As I have mentioned before, I love Chrissy Teigen (I also love her husband. Did you see John Legend perform at the inauguration? Amazing!), and I already reviewed her second cookbook, Cravings: Hungry for More. I own that cookbook, and have made several of the recipes, which are all great. So I was excited when I got her first cookbook, Cravings, for Christmas. I know, I’m going in the wrong order! Both of her cookbooks are pretty si...

Like pretty much everyone who knows how to cook, I love the Barefoot Contessa. I have already written about two of her cookbooks on the blog: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Cooks Like a Pro. When I saw that she had a new cookbook out, I immediately went and got it from the library. I made three recipes, all great, before I had to take it back. Then my mom gave me a copy for Christmas, so now I’m excited to make a bunch more of these rec...

Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? Do you even know what you’re doing for Thanksgiving? We were supposed to host a small family Thanksgiving, but now it looks like it will just be the four of us. I love cooking for Thanksgiving, so I will probably cook too much anyway. I’m trying to keep it under control. 🙂 I picked up Antoni in the Kitchen at the library, and it has a great Brussels sprouts dish, perfect for Thanksgiving. Who is ...

I know everyone’s stress levels are through the roof right now, and I know what I do when I’m stressed. I eat chocolate! This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen Every Day, the second cookbook of O.G. food blogger Deb Perelman. I already reviewed her first cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, when I made Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs. They were so good that when I saw she has another short rib recipe in this cookbook, I really wa...

How is everyone’s stress level? I feel like mine has been through the roof because of getting ready for the school year to begin. I work in higher ed, so getting ready for this unusual school year has been a little insane. Also, I have two sons who still haven’t started school yet (it was pushed back to after Labor Day), and we don’t even know for sure yet what their schooling will look like. Anyway, all of that is to say I have...

I have had Sister Pie borrowed from the library for quite awhile (I checked it out right before my library closed because or COVID-19), and I kept avoiding it because I am not a pie baker. If I feel the need to make a pie for some reason, I usually just get a store-bought crust and call it a day. (My husband loves blackberry pie, and about the only baking he ever does is making homemade pie crusts.) But this book, which has a gorgeous cover, kept...

Previously I reviewed Lucinda Scala Quinn’s cookbook Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys. Now Quinn, who worked for Martha Stewart, has a line of Mad Hungry cookbooks. I picked up Mad Hungry Family from the library (before it closed). This book seems pretty similar to the other Mad Hungry cookbook. It’s full of dishes that are simple and filling, so you can feed your family homecooked meals. Quinn is a big proponent of the family meal a...

So I already mentioned that i’m a big Emeril fan. The last cookbook of his I reviewed was all about comfort food. This cookbook is really the basics of Cajun cooking. I haven’t used it a lot, because my husband does most of the Cajun cooking in our house. The other day he make this gumbo recipe, but he always likes to tweak recipes, so I will provide info about that below. Six servings 2 pounds small okra 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups ...

My husband bought this The America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook (2001) at a used bookstore quite awhile ago, and I hadn’t made anything from it yet. So I sat down and looked through it the other day, and it’s full of good stuff. As I’m sure most of you know, America’s Test Kitchen is a real kitchen in Boston where they test recipes that they publish in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine and demonstrate on their PBS show. B...

Ok, so since we are all cooking at home a lot, I thought I would go ahead and share some recipes. Canal House Cook Something: Recipes to Rely On by Christoper Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton is one of those basic recipe cookbooks that are great gifts for anyone who is just starting to cook. A lot of the recipes are just variations on a simple recipe. The one I tried out, Pimiento Cheese, is about as basic as it gets. This is something my husband ...

Cravings: Pot Pie Soup with Crust Crackers
Cookbook Overviews , Recipes / February 1, 2021

  As I have mentioned before, I love Chrissy Teigen (I also love her husband. Did you see John Legend perform at the inauguration? Amazing!), and I already reviewed her second cookbook, Cravings: Hungry for More. I own that cookbook, and have made several of the recipes, which are all great. So I was excited when I got her first cookbook, Cravings, for Christmas. I know, I’m going in the wrong order! Both of her cookbooks are...

