crumb topping was a nice accent to the cake, which on its own is not overly sweet. Will make again.

  • aeader on August 17, 2014

    Made this with frozen (wild) blueberries, and used a 9" square pan. I was concerned that it would take less time to bake (recipe says 40 min) because of the square pan, but it actually took 5 min more, probably because of the frozen berries. Not thawing the berries did make it hard to spread in the pan as the thick batter was chilled by the berries. The batter did turn purple as I mixed in the berries but that did not detract from the taste! Served it straight from the pan, though I did use parchment on the bottom to prevent sticking. The cake was delicious with a very soft, tender crumb, and was very moist (especially considering there are only 4T of butter in the cake and 4T in the topping, so it is relatively low in fat for this type of cake). The topping was crunchy and adhered well to the cake. Would definitely make this again.

  • Lepa on June 28, 2019

    This cake is so luscious! The cinnamon and lemon go so well with the blueberry here.

• Baked orzo with eggplant and mozzarella

  • michalow on October 14, 2019

    The amount of water/stock called for seems...flexible. I forgot to put in any at all, and after 40 minutes of baking, the orzo was just a little firmer than I wanted. I added about 2 Tbs. of hot water, covered with foil, and returned to the oven. Fifteen minutes later it was perfect.

  • michalow on September 22, 2012

    Eggplant adds nice contrast of texture, but less would be fine. Lemon zest surprisingly great here. Double the carrots and celery, add extra clove of garlic. Water instead of stock is fine. 8 oz of orzo = 1.25 cups.

  • leahorowitz on September 14, 2014

    Perfect comfort food. Used different pasta (casarecce) and it worked fine - same amount of stock and time in the oven. Covered the pasta with aluminum foil for the first 30 mins.

  • macfadden on August 06, 2016

    This is fantastic! It is well worth having the oven on all that time in summer and I make it regularly when the ingredients are in season. It has excellent texture, and is wonderfully chewy where there are mozzarella chunks. I use whole wheat orzo. Though some people clearly are, I'm not a big fan of the crusty, dry pasta layer on top that forms when you take it off the foil, so I just leave it on the whole time.

  • sharone7 on April 08, 2021

    I didn't have quite enough eggplant so I filled in with mushrooms.

• Pickled grapes with cinnamon and black pepper

  • michalow on December 31, 2012

    Surprising flavors, a great party hit. Served these with brie; they would also be nice in a green salad. After the grapes were gone, I made a vinaigrette with the remaining brine, and this was delicious, too.

• Apple and cheddar scones

  • michalow on April 07, 2014

    Really tasty. Noticeably sweet, which is pleasant, but I would halve the sugar and omit the sugar topping if serving with a savory dish. This makes them a perfect match for lentil soup! Although more time consuming, next time I will cut butter into the dry ingredients, then mix in chopped apples and cheese with the wet ingredients, instead of trying to do this all at once (which resulted in pools of butter on the baking sheet when the scones emerged from the oven, presumably because of too-big chunks of butter that remained in my dough).

• Raspberry buttermilk cake

  • michalow on March 27, 2018

    A bit too sweet for me, even though I used cranberries instead of raspberries.

  • hirsheys on June 30, 2018

    Janet made this for me with raspberries and it was fantastic. I made it with rhubarb the next week and it was also good (not as good). With rhubarb, I macerated a bit, but should have dumped out the liquid - do that next time...

• Raspberry crumble tart bars

  • Krisage on June 20, 2021

    Worked great for some beautiful but bland raspberries I ended up with. Note: If you use a springform pan, don't forget to put a sheet pan underneath, or you'll be cleaning raspberry juice out of your oven, like me. :-) Subbed in gluten-free flour and vegan butter with good results: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQWzjcXDpiQ/ ~Topped with locally-made Honey Vanilla Ice Cream? Delish!

• Chocolate olive oil cake

  • trudys_person on October 16, 2019

    Delicious and easy to make! Very moist cake, and it keeps well - if it's not all eaten right away! A big favourite at my office.

  • hirsheys on October 31, 2017

    I made both the cake and the glaze recently and liked them both very much. My cake dipped a little in the middle, though I didn't taste much baking soda flavor (as others mentioned on the site). That said, the glaze tasted strongly of olive oil, so that may have covered up the soda taste. The glaze's flavor was a little startling at first, but it grew on me. Next time, I will likely halve the amounts of the glaze - it covered the cake quite thickly and in my view was a bit too much. Also, the thick glaze hardened in the fridge (where I stored the cake as recommended by Deb). Still, I enjoyed the cake very much and LOVED that it was so easy to make.

  • BigOrangeTiger on October 21, 2017

    really moist and delicious. And easy to make.

  • Pamsy on May 26, 2022

    Made with gluten free flour, no problems with sinking but I did bake for 50 mins. Used half water, half coffee, but would up the coffee next time. For me the bonus is it's egg free and it works. I did find the olive oil flavour quite pronounced and will look to use a milder tasting oil in future. I don't usually ice my cakes so tried a slice without but realised this cake definitely needs the chocolate glaze. Used golden syrup for the glaze. Kept well in the fridge for 5 days. Will be repeated.

  • ellen23 on April 24, 2022

    Fantastic vegan cake. The chocolate topping is incredible.

• The browniest cookies

  • trudys_person on April 15, 2021

    I loved these cookies - a nice, not-too-sweet hit of chocolate. Err on the side of caution with baking time, so you have fudgy instead of cakey cookies.

  • rionafaith on February 11, 2017

    These were not quite as fudgey or brownie-like as I'd hoped; I think they definitely have more of a cookie-like texture. They do deliver a very rich chocolate hit though. Yielded 20 cookies for me.

  • averythingcooks on March 25, 2018

    An accidental purchase of 2 packages of unsweetened baking chocolate has left me searching for ways to use it up. Although I make ultra chocolatey, fudgy brownies all the time which garner rave reviews, I personally have never actually liked brownies (gasp!) BUT I really liked these cookies. The 12 minute baking time resulted in a soft (albeit cakey more than fudgy) bite of chocolate. I also liked the change in texture provided by the chocolate chips. These were made as a gift for my father-in-law but I'll admit, they didn't all make it into the gift bag.

• Spicy gingerbread cookies

  • jaxstar84 on January 08, 2018

    I didn't add any black pepper to these, but also didn't find them very spicy. Delicious, and what I imagine gingerbread to be, although they weren't soft at all, and well suited to making gingerbread houses or dunking in tea. Not overly sweet, well suited to being iced and decorated. Dough was easy to work with when cold, keep the dough you aren't using, in the fridge. Makes A LOT. I made about 20 normal sized cookies with a third of the batch. The other 2 batches are in the freezer.

  • stockholm28 on December 21, 2020

    I thought these were very good. I cut the black pepper down to 1/2 tsp because I was making them for kids, but I don’t think that was necessary. Next time I will use the full amount.

  • Rutabaga on December 08, 2014

    Make these cookies a day or two in advance of eating them; the flavor and texture of gingerbread really improves with a little time. Perelman notes that these cookies have a real spice kick, but I didn't find them any spicier than any other gingerbread cookies (although I did go a little easy on the black pepper). Maybe I've only ever eaten the spicy kind? We frosted them with a simple icing made of powdered sugar, a little butter, milk, and vanilla. Because the cookies themselves aren't overly sweet, they work very well with icing.

• Buttermilk roast chicken

  • nicolemorgan86 on February 08, 2012

    Used the buttermilk brine for 48 hours, then grilled these over charcoal. Probably the best chicken I've ever eaten in my life.

  • Zosia on May 12, 2020

    The spiced buttermilk brine results in tender, flavourful chicken. I make this regularly, sometimes changing the spices; I used a creole spice blend in my latest version which worked very well. This is a family favourite.

• Banana crêpe cake with yogurt and walnut butterscotch

  • nicolemorgan86 on April 23, 2012

    This was ridiculously good! It does take a while to make since there are so many components, but it's truly really simple (yes, even the crepes). A tip to getting a really clean slice--stick the cake in the fridge for a bit so that the filling firms up a little. And yes, once you start eating it, the neat little stacks of crepe will probably start tipping over, but it's still just as good. I guess if you used a fork & knife, it would stay prettier, but we just dug in with forks alone. The crepes are also awesome on their own and taste exactly like an amazingly moist banana bread. I'd definitely make just the crepes for a fun breakfast. I think this cake would also be awesome with an espresso/coffee component (maybe alternating an espresso whipped cream in some layers?).

• The ‘I want chocolate cake’ cake

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 23, 2021

    This is good when you need a quick chocolate fix. Definitely better than you'll find in most stores. But when I have the time, I have to make Maida Heatter's Cowtown chocolate cake again. More time consuming, but spectacular.

  • okmosa on March 25, 2018

    I doubled #theiwantchocolatecakecake and it was loved by all. The cake was just perfect and very chocolatey with Dutch process cocoa and easy in one bowl.

  • Rutabaga on September 17, 2018

    This is a great chocolate cake considering its simplicity. I made the cake only to pair with some leftover vanilla frosting, and it was a perfect match.

• Cannoli pound cake

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 12, 2015

    I think I would prefer it without the chocolate chips & nuts., maybe even without the orange zest. Just keep it simple with the lemon zest. Regardless, it's very moist and good as is. I doubled the recipe & made it in a bundt pan.

  • amandacooks on September 04, 2019

    Having made this cake several times, I have found that my favorite variation is to make this in a 6 c. Bundt pan with lemon and blueberries. Omit orange zest, wine, spices, chocolate chips and nuts; use zest of two lemons. Stir in (approx.) 1 c. blueberries after stirring in the flour. It took around 50-55 minutes to bake. Glazed with a half-recipe of the crunchy lemon glaze from David Lebovitz’s Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze.

• Green onion slaw

  • melpy on May 27, 2015

    Too spicy. Didn't really care for the tart flavor, added a pinch of sugar to take out some of the bite. Might be good on a pulled pork sandwich.

  • imaluckyducky on June 17, 2020

    4.5 stars. I thought this slaw was well balanced with cutting back the olive oil to only 1/4 cup - definitely not too tart even with this move. I wonder how tiny her serrano chiles were when she made this because holy smokes adding the two serranos to the sauce made for a very healthy kick in my mouth. Served with flautas, puerto rican rice, mole, and guac, this added a nice crunchy and spicy element to the plate. Will be using leftovers with some fish tacos and chopped up mango.

  • Rutabaga on May 03, 2018

    I didn't find this slaw to be too tart. In fact I quite liked it, probably because I prefer vinegar-based dressings on my slaw (and I like onions). It was still nice and crunchy the next day, too.

• Zucchini bread

  • melpy on June 30, 2012

    I used half applesauce in place of half the oil to make it lower in fat. Added chopped hazelnuts and dried cranberries. Note to self: try with chocolate chips

  • meggan on August 31, 2014

    Made with chocolate chips and triple nutmeg. Took about double the recommended cooking time.

• Blue cheese and red potato tart

  • bwehner on October 26, 2012

    I made the potato filling without the tart dough. Cooked in individual ramekins. Delicious as a side with a light fish dish.

• Kale salad with pecorino and walnuts

  • meggan on October 03, 2014

    Needed more raisins and cheese. I used pecans instead of walnuts. I might reduce the nuts next time as it made the salad a little dry.

  • wittwoman on November 23, 2015

    I adore this salad. It's classy and unexpected and delicious. The tiny ribbons of kale, rubbly pecorino, vinegar-plumped raisins, toasted walnuts and crispy panko create such great complementary textures. Kale generally holds up well to being prepped in advance. I like that this salad is not sopping with dressing. Sometimes we make the salad hours or a day in advance and add the cheese and panko right before we're going to eat it.

• Warm date cake with toffee sauce [Sticky toffee pudding]

  • hirsheys on January 01, 2019

    Wow! This is a fantastic version of sticky toffee pudding. The cake itself is airier than my original recipe. Very fluffy and elegant. We didn't serve with the extra whipped cream. Really great.

• Coconut brown butter cookies

  • hirsheys on October 01, 2021

    Really good. Nicely chewy, browned butter taste. A little greasy to the touch, but you get over that.

  • jenburkholder on May 01, 2022

    Delicious and easy. Definite repeat. May try to make them GF next!

• Union Square Cafe's bar nuts

  • hirsheys on November 30, 2017

    Meh. These were fine, but I wanted them to be better. I did think they improved over time.

  • Caustin on September 28, 2022

    Trying to come up with the perfect Rosemary nuts. I've looked at Smitten Kitchen, Nigella Lawson and Christina Tosi's recipe (in Milk Bar Life). Christina is still the winner but benefits from the addition of cayenne found here.

• Chocolate dutch baby

  • hirsheys on January 06, 2018

    I loved this. Super easy and tasty.

• Broccoli pizza

  • hirsheys on April 29, 2018

    Technically Lizzy cooked this. We thought this was fine, though not brilliant. (She roasted the broccoli first, rather than blanching.)

• Pistachio cake

  • hirsheys on December 23, 2019

    My sister made this tonight - it's wonderfully light and has a great nutty flavor. That said, we all decided that the lemon in the glaze clashed a bit. In the future, I'd just make a plain simple syrup or leave the nuts off the top entirely. Worth making again for sure.

• Bodega-style egg and cheese sandwich

  • hirsheys on January 01, 2022

    Tasty, though not terribly remarkable. Smart technique. Don’t use too much water or egg will be too thin and cheese will melt through.

  • Rutabaga on February 20, 2019

    This is a nice simple breakfast. Sunny side up eggs are still my favorite, but this makes a much neater sandwich. I used aged cheddar since that what I always have around the house, but any melting cheese would be nice.

• Bourbon peach smash

  • hirsheys on August 02, 2020

    Woah. This is *yummy*. I had a few peaches that were sitting on my counter and needed attention, and this really called out to me. You basically start by macerating thinly cut peaches in simply syrup with some apple cider vinegar in it. I went for the smaller amount of vinegar, but would use more next time because my drink was slightly too sweet when I used the full amounts. I used rye (and would again) and seltzer, though I think bourbon (or gin, or tequila) would all be good, as would ginger beer. I am planning to try it as a soft drink later today. Oh, and also, I don't love mint and so I used a couple of basil leaves when I muddled this - that worked well, but I don't think herbs are necessary. I found that the apple cider vinegar taste got very strong over time, so might do lemon juice in the future.

• Foolproof cacio e pepe

  • hirsheys on May 31, 2019

    This wasn't quite foolproof for me - it got a tad clumpy when I added the pasta water and actually got a little soupy. Next time, I'm not going to do that - it was working great up until that point. Still, it was tasty and very easy.

  • slouj on November 05, 2018

    Fabulous recipe - the method worked like a charm and resulted in the perfect weeknight supper dish. Used Parmesan instead of Pecorino and still tasted amazing, although added a good pinch of salt as recommended.

• Crispy tofu pad Thai

  • hirsheys on September 02, 2020

    All in all, this was very simple to make and it really hit the spot for my sister and mom - they thought it was extremely similar to pad thai you get from restaurants. I felt it was a little boring, myself, but I usually feel that way about pad thai, if I'm honest! Plus, it was quite easy - just took a bit of chopping, soaking of the noodles, and a very fast stirfry. Note: I'm not exactly sure the radish I used was quite right - it didn't say sweet as Deb said it would - it was just the only pickled radish that *wasn't* spicy. I also discovered Lizzy didn't have tamarind paste (bummer), so I subbed brown sugar and lemon juice (which worked fine).

• Ciambellone

  • hirsheys on December 26, 2019

    Lizzy made 12/25/19. Very fine crumb and good taste, though we all felt that it was just fine - not brilliant. I think we all just prefer butter cakes...

• Perfect meatballs and spaghetti

  • hirsheys on March 24, 2019

    The timing on these was spot on and they came out quite tasty, though admittedly not *quite* as fantastic as my favorites. I didn't cook the pasta ahead of time, though I did start the water boiling at the beginning, so it was ready to go when I put the meatballs in the sauce. (Made for Chris.)

  • leilx on October 28, 2020

    Very good and easy. Took right about an hour with garlic bread and salad. Season meatballs more next time and try with one egg. Used only beef. Accidentally used tomato sauce instead of crushed tomato—try the other next time. Use the higher amount of tomato.

  • purrviciouz on April 27, 2020

    These were super tasty and easy and I like that they're oven baked instead of pan fried. I only had one egg and that was fine. I served the meatballs with fontina and parmesean polenta instead of pasta. I prefer a thicker sauce so I'll repeat the meatballs but make adjustments to the sauce next time.

• Braised ginger meatballs in coconut broth

  • hirsheys on May 21, 2019

    After all of the positive reviews of this one of Chowhound, I had to try this - it did not disappoint! I used ground pork, but only had 1 lb, so I halved the meatball recipe. I did not halve the broth, though, and would keep those ratios in the future. (I also had to use water + a bouillon cube, didn't have the optional lemongrass, and had no herbs to put on top - still delicious!) I love turmeric, so the basic flavor of the broth is fantastic, though I think the addition of lemongrass would be delicious (as would a curry or lime leaf). I also used mature (not baby) spinach from my CSA, so I just cut it into chunks and threw it in along with the meatballs so that it had time to cook down. All in all, this was a relatively quick and easy, extremely flavorful recipe. Will definitely make this again.

  • imaluckyducky on September 22, 2019

    I hate everything about meatballs - the texture combined with the often bland meat leaves much to be desired. These meatballs have made me a convert! Absolutely fantastic. I made a double batch and ended up doing 2.5x the flavorings for the meatballs. The 3yo ate these up.

  • Barb_N on June 19, 2019

    I made this with half pork and half ground dark meat turkey. I used lacinato kale and turnip greens to empty the crisper drawer. The broth is very flavorful but I did not care for the fish sauce in the meatballs and would leave that out next time. Served over ramen noodles.

