Notes about Recipes in this book

• Real Caesar salad

  • angrygreycat on August 28, 2018

    I've made this recipe several times and it is now my family's go-to Caesar Salad recipe. Made again for dinner tonight with some leftover sliced chicken breast to accompany it.

• Cantaloupe, prosciutto, and arugula salad

  • mjes on September 01, 2021

    A simple, quick salad that ticks several boxes, meat, greens, and fruit all in a single tasty plate.

• Prosciutto and mozzarella panini

  • Gio on November 08, 2015

    Pg. 40. Superb sandwich to eat instead of a take-away sub. We used the prosciutto and mozz per the recipe, focaccio, and hot cherry peppers instead of red bell peppers, dried oregano with the balsamic vinaigrette. Had all the flavors and aromas of the best Italian salumaria I've ever been in. Into our easy make rotation it goes along with thoughts of variations on the theme.

• Kicked-up tuna melts

  • Cheri on April 26, 2013

    This was ok. Nice little variation from my standard, but no real WOW factor here. I don't typically add tomatoes and provolone, but find it was ok.

• Roasted carrots with fresh thyme

  • Gio on November 25, 2015

    Pg. 67. Super accompaniment for just about any main dish. We used carrots of many colors sliced with a rolling cut on the diagonal and that made for a pleasing presentation. The bit of honey called for enhanced the beautiful carrots but did not over power their flavor. Into rotation it goes.

• Gaaahlicky sizzling shrimp

  • Gio on November 22, 2015

    Pg. 73, including Pg. 29 Creole Seasoning omitting the salt. I've cooked many variations of garlic shrimp over the years and this rendition is excellent. I halved the shrimp recipe to serve 2 people, used half chicken stock and dry white wine, increased the Creole seasoning to 1 tbsp. Next time I'd use the same proportions but cook the shrimp less time. We had sliced grilled focaccio for the sauce. Definitely repeatable.

• Stir-fried chicken with cashews

  • Gio on July 25, 2015

    Pg. 80. Absolutely delicious, quick, easy. Toast the cashews first.

• New York strip with beurre maître d'hôtel

  • nadiam1000 on January 31, 2017

    Great alternative cooking method to grilling - my favorite cut is the NY Strip and the sear from the cast iron, combined with the seasoned butter makes a pretty perfect steak

• Chicken queso burgers

  • Breadcrumbs on November 17, 2010

    ppa 138/9 - I'd flagged this as a "to-try" based on the ingredient list - especially the ground chx which I'm increasingly incorporating into our meals. After pulling the book to have a closer look, I've changed my mind. A few things just turned me off the recipe. First, I found the idea of incorporating grated cheese into the raw meat mixture really odd. I've seen burgers w a cube of cheese in the centre but can't imagine what would happen if it was mixed through (1/2lb no less). Also, the recipe calls for 1.5 cups of minced onions to be mixed with 3/4cup of olive oil as a "spread" for the buns...ughhh! That seems as though it would be super-oily.

• Three-cheese baked macaroni

  • breakthroughc on April 06, 2023

    This was quite good as a weeknight recipe. I left out the nutmeg due to personal preferences, If serving kids I would cut back on the cayenne.

• Creamed mustard greens

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2018

    This was ok but I've had versions I prefer using just cream. The cream cheese here made it taste a bit heavier.

• Sautéed mushrooms with fresh thyme

  • lwburbach on May 08, 2026

    This is a very nice and easy recipe and the thyme is a nice addition. I used beef broth instead of chicken.

• Swordfish with puttanesca relish

  • Jane on July 20, 2011

    A tasty, quick everynight dinner. The puttanesca relish makes enough for another meal - he suggests pasta, cooked chicken breasts or grilled fish. The puttanesca had plenty of flavor from anchovies, capers, black olives and basil.

• Stir-fried beef and broccoli

  • Jane on October 22, 2010

    Good quick & easy dinner with lots of flavor.

  • Breadcrumbs on April 16, 2013

    p. 205 - Quick & Delicious! This is the first dish I’ve cooked from this book and it turned out perfectly. I made the sauce the day ahead so dinner literally came together in about 7 mins. Imagine my delight! Zoji took care of the whole grain basmati rice. I made one slight change by substituting Sambal Oelek for the dried chilis. I also added a little water to loosen the mixture before serving. Worth repeating. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898486#8022287

• Better than mama's chili-mac

  • nadiam1000 on April 26, 2022

    This is a very straightforward recipe - easy to throw together with pantry staples and makes a nice casserole dish. I had most of the ingredients and was looking for a chili mac recipe. I made half a recipe and it was still a large portion for 4. A bit bland - the whole diced jalapeno really does not add much heat. If I make it again I will season the chili mixture with salt and pepper before combining with the macaroni and cheddar and maybe add a bit of hot sauce to taste.

  • breakthroughc on September 13, 2024

    This is good, but not great. I agree with Nadiam that it is kind of bland. I did not seed or devein my jalepeno. My husband loves a casserole, and it is a pantry meal so it might get made again. I would up the spice level. A half recipe made an huge amount. No way 3 or 4 could finish it. We will probably get at least 6 servings out of it and my husband is not a dainty eater.

• Braised chicken thighs

  • angrygreycat on July 22, 2018

    Made this for dinner tonight along with some steamed rice. Lovely tasting gravy and pretty simple preparation. Good for dinner on a work night, even though it is not a short recipe.

  • TrishaCP on March 01, 2019

    This was an easy to make braised chicken dish, with decent flavor. (Not sure that my Cajun spice blend was all that great. I think the Essence mix would have been better.) I used boneless skinless thighs to speed up prep, but it was still a tad too long a prep for my household on a weeknight, since we don’t usually get in until 7-7:30pm most nights. In hindsight, this would have been a great dish to convert to the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Will need to consider that for the future.