Barefoot Contessa’s Modern Comfort Food: Ultimate Beef Stew
Cookbook Overviews , Recipes / January 20, 2021

Like pretty much everyone who knows how to cook, I love the Barefoot Contessa. I have already written about two of her cookbooks on the blog: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Cooks Like a Pro. When I saw that she had a new cookbook out, I immediately went and got it from the library. I made three recipes, all great, before I had to take it back. Then my mom gave me a copy for Christmas, so now I’m excited to make a bunch more of...

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto Chips from Antoni in the Kitchen
Cookbook Overviews , Cookbook Reviews , Recipes / November 19, 2020

Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? Do you even know what you’re doing for Thanksgiving? We were supposed to host a small family Thanksgiving, but now it looks like it will just be the four of us. I love cooking for Thanksgiving, so I will probably cook too much anyway. I’m trying to keep it under control. 🙂 I picked up Antoni in the Kitchen at the library, and it has a great Brussels sprouts dish, perfect for Thanksgivin...

Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Bake Sale Winning-est Gooey Oat Bars
Cookbook Overviews , Recipes / September 29, 2020

I know everyone’s stress levels are through the roof right now, and I know what I do when I’m stressed. I eat chocolate! This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen Every Day, the second cookbook of O.G. food blogger Deb Perelman. I already reviewed her first cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, when I made Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs. They were so good that when I saw she has another short rib recipe in this cookbook, I...

Vegetable Kingdom: Memphis Coleslaw
Cookbook Overviews , Recipes / August 28, 2020

How is everyone’s stress level? I feel like mine has been through the roof because of getting ready for the school year to begin. I work in higher ed, so getting ready for this unusual school year has been a little insane. Also, I have two sons who still haven’t started school yet (it was pushed back to after Labor Day), and we don’t even know for sure yet what their schooling will look like. Anyway, all of that is to ...

Stuff I’ve Been Cooking, Reading, Watching, Etc.
Favorite Things , Recipes / July 1, 2020

Hi, just checking in. It’s been a pretty stressful and illumniating few weeks. I keep wondering what incredible event will totally upend our lives in the next month or so. I, like most people, have been thinking a lot about racism in this country and what I can do differently in my own life to not only believe that black lives matter, but to work towards that goal. I will continue to work for and donate to political candiates who ...

Sister Pie: Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Pie

I have had Sister Pie borrowed from the library for quite awhile (I checked it out right before my library closed because or COVID-19), and I kept avoiding it because I am not a pie baker. If I feel the need to make a pie for some reason, I usually just get a store-bought crust and call it a day. (My husband loves blackberry pie, and about the only baking he ever does is making homemade pie crusts.) But this book, which has a gorgeous c...

Stuff I’ve Been Cooking, Reading, Watching, Etc.
Favorite Things , Recipes / May 28, 2020

Hey, I hope everyone is hanging in there. My family is still doing well. Everyone is healthy, and my husband and I are able to work from home. But I feel like the whole “opening up” of things is more stressful than just being forced to stay home. So many decisions about when to wear a mask, whether my kids can have friends over, and on and on. Anyway, I just thought I’d do another quick post about what I’ve been ...

Mad Hungry Family: Double-Decker Pork Tacos
Cookbook Overviews , Recipes / May 13, 2020

Previously I reviewed Lucinda Scala Quinn’s cookbook Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys. Now Quinn, who worked for Martha Stewart, has a line of Mad Hungry cookbooks. I picked up Mad Hungry Family from the library (before it closed). This book seems pretty similar to the other Mad Hungry cookbook. It’s full of dishes that are simple and filling, so you can feed your family homecooked meals. Quinn is a big proponent of the fam...

Louisiana Real and Rustic: Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

So I already mentioned that i’m a big Emeril fan. The last cookbook of his I reviewed was all about comfort food. This cookbook is really the basics of Cajun cooking. I haven’t used it a lot, because my husband does most of the Cajun cooking in our house. The other day he make this gumbo recipe, but he always likes to tweak recipes, so I will provide info about that below. Six servings 2 pounds small okra 1/4 cup vegetable o...