  • Rutabaga on June 12, 2019

    Both the meatballs and sauce had a lovely fragrant taste of ginger without it being overpowering. I used ground turkey in place of the pork, as we don't eat pork frequently, but I think it would be worth using pork in the future, or maybe a mix of the two meats. The turkey meatballs were nice, but missing the extra savoriness and richness that pork would provide. I left out the chiles to make the sauce more palatable for the kids, but they ended up just eating plain meatballs and rice. I didn't add herbs, but would like to next time; some sprigs of cilantro, mint, Thai basil, or lemongrass would bring a freshness that would really round out the dish.

  • clcorbi on June 21, 2019

    Yum. So delicious. I made these with half chicken half pork, and used frozen spinach in the sauce rather than fresh (although next time I might try something like sliced kale, or even just a different type of vegetable altogether). I really loved the fish sauce/lime flavor here.

  • amystar on January 26, 2022

    Yum. i halved the meatball recipes because that was all the pork mince i had but kept the broth recipe the same because we are sauce/gravy kinda people. it was perfect. i’m a snob when it comes to inauthentic recipes (watered down recipes for western palates) but this was an exception. i cooked the meatballs in the air fryer for 12 minutes (turning them halfway). next time i’ll add a smashed lemongrass stalk and a couple of coriander roots to the broth. but the recipe is fine the way it is.

• Challah stuffing with leeks and celery

  • hirsheys on November 26, 2020

    This was delicious - a big hit at my tiny Thanksgiving (David and Steff said it was the best dish of the night.)

• Cider-glazed bacon-wrapped dates

  • hirsheys on December 31, 2019

    These are pretty standard - I'm not sure the glaze adds all that much, honestly. Perfectly tasty, but no need to make again. (Lizzy made).

• Unstuffed mushroom casserole

  • hirsheys on December 31, 2019

    Lizzy made 12.26.19 - hardest part is cleaning and cutting all the mushrooms. Very easy otherwise and tasty. Half size probably plenty.

  • Anneherzberg on April 06, 2020

    Super tasty, very rich. Added spinach to it for a little nutrition boost, and it was really good that way. Next time I might cut mushrooms smaller.

• Black pepper tofu and eggplant

  • hirsheys on September 14, 2019

    Not my favorite, but I think that's just because I don't love black pepper. The sauce was one-note for me, and not a one note I like.

  • shoffmann on August 22, 2019

    This was tasty, but not quite as good as the original recipe from Plenty. I also don't think it was any easier than the other recipe either.

  • Skamper on August 20, 2019

    This was delicious and came together pretty quickly. I left the office later than planned, however, so I just blitzed the shallot, garlic, and ginger together in the mini processer, and that didn't seem to hurt anything. I added a scant tablespoon of pepper, and it still had quite a bit of kick (we are wimps), so next time I'd start with a heaping half tablespoon and taste from there.

  • jenburkholder on May 01, 2022

    I don't really like eggplant, but this is a good preparation as I love easy dinners and tofu is a winner. I cut down the pepper as I'm not a huge fan but then add in chilis as I prefer their spice profile. Have repeated and will continue to do so!

• Salted caramel pretzel blondies

  • hirsheys on November 15, 2019

    Delicious! My caramel got a little over cooked, so they were a little less chewy and more crisp when they came out of the freezer. No matter - still tasted great! I also lowered the amount of chocolate in the recipe per advice from sallyt on chowhound and I'd do so again. All in all, I really liked the buttery, caramel with the saltiness.

  • Rutabaga on September 16, 2019

    Really, these are practically candy bars, what with all the chocolate and caramel. My caramel ended up as dark toffee; it must have gotten too hot, which I thought might happen, as I use raw sugar which often melts at a higher temperature. That was not a problem, as I love toffee, and it was easy to crack into pieces without putting it in the freezer first. These are very, very rich, and rather messy, as the toffee sometimes stuck to the pan, but they were also very well received by both kids and adults. And even when making the caramel from scratch, they come together pretty quickly.

• Brown butter brown sugar shorties

  • hirsheys on December 30, 2019

    Lizzy made these and they were a huge hit, though we realized that she made them with white sugar, rather than brown - a pretty big departure from the recipe. As a result, the brown butter flavor was very pronounced and delicious.

• Sweet corn spoonbread

  • hirsheys on September 17, 2017

    I didn't like this version as much as others I've made, but was impressed by the taste. This spoonbread uses real corn that is pureed as part of the custard, which makes it very corn-y and surprisingly sweet given the teeny amount of sugar in it. The spoonbread rose beautifully, but the texture was a bit odd - sort of gritty in a way my last version wasn't. I'm not really sure why. Anyway, though it was only a qualified success, I'm sure it will be good for breakfast tomorrow with butter and maple syrup. Glad I tried it.

• Chicken Caesar salad

  • hirsheys on April 10, 2021

    I really enjoy this dressing, though I tend to prefer it with less lemon (1 T) and light on the garlic. Very tasty. (Mix parmesan into dressing?)

• Napa cabbage salad with buttermilk dressing

  • hirsheys on January 19, 2019

    Eh. I love this dressing, but the actual salad is unspectacular as is. Napa is too vapid (use white/green cabbage instead?) and taste of celery is too strong. (dial back)

• Pistachio petit-four cake

  • hirsheys on December 28, 2019

    Lizzy made this and it is delicious - wonderful light texture and taste with the apricot. The ganache wasn't quite the right texture, though - too thick.

• Orange chocolate chunk cake

  • hirsheys on July 01, 2018

    *Lizzy made this for me years ago and I LOVED this cake. Oh dear lord. I thought it might be good with grapefruit, so then I tried it with grapefruit. My conclusion is that it is good, but needs more grapefruit zest and probably double the syrup.

  • agardenworm on September 10, 2012

    Absolute keeper of a recipe - makes a delicious large cake, looked just like the picture. In metrics: 226 grams butter 400g sugar 390g Flour and whopping 626g chocochips apparently but I used 250 of chopped up chocolate and this was a good amount, wouldn't have wanted any more. Make sure you butter and flour tin really well, I have had issues with sticking over past 2 times I have made it. Take out of tin before syrup adding!

• Artichoke-olive crostini

  • hirsheys on October 01, 2021

    Eh. Fine. Not the best artichoke spread. Easy, but no need to make again. (Garlic too strong).

• Zucchini butter spaghetti

  • hirsheys on July 03, 2021

    This was nice, but I found it a bit sweet. I used gray squash instead of zucchini, which might explain it. Regardless, next time I might try to add a bit of lemon juice or zest or something I think? Because I do think it’s a nice option to use up all the squash I’m getting in my csa…

  • msl521 on August 04, 2022

    I made this with Miyoko's butter and Violife parm for a vegan version. So good my 4 year olds ate the sauce and all with a fork!

  • dedosmagicos on August 24, 2021

    This is so delicious and such a good way to use up lots of zucchini! We used short pasta (rotini and the like) - it is buttery but reminds me of mac & cheese.

  • anya_sf on July 29, 2021

    I used more zucchini (750 g) and liked the generous quantity of "sauce". While delicious, the amount of butter could be reduced. I skipped the red pepper flakes (son dislikes them) but added black pepper. Next time I'll hold back on some of the salt. A squeeze of lemon balanced the flavor. We loved this; my son had seconds so there were no leftovers.

  • Skamper on July 21, 2021

    Easy, one pot, and delicious. We both enjoyed this. I used banza rotini. Made enough for 2 with leftovers.

  • allisonsemele on August 29, 2021

    I found this a little quiet for a main, but I think this would be excellent under some scallops or shrimp.

  • RosyFloof on May 06, 2022

    Love this recipe, and have now made it many time, although so far have without fail managed to forget the cheese at the end. I reduce the butter from 6tbsp to 4tbsp, which I find we like better, and sometimes add grated carrot long with the zucchini, which results in a not that attractive colour combination once cooked down - but delicious!

• Gingerbread yule log

  • hirsheys on December 29, 2020

    We didn't love this one, finding it all a bit too sweet and the flavors to be a bit too disparate. Definitely a showstopper, but we prefer other gingerbread recipes.

  • Barb_N on December 27, 2020

    After our neighborhood bakery closed, I was faced with making my own bouche de noel for Christmas- welcome to 2020. This recipe seemed doable with a flavor profile that appealed. After emergency delivery of a jellyroll pan, I was ready. This is an absolute showstopper, without the need to make meringue mushrooms! I had never made a rolled cake, but the batter has different properties. It took at least 6 more minutes to bake (which is a lot when bake time is 8 minutes); one minute it looked raw, then it puffed up & fell when the oven door was opened, setting perfectly. One quibble; it does not do well made in advance as the dark gingerbread color bleeds into the whipped cream turning it brown. I garnished it with sugared cranberries and rosemary.

• Baked Brie with balsamic red onions

  • hirsheys on January 14, 2021

    Good. Lizzy prefers one with brown sugar that Deb was trying to improve on. The piece of brie we had was too salty, which affected things.

  • sharone7 on January 26, 2021

    My brie was about 3/4 a wheel and I didn't have any problem with leaking or exploding. It was just me so I had leftovers and they reheated nicely the next day (in the oven, wrapped in foil).

• The perfect margarita

  • hirsheys on March 19, 2021

    Good balance. Excellent.

• Sheet pan chow mein

  • hirsheys on September 18, 2021

    Easy enough to make but very boring. No need to make again.

  • Zosia on April 16, 2021

    Easy and versatile as it can be made with whatever vegetables are in your crisper. I used only 200g noodles and the amount of sauce was barely enough.

  • Lepa on March 29, 2022

    We really enjoyed this. It was quick, easy, and full of veg. I used fresh Asian egg noodles instead of dried and I used oyster sauce instead of vegetable stir fry sauce. Otherwise I followed the recipe and the timing and amounts were perfect.

  • aisy on May 04, 2021

    This was easy and delicious! I used normal oyster sauce and omitted the baby corn. I might cook it a little bit longer for the noodles to get a bit crispier.

• Spring asparagus galette

  • hirsheys on June 02, 2021

    Made this almost as written. My big change was to replace the ricotta with mascarpone and a touch of sour cream (I used creme fraiche successfully in the zucchini version of this, so thought it was worth a shot). I also had to grate the butter into the flour, despite Deb disliking that method, because my butter was frozen. It worked great - not too wet at all this time, unlike last time (when I made the zucchini one). I struggled a bit with her instructions for cutting the asparagus (misread it a first), but otherwise had no issues. My half version came out delicious and crispy. Now I just need to make the tomato corn version of this galette to complete the trifecta.

  • zabeta on April 26, 2021

    I didn't have Gruyere, so I used a little extra parm and a little extra ricotta. It needed a bit more salt, and I also think herbs in the cheese mixture would have been great. Really good overall though.

• Banana toffee cake

  • hirsheys on April 15, 2021

    Delicious, though I think I prefer normal sticky toffee pudding better. That said, this is a lovely light cake and a great way to use old bananas. Super easy to make.

  • dyand on December 25, 2020

    It took almost 40 min when cooked in a square dish. Toffee sauce was amazing.

• Any-kind-of-fruit galette

  • hirsheys on May 24, 2020

    I made a 1/2 size version of this with 4 tiny very ripe nectarines and some strawberries. In all, it was a little under 2 cups of chopped fruit. I was excited to actually have tapioca starch, too! Rather than use the optional egg wash + sugar, I lightly brushed my crust with water and sprinkled it with turbinado - I'd do that again. As they always do for me, my galette leaked a little liquid and burned a bit. That said, the leak/burn was not nearly as bad as ones I've experienced in the past and didn't impact the taste. The end result was a tasty, juicy tart - not the best I've ever made, but solid.

• Pasta with basil pesto (Pesto Genovese)

  • hirsheys on February 23, 2021

    There's nothing fancy about this - just a standard pesto recipe - but it worked well and the ratios were solid.

• Potato and leek gratin

  • hirsheys on December 20, 2020

    Delicious. my sister and I collaborated on this because I am afraid of mandolines. My sister used her mandoline to cut the potatoes and the unpeeled potatoes were just fine. We intermingled the potatoes and leeks rather than put them in clumps/clusters like Deb recommended. She also prepped the cream prior to potato cutting so that it steeped a bit. We used gruyere cheese to cover the dish (perhaps a tad more than 3/4 c) and the bread crumbs were a great touch. Definitely worth making again.

  • allisonsemele on November 25, 2022

    Made a half recipe for thanksgiving 22 with the following modifications: 3/4c 2% milk, 1/4c heavy cream, 3 cloves garlic, mix of parm and cheddar for the cheese. I much preferred this lighter version to all cream, and the cheddar worked well.

  • allisonsemele on November 27, 2020

    I made this for Thanksgiving this year, and it is was amazing. I made 75% of a recipe and probably should have halved it for two people. 75% filled my 8” cast iron and a small casserole dish. Other than that, I made this as-written but used fontina and a little parm for the cheese. This is very decadent—I might experiment with a less rich version for more everyday meals.

• Sour cream and chive fantails

  • hirsheys on December 20, 2020

    Tasty. Lizzy made them to go with baked ham and potato and leek gratin. Left out chives. More interesting than boring rolls, not mind blowing. Lizzy wasn't thrilled with organization of recipe. Used yogurt instead of sour cream.

• Rich homemade ricotta

  • spharo00 on March 21, 2012

    This single-handedly took me from ricotta loather to ricotta lover. Amazing stuff. I made the recipe exactly as is, using full-fat ingredients, and let it strain for two hours so that it was very thick. I put this in lasagne (from Joy of Cooking) and it was absolutely the best I've had.

  • Rutabaga on January 01, 2015

    I made the mistake of only using whole milk, thinking that the creamy jersey milk I had would be rich enough. Unfortunately, it turned out a little dry and slightly rubbery. Not that it wasn't still good, but it was not so creamy and spreadable as I would have hoped. Next time I will check the cheese every fifteen minutes or so as it drains; I let it sit for roughly an hour, and feel that was too long. I also wonder if my milk may have gotten to hot, or if I added a little too much lemon juice. Because I had less acidic Meyer lemons, I thought I should increase the acid amount a little, but in retrospect I doubt this was necessary. And while I waited for the thermometer to read 190F, I feel the temperature may have registered a little late and the milk was actually ready a minute or two earlier.

• Really simple homemade pizza

  • spharo00 on February 26, 2015

    I've made this dough recipe several times, always with different toppings. Tonight's was the best one yet! Here's what I did: Double recipe for two pizzas. Use 1/2 cup rye flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups bread flour, and 4 1/2 tsp of vital wheat gluten. Chop one large clove garlic and let sit in 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil while dough rises. I also added some fresh ground black pepper to the oil. Brush on dough after rolling into pizza shape. Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese, three sprigs fresh thyme. Bake for 6-7 minutes @ 550 degrees or until golden brown. Top with sriracha and fleur de sel (optional).

• Chocolate caramel crack(ers)

  • j_h on December 11, 2018

    Use saladas in Australia - they're the closest to saltines

  • Rutabaga on April 25, 2016

    I love this stuff; it's called "crack" for good reason. However, I felt the toffee flavor was a little lacking when I made this batch. The chocolate really dominated. Perhaps I need to make some extra caramel, or perhaps I had baked it too long. The caramel topping was flaky when I removed it from the oven after 15 minutes, which was not what I expected. This probably merits another batch to test my theory...

  • Rutabaga on May 05, 2016

    Update: I made this again, baking the matzo with the caramel topping for only ten minutes, using chopped 70% dark chocolate in place of chocolate chips, and sprinkling with smoked Maldon sea salt. The caramel, while a touch grainy (which I find typical of this snack - it's not really a problem in this case) definitely had more presence, and I prefer the taste of bar chocolate over chocolate chips. Smoked Maldon salt has a mere gentle hint of smoke, which adds just the right finishing touch.

• Banana oat weekday pancakes

  • okmosa on March 05, 2023

    I took cues for deviation and substitution from the headnote and ingredients. I had only two medium bananas so mashed them up and added the balance in buttermilk to make 1 1/4c. Then I didn’t need and milk at the end to thin it out which also allowed for less mixing which is a rule with pancakes. These mixed and cooked well and were good but they were too one-note and I was tired of the strong banana flavor after two bites. Next time I may use only 1 banana, the remainder in buttermilk, and add walnuts and/or blueberries.

  • mooo42 on June 04, 2018

    Great weekday recipe

  • Littlemuls on December 27, 2019

    March 2018: Made for breakfast, reheated leftovers with peanut butter throughout the week. Worked well.

• Potato pizza, even better

  • okmosa on July 01, 2019

    I’ve never been able to make a potato pizza like I had in Rome until now. Jim Lahey's method appears to have cracked the code! Thank you @smittenkitchen for helping me find a recipe I already had on my cookbook shelf. ;-) I didn’t use the dough recipe listed because ours was already started and I added some zucchini blossoms from the garden that were waiting to be used (although they didn’t add much in the end), but this method will be used again and again. Yay!

• Spaghetti pangrattato with crispy eggs

  • Bloominanglophile on March 08, 2015

    Churned this out when I really didn't feel like cooking. Makes for a nice pantry meal on those type of nights!

  • Frogcake on October 28, 2017

    Love this recipe, which I crave when I am just feeding myself. In the past, I have prepared a double batch of crumbs (stored in the fridge) for various uses to sprinkle on roasted vegetables or as Deb describes, as a poor man’s Parmesan. Even better if you stir chopped tomatoes into the pasta before sprinkling the crumbs and/or fry some sage leaves along side the crumbs. Makes for a very quick but healthy meal!

• Lemon cake

  • mjrr on September 22, 2015

    Unbelievable.

  • Frogcake on March 17, 2019

    I had some troubles removing the cake from the bundt pan despite greasing it. Mitigated by slicing and glazing the pieces - my guests never noticed the problem. It really was delicious - lemon flavour became more intense the following day. Would make again and troubleshoot the sticky pan issue.

