#31 | what's for dinner tonight?
#31 | what's for dinner tonight?
I've never cooked from a cookbook before but I loved this one!
Just before the New Year, Ashley Spivey mentioned on Instagram that she and her sister would be hosting a virtual “cookbook club” using the latest release from Alex Snodgrass (aka The Defined Dish).
I’d never been one for cookbooks, but I was in a food rut & was also the primary chef in my house at the time. So I ordered Dinner Tonight and committed to the experiment. Ashley & Alexa chose five recipes per week, and I followed them.
Turns out, I love cooking from cookbooks! Or at least I love cooking from this particular cookbook. The meals are designed for weeknight dinners so they are limited in their complexity; while they typically take longer to make than a HelloFresh box, the author makes an effort to keep it under an hour.
I also like that she uses the same pantry staples throughout the recipes. It took some time (& money lol) to acquire the frequently-used spices and other components but nothing was single-use for one special recipe.
Though the cookbook club has ended, I have continued mining the book for new recipes & making favorites again for the second or third time.
This week, I picked up two new cookbooks from the library to see if I want to own my own copies: The Comfortable Kitchen, also by Alex Snodgrass, and Cook This Book by Molly Baz. I’ve already bought Dan Pelosi’s cookbook, Let’s Eat, and I’m feeling pretty good about my growing collection.
Feel free to add your favorites in the comments — I’d love to try more!
Dinner Tonight by Alex Snodgrass | affiliate link | non-affiliate link
The Comfortable Kitchen by Alex Snodgrass | affiliate link | non-affiliate link
Cook This Book by Molly Baz | affiliate link | non-affiliate link
Let’s Eat by Dan Peloi | affiliate link | non-affiliate link
I’ve provided affiliate & non-affiliate link options for the cookbooks I’ve mentioned. If you choose to use an affiliate link, I may earn a small commission. (Like, so small.)
I love all of Ina Garten's cookbooks, especially Cooking For Jeffrey.
Ottolenghi is my fave though his recipes can be a bit involved, so more of weekend projects! If you like Chinese food, I cook out of Woks of Life all the time—the best.