• Crunchy baked pork chops

  • chawkins on January 27, 2021

    The chops need to be brined for 30 minutes and the bread crumb mixture need to be prebaked for 15 minutes. The end result was a very crunchy coating. Even though I forgot to add the herbs and the Parmesan to the crumb mixture after the prebake, the chops were still pretty tasty.

  • ashallen on December 13, 2020

    Yummy pork chops! The bread coating was flavorful, substantial, and crispy and the meat was well-seasoned and juicy. The cutlets are large and impressive-looking. My husband, who doesn't usually get excited about pork, had seconds. Leftovers kept well to the next day - the bread coating still had crunch. My chops were closer to 6 oz vs. 8 oz and I found that using 2/3 of the bread coating ingredients was sufficient to thickly coat the chops (still had ~1/2 cup leftover bread crumbs).

• Very blueberry scones

  • chawkins on July 01, 2019

    Very easy to pull together, not too sweet, good texture but not the best tasting blueberry scone I've ever had.

  • HalfSmoke on July 06, 2018

    Like many Smitten Kitchen recipes, this is straightforward and just plain works. We were looking for something "blueberry", but not too sweet. This met that need perfectly.

  • anya_sf on August 29, 2020

    Nice, relatively healthy scone, full of blueberries. Cut into just 6 pieces and frozen overnight, the scones took about 27 minutes to bake. I brushed them with milk instead of egg wash, so no egg required.

  • purrviciouz on August 08, 2020

    Perfect! even with my substitution. I used whole milk yogurt in place of milk and increased the cooking time slightly.

  • suzannahschneider on July 12, 2020

    Can make vegan by using non-dairy milk and a vegan egg wash, made right before the scones go in the oven. Just whisk together 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup instead of the egg wash.

• Cornbread waffles

  • chawkins on July 15, 2020

    Made these to go with chili. Not sweet at all but darker because of the molasses. A little bit more hands-on time than cooking in a cast iron pan but a lot more crispy bits.

  • Littlemuls on December 27, 2019

    It wasn't super strong but I didn't love the molasses taste. Would like to try with the honey added as noted in description.

• Giant chocolate butter cake with raspberry filling and brandied bittersweet ganache

  • cassiemcgannon on July 10, 2012

    Also makes a great base for a decorated birthday cake, as it's sturdy enough to hold lots of icing and lollies, but still tastes great.

• Mushroom lasagna

  • cassiemcgannon on November 14, 2012

    This is rich and flavourful, especially if you use good-quality mushrooms. Fantastic if you need to make a meal that will keep both vegetarians and non-vegetarians happy. The nutmeg is an inspired touch.

• Salted caramel brownies

  • cassiemcgannon on February 13, 2013

    Exactly as good as you would expect something from Smitten Kitchen that involves caramel and chocolate to be i.e. fabulous. Makes a very dense, fudge-like brownie.

• Dreamy cream scones

  • cjannace on May 20, 2016

    I swapped the currants for raisins & froze the dough instead of baking right away so I could have a scone before work each day. These are absolutely delicious & I'm so glad I picked this recipe. Even if I wait to have these as a mid-day snack, they are fluffy, light and a perfect scone!

• French onion soup

  • cjannace on September 23, 2014

    A delicious and easy French Onion Soup recipe. I've made it with beef stock and mushroom stock and the mushroom stock was a wonderful switch!

• Soft pretzels, refreshed

  • cjannace on November 01, 2014

    These were just what I wanted in a homemade pretzel. I definitely have to work on technique & timing, but that just means I need more excuses to make these!

• Lebanese-style stuffed eggplant

  • lorcalon on February 08, 2014

    Made this using pearled spelt rather than rice and saudi baharat spice mix instead of allspice. It was fabulous. This is going to be a new favourite recipe.

  • nyb34 on October 30, 2016

    Absolutely delicious! Used fake meat instead of beef and tiny tiny eggplants, threw the eggplant interior into the stuffing. Would be easier with larger eggplants...

• Ethereally smooth hummus

  • mrsmadam on September 07, 2014

    This is hands down the best one I've ever made.

  • Barb_N on May 24, 2020

    This is Ottolenghi’s recipe from Jerusalem. It’s important to adjust the garlic and lemon to taste. One quibble- it does not take 9 minutes to peel 1 3/4 c of chickpeas. And she makes a BIG deal about this. With my day job of stitching people up, and hobbies of stitching everything else I’d say my manual dexterity is up to the task. Even with two handed peeling, one chickpea per hand, it took me about 34 minutes. That said, it makes all the difference.

  • Skamper on June 09, 2020

    I made this using chana dal (dried, unsoaked, +2 c water 6 minutes in the IP, NR). Still used 1 3/4 c cooked chickpeas so this may have been slightly more than whole, but it seemed to work. My garlic cloves were on the large side, but it didn't seem too garlicky. Used 4 T water and maybe could have used 1 more. I used kosher salt and slightly more than called for.

• Baked kale chips

  • sturlington on June 10, 2014

    I've heard about these forever, never tried them. They are absurdly easy to make. However, I feel meh about them. Definitely not as good as other kinds of veggie chips. This would be a quick and easy way to get rid of the leftovers from a bunch of kale.

• Homemade chocolate wafers + icebox cupcakes

  • SACarlson on July 23, 2015

    This makes fantastic wafer cookies that are a perfect substitute for the Nabisco chocolate wafers that are sold in the US. I used 1/3 of these cookies, crushed, in a pie crust for a French silk pie (the Smitten Kitchen recipe) and it was just divine.

• Leek, chard and corn flatbread

  • bendystrawz on October 27, 2012

    I didn't have goat cheese, so used grated pecorino romano instead, with great results.

• Linguine with pea pesto

  • eeeve on May 27, 2021

    This was nice and creamy and quick! Ideal quick dinner dish.

• Baked tomato sauce

  • eeeve on September 19, 2019

    Made this with just the minimum ingredients (olive oil, tomatoes, breadcrumbs, parmesan and farfalle pasta), as pressed for time, and it still came out great. The sauce-averse toddler also enjoyed this, so definitely a thumbs up!

  • allisonsemele on July 30, 2021

    This has been a staple recipe for me for, I don't know, ten years? It's perfect for when you can't keep up with the cherry tomato plants. Tossing the pasta with a little bit of pesto--I recently used Vivian Howard's herbdacious from This Will Make it Taste Good--takes it over the top.

• Piña colada cake

  • eeeve on May 25, 2016

    Love this cake - the texture is heavenly. Have made with coconut milk (not cream) and, as stated in the recipe notes, it's not very coconutty. I also think the quantity of pineapples needs to be doubled. But otherwise in my top ten of cakes.

• Spinach quiche

  • hillsboroks on January 13, 2023

    This quiche is so incredibly easy while also having a fabulous flavor. I made it in a 9” Pyrex pie pan and realized that the quiche custard volume is much smaller than my other recipes so it did not come up to the top of the pie pan as usual but it was still delicious. I think it would be perfect in a 9” tart pan. I did add chopped up bits of cooked bacon and I think either bacon or a bit of ham would be fine in this dish.

• Chocolate budino

  • dmass on February 18, 2022

    This is delicious! Very easy and quick to put together. Everyone loved it. I’ll be making this on a regular basis. Yum!

• Rigatoni alla vodka

  • dmass on March 25, 2022

    This is the only Vodka sauce recipe I have ever tried, so I can’t compare it to another, but we found it delicious. It was also easy, so I will make this again.

  • Lepa on March 24, 2021

    This was different from other pasta alla vodka recipes I have had (it used tomato paste and pasta water instead of tomatoes, for example) but it was well received and delicious.

• Three milk's cake (Pastel de tres leches)

  • KarinaFrancis on November 03, 2019

    When I read the head notes in online recipe I was nodding along, I had the same experience last Christmas. This recipe was a total success and got a big thumbs up from my beloved. It’s light, sweet and soaks up all that delicious leche mix. Great recipe!

  • sldoug on January 31, 2016

    Made this for a work potluck. I love the mixing method although I had a hard time getting the flour incorporated without lumps. I also think I didn't poke enough holes in the cake since the moisture level was uneven. I did add 1.5 tablespoons of dark rum to the milk mixture, which made the mixture so tasty I wanted to drink it straight (I also added half a cup less cream since I wasn't going to pour it into plates like the recipe suggests). Overall, I think this recipe has excellent potential once I work out my small issues.

• Piri piri chicken

  • KarinaFrancis on September 21, 2019

    This was delicious! I marinaded the chicken for about 4 hours and we cooked it on the bbq. The extra marinade was nice as a sauce but I think I should have added a bit more salt. Summer is just starting and I can see myself making this again (and hopefully take a better picture)

  • clcorbi on July 13, 2018

    Really delicious. This marinade is so flavorful!

• Broccoli rubble farro salad

  • KarinaFrancis on July 13, 2017

    This is a sturdy and delicious salad. I added some cherry tomatoes because I had to use them up and some baby burrata. I'll be making this again. Update: I made this again, added some mint and sprinkled it with toasted almonds and sunflower seeds, really good.

  • ksg518 on July 06, 2017

    I made this using broccoli rather than broccolini but otherwise followed the recipe. Per Deb's suggestion, I topped each serving with a burrata. I thought this was very good and my daughter loved it. This will be a definite repeat since it's an easy weeknight dinner.

  • Barb_N on July 14, 2017

    Seeing all the favorable reviews made me excited to try this recipe. Meh, I found it bland. Granted, I NEVER add that much salt (1 1/2 tsp) to anything but you would think the other tasty ingredients would be enough. They seemed to get lost in the blandness of the farro and broccoli. I may try to tweak it, perhaps by crisping the broccoli and upping the lemon and garlic.

  • Rutabaga on June 15, 2017

    I tried this with roasted broccolini, but in retrospect, I would prefer the fresher taste of broccolini that was lightly boiled and still bright green and crisp, as in the original recipe. I also added blue cheese, as I find that pairs well with broccoli. All in all, it's a good, versatile salad I could see coming back to.

  • clcorbi on May 31, 2017

    We made this using broccoli, making a double recipe so that we'd have plenty leftover for lunches. The result is pretty tasty, but not as over-the-top delicious as the leek and chickpea farro salad from Diner. I think this concept is heavily dependent on chopping the broccoli really tiny, to create a texture that almost matches the farro. My boyfriend cooked this recipe for us and his broccoli chunks were bigger, and they didn't quite get soft enough for our taste as a result. We also decreased the lemon zest down to just one lemon's worth, and that was perfect for our taste.

  • rionafaith on June 10, 2017

    So good! I served with half a burrata for each of us on top, one of the suggestions, which made this a total cheese-fest... could probably cut the amount of pecorino in half next time if serving that way. I used half broccoli and half broccolini and they were both great, and I ended up putting in 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and I would up it to 3/4 tsp next time. Excited to have the leftovers for lunches this week and I will definitely make again!

  • annettle on January 13, 2021

    I used barley instead of farro and really enjoyed this salad - good mix of flavours, managing to feel both light and hearty. I may reduce the lemon a little next time, but that's personal preference (I often reduce lemon/lime in recipes) and I think it's great as written. Do chop the broccoli quite small, and keep it on the crispy side; I think the salad would suffer if it were to get soggy.

• Ratatouille's ratatouille

  • KarinaFrancis on June 18, 2017

    This turned out even better than I thought it would. The veg cooked perfectly and the flavours melded together while maintaining their individual character. Will be the only way I'll make it from now on. A few notes, I sautéed the onion and garlic before adding them to the sauce. Quality I used for a 1.8ltr oval are 2 zucchini, 2 eggplant and 4 patty pan squash

• Cold rice noodles with peanut-lime chicken

  • thekitchenchronicles on January 18, 2013

    I used the NY Times original recipe linked in her post with excellent results

  • Barb_N on March 12, 2015

    I streamlined this even more than Deb's simplified version of David Tanis' original recipe- I used ready made peanut sauce and left over cooked chicken which I mixed together. I combined that with the scallions, cucumbers plus udon noodles and radish slices and radish greens tossed with the dipping sauce. Tasty and eminently adaptable- something I am always on the lookout for.

  • DeborahBluhm on July 24, 2014

    It's an awesome dish. I have also used a few large spoons of the peanut base (as it keeps so long in the fridge) in soups to add depth, and it's wonderful!

  • DeborahBluhm on July 24, 2014

    It's an awesome dish. I have also used a few large spoons of the peanut base (as it keeps so long in the fridge) in soups to add depth, and it's wonderful!

  • clcorbi on August 08, 2017

    YUM. Finally, a peanut sauce I actually like! I'm so happy to have found this recipe. I added some extra green beans--maybe 1/3lb--per Deb's comment that this could use more veggies. I only marinated the chicken thighs for 15min before broiling them, but they were still SO flavorful, which makes me think these sauces would make an excellent marinade on their own. If I were to repeat this--which I almost certainly will--I'd streamline the sauces somehow. I don't really think it's necessary to have two separate sauces. I'd probably just halve the dipping sauce ingredients and blend them in with the peanut sauce, and then add all of it to my noodle bowl to taste. Otherwise, wow, I have no complaints. This is an amazing bowl meal.

  • JJ2018 on July 20, 2019

    Really enjoyed this and would definitely make again. Quick to pull together and very tasty

• Cream cheese pound cake and strawberry coulis

  • thekitchenchronicles on June 18, 2013

    Love love love this recipe. Perfect cake for the summer. I only had a 10-inch tube pan and had to bake this for a little over an hour and a half. The crunchy layer on the outside was such a nice touch to the usual pound cake texture, and the strawberry coulis turned out to be really delicious. I used the original 2 teaspoons vanilla extract + 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.

  • springandfall on November 02, 2014

    This turned out beautifully and was simple to make. I might adjust the sweetness (down) some, though. We froze our strawberries at the height of the growing season, so they have so much natural sweetness that reducing the sugar in the strawberry coulis would have been a good idea.

• Extra-flaky pie crust

  • imaluckyducky on December 14, 2022

    5 stars. Came together very quickly and with minimal effort got a super satisfying crust. Will make again!

• Silky smooth pumpkin pie

  • imaluckyducky on December 14, 2022

    5 stars. Created a succulent, custardy, nicely spiced pie where the pumpkin and the candied yams truly shined. The yams are a must! Didn't have maple syrup so I did half honey and half molasses with great results. Will be my go-to.

• Nectarine galette

  • imaluckyducky on June 17, 2020

    5 enthusiastic stars! The flakiness of the crust married with the silky nuttiness of the ground almond mixture, paired with the sweet-tart toothsome bite of the nectarines? A complete bite. With a small scoop of vanilla bean coconut ice cream on the side? Heaven. I have to admit I cheated a little bit -- I used thawed out frozen nectarines from last year's harvest. I knew these puppies were sweet, so I cut down the sugar sprinkled on top to about 1/8 cup. I also used store-bought puff pastry, which made this a super-quick weeknight dessert for after dinner. Do not cook in the lower 3rd of your oven if your heat source is on the bottom like mine - almost scorched my pastry but was able to catch it in time. A great base recipe, will play around with different fruits.

• Pumpernickel bread

  • minerva on January 20, 2014

    I left the cocoa powder out, and it was fine.

• Blue cheese scallion drop biscuits

  • minerva on September 04, 2014

    Wonderful with runny eggs.

  • clcorbi on December 07, 2017

    Tasty enough, but not nearly as successful as my favorite drop biscuits (the sour cream/scallion ones from Bon Appetit). The dough was very difficult to handle.

  • Smokeydoke on November 24, 2017

    Served these for Thanksgiving with an Apple and Spinach salad. It was a wonderful combination. Biscuits are lovely and easy to make. Photo included.

• Blueberry yogurt multigrain pancakes

  • minerva on June 08, 2013

    I substituted rye and the batter was far too thick. We had to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to thin out the batter enough to work as a pancake.

  • BigOrangeTiger on May 12, 2020

    I've made with plain flour as didn't have any other. Delicious (used blackcurrants instead of blueberries because, well because they're just better!).

  • anya_sf on November 13, 2021

    I used Greek yogurt and rye flour and had to add 6 Tbsp milk. Even so, the batter was so thick I needed to spread the pancakes with a spatula. The pancakes were (of course) very thick, hearty but not overly heavy, and very tasty. I got 11 pancakes and there were no leftovers.

• Sheet pan meatballs with crispy turmeric chickpeas

  • EmilyR on June 10, 2018

    Not as flavorful as I had hoped...

  • mzgourmand on March 07, 2018

    I overcooked the hell out of this and it was STILL delicious! Cooked chickpeas twice as long as recommended so they were dry and crunchy - unintentional but still delicious and a tad dry, will try to pay better attention next time and see how good it is when followed properly! It's going into dinner rotation.

• Swirled berry yogurt popsicles

  • BigOrangeTiger on August 20, 2015

    Very easy to make and delicious. I used raspberries and a little less honey and sugar than in the recipe.

  • Rutabaga on July 30, 2015

    Only a little more work than most fruit-based homemade popsicles, these still come together pretty quickly. My four-year-old enjoyed stirring the sugar syrup into the yogurt and swirling the berries and yogurt together in the popsicle molds. Of course, he enjoyed eating them even more! The flavor and texture combination is great, and they are much healthier fuller flavored than super-sugary commercial popsicles.

• Zucchini, ham and ricotta fritters

  • BigOrangeTiger on July 10, 2017

    Really tasty and easy to make. More bready than frittery. I used feta instead of ham.

• Black-bottom cupcakes

  • BigOrangeTiger on June 16, 2016

    Really not worth making anything less than double quantity of these - they are SO good! And easy to make, easy to double. I prefer the mini ones (take 12-14 minute to cook) but the big ones are good too, just a bit too large for smaller appetites.

• Raspberry-topped lemon muffins

  • BigOrangeTiger on November 06, 2013

    Delicious! I didn't use an electric beater and they were fine. Although they were the first thing I'd baked in my silicone mini muffin try that stuck a bit - but then again, that might have been because I tried to take them out too soon (they needed 5 minutes or so to cool in the tray first) or because they were taken out of the oven a few minutes early (I had two sizes of mini muffin tray and the falling-apart issue only occurred with the bigger tray). But, falling part muffins - a good excuse to eat them straight away!

• Poolside sesame slaw

  • BigOrangeTiger on March 18, 2023

    This dressing is fantastic! Definitely going to making it again...and again!

  • Rinshin on August 12, 2022

    Excellent but be prepared to spend about 45 minutes or so pulling out about 10 vegetables and herbs from refrigerator and garden, slicing and chopping. The dressing part was easy as it required only mincing ginger and garlic. Like most salad dressings, I did adjust after tasting to increase oil as it seemed too thick, added more honey, and about a tsp of soy sauce. Instead of tahini, used creamy natural peanut butter. Roasted both peanuts and sunflower seeds. Instead of chicken used smoked brisket pieces and tossed in thin cooked noodle pieces for more crunch. So healthy and like the other reviewer, very versatile. This made more like 10 servings and dressing for 20 servings for us. Went into my favorite file. Photo added.

  • allisonsemele on June 15, 2022

    Versatile--served as a main with avocado instead of chicken and liked having a kind of creamy element. This salad would be an excellent side for many proteins, or in a wrap. The dressing itself is very tasty, like a sesame version of the miso-ginger dressing served in Japanese restaurants, and I imagine it would be really great with tofu. Several commenters on the SK site mentioned using bags of pre-shredded vegetables for this. I don't usually buy those, but if I were to make this again, I probably would. I was a bit sick of chopping by the end of prepping this.

• Carrot graham layer cake

  • purpleshiny on October 15, 2017

    The layers truly are only 1/2", which seems thinner than the picture. I frosted with the full frosting recipe and it feels like there's alonost a 1:1 frosting/cake ratio (not that there's anything wrong with that). I think I might go with 8" pans next time to get more height. This tastes fantastic and was gone in under 5 minutes.

• Cranberry bread

  • infotrop on December 10, 2022

    Used whole cranberries & was rewarded with wonderful bursts of tartness; cut back on the sugar, used half sour cream & half plain yogurt. Instead of pearl sugar, sprinkled unsweetened flaked coconut on top & covered the top with foil toward the end of baking so the flakes got toasty, not burned

  • anya_sf on December 04, 2021

    Great version of this bread, and so full of cranberries, it was a little messy to slice. I skipped the pearl sugar on top.

• Mushroom Bourguignon

  • marmite on January 03, 2014

    Really very lovely, you really don't miss the meat!

  • rionafaith on February 10, 2017

    Just the thing for this cold winter night. I used cremini mushrooms and cheap Charles Shaw cabernet sauvignon. I wish the sauce was a little thicker -- next time I will let it reduce more. Served this over elbow macaroni but I think it would also be great over mashed potatoes/cauliflower/celeriac/etc.

• Takeout-style sesame noodles with cucumber

  • leahorowitz on June 08, 2020

    Added some quick pickled beets and some julienned carrots. Sauce was way too thick as followed by the recipe. I added some water (maybe keep some of the noodle water next time?) and some additional soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar.

• Not your mama's coleslaw

  • Wlow on March 09, 2017

    Tried approximate measurements without celery seeds (which I don't care for) and only one type of mustard ("whole grain") because my Dijon's best by date was 2 years ago. Very good but I'd add more vinegar than recipe, maybe more mustard than I did this time (used less than called for). Colors lovely. Made about 1/4 dressing for this amount of vegetables.

• Chana masala

  • Wlow on April 26, 2020

    We were a little disappointed by the dish. N thought it needed to be a little sweeter so we did add a little sugar. G did not like the sourness even though we used less lemon juice but still had the amchoor full amount. We had to substitute ground ginger for fresh! I read online to use only 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger for a tablespoon fresh ginger. I know the flavor is quite different but that’s all we had. Used canned chickpeas and canned fire roasted tomatoes (less than called for). Kashmiri mirch in place of cayenne. Cumin shows up twice and I’m not sure why but we did use the full amount, freshly toasted and ground.

• Crispy spinach pizza

  • Wlow on May 15, 2019

    Used as inspiration on Trader Joe’s w/w crust, just mozzarella, and half with TJ’s refrigerated pizza sauce and half without. Liked both ways! No one else wanted to touch it so I got it all to myself and it’s great leftover reheated in the toaster oven.

• Strawberry shortcakes

  • stockholm28 on May 31, 2020

    This was fantastic. The shortcake is based on a Claudia Fleming recipe and the dough is made with hard-boiled egg yolks. I’ve been making Dorie Greenspan’s shortcake recipe for years and it is great, but I liked this recipe better. This shortcake is light and buttery and I loved the addition of lemon zest. The downside is that I waste two egg whites as I don’t particularly care for hard boiled eggs. I had never baked anything with hard-boiled egg yolks in the dough and was intrigued by this recipe. I’m sold. My shortcake didn’t look as pretty as Deb’s. Instead of using a round cutter, I just cut out 6 rectangles so as not to waste any dough. I’ve been baking the shortcakes individually. I froze them unbaked (each individually wrapped) and have found that I need to cook about 10 minutes longer when cooking the frozen dough.

• Rhubarb cordial

  • stockholm28 on June 18, 2021

    This recipe is from David Lebovitz’s ”Drinking French”. This is supposed to age a month, but I pulled it out at 3 weeks. I made half a recipe. It is strong, but surprisingly the gin didn’t dominate the flavor. I also liked it with some seltzer and a splash of pomegranate juice.

• Apple and cheddar crisp salad

  • peaceoutdesign on December 18, 2022

    great idea especially the sugared almonds but dressing needs a bit of work,

• Kachumber cooler

  • peaceoutdesign on May 07, 2021

    Nothing special

• Shaved asparagus frittata

  • peaceoutdesign on October 11, 2022

    We had this for a camping breakfast and it went over well. As in the recipe, do not trim the tough ends as these are great for holding while shaving the asparagus.

  • sharone7 on June 16, 2021

    This is gorgeous and pretty easy (except for shaving asparagus, which is kind of a pain). I was a little low on goat cheese so I supplemented with gruyere, but I think it would be even better with more goat cheese. No need to add pancetta to this--it's gorgeous without.

• Perfect apple tarte Tatin

  • peaceoutdesign on October 09, 2021

    This is very easy but if the caramel is at all runny before serving, put it back on the stovetop and reduce it down.

• Roasted cabbage with walnuts and Parmesan

  • peaceoutdesign on November 12, 2020

    Easy and tasty.

  • valbe on November 24, 2020

    Great recipe. Will make again and, like this time, will not change a single thing,

• Lemon bars

  • peaceoutdesign on April 01, 2021

    Just the perfect amount of tanginess. I made the smaller 1:1 crust bars and that was enough sweetness.

  • Littlemuls on December 27, 2019

    Made many times with the thicker lemon curd. always a hit. Best lemon bars I've made.

• Braised beef short ribs

  • peaceoutdesign on December 03, 2022

    This is copied from Sunday Suppers at Luques.

• Toasted coconut shortbread

  • peaceoutdesign on February 05, 2022

    1.5 oz unsweetened coconut 6 oz unsalted butter, room temp 1/2 c 1/2 t kosher salt 1/2 t vanilla 1 1/3 c flour Preheat 325°F. Bake coconut until golden, 8 minutes. Cool then coarsely grind. In Cuisinart beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add salt and vanilla. Beat in flour in 2 additions. Stir in toasted coconut. Flatten into a 1/2" thick disc and wrap in plastic. Chill 1 hour. parchment paper. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough into rounds. Transfer to baking sheets with parchment. Bake cookies until light golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. Don't forget to eat half the dough before cooking.

  • peaceoutdesign on February 05, 2022

    The dough does looks crumbly as another note said until you compress it into a flat round. I made these to go with affogato and they were perfect.

  • Skamper on April 01, 2020

    Even for a shortbread, this was a very crumbly dough. I'm glad I did not attempt to roll out as I'm sure it would have ended in tears. I formed a log and cut cookies off to bake. I used unsweetened coconut. Good flavor but spread a bit more than I'd hoped.

• Black lentil dal

  • VineTomato on April 17, 2017

    Wonderful recipe. I used beluga lentils in the pressure cooker, 7 min may have been 1 or two minutes too late. The lentils were on the verge of breaking down completely.

• Apple-herb stuffing for all seasons

  • EMichels on December 02, 2013

    Use the most tart apples you can find - made with medium tart apples this needed a hit of flavor. Coarsely chopped fresh cranberries would be a good addition.

• Carrot soup with tahini and crisped chickpeas

  • Alro9 on November 01, 2013

    Chickpeas in soup, who knew how delicious that would be. Try to get the large bottled Spanish chick peas if you can, rather than the usual canned one.

  • Rutabaga on January 26, 2017

    I find carrot soups are a great, inexpensive make-ahead dish. Adding chickpeas turns this simple soup into a hearty main course. Plus, soups with multiple toppings are great for my family since they allow everyone to create their own meal to taste.

• Easiest baked mac-and-cheese

  • Alro9 on February 04, 2014

    I made this with mini-size pasta called 'Panzani Coquillettes' which I'd ordered online by mistake but which was delicious. On the receipe apart from thinking there was a little too much cheese (which made the dish very rich and a bit on the too salty side) this was fantastically easy and much appreciated by the family. I agree with Deb that it may not re-heat the best of all the mac cheese versions out there (not enough sauce) - but it was so delicious there was none left.

  • Barb_N on November 20, 2014

    I made this for my daughter's 18th birthday at her request. Since I added crumbled bacon I reduced the cheese by half. I love recipes that don't require par boiling of pasta and this was all I hoped for. I thought about adding sun dried tomatoes- maybe next time.

• Simplest spaghetti al limone

  • Zosia on July 23, 2019

    This was a great warm weather pasta dish. It was easy to put together, required minimal cooking (just the pasta) and had bright flavour. I think my lemon didn't yield quite enough juice so my cheese mixture was a little dry until I added some pasta cooking water to make a paste.

• Potato and broccolini frittata

  • Zosia on March 01, 2021

    This is a really neat technique for cooking the vegetables in the same pan that the frittata cooks in. My potatoes needed an extra 5 minutes to cook and I cooked the frittata for 12 minutes stove top on medium-low before popping it under the broiler. I substituted broccoli and green onions for broccolini and red onions respectively. I will make this again.

  • chezlarios on January 04, 2022

    Subbed Swiss chard from the balcony garden for broccolini, and used oil from a can of anchovies to cook the veggies. Served with green salad on the side.

• Crispy frizzled artichokes

  • Zosia on August 22, 2018

    They were tasty but didn't get as crispy as I hoped but I think they were too wet when they went into oven; much of the roasting time was spent drying them out before they finally started to brown. I like the idea of oven-frying them so I will try this again but I'll make sure to dry them well before roasting.

• Turkey pesto meatballs and orecchiette

  • Zosia on October 03, 2022

    Really delicious. Meatballs were tender and flavourful and the sauce had a nice consistency, coating ingredients well. I reduced the oil - 1 tsp for cooking garlic and just a misting for the zucchini - and popped the zucchini under the broiler at the end rather than baking it with the meatballs to retain a little of their texture.

  • ginger2212 on October 07, 2022

    This was fantastic!! I was worried about the 2 cups of broth but it really does soak it up. I used Trader Joe's fantastic vegan pesto. Winner in this house!

• Cranberry pie with thick pecan crumble

  • bching on November 27, 2020

    There's too much going on in this pie. Next Thanksgiving, I'll go back to a more straightforward cranberry pie or tart.

  • rionafaith on December 11, 2022

    This was super good! I used the larger amount of sugar but probably didn't need it tbh especially once the crumble topping and some powdered sugar was added.

  • ChristineL32707 on November 25, 2019

    This is easy and delicious! Would also make a great Cranberry Crumble if you skip the crust. Not as pretty but it will taste so good, who cares? I will be making this again and again. It will be especially beautiful on a holiday dessert bar or table. YUM.

  • sofull on November 16, 2020

    Really simple to make. Would definitely make again!

• Chocolate stout cake

  • bching on February 24, 2019

    Very delicious and moist. Plan ahead to allow the cake to cool off completely. Mine looks very homemade--but no one minds!

  • lawrencecharcuterie on February 05, 2021

    We've made this several times, always a winner. With the beer, doesn't have to be a stout, just anything dark and rich.

  • Kinhawaii on March 17, 2022

    Lovely texture & moist, a winner- but not if you dislike stout. Lots of yummy frosting too.

• Perfect garlic bread

  • dawnelizabethtaylor on April 29, 2016

    Gorgeous and super quick! Living remote - I had to make own bread - Italian style ciabatta - seeded (as recommended in Deb's recipe). Maybe I was a little 'heavy' with the garlic - boy this was garlic-y! But divine!!! All family 'faved' about it!! This will now become my 'regular' garlic bread recipe!

  • Rutabaga on April 22, 2016

    Tasty, reliable, and loaded with garlic and butter - this is basically what everyone wants from their garlic bread. It's very similar to Heidi Swanson's recipe, but cooking it under the broiler makes it speedier.

  • leilx on October 28, 2020

    Delicious and super quick. Made without Parmesan and didn’t miss it

• Lasagna Bolognese

  • Kitchengeek on August 24, 2017

    Easier as a two-person operation, but the layering doesn't have to be quite as quick as I feared.

• Asparagus, goat cheese and lemon pasta

  • ksg518 on June 01, 2020

    This was too rich for my taste. If I tried it again, I would reduce the goat cheese by a third. I also think the ratio of asparagus to pasta skews too heavily towards the pasta. I only used about 3/4 of a pound of pasta and thought that was too much.

  • Rutabaga on March 30, 2015

    This is the perfect, adaptable pasta recipe for an early spring weeknight dinner. I changed it up a little by replacing some of the asparagus with sugar snap peas, which I added to the boiling pasta just one minute before removing the pot from the heat. I left out the tarragon and added prosciutto. Serve with a simple salad, and dinner is done. As a one pot dish, washing up is also a snap.

  • clcorbi on June 05, 2018

    We didn't love this. While it was very fast and easy, we both felt that the flavor was a bit too rich and one-dimensional. I might have liked a mix of goat cheese and parmesan better, and next time I'd decrease the total amount of cheese no matter what. We also both felt the dish turned out very under-salted as written.

  • cucinahalcon on June 05, 2020

    Top with a soft-cooked egg! Amazing!

• Charred cauliflower quesadillas

  • ksg518 on March 20, 2017

    These are great! My cauliflower didn't take long to char so don't leave the pan unattended. The crema and the slaw are perfect for with this dish. We only had ten inch tortillas so we only got four quesadillas out of the recipe but really each quesadilla was filling enough to count as two servings.

• Fall-toush salad

  • ksg518 on September 18, 2017

    Meh. The dressing for this was nice but didn't help the salad taste like anything more than roasted squash and Brussels sprouts tossed together. Not bad, but nothing particularly interesting either. The toasted pita is a must with this recipe.

• Pumpkin muffins

  • mharriman on September 18, 2021

    I added 1/2 cup raisins. My muffins were perfectly baked at 27 minute mark in my oven. Recipe produces moist, tender, and flavorful cakes.

  • dedosmagicos on April 18, 2015

    I like to add a little bit of fresh ground black pepper - it adds another layer of spice!

• Cauliflower and Brussels salad

  • mharriman on October 09, 2018

    Wonderful! The capers in the butter dressing do a lot for this salad. With cauliflower and Brussels sprouts now in season and readily available, I decided to try this recipe at the last minute while my main entree was in the oven baking. Yummy! I cut all the ingredients down to 1/4 or 1/3 of total since it was just for my husband and me. Turned out great.

• Lemon risotto

  • mharriman on June 29, 2020

    The photo that accompanies the recipe here was a bit off putting to me, but I then realized the photo’s for a different dish in the blog where this recipe appears. I made half a recipe with great results for two people. There’s enough left over for a light single-serving lunch. The recipe is very similar to others I’ve made with the add-ons stirred in at the end of the cooking time. I served the risotto as a base for a French Provencal scallop recipe; the rice, lemon zest, and juice rounded out the scallop entree very well.

• Couscous and feta-stuffed peppers

  • mharriman on January 08, 2019

    Just okay. My husband and I found them bland and on the dry side. If I were to make them again, I’d use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste, and more of it. The recipe is certainly full of healthy vegetables, but for us, needs more flavor and creaminess.

• Simplest mushroom pasta

  • mharriman on January 01, 2023

    I made half a recipe and used half and half instead of cream fraiche or heavy cream, which turned out fine. I added a little bit at a time over low heat.This was similar to other mushroom pasta recipes I've made. Served with stuffed chicken breasts which was an excellent complement.

  • stef on May 05, 2022

    This was good. I would add more mushrooms next time. They seemed to disappear. Adding water pasta is important to make a sauce.

  • anya_sf on May 06, 2022

    I used the larger quantity of mushrooms suggested in the head note and am glad I did. I added chopped rosemary to the mushrooms since I had some on hand, then stirred in parsley and chives at the end. I was generous with the creme fraiche. We loved this.

  • Ileana on May 07, 2022

    So easy and delicious. Used a mix of portabellas and button mushrooms and subbed Greek yogurt for the creme fraiche.

  • allisonsemele on May 07, 2022

    Okay, I admittedly barely followed this recipe, but it came out delicious so I will repeat it. Used 1lb mushrooms, roasted, to a half pound of pasta. Added 6 oz sweet Italian sausage, red pepper flakes, and a handful of roasted grape tomatoes. Ricotta for the creamy element, and no butter. With these adaptations, reminded me of a mushroom version of the broccoli pasta from Six Seasons.

• Bittersweet chocolate and pear cake

  • MWFhome on June 30, 2014

    Delicious! Check cooking time for your oven.

  • swegener on January 04, 2015

    Enjoy the flavor combination more than the cake, prefer the combo in the SK muffin recipe.

  • allisonsemele on October 04, 2021

    I've made this cake several times, though it had been a few years. There aren't isn't a volume or weight for the diced pears, so it has a different level of pear-iness each time. I don't mind this. This is a rich, kind of coffee-cake-ish cake. This last time I used six tiny pears from my CSA, and a finely chopped bar of dark chocolate. This was the exact right amount of chocolate for me. I only have a hand mixer, and I'm never quite sure if I have beaten the eggs the proper amount, but this must be a forgiving recipe, as it's come out tasty each time.

• Pita bread

  • Barb_N on May 25, 2020

    This was an unmitigated disaster. Perhaps because I used cup measures rather than hauling out the scale, but the dough had the right consistency after kneading. It was sticky and unmanageable trying to toss it flat into a hot skillet in the oven. And how moist is moist? The few I managed to lay flat in the pan only puffed up around the edges, like a bialy not pita. I was so frustrated I threw one ball of dough at the wall, fortunately in cling wrap. The rest went in the trash. A waste of flour, yeast and composure, not to mention cling wrap. If I try pita again, it will be a different recipe. Intended to serve with her hummus and crispy chickpeas.

  • puddlemere on February 11, 2019

    Cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stove. I can never get my pita to puff up properly, and these didn't really puff up completely either, but they were still delicious.

• Nectarine and blackberry galette

  • Barb_N on July 13, 2020

    I made this with nectarines and sweet cherries as there were no blackberries at the Farmer’s Market. Delicious served with unsweetened whipped cream.

  • Rutabaga on August 22, 2015

    The combination of stone fruit and berries is a good one, and this galette takes advantage of one of my favorite combinations. I sized the galette up slightly, adding an extra nectarine to the filling, and also left off the egg wash, but did sprinkle turbinado sugar onto the crust. While rustic, this combination also looks quite pretty when served.

• Sugar-and-spice candied nuts

  • Barb_N on December 23, 2018

    I used mixed nuts as shown in the photo but not the text of Deb’s recipe. I used the smoked paprika variation, but it was so subtle in the end result that I sprinkled some cayenne on while they were cooling. I would decrease the salt, if anything. I usually do like less salt than Deb. I have tried umpteen different recipes with various methods for spiced and/or candied nuts. These nuts won’t bump my all-time favorite (Spiced pecans from The Bon Appetit Cookbook) but they will go into the holiday gift rotation with a very small number of contenders.

• Blood orange, almond and ricotta cake

  • Barb_N on April 08, 2020

    Not the most beautiful cake but this was moist and delicious. I made this for Passover with all almond meal. It took almost twice as long to cook as noted in the recipe. I sprayed the parchment which made it easy to peel off the cake but it made the brown sugar slurry pool in the middle of the pan.

  • rmorse on February 16, 2016

    I found this recipe a little disappointing. I loved the idea of it, but my oranges lost some of their colour (and it was not nearly as beautiful as the picture.

  • tsalazar on May 08, 2019

    Checked oven temp, and I was at 300, but needs to be probably double the cooking time (if not more) or else this will end up like a porridge. The brown sugar sludge should also be as thin as possible--my oranges got lost in the mess and we just ate the whole thing for breakfast like oatmeal. Very disappointed.

• Corn salad with chile and lime

  • Barb_N on August 05, 2019

    My salad was not as colorful as Deb’s as my Farmer’s Market had silver corn, not yellow. I used the chile powder substitute.I bought cotija for the recipe but I would consider feta if I make it again, for more brininess. Be generous with the lime juice.

• Sunken apple and honey cake

  • Barb_N on September 19, 2020

    Rosh Hashanah snuck up on me this year so I was making this after dinner for the next day. Searching apple honey cake this beauty appeared. But when I read ‘in a separate bowl with cleaned beaters’ I knew I wasn’t going to follow it exactly. Sure enough I found a blog that subbed apples for plums in Marian Burros’ plum torte. I cut the fruit as shown here and sprinkled 5 spice, not being a cinnamon fan, and a simple delicious cake was born.

• Baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage

  • Rutabaga on November 13, 2019

    Everyone in the family enjoyed this, so it's definitely a keeper for us. As Perelman notes, it isn't too saucy, but I liked that. I did, however, use extra cheese, a mix of mozzarella, extra sharp cheddar, pecorino, and Parmesan. In place of broccoli rabe, I used broccolini.

  • JJ2018 on April 17, 2019

    This was really nice. It came together really quickly. My daughter loved it even though she’s going through a phase of not liking mixed up foods! Definitely one to add to family rotation.

• Pancetta, white bean and chard pot pies

  • Rutabaga on December 29, 2015

    The consistency of the filling is similar to thick soup or stew, so making them in individual bowls makes a lot of sense. But, as I only had two oven proof serving size bowls, I put some in a smallish casserole dish also. The presentation wasn't as nice, as we had to break the crust, ladle the filling into bowls, and top with the crust shards, but it was still just as tasty. The crust is wonderfully flaky, and would be a good, quick homemade substitute for other savory pies that call for puff pastry. To maximize my effort, I doubled the batch and put half in the freezer, with the filling and raw pastry dough stored separately. I also used porchetta in place on pancetta, which turned out to be especially delicious, and included the chopped chard stems by adding them a few minutes prior to the garlic.

• Pasta and white beans with sizzling garlic-rosemary oil

  • Rutabaga on September 25, 2016

    This is a good basic pasta dish to serve a group, or just to turn to when you need a pantry-based meal. The sofrito lends the sauce richness and depth, but I would use at least three tablespoons of tomato paste, possibly four. Since I have no food processor, I chopped the veg on low speed in the Vitamix, which worked very well for this task. The rosemary garlic oil really gives the dish its pizazz, but if you aren't able to make it, you could top the dish with fresh grated parmesan and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes instead. While it went over well with the adults, unfortunately my five-year-old was not a fan.

• Soft pretzel buns and knots

  • Rutabaga on November 09, 2015

    I had some challenges related to the basic baking soda bath for these pretzels. The recipe instructs you to take the baking soda solution off the heat once you've stirred in the soda, and to dip the pretzels for one minute per side. Once minute seems far too long, and since the water quickly became tepid, the pretzels started getting soggy. To my mind, it would make more sense to dip them briefly in near boiling water (and I did start dipping them for no more than half a minute after a really soggy batch). The long dip also gave them a pronounced soda flavor, and the pretzels didn't crisp up very well in the oven, probably due to the excess liquid. Still, I think the dough itself was very good, and would make it again. And while our pretzels came out of the oven looking pale and pocked, they still tasted good. They taste even better (and crisper!) after being browned in the toaster oven to freshen them up.

• Carrot salad with tahini and crisped chickpeas

  • Rutabaga on February 24, 2015

    This carrot salad is very good, and works well made in advance. Next time, I would like to try adding smoked paprika or Aleppo pepper, as I think those would be a nice alternative to plan crushed red pepper. I found the chickpeas a little bland, even though I really like roasted chickpeas, so would season them with the paprika or Aleppo pepper, too.

  • Njpadget on May 15, 2017

    Great salad but I also found the chickpeas didn't particulate carry the cumin flavour. Next time I might use cumin seed instead of ground cumin. As it was I had some spare dukkah (sesame seed, but and spice mix) and added a good quantity of that as well which I felt gave both a good flavour and texture contrast

• Caramelized onion and Gruyère biscuits

  • Rutabaga on February 18, 2015

    These savory biscuits are simply delicious. The would make a perfect foil for a breakfast sandwich, but are also great on their own without any additional toppings. I used Comte cheese, and loved the way some of it oozed out, creating a crispy fringe around the biscuit and leaving behind tender, cheesy pockets. Caramelize the onions ahead of time to make the day-of preparation go more quickly. My three-year-old claimed he didn't like the onions... but he still ate an entire biscuit with no prompting from me.

• Latke waffles

  • Rutabaga on March 22, 2020

    Overall, these were good, but I had expected something similar to a hashbrown in texture, while these were more like a potato pancake (maybe that's typical for latkes; I admit I'm not too familiar with them). The shredded potato really melted into the batter. I only have a Belgian waffle iron, and I also have the sense that a regular iron may be better here, as there would be a higher ration of crispy exterior to spongy filling. They were tender and relatively light, and I still enjoyed them, but the kids weren't big fans. I think they prefer either regular waffles or regular hashbrowns. Personally, I found that topping one with a fried egg and hot sauce was quite delicious.

• Oven fries

  • Rutabaga on April 25, 2018

    Ten minutes of boiling turned out to be a minute or two longer than ideal for my Yukon Gold potatoes, but they still turned out great. Next time I might try 8 minutes of boiling. All in all, these are very tasty and certainly healthier than traditional French fries.

  • tmitra on September 05, 2020

    I'm impressed by these! I'd recommend salting the water.

• Date breakfast squares

  • Rutabaga on December 18, 2015

    Overall, these make a great bar for snacking or a quick breakfast bite. For my taste, I felt the ratio of date filling to crust was a little off, and would have preferred a little less date filling, as it is so sweet. This would be one bar where date paste might also work very well in place of chopping and then simmering the dates in water, if you happen to have date paste on hand or would like to streamline the recipe.

• Herbed summer squash pasta bake

  • Rutabaga on August 13, 2015

    This is a rich and creamy pasta casserole, good as a make-ahead dinner that will likely be eagerly eaten people of any age. My four-year-old isn't always into casseroles, but this one met with his approval; he even ate leftovers for breakfast the next day. I used buffalo mozzarella since that's what I had on hand, but think regular grocery store mozzarella would be fine here. Adding crumbled, browned sausage could also make this a more complete meal. For herbs, I used parsley, basil, and thyme, but would go a little easier on the parsley next time.

• Green beans with almond pesto

  • Rutabaga on September 22, 2018

    This is a beautiful preparation for fresh beans. The almond pesto is delicious, and would be good with a variety of vegetables; I think cauliflower would be an especially good alternative. The recipe makes a large amount of pesto relative to two pounds of beans, so you could save a little for another use.

• Chocolate peanut butter cup cookies

  • Rutabaga on February 04, 2018

    Yum! I'll definitely make these again. They're actually quite simple to make, and use ingredients I usually have on hand. I didn't roll the peanut butter filling into balls prior to putting it in the freezer, but after about 15 minutes of chilling time, it was still easy for me to roll it into balls and fold the chocolate cookie dough around it. For peanut butter and chocolate lovers, this is the ideal cookie.

• Melting potatoes

  • Rutabaga on October 18, 2018

    This is a wonderful potato dish. The potatoes were so beautifully crisp on the outside with a soft interior. Mine were a little dry, but that was because I only added about a half cup of stock. But they were still delicious, and my boys gobbled them up.

• Flapjacks

  • Rutabaga on September 30, 2018

    I love oat bars like these, but since I don't make them often, I tend to forget the recurring problem I've encountered: I never seem to bake them long enough for the bars to fully set. They still taste delicious, but fall to pieces when I try to cut them. In this case, I baked them 10-15 minutes longer than called for in the recipe, but while they appeared done on the surface, when I cut them into bars the next morning, they crumbled apart. I think there are several culprits: I use Pyrex glass pans, I used foil in place of parchment, and the baking steel I keep in oven may also keep the bottom of the bars from baking quickly enough. I probably need to invest in some square metal cake pans, but in the meantime, maybe doubling the baking time would lead to better results.

• Corn fritters

  • Rutabaga on August 09, 2018

    I found these to be quite tasty, although the kids were surprisingly ambivalent. A good dip, maybe an herby yogurt one, would be a welcome accompaniment. Three ears of corn easily produced three cups of kernels, so I did not need the six ears listed in the recipe. They are quite easy and quick to cook, and held together perfectly.

  • Lepa on July 15, 2021

    I usually steer clear of fritters because they often fall apart but these were a success. I made them on an electric griddle (at 400 degrees) so I was able to make the entire recipe in two batches. We enjoyed them with a variety of toppings but my favorite was mayonnaise with a bit of siracha.

  • anniecc on August 28, 2022

    The fritter consistency was just right. I used fresh corn from my garden and 3 ears made plenty of kernels. I added lime zest, cumin and smoked paprika to the batter and used coriander as the herb, served them with sour cream and tomato salsa. Fantastic!

• Burrata with charred and raw sugar snap peas

  • Rutabaga on July 22, 2020

    I really liked this dish. While my family didn't rave about it, everyone ate it with no complaints (although the kids didn't really eat the cheese). I found grilling the sugar snaps brought out their sweetness without overcooking them; they were still vibrantly green. In the future, I may grill all of the peas, as I really enjoyed them more than the raw ones (although if your raw peas are especially fresh and sweet, it may be worth leaving some raw). Any remaining cheese bits and olive oil on the plate are perfect for mopping up with a slice of bread.

  • sscholl on July 25, 2019

    It really, really is delicious. Deb doesn't disappoint.

  • jenniferlyle on July 02, 2019

    Don't change a thing! This is shockingly delicious!

• Exceptional grilled chicken

  • Rutabaga on June 15, 2019

    I tried this brine using boneless skinless chicken breasts that I had sliced into thin cutlets. After about four hours in the brine, it yielded excellent results. The chicken was tender and moist, not at all dry or tough, and well seasoned throughout (I did sprinkle a little extra salt over them on the grill). Rather than serve it with a vinaigrette, we ate it with the tarragon pesto from The Grilling Book.

• Cinnamon sugar scones

  • Rutabaga on October 05, 2019

    The whole family enjoyed these scones, which were easy enough for me to make on a weekday morning. My older son still prefers plain scones, but that didn't stop him from asking for more of these. I will definitely make them again... and again.

• White bean soup with crispy kale

  • Rutabaga on November 04, 2019

    This is an excellent warming cold-weather soup. My three-year-old even said, "I love this soup mom. You should make it again," which is high praise indeed coming from him (of course, he omitted the kale). The ingredients are basic, but the flavor is well-rounded and savory. Paired with bread, it makes a great fall meal.

• Crisped chickpeas with herbs and garlic yogurt

  • Rutabaga on September 16, 2019

    Simple and tasty, you can combine this with a few other simple dishes for a great meal. I've often pan fried chickpeas in a skillet on the stove, so that technique wasn't new to me, but I loved combining it with thinly sliced, charred zucchini atop a smear of yogurt. The herbs (I used a mix of parsley, mint, and basil), really elevated the flavor, and it was just the right mix of textures. I also added feta, and we ate it with naan bread.

• Skillet-baked pasta with five cheeses

  • Rutabaga on October 22, 2019

    This is a good, simple pasta dish that everyone in the family enjoyed. Considering how much cheese is involved, it doesn't taste overly cheesy. I replaced the fontina with extra sharp cheddar and the ricotta with soft goat cheese. It's a great way to use up odds and ends of leftover cheeses.

• Roasted cauliflower with pumpkin seeds, brown butter and lime

  • Rutabaga on November 10, 2016

    This is quite tasty, although it doesn't beat Chocolate & Zucchini's cauliflower "a la Marie Celeste", which is my favorite roasted cauliflower dish. While nicely browned, my cauliflower was a little limp, probably in part due to the fact that it was crowded together on one pan. Next time, I will spread it over two pans to give it more space to crisp up.

• Fried rice with zucchini, tomatoes and Parmesan

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2018

    My husband really liked this dish, as did I, but unfortunately the kids just weren't into it. I used brown short-grain rice, which I love for the nutty chewiness it brings to fried rice and other grain-focused dishes. Although the kids weren't fans, I'll make it again, but plan to set aside some plain rice and raw tomatoes to suit their taste.

• Hummus heaped with tomatoes and cucumbers

  • Rutabaga on September 28, 2017

    This is a great centerpiece for a casual, easy supper. The tomato salad is quite tasty, and pairs especially well with the hummus. It's the sort of recipe that Smitten Kitchen tends to excel at - taking well-known foods and giving them a little tweak that makes you think, "why didn't I think of that?" I used the homemade hummus and pita from Molly on the Range. Served with some leftover chicken and sauteed zucchini on the side, this made a really tasty, fun-to-eat meal.

  • Lepa on September 29, 2017

    I made this for a quick dinner after I was inspired by Rutabaga's review yesterday (this is such an excellent feature of EYB!) We loved it. I used fresh hummus from a neighborhood Syrian restaurant and it only took five minutes to throw together the salad and toast the pita. I was astonished at how much that little bit of work turned hummus into a meal. I will certainly turn to this in the future on days when we have very little time to prepare dinner.

• Corn chowder with chile, lime and cotija

  • Rutabaga on September 30, 2019

    I made this again for a camping trip. It's a great meal for early fall cool weather camping!

  • Rutabaga on September 10, 2018

    With the exception of my seven-year-old (who still ate it despite his complaints), everyone enjoyed this soup and had fun customizing it with the different toppings. The mayo/sour cream/cheese/lime cream is very tasty and really gives it the flavor of Mexican street corn. While I didn't try this, I think roasting some of the ears of corn before adding them to the soup would be a really delicious variation. Pureeing some of the corn might also be nice to give the soup a thicker consistency. I used only a small serrano (without seeds) and smoked paprika in place of chile powder because I didn't want to make the soup too spicy. The adults added hot sauce to taste at the table. This can easily be made in advance.

  • wkhull on January 09, 2023

    This was good subbing frozen corn (4x 10 oz bags). I did not like the mayo in the finished topping and would have preferred just creme fraiche with lime and cilantro. I could not skip the tortilla chips.

• Spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper

  • Rutabaga on February 27, 2016

    This is a deliciously rich and cheesy dish, and a fun way to serve pasta. My only issue was that it was a little too salty. Next time, I won't add salt to the sauce, as the cheeses are plenty salty (I substituted asiago for the fontina), especially if you cook the rapini and pasta in salted water. I would also be a little more generous with the rapini. After cutting off the large base of the stems and cooking the rest, I probably had a scant cup of greens, but I really would have liked to taste more in the final dish. I cooked mine for fifty minutes without any additional time under the broiler as the top was already nicely browned. Definitely wrap well in foil to avoid leaks.

  • e_ballad on September 19, 2016

    Loved the concept, not wholly enamoured with these flavours. This gives a good platform to experiment from though.

• Taco torte

  • Rutabaga on February 28, 2017

    This is a fun alternative to American style tacos or nachos. It's also pretty healthy, loaded as it is with beans and tomatoes, without being overly cheesy.

• Chicken chili

  • Rutabaga on February 08, 2016

    This was the first meal I've ever made in a slow cooker. It has the advantage of coming together with very little prep and when you get home at the end of the day all you have to do is ladle it into a bowl. The flavor is good, too, and easily adaptable. For example, I used pickled chipotles in place of fresh jalapenos. Mine was a little watery, so I would reduce that a bit unless your beans are old. I used speckled orca beans, which cooked up nicely over ten hours at low heat in my cooker, as did the chicken. It's definitely an ideal recipe to remember when you want a home cooked meal on hand after a long day, or need to feed a group easily.

  • Rutabaga on May 16, 2016

    I made this again with mixed beans purchased at the farmer's market. And again, I think my beans just didn't need that much water. While I reduced the water by about half a cup, it was still fairly thin, but the flavor was excellent and the leftover chili has thickened up nicely.

• Crispy tortellini with peas and prosciutto

  • Rutabaga on May 31, 2016

    This was a big hit with my family. My five-year-old even requested it for his birthday dinner... which is next May. Since I was cooking in a cabin with limited pots and pans, I had to fry the tortellini in several batches and then transfer everything to a pot to cook with the water. Because of this, it probably wasn't as crispy as Perelman's, but no one had any complaints. Conveniently, all of these ingredients are ones I can easily buy at Costco, with the exception of the mint (which handily grows outside our house) and the creme fraiche. And while creme fraiche is undeniably nice, you could easily substitute sour cream, whole milk yogurt, or a drizzle of browned butter.

• Confetti cookies

  • Rutabaga on May 16, 2016

    This recipe arrived just in time for me to try it out for my son's birthday; he brought the cookies in to share with his pre-school classmates today. To keep them nut-free, I left out the almond extract, and used vanilla paste as I had no vanilla beans. They look so festive, and are so easy to make - a real winner for both kids and adults. I kept mine fairly thick so that they remained soft instead of crispy. The flavor is warm and buttery, just a perfect cookie for any occasion.

  • stef on August 04, 2016

    Followed recipe. Grandsons loved them

  • mamacrumbcake on December 28, 2019

    These are really good, buttery, sugar cookies. I use a #40 scoop and usually get between 30-34 cookies. If you have trouble getting the sprinkles to adhere to the dough, rub 1 or 2 drops of water into the palms of your hands before rolling each individual cookie ball. The sprinkles will stick beautifully. To make this easy, I keep a small bowl of water nearby and just lightly dip a finger or two into the water. I have made this recipe with sprinkles and nonpareils. The cookies with nonpareils spread a little bit more and therefore turn out slightly larger and flatter than those made with sprinkles. Both types are delicious and are very attractive cookies.

  • e_ballad on June 18, 2016

    I desperately need to get a scoop - my sizing was clearly off, as I made a quantity of 25 (slightly less than a golf ball). Nonetheless, used the same cooking temp & times - came out perfectly. Look amazing, slightly chewy, taste great. Next time I might throw some M&Ms/similar on top just to go even more overboard.

  • rionafaith on August 11, 2017

    Used food processor and weight measures -- turned out great, nice and buttery sugar cookie base. I started to run out of long sprinkles (maybe I went overboard, but I think I used more than a cup) so I supplemented with nonpareil-style rainbow sprinkles on the last batch, and those turned out fine too with no color loss. Only yielded about 30 cookies for me, though I'm pretty sure I used the right size scoop.

• Homemade merguez with herby yogurt

  • Rutabaga on September 29, 2016

    These are easy to prep in advance, with a nice, lightly spicy flavor. I used close to a pound and a half of ground turkey, and found that two tablespoons of harissa (a pretty spicy harissa on its own) was just right for giving them flavor without making them too spicy for my five-year-old. For us, however, we really need at least twice the yogurt sauce, especially since we ate them with fresh baked pita smeared with plenty of sauce. For herbs, I used a mix of dill and cilantro.

• Sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms

  • Rutabaga on January 01, 2017

    The method for prepping these stuffed mushrooms (baking the empty caps for ten minutes to drain the juices) worked very well. I used oil-packed Pomodoroso tomatoes, which made the flavor really pop - they didn't last long once they made an appearance at the buffet table. I need to remember that the mushrooms will shrink once bakes, so it's best to buy ones that are a little larger than you think you want.

• Chickpea salad with roasted red peppers

  • Rutabaga on October 17, 2018

    This is the perfect simple salad to make for a potluck when you don't have a lot of fresh ingredients on hand, or when you need to prepare it in advance. I used jarred roasted peppers and also included olives. It's very adaptable, and was eaten up quickly.

  • allisonsemele on May 22, 2021

    This was a good, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead salad. Made as written from dried rancho gordo chickpeas.

• German pancakes

  • Rutabaga on October 13, 2018

    The kids really like German pancakes, and mixing the batter in the blender was a snap. My pancakes cooked more quickly than the time noted in the recipe, but perhaps my dark cake pans (the ones I keep intending to replace) were the culprit. The pancakes also stuck to the pans, so I will be sure to butter them extra well next time. I will also double the recipe - one batch was not enough pancake to satisfy two hungry young boys, one teenager, and one adult.

• Whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones

  • Rutabaga on July 22, 2019

    These scones were delicious. My eight-year-old at first expressed disappointment that there were no "plain" scones, but then was even more disappointed when they were all gone and couldn't eat another one! My dough was very moist, but I probably added a few extra berries. They do spread and stay fairly flat after baking, but they were still tender and light.

  • anya_sf on October 22, 2017

    My family loved these scones. I used a food processor to mix in the butter and raspberries, then transferred the mixture to a bowl and added the cream and ricotta. The dough is a bit messy, like most scones, but not too difficult to work with. I'd like to try making them lower in fat next time, although I'm sure they won't be quite as good.

• Tequila lime chicken

  • Rutabaga on May 03, 2018

    I thought the marinade flavored the chicken very nicely, even though I only had half the amount of lime juice. I also left out the chile powder to make it more kid friendly. Rather than grilling, I sauteed the chicken on the stove. The only issue was the chicken thighs I used. They turned out to be a little fattier than my family prefers, and that was pretty noticeable here. While the thighs were nice and tender, I'd use breasts next time, or make sure to trim the thighs well.

• Almond cake with strawberry-rhubarb compote

  • Rutabaga on April 22, 2019

    This cake is quite good, moist and full of almond flavor without being too sweet. Since rhubarb wasn't yet available, I instead served it with sugared strawberries that had spent a few hours macerating.

  • raybun on May 29, 2017

    I loved this cake and the compote. I had just bought a huge bunch of rhubarb at the market this weekend and EYB pointed me in the direction of this recipe. I used one of my last blocks of marzipan from Ikea (yes, you read that right $2.49/200g!). Delicious.

• Buckeyes

  • Rutabaga on November 01, 2015

    These are perfect for peanut butter and chocolate lovers. Mine didn't look nearly so pretty, as I found it difficult to neatly roll them in chocolate and then return them to the pan, but I'm sure that didn't affect the taste. I also didn't use nearly 12 ounces of chocolate (maybe somewhere between 8 and 10), but I had made the buckeyes on the large side.

  • Frenchfoodie on March 22, 2017

    These are crazily moreish, just delicious. Easy to make too. I reduced the sugar a bit as a tiny nod towards a more healthy option and there were no problems with texture etc so will continue to make with less sugar.

• Spaghetti with lemon and olive oil (Spaghetti al limone)

  • Rutabaga on May 21, 2014

    As someone who loves simple spaghetti dishes, I was eager to try this one, and it didn't disappoint. The sauce was a little too lemony for my three-year-old, however - odd, considering he will at times suck on raw lemon slices, but I guess he wants it kept out of his pasta. In a hurry, I hastily tore in some basil and arugula leaves at the end, but I think it would meld better with the leaves cut in a fine chiffonade. I mistakenly boiled the lemon juice with the other liquids, rather than adding it later as instructed in the recipe, but this did not seem to cause a problem. I made this a second time, with penne - and now the boy likes it, lemon and all!

  • Lepa on June 30, 2019

    This was simple and delicious. We made a double batch and I did wince a bit when I saw how much cheese was going into it but the end result was lovely.

• Vidalia onion soup with wild rice and blue cheese

  • Rutabaga on October 22, 2019

    This is a good version of onion soup, with the wild rice making it a little heartier. I love the taste of blue cheese with onions, so that a perfect pairing. It's also something that could be made a day or two in advance, as with many soups.

• Peach butter

  • Rutabaga on August 20, 2016

    Smooth and delectable, this is a great way to use overripe peaches. It's wonderful on scones, pancakes, or toast. I could see adding a little spice to make it a tad more adventurous, maybe a hint of cardamom or allspice.

• Baked potato soup

  • Rutabaga on November 20, 2016

    This is a great potato soup that eats like a meal. It's ideal for feeding a group as it's customizable and filling. We will definitely come back to this one.

  • Rutabaga on October 20, 2017

    I made this again and poured it all in the blender, as I don't have an immersion blender. Unfortunately, a very quick but powerful spin in the blender turned the soup to a mashed-potato-like puree. It was still tasty, but I prefer chunks of potato, so need to remember to only blend about half of the soup next time.

  • sldoug on June 08, 2016

    I love this soup. I made it with slight variations (oil instead of butter since I wasn't reading closely, and about 2/3 of a head of garlic because I figured that was close enough). I use all the garlic (both the minced tops and the squeezed in cloves) and I just eyeball the sour cream. Tonight we ate it with scallions, bacon, cheddar and a bit more sour cream for those of who can never get enough sour cream.

  • CaffeineRage on January 31, 2023

    A really great, potato forward soup! It has tons of room to change it up with toppings and additions. I used all of the garlic in the recipe and tightened up with soup a bit before blending with a bit of instant mashed potatoes so I didn't have to process out all of the chunks to thicken it. The only downside to the recipe is, if cooking it in a pressure cooker, it has two natural pressure releases which is a lot of wait time.

• Crispy, crumbled potatoes

  • Rutabaga on July 02, 2020

    I thought these were great! Not too greasy at all, but rather very crisp and almost light in texture. I used a thermometer to gauge the oil temperature, which may have helped. I did notice the temperature dropped quite a bit after I added the potatoes, which meant they took longer to cook, but they still didn't soak in too much of the oil. Still, it's rich enough (and time consuming enough) that it will be only an occasional dish. My boys especially loved these potatoes; they couldn't stop eating them!

  • Cathyschuh on April 13, 2020

    Not my favorite at all. I was expecting more french fry goodness and got more diner like greasiness....

  • annettle on January 13, 2021

    It's hard to go wrong with fried potato (presuming you like fried foods and potatoes, I suppose, which we do!) but I was surprised by the taste of these, as it was much more like potato crisps than fries. I did have to cook in several small batches to keep the oil temperature up, so not the quickest option, but we didn't find them overly greasy or heavy. Definitely worth a try for potato fans.

• Chicken, leek, and rice soup

  • Rutabaga on March 22, 2020

    This is a good soup to turn to when you don't have a lot of time, but want something warm and filling. I had rotisserie chicken to use up, so I didn't even have to cook the chicken. Because of this, I also opted to use all stock instead of part stock and part water. For herbs, I finished up some dill I already had on hand. While the kids weren't thrilled with soup for dinner, they did eat it without too much prompting.

• Pasta and fried zucchini salad

  • moiragunn on August 14, 2014

    not a quick dish and entails fried foods but very yummy and worth the effort!

• Fresh spinach pasta

  • belgravia on May 25, 2014

    Made for Mother's Day, by hand, no machine. Very doable. Slightly more time was needed to wring the spinach out, and I wish I'd been able to roll it just a titch thinner, but all in all, delicious. (Served with a mushroom lemon ricotta "sauce").

• Quiche Lorraine

  • stef on March 04, 2017

    This is my favorite recipe. Quiche is light and creamy

• Beef chili

  • pistachiopeas on April 07, 2015

    Really enjoyed this chili. Lovely smokey flavor as we used smoked paprika. Substituted champagne vinegar for the cider vinegar as that was what I had on hand. It made a lot. We have two quarts in the freezer.

  • heidimia on June 22, 2017

    Tasted very bland so I added more of the chili and cumin. Also added more tomato sauce because I thought it was a bit dry and beer at the same time as the beef stock.

• Roasted grape and olive crostini

  • myzadim3 on January 10, 2015

    This quantity is enough for about 4 people. Found the oven temp to be too high as all the juices dried up. Will try it next time at 180degC and will also add some verjuice.

• Dijon and Cognac beef stew

  • babyfork on March 24, 2019

    I followed the recipe almost exactly except at the end did not add the extra bit of Pommery mustard as it didn't seem necessary. Oh, and I had bacon fat on hand, so I used that instead of rendering salt pork. The sauce was rich and delicious and I think this is now my new favorite stew recipe. I didn't served over the noodles, but BF commented that would've been good. The only problem was something I knew better and did anyway. I went to my butcher intending to buy chuck as called for, but he had cut up stew meat that looked good. I asked what it was and he said "sirloin". I was lazy and bought it. I've learned my lesson! The meat didn't get tender like chuck would've. Never again will I use anything other than chuck for stew! This recipe would've been perfect expect for my mistake.

  • e_ballad on October 09, 2016

    Given the large amount of mustard used, really expected the flavour profile to be more pronounced. This wasn't really the case. It was tasty, but did need quite a few different components, so it wasn't a 'prepare & leave'-style dish, which limits how frequently this could be made as a family meal.

  • Frogcake on December 23, 2018

    This quite delicious! The large amount of Dijon imparted a rich flavour to the stew - not mustardy at all. I also happened to have a good quality beef broth on hand that I bought from my local butcher. Served with homemade bread, fresh from the oven, my family real loved this simple sitting-by-the-fire meal. I made the stew three days in advance of our family dinner. Would definitely make this again.

  • pattig on February 22, 2022

    This is actually the NY Times recipe from Regina Schrambling & is excellent. I will definitely cook this again. It made plenty for 2+ dinners for the two of us. I served it over mashed potatoes.

• Peach cupcakes with brown sugar frosting

  • JoCam1717 on January 30, 2015

    Just made the frosting for a different cake, but was delicious! I used just brown sugar - no powdered sugar and increased the corn starch a bit. Worked just fine and tasted great.

• Deb's three bean chili

  • planetClaire on August 05, 2015

    A nice easy & simple chilli beans, interesting addition of cocoa powder. We loved the smoky chipotle canned chillies that I finally found in our local shop, seen in many recipes but never found in the shop until yesterday. We had it with lots of fresh spring onions, some sour cream & yeah, even some grated cheddar. Yum.

• Coconut bread

  • shoffmann on January 11, 2020

    Good coconut flavor. The exterior is nicely crisp with a fluffy soft middle. I ended up using half unsweetened coconut and half sweetened (bottom of two bags), and scaled back the sugar to 3/4 cup. This resulted in a subtly sweet bread, but was sweet enough for our tastes.

  • Lepa on July 02, 2017

    This is divine if you brown the butter before adding it AND serve it (as suggested) toasted with butter and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. There's nothing better with a nice cup of coffee. . .

  • tmitra on February 19, 2017

    This does not have enough coconut flavor or other interesting features to be anything but bland. It does make a decent vehicle for whatever you spread on it.

• Funnel cake

  • shoffmann on August 01, 2017

    It is dangerous how easy these are to make.

• Eggplant with yogurt and tomato relish

  • shoffmann on September 28, 2017

    Few ingredients, but really nice flavor. I skipped the optional couscous and hand chopped the vegetables for the tomato relish which made this fairly quick to pull together.

• Homemade Oreos

  • shoffmann on December 10, 2018

    Skipped the filling, and instead used leftover buttercream. I made the cookies with the smaller amount of sugar and with the buttercream filling that was plenty sweet enough for us. I'd dare to say these were better than oreos.

• Hamantaschen

  • campusbrownie on March 07, 2015

    Made it gluten free with 100 grams each of tapioca starch, mochi flour, and sorghum flour instead of the AP flour, and lemon zest. It required some kneading, but worked very well.

• My favorite brownies

  • campusbrownie on April 29, 2015

    Reduce the butter to three ounces. For use with bittersweet chips, bring down the sugar to 175 g.

  • rionafaith on January 29, 2023

    This is a really good quick, one-bowl, super basic but good brownie recipe. Will probably be my new go-to!

  • mewalsh343 on May 24, 2020

    I made with 1oz unsweetened and 2oz bittersweet chocolate. Cut sugar to one heaping cup. Came out perfect!

  • Kag2020 on June 14, 2022

    Why would I try any other brownie recipe??? I probably will because it’s my nature but I’m sure I’ll come back to this one. Not only delicious but quick. Fudgy cakey perfection.Tossed in a handful of peanut butter chips just because there were a few left in the cabinet.

  • ellen23 on April 24, 2022

    My go to brownie recipe!

• Linguine and clams

  • tarae1204 on March 16, 2021

    Very delicious recipe. I subbed arugula for parsley and added it only after serving to appease the green-fearing children. (Ditto red pepper). Lemon sorbet for dessert works very well after this buttery, briny, salty and sensuous pasta.

  • Lepa on January 02, 2020

    This was the most simple and delicious linguine with clams I have attempted and will most certainly make it into our regular rotation!

• Sweet potato and sausage soup

  • wittwoman on April 10, 2016

    Hard to find linguica sausage or a Spanish sausage that is not fully cured. Flavor is very good.

• My favorite buttermilk biscuits

  • wittwoman on April 10, 2016

    I love biscuits. We always made either the Bisquick variety or another low-fat option growing up. But bring on the butter, I say. These biscuits are flaky, towering and fantastic! You can definitely freeze some and bake later, but we've found that they don't rise much.

  • Littlemuls on December 27, 2019

    Handle dough as little as possible!

• Cantaloupe salsa

  • scolere on September 04, 2016

    great recipe to use up not-so-tasty melon. I added some diced tomatoes

• Broccoli melts

  • sldoug on March 22, 2016

    I had high hopes for the simplicity and family-friendliness of this dish, but ultimately it was only okay. I didn't cook the broccoli well enough (totally my fault) but I also didn't love the lemon and felt that the broccoli needed more...something. Maybe more cheese mixed in? It just wasn't rich and savory and melty like I expect a melt to be.

  • magmartin on August 31, 2020

    I substituted Parmesan for the pecorino and much preferred its milder flavor.

• Better chicken pot pies

  • sldoug on September 21, 2015

    Made September 2015. Followed the recipe exactly for delicious results. Used orange fiestaware bowls, which were the perfect size. Next time I'd roll out my crusts and let them sit in the fridge so that they don't start to melt from the filling. Also, it's fine to lay them over the top without pressing down into the bowl. These servings are quite big; next time I might want to make six instead of four.

  • sldoug on January 31, 2016

    Made again, this time using a rotisserie chicken that I had on hand. In order to get that nice chicken-y fond I sauteed some of the bones and skin from the rotisserie carcass and it worked out nicely. Otherwise I followed the recipe and once again, deliciousness ensued!

• Sweet cherry pie

  • sldoug on May 15, 2016

    I followed this recipe but made it with five cups of cherries (halved). Increased the almond extract to 1/2 t, 1/4 c cornstarch, and used 3/4 c sugar, and baked it in a free form galette-style crust (400 degrees for 50 minutes). The filling was great but a bit too sweet. Next time I'd cut the sugar down to a half cup and maybe do a bit more than half a lemon of juice.

• Cherry cornmeal upside-down cake

  • sldoug on May 23, 2016

    I use a skillet for this recipe and it really, really doesn't look a thing like hers. My cherries are darker, more broken down, and form a solid mass over the bottom/top of the cake. That said, it's a tasty cake and a great way to use up the remaining cherries from the way too many cherries that you bought the first time they showed up in the grocery store this year.

• Grilled zucchini ribbons with pesto and white beans

  • Lepa on July 07, 2018

    This was okay. I liked the grilled zucchini with the pesto but the combination was missing something "toothsome" as my husband complained. I normally love Deb's recipes but won't be repeating this one.

  • sharone7 on May 25, 2021

    Another summer recipe I've been obsessed with. It's so good. I put less oil in the pesto because I like it a bit thicker but otherwise don't change a thing.

• Plush coconut cake

  • Lepa on January 29, 2019

    I had this cake at book club tonight and it was delicious! It tastes so rich and buttery. I can't wait to make it myself.

• Potato vareniki

  • Lepa on June 23, 2019

    We made these with the "luxurious filling" for a Russian-themed dinner party tonight and they were so delicious. The dough was so light they melted in our mouths. We ate them with butter, sour cream, and lots of pepper. I bought the mold online and the vareniki were easy to make- and so adorable!

• Cauliflower cheese

  • Lepa on January 04, 2021

    This was rich and delicious. I wouldn't change a thing!

  • allisonsemele on November 21, 2021

    This was good, and will make again. After adding the cheese and tasting, I about doubled the mustard, as it was too subtle for me. I topped with some buttered breadcrumbs mixed with garlic.

• Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette

  • Lepa on January 04, 2021

    This reminds me of the salad my mom and I always ordered in the eighties- in the best possible way. This salad is an easy and delicious way to consume large quantities of spinach. So good!

• Butternut squash salad with farro and pepitas

  • Lepa on July 05, 2017

    This is one of my top five favorite recipes from the Smitten Kitchen blog. It has a cult-like following among my friends. I don't usually love squash but love it here, where the pepitas and feta change the flavor profile. It is a fabulous left over but it doesn't last long in my house. Every time I pass the refrigerator I sneak a bite until I realize the whole bowl is gone. It's really that good.

• Three-bean chili

  • Lepa on December 13, 2020

    This is pretty good for a vegetarian chili. I made it with one green pepper and one poblano so it wouldn't be too hot for the kids. We ate it with saltines, sour cream and cheese on top.

• Spaghetti with chickpeas (Spaghetti con ceci)

  • Lepa on April 12, 2021

    This was okay but not great. Not a repeat for us.

• Indian spiced cauliflower and potatoes (Aloo gobi)

  • Lepa on September 13, 2018

    This is a lovely version of aloo gobi. It is not as greasy as other, more traditional versions I have made and the vegetables are the perfect texture!

• Raspberry brown sugar gratin

  • Lepa on August 02, 2016

    This is SOOOO easy and delicious!

• Peach and crème fraîche pie

  • Lepa on September 17, 2021

    Mine looked nothing like the picture here but it was quick and delicious!

• Rigatoni with eggplant puree

  • Lepa on January 12, 2018

    This is easy to make and seriously delicious! I made it with mint and used parmesan instead of ricotta salata.

• Lemon ricotta pancakes with sauteed apples

  • Lepa on September 05, 2021

    This is such a lovely breakfast. The pancake yield wasn't quite enough for our family of four so next time I'd increase by another 50%.

• Sweet potato salad with warm pepita dressing

  • Lepa on February 09, 2022

    While this felt really healthy, flavor-wise it was just okay. I think it would have benefitted from some vinaigrette dressing or something to marry the flavors. Also, a bit more salt. Not a repeat.

• Cabbage and lime salad with roasted peanuts

  • bspindel on October 04, 2015

    Used all red cabbage rather than half green/half red, because I wanted to use up the whole red cabbage I purchased for this recipe. Substituted EVOO of the peanut oil. Was probably heavy-handed with the ground cumin. Salad sounds unusual, but is surprisingly great!

• Pineapple upside-down cake

  • e_ballad on December 10, 2017

    While the flavour was ok, the caramel topping crystallised which in no way represents the image provided. And cram as much pineapple in as possible as it shrinks a lot more than you’d expect - I tried to replicate the photo & the end result seemed a little scarce.

• Leek and mushroom quiche

  • e_ballad on October 06, 2016

    I'd hoped that the Port wine would add a real kick of flavour, but in truth, it was barely discernible. A functional leek & mushroom quiche, but nothing particularly wowing.

• Chicken with chanterelles and pearl onions

  • e_ballad on September 28, 2016

    Certainly Deb (Smirnoff Kitchen) wasn't too complimentary of this dish, but we really enjoyed it. I made some slight changes (due to laziness). Based on her description of dryness, I used chicken thighs only (skinless, given that the chicken is only ever braised), making only a single layer in my large Dutch oven. I would have loved chanterelles, but given the extraordinary cost here in Australia, I substituted morels (but in all honesty, button mushies would have been fine). Brushing the chicken with mustard & wrapping in bacon seemed like a faff, so I added in bacon lardons, which I fried up before adding the chicken, then stirred through the mustard. That seemed to work fine, though the presentation probably suffered a bit! I'm sure this could be made in two stages to make it easier for a midweek meal.

• Cottage cheese pancakes

  • Mrlew1 on June 24, 2016

    These are delicious! I expect a lot from SK, but these surpassed my expectations.

• Chocolate chunk granola bars

  • Mrlew1 on August 19, 2015

    Can reduce the chocolate by A LOT - they are still delicious. Buckwheat instead of millet works, as does wheat germ or wheat bran instead of ground oats.

• Mocha, hazelnut ugly-but-good (brutti ma buoni) cookies

  • Frogcake on December 30, 2016

    This is our preferred recipe for brutti ma buoni cookies. I've tried Mario Batali's version and find the batter is too fluid so the cookies end up flat aka they are not misshapen or "ugly". As well there are too many ingredients in Mario's recipe -this takes away from the simple and refined taste of whipped eggs, sugar and ground hazelnuts, aside from the fact that they are no longer free form cookies. I make these Smitten Kitchen cookies when I've accumulated at least three egg whites. Yummy.

  • Frogcake on January 05, 2018

    My favourite brutti ma buoni cookie recipe that I’ve made many times. I substituted the hazelnuts with pecans this time. Equally delicious!

  • tralliott on March 07, 2021

    A great cookie if you want something that's unique but also a crowd pleaser. Personally I might prefer it without the chocolate chips so you can really taste the hazelnuts and espresso.

• Blueberry crumb bars

  • Frogcake on April 17, 2017

    Fabulous! These satisfied my craving for blueberry bars. I used four cups of frozen blueberries with successful results. After I patted the base into the baking dish I realized that I forgot to add lemon and rind. So I added half the rind and lemon juice to the crumble topping and the remainder to the blueberry filling. I also sprinkled a tablespoon of large rolled oats onto the base before putting in the filling (because I really like oats in my blueberry bars). Really worked for me! Will make these again.

  • Frogcake on March 25, 2019

    Yum. These also freeze very well.

• Pâte brisée

  • Frogcake on January 05, 2018

    My favourite recipe for pate brisee. So easy to handle. Best if you chill the dough for awhile but manageable if you roll out immediately.

• Pasta with garlicky broccoli rabe

  • Frogcake on December 06, 2016

    Instead of ordering a pizza last night, I made this instead. Delicious, healthy, quick dish that I will keep in my back pocket. Probably took me 12 minutes to get supper on the table. Thank you to the folks at Smitten Kitchen!

• Chicken pot pie

  • Frogcake on October 08, 2018

    Delicious! I added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a swig of Marsala (in place of sherry), and a couple of heaping tablespoons of plain goat cheese. Topped with thawed packaged puff pastry.

• Slow-and-low dry rub oven chicken

  • Agaillard on February 24, 2017

    Wow. This was amazing! Will try different spice rubs too! And the brine step made it not dry at all ... That will definitely be one of my go to chicken recipes/ways of cooking chicken!

• Zucchini quesadillas

  • ezwriternc on November 19, 2021

    These came out fabulous. I used two zucchinis and half a sweet, vidalia onion. Cooked them down then used flour tortillas as I didn't have enough corn. I also didn't have Monterey Jack so I used shredded cheddar. Definitely making these again. They were great and gobbled up quickly.

• Even more perfect apple pie

  • tmitra on November 25, 2018

    In terms of flavor, I prefer this apple pie filling recipe to Deb's previous one, but I found the long cooking time challenging. Even at the bottom of my oven (furthest from the heating element), the pie overbrowned. Separately, the freshly picked apples I used didn't break down at all, which isn't my preference. Maybe it was the apple variety or not letting them macerate for long enough?

• Nectarine, mascarpone and gingersnap tart

  • tmitra on July 28, 2019

    See also: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/nectarine-and-mascarpone-tart-in-gingersnap-crust

• Apple pie

  • tmitra on November 26, 2016

    I followed Deb's filling recipe (using the juice and zest from half a lemon) and found that it wasn't sweet or gooey enough for my taste. I used a non-lattice top.

• Cauliflower and tomato masala with peas (Gobi matar)

  • dichohecho on March 12, 2019

    I scaled the recipe to match the weight of my puny English cauliflower and it worked well. I would endorse the extra step of browning the cauliflower before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. I had a dim moment and cut all the cauliflower very small so it cooked faster than specified but it worked out fine. You need a pan with a lid - I started using my wok before realising this and ended up using a baking sheet as a makeshift lid.

• Sweet potato tacos

  • clcorbi on April 09, 2018

    This recipe makes a delicious, satisfying vegetarian taco that's also quite fast to throw together. Next time I'll let the sweet potatoes roast even longer; you want them to get nice and crisp so that you have textural variation between the sweet potatoes and the refried beans. Otherwise, no changes; these are seriously tasty.

• Pasta salad with roasted carrots and sunflower seed dressing

  • clcorbi on July 03, 2018

    This is a really nice pasta salad! It definitely needs a lot of lemon juice or fresh herbs to brighten it up. I imagine this would be delicious with any number of roasted veg substituted for the carrots. Leftovers keep well, too.

• Chocolate whiskey and beer cupcakes

  • rionafaith on September 22, 2016

    These are incredible. They take a fair bit of effort because of the multiple components (cake, filling, and frosting), but it is so, SO worth it. Massive party hit.

• Red velvet cake

  • rionafaith on June 17, 2017

    Not the reddest red velvet cake I've ever seen (more of a mahogany color) despite using a full tsp of Wilton no-taste red gel (I would try Americolor next time as I think they're more concentrated). But this calls for far more cocoa than most other recipes, so you gain flavor while sacrificing color. Very moist and tasty, a big hit at the party I took it to. I doubled the frosting, and would highly recommend doing that unless you like a VERY thin coat or spending ages struggling to cover the cake.

• Veselka's cabbage soup

  • rionafaith on May 22, 2017

    Loosely followed recipe -- omitted allspice and subbed 1/2T oregano for marjoram as I didn't have either of those spices, and I used a combination of homemade mixed bone broth and mushroom stock that I had in the freezer instead of plain chicken stock. Only simmered the pork for 1 hour, not 2, as I was short on time. Still very good even with these shortcuts.

• 44-clove garlic soup

  • rionafaith on November 05, 2016

    Just the thing for this cold I'm dealing with! The hardest part is peeling all of the garlic cloves -- this is so easy. Plus it's almost entirely pantry ingredients. I used about 3/4 tsp dried thyme as I didn't have any fresh, and it was totally fine. The cream adds a nice richness and makes it a prettier color, but I'm not sure it's even necessary -- might try without next time. And I think I actually prefer it without the lemon added at the end, or maybe just a smaller squeeze. In any case, I'll definitely make this again, maybe even doubling the recipe.

• Chicken with almonds and green olives

  • rionafaith on August 26, 2017

    Very tasty. The breadcrumbs and almonds (I used regular generic ones, not Marcona) thicken the sauce and make it super rich and delicious while adding some interesting texture. Yum!

  • allisonsemele on February 03, 2023

    Very tasty, savory dish. Served with white rice and kale sautéed with smoked paprika and sherry vinegar, which went well. Used regular almonds. I could not taste the saffron. I would either add it directly to the braising liquid or omit it next time.

• Rosanne Cash's potato salad

  • rionafaith on June 30, 2016

    The best potato salad! This is my go-to and it's easily adapted and tweaked depending what you have on hand (ie, last time I was out of dill pickles so I used some relish I had in the fridge and it was fine). This has been devoured every time I've made it.

• The great unshrinkable sweet tart shell

  • rionafaith on November 22, 2018

    Used this for Deb's "Cranberry Pecan Frangipane Tart" this Thanksgiving. I don't know about unshrinkable -- it did pull away from the sides of the pan quite a bit, but at least it didn't slump down, so still plenty of room for filling. I buttered the tart pan as instructed, though I usually don't for pies and tarts, and I'm not sure it was necessary as this weeped a LOT of butter while baking. (Glad I had it on a baking sheet to collect the grease that pooled!) If I make this again I won't butter the pan and I think it will go better. Still, this is a good pate sucree-type crust, just maybe not quite as perfect as promised.

• Cranberry pecan frangipane tart

  • rionafaith on November 22, 2018

    Delicious! I used the full cup of cranberries and wouldn't have wanted any less. Not too tart at all, it's balanced out by the sweetness of the frangipane and crust (and some powdered sugar on top). Great holiday dessert.

• Dark chocolate tart with gingersnap crust

  • rionafaith on November 26, 2016

    Decadent, dense and rich. I used Trader Joe's triple-ginger gingersnaps for the crust, which I think really made it great. I was running low on bittersweet chocolate so I used half semisweet and half bittersweet -- I don't think it made much difference. The only thing I would maaaybe change is to kick up the spice level a tiny bit next time with more black pepper and cinnamon, and maybe add crystallized ginger on top as in the original Epicurious version, but honestly this is pretty perfect as is.

• Black bottom oatmeal pie

  • rionafaith on November 23, 2017

    "Sinful", as my dad said. This was very sweet, best served in small slivers with strong coffee, but very good and a nice change from the usual Thanksgiving pies. Made the crust by hand with a pastry blender (not by food processor for once!) and it was very workable, though it did shrink and distort a little during the blind baking. That's nitpicking though... this was really delicious.

• Crispy broccoli with lemon and garlic

  • rionafaith on February 21, 2017

    I could eat an entire head of broccoli cooked this way. I only used 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes, could use a touch more next time.

  • sandiegoveg on July 27, 2021

    I added the garlic and lemon zest after the broccoli roasted for 10 minutes. Then continued roasting it for 10 more minutes. Added 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the final product.

• Cozy cabbage and farro soup

  • rionafaith on February 02, 2019

    Not super exciting but healthy-ish comfort food. I doubled the recipe but kept the original amount of oil, and was a bit short on farro so I supplemented with barley. Used a pinch of dried thyme instead of fresh. May have gone a little too heavy on the lemon juice at the end. so I'd watch that next time. This seems like it will freeze really nicely too.

  • StoicLoofah on January 25, 2019

    Tasty recipe! If you like cabbage, you will like it. The farro gives it more heft.

• Rhubarb upside-down spice cake

  • hourlongshower on May 08, 2017

    I subbed out the buttermilk for plain yogurt, since I had it on hand, and omitted the lemon zest all together. Turned out sweet and tart. I think it would still be tasty if I reduced the sugar in the topping a bit.

• Chocolate tahini challah buns

  • hourlongshower on April 11, 2019

    Totally not Kosher for Passover.

• Cheesecake bars with all the berries

  • emusro on August 26, 2022

    Used Schar gluten-free graham crackers. This is very easy and very delicious. A bit less overwhelming than regular cheesecake, especially with the sour cream layer. A friend who ate it said it was a technically very well executed cheesecake, so I'll take that!

• The broccoli roast

  • nyb34 on November 12, 2016

    Tasty, but more work than I'd repeat.

• Margarita cookies

  • inflytur on March 22, 2018

    Delicious, but I found the citrus flavors to be too subtle. Next time I plan to double the amount of lime and orange zest.

• Twisty cinnamon bun bake

  • averythingcooks on May 10, 2021

    I cut this in 1/2 (easy to do) to make 2 twists in a 6"x 9" baking dish and they are really good. If you set out make this, be sure to READ everything Deb says in the intro/headnotes or it will just seem like something is wrong. I used "method 1" for the rise (room temp to double followed by a night in the fridge) and this morning the dough rolled out beautifully.....yes, with lots of flour as she instructs. I didn't actually make the icing this time and we really don't think they needed it. I will for sure make these again.

  • anya_sf on June 25, 2021

    I also made 1/2 recipe; my mixer struggled with the smaller volume of dough, so I had to assist with my dough whisk, which was fine since this dough doesn't really get kneaded. After chilling, the dough was easy to roll. I also used method 1, but chilled the dough 6 hours, then shaped it and chilled overnight so it was ready to bake in the morning. (If your freezer is big enough, freeze the filled log straight rather than in a horseshoe shape - I had to wait for it to soften slightly before splitting.) Baked in a glass 7"x11" pan (slightly too large), the buns were done in about 28 min and got crusty on the edges. Next time I'll try a large loaf pan. The buns were delicious both with and without the icing.

• Cabbage and mushroom "lasagna"

  • elifinn on March 20, 2023

    Delicious! Parboiled cabbage leaves and potato slices. Shorter oven time: 20 mins covered + 10 uncovered.

• Liège waffles

  • bwhip on April 24, 2019

    Made these for the first time tonight. Delicious! And yes, the sugar makes a bit of a gooey mess of your waffle iron (thankfully we have two), but it's worth it. Great flavor and caramelization, nicely crispy and puffy. Took a few tries to get the heat setting and time just right.

  • AndieEats on November 14, 2021

    Halved the recipe for just 8 waffles, and crunched up some sugar cubes in place of the Belgian pearl sugar. On our Krups waffle maker, we turned it up to a heat of 4 (out of 5) and needed a little over 5 minutes for a caramelized crust. These were delicious with the crisp crust and pretty easy to throw together. Would make again!

• Better chocolate babka

  • bwhip on March 09, 2019

    So great! Made this for the first time this morning (well, started last night), and it turned out fantastic. Not difficult at all, and super tasty. Highly recommend this recipe!

• Easy drop berry shortcakes

  • bwhip on June 15, 2017

    So easy, and so great! We used a combination of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Heavenly.

• Baked farro with summer vegetables

  • anya_sf on August 16, 2021

    This was quite good, but my family probably would have liked the pasta version better. I used a whole 250 g package of 10-minute farro and increased the water accordingly. After baking 20 minutes, the farro was cooked, but the liquid wasn't all absorbed. Rather than broiling the top, I increased the heat to 450 F and baked it another 5 minutes, at which point the excess liquid was gone and the top was brown enough.

  • ginger2212 on June 07, 2022

    This was so delicious!! I added a spoonful of pesto that I needed to use up where the basil was called for. Big hit for a refreshing summer dinner on a cooler night.

  • Jardimc on August 20, 2021

    Great recipe. I love how jam-packed with veggies the dish is. Like anya_sf said, I too found the farro was cooked but there was still liquid in the pot, so I also baked it a bit longer, about 5 minutes more and then broiled it briefly for color. Will definitely be making this again.

• Buttered noodles for Frances

  • anya_sf on July 26, 2022

    Bookmarking this, not because I need this basic (but perfect) recipe for buttered noodles, but because this blog post is truly the best. I had my own Frances who came home from kindergarten one day and said, "Guess what? We ate melted cheese on bread. You wouldn't think that would be good, but it was!"

  • Jviney on August 04, 2022

    Don’t sleep on this simple recipe. With two exhausted kids and a husband on a work trip, this is gold. It feels like a home cooked meal, it’s cheap, and it can be adapted so easily. I used green garlic butter made with the Six Seasons recipe, and No Yolks broad noodles, and it was one of the most comforting dinners I’ve had in a long time.

• Pumpkin waffles

  • anya_sf on October 27, 2018

    I made the recipe on epicurious, which uses 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup milk, and doesn't separate the eggs. That one was delicious, so I know this one would be too (probably better). White whole wheat flour worked fine for a heartier texture. Update: made them again, this time separating the eggs, but still used white whole wheat flour. Also had to use half buttermilk, half yogurt-milk mixture. They were tasty, but definitely hearty and somewhat chewy, not fluffy and light. I'm sure that's down to the whole wheat flour, but also probably the pumpkin.

• Cherry almond dutch baby

  • anya_sf on July 14, 2021

    I used a heaping 2 cups of cherries (probably closer to 3), which didn't seem like too many. The cherries rose to the surface while baking, but that wasn't a big deal. I thought this was quite tasty, but my family didn't seem as enamored. Maybe it's just cherry overload.

• Strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie

  • anya_sf on August 04, 2021

    Delicious but hard to eat. Of course I added the whipped cream well ahead of time (who wouldn't?). Straight from the freezer, the pie was nearly impossible to slice or eat. After softening in the fridge for a bit, it was sliceable, but eating was still a challenge as the filling softened much faster than the whipped cream (although that wasn't too bad) or the crust, which remained rock hard. Maybe an unbaked crust would be better. We liked a generous amount of strawberry topping and ended up making more for the leftovers.

• Mom's apple cake

  • sgpinson on September 01, 2019

    Added a maple glaze - 1/4 c maple syrup, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1/3 c sugar

  • ellen23 on April 24, 2022

    Sensational. Even better the next day. Perfect for Rosh Hashanah.

• Homemade pop tarts

  • leilx on April 02, 2022

    Delicious and quite easy. Will make again!

• Pecan sticky buns

  • leilx on January 22, 2021

    These are good. They take a bit of planning but are pretty simple. I halved the recipe and that worked great (use an 8” pan). I think I don’t love honey caramel though so I might not make these again

• Strawberry, lime and black pepper popsicles

  • leilx on July 16, 2017

    Needs more pepper and definitely all the lime maybe even more.

• Eggnog waffles

  • trmarvin on January 28, 2018

    So, so good. A new favorite around here.

• Deep dark gingerbread waffles

  • trmarvin on January 28, 2018

    Not sure what went wrong, but these completely fell apart. Delicious but messy. Will make as pancakes next time.

• Chocolate buckwheat cake

  • LouiseQuasiChef on April 13, 2019

    This is a great any-day-of-the-week cake. Good chocolate flavor with interest from almond and buckwheat flours.

• Cornmeal-fried pork chops & smashed potatoes

  • Kduncan on August 03, 2019

    Technically this is the same recipe as Sean Brock's "Cornmeal-fried pork chops with goat cheese-smashed potatoes and cucumber" sans the cucumber. Great recipe, will definitely be making this again.

• Shaved fennel and crushed olive salad

  • ricki on September 04, 2020

    Yum! No orange, just Meyer lemons. Left off the cheese for a light side. He who doesn't usually care for fennel kept taking more because of the olives.

• Vanilla custard slices

  • Kinhawaii on July 17, 2022

    I loved the custard (did use custard powder like the original recipe) but I think because of the humidity where I live it softened overnight. Soggy pastry was easier to bite through like a bar cookie. It was crispy when I trimmed it down- maybe I needed to bake it beyond what I think is golden brown?

• Blackberry-blueberry crumb pie

  • Kinhawaii on June 16, 2019

    Absolutely delicious, best new pie recipe I've tried this year, will definitely make it again. Used only half to two thirds of the crumble - I like less & liked to see the berries peeking through.

• Coconut tapioca pudding with mango

  • Kinhawaii on June 23, 2022

    Yummy but with my coconut milk & cooking for that long- it became like rubber.

• Cinnamon swirl buns

  • Frances17 on October 13, 2017

    Make with dough from here: https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/11/cranberry-orange-breakfast-buns/

• Carrot cake pancakes

  • Skamper on April 19, 2020

    These were very good. I made a full batch and it yielded 9 3.5-4 inch, of which we are almost all. I had some cream cheese icing leftover from cinnamon rolls so used that. Used my food processor to grate the carrots.

• Bacon corn hash

  • Skamper on July 29, 2018

    This was delicious. I was standing by with smoked paprika because I thought it would be bland, but it was not needed. I microwaved the potato pieces for 3 minutes to speed cooking. Great with a fried egg on top.

  • chef.j on June 26, 2021

    Used frozen corn. Microwaved potatoes 5 mins to make cooking quicker. Served topped with over medium egg. Really good.

• Crispy sweet potato roast

  • Skamper on May 08, 2018

    This was tasty, but mine did not get crispy at all.

• Layered yogurt flatbreads

  • Skamper on June 09, 2020

    The first time I made these I subbed chickpea flour and they were a disaster. Not because of the flour but there was too much liquid and they were completely un-kneadable. She just updated the recipe recognizing the liquid issue and really cutting it back. This time I used regular AP flour (half recipe). The dough looked pretty dry in the bowl after mixing in the yogurt, so I added 1 T of water. This was a mistake; I should have kneaded it first to see if it was really necessary. I ended up having to add quite a bit more flour during the kneading and rolling. They still turned out pretty well and I would make again.

• Whole wheat oat chocolate cookies

  • Skamper on January 21, 2022

    These are very good. Used wheat germ. Chilled for about two hours then baked 4 cookies and they didn't spread much; will bake the others tomorrow. I used a combination of semisweet (mostly) and some 100% cacao. Might throw in some raisins next time.

  • jenburkholder on November 06, 2020

    I made these with red beans instead of chocolate chips, which is admittedly a pretty big change. The flavor was nice, but they were really dry - particularly surprising given that the red beans are much moister than the chocolate chips. I'd play with this concept, though, as the red beans + oats were a lovely combination.

• Roasted tomatoes with white beans and basil

  • Xyz123 on August 20, 2022

    Wonderful, delicious and easy!

  • jhallen on July 13, 2022

    Really easy and delicious. Great summer dish. Will make again many times.

• Cauliflower slaw

  • sandiegoveg on November 21, 2022

    Good to use the caper frying oil instead of olive oil for the dressing.

• Spanakopita

  • sandiegoveg on January 30, 2022

    I forgot the egg and this still turned out perfectly.

• Chocolate oat crumble

  • JJ2018 on April 11, 2019

    I wanted to love this but I just found it a bit weird. The topping was delicious and the fruit was delicious but I didn’t like the way the syrup and chocolate ran together and found it looked unappetising. Would take ideas from the top and bottom and use separately

• My favorite lentil salad

  • Jviney on October 11, 2022

    Delicious! I was skeptical but it was so good, just the mix of Trader Joe’s lentils and a jar of their bruschetta. I added lime juice, avocado, cilantro, and Tobasco and we struggled to stop eating it.

• Cauliflower salad with dates and pistachios

  • Jviney on January 16, 2023

    This was yummy and easy to assemble. I added flaky sea salt at the end, and served it at room temp. A really nice winter salad.

• Oatmeal, chocolate chip and pecan cookies

  • sarahkalsbeek on March 04, 2020

    Used dark brown sugar instead of light brown, zest of two mandarin oranges, no pecans, and a mixture of dark, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate chips. Added two teaspoons of vanilla, rather than one, and left out all of the spices. They baked up really thin and almost lacy, and chewy. And absolutely delicious!!!

• Indian-spiced vegetable fritters

  • Auxilia on September 13, 2018

    I made the curry-lime yogurt that accompanied this, and it was uninspiring--too little flavor. Definitely needs more spice, or texture, or something...

• Baked chickpeas with pita chips and yogurt

  • cucinahalcon on November 21, 2018

    This is one of my family's favorite dinners. We make this as a healthy meal for large groups. Great vegetarian option, it can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

  • AnnikaCooks on January 11, 2022

    Made a great winter version with pomegranate arils in lieu of the tomato cucumber relish, it was absolutely lovely this way.

• Potato kugel

  • chezmaryb on April 02, 2021

    Sooooo freaking good. Like a hashbrown in casserole form. Somehow tastes so much more complex than just potato and onions, which it basically is.

  • allisonsemele on November 13, 2020

    I've made this several times and really like it--will often add herbs. Have had to substitute matzo meal or flour for the potato starch and both work fine.

• Black-eyed peas in a spicy Goan curry

  • chezmaryb on October 25, 2021

    Delicious! Comes together quickly and love the mellow spices in the coconut milk

• Green angel hair with garlic butter

  • arl8058 on January 26, 2023

    Delicious. Used 1 1/2 heads of garlic to a stick of butter (and kept it in the oven for the full 45 minutes), and 5 ounces of spinach. Could have used more spinach. I didn't have angel hair, so I used bucatini, which worked fine. The picky 7 year old ate a little, but the 2 year old gobbled it up.

  • allisonsemele on November 28, 2022

    Made half recipe, but used the full head of garlic. This was delicious, and rich-tasting. I over-salted.

• Tiramisu cake

  • jdstone on December 18, 2022

    Not only a delicious cake, it keeps incredibly well if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers. Have been waiting for an excuse to make it again.

• Apple sharlotka

  • deboChicago on May 05, 2020

    I have been wanting to try this for months. My husband is the baker in the family, so I have been nudging him for that long. At last, he made it for me and agrees it is so delicious although ours is not so pretty as pictured. Still, very simple. I imagine the apple sharlotka will become part of our regular dessert rotation.

• Brussels sprout and bacon frittata

  • Suitsme on December 13, 2020

    Very tasty, but I had a difficult time with the heat both on the stove and in the oven. It started to burn under the broiler after only 2 mins so watch it. Only had half the sprouts called for so supplemented with some kale. Came out just fine.

• Squash and chickpea Moroccan stew

  • JulieCruz on October 31, 2022

    Excellent. Easy to throw together, I didn’t add potatoes but added some spinach at the end. The preserved lemon brightened it up and castelvetrano olives were a good substitution

• Tangy braised chickpeas with carrots and mushrooms

  • arosfd on December 07, 2020

    This was a wonderful recipe, and next time I will certainly at least double it, if not triple. Had as a "stew" with a fresh loaf of homemade crusty bread, but would also be good with some barley or other dense grain, cooked separately and then stirred in at the end. An absolute A+!

  • allisonsemele on October 05, 2022

    This was good—I did add a very small amount of bacon, which was nice but not necessary. I used dried chickpeas and cooked them most of the way before adding the the vegetables. I used 10oz of mushrooms for a half pound of chickpeas. I served with buttered egg noodles. Wound either serve with mashed potatoes or include a potato in the stew next time.

• Corn butter farro

  • Apepin on September 11, 2022

    We all liked this. I used frozen corn because I didn't have fresh.

• Caramelized brown butter Rice Krispie treats

  • locopomtini on October 23, 2020

    Deliciousness! And stays soft for days.

• Smashed potatoes with sweet corn relish

  • tjf on August 23, 2020

    Even if you don't make the whole dish, this is a really good corn relish/salad. I made it with 2 tablespoons sugar rather than the full 1/4 cup and found it plenty sweet.

• Sweet corn pancakes

  • lynnswin on July 31, 2020

    Try adding some slivered basil to the ingredients

• New York sour

  • allisonsemele on December 28, 2021

    This was good, though I didn’t want more than one. The float is pretty—lots of helpful comments on the SK post.

• Focaccia onion board

  • allisonsemele on October 06, 2022

    This turned out really well for me, and I never make bread. I loved the copious onions. I buttered the pan before adding the oil and it didn’t stick *too* bad. Served for break fast.

• Roberta's roasted garlic Caesar salad

  • allisonsemele on November 03, 2021

    Would do the full head of roasted garlic and skip the raw clove if I make again--the raw had too much bite, and I'm generally pro raw garlic. At the very least, would use a much smaller raw clove than I did. Other than that, this is a silky and rich Caesar dressing. I preferred Vivian Howard's version in This Will Make It Taste Good.

• Cabbage and mushroom galette

  • sharone7 on June 22, 2021

    I kind of made this a fridge dump galette--added a little leek, used a combo of shiitake and cremini mushrooms, and did a mix of cabbage and roughly chopped spinach. I also threw in some grated gruyere but forwent the egg because I didn't want to hard-boil just one. With a premade crust this was pretty easy but not that quick because of all the chopping.

• Gnocchi with a grater

  • chef.j on June 26, 2021

    Microwaved potatoes instead of baking to save time--came out great.

• Baked feta with tomatoes and chickpeas

  • snoozermoose on January 15, 2022

    I was skeptical given how simple this is, but it was really delicious! I served it with toasted Tuscan bread, and it was perfect for soaking up those garlicky tomato juices. I didn't have fresh herbs but sprinkled some dried oregano on top, and it worked just fine. We'll definitely make this again.

  • anniecc on September 18, 2022

    My family really liked this. It’s easy and yummy. I used purple basil as the garnish which worked perfectly. Next time I might try it with cannellini beans.

• Pizza with bacon, onions and cream (Alsatian pizza)

  • chefandra on September 19, 2022

    Very good pizza! When I make again, I will make just a bit less of the white sauce. I added fresh garlic and red pepper flakes to the white sauce. I added capers and sliced Castelvetrano olives I had left from another recipe.