Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day

by Lidey Heuck, Ina Garten (Foreword)

“Lidey subscribes to the same theory of home cooking that I do. We all want recipes that have ingredients you can buy in almost any grocery store, recipes that are easy enough to make without breaking a sweat that will be delicious and satisfying for either an ordinary weekday dinner or for a special occasion.” —Ina Garten, from the Foreword

From the rising star who learned to cook when she worked for Ina Garten and inherited the Barefoot Contessa’s intuition for what people want to cook, 100 recipes that are cook-pleasing and crowd-pleasing and written with the shopper, chopper, and dish-doer in mind.

As any Ina Garten fan will attest, Lidey Heuck landed the most plum after-college job—working for Ina in her East Hampton kitchen. There, she learned how to develop recipes that work every time and how to put together dishes that are at once special and unfussy.

Cooking in Real Life represents the golden middle ground that new and experienced home cooks recipes that are inventive but not overly complicated, that use familiar ingredients but encourage us to do things a little bit differently. They are designed to be low-effort, practical, and high-reward. Lidey combines straight-forward delicious cooking with innovative, vegetable-forward recipes, inspired by bold flavors from near and far. Chapters and recipes include the

Busy, fuss-free Salmon with Honey and Chili Crunch, Cider-Glazed Sausages with Apples and Fennel, Saucy Shrimp alla Vodka. Plus, dozens of ideas for turning single recipes into one complete meal ( adding some sauteed shrimp to Shaved Carrot Salad with Ginger Tahini Dressing).

Flexible, seasonally-inspired recipes with easy-to-find Maple-Roasted Squash with Grapes and Shallots, Escarole with Cara Cara Oranges, Spicy Paloma Punch.

Celebratory dishes for occasions that call for something extra Short Ribs with Port, Shallots, and Cranberries; Champagne Chicken; and Rainbow Sprinkle Ice Cream Cake.

Throughout, Lidey includes swaps, make-ahead hacks, and tips for making leftovers into something new. Cooking in Real Life meets you where you are—whether you’re here for the practical tips or the endless possibilities.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Food and Drink

288 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2024

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
===
4.5 rounded down

I was quite impressed with this one! Gorgeous photos with every recipe, crisp and visually appealing layout, and a wide variety of recipes across a spectrum or types and flavor profiles. This is one of those cook books that just jives so well with my personal cooking preferences and tastes that I found myself bookmarking every other recipe! I will say that the title does feel misleading, because although many of these recipes do align with the way I personally like to cook IRL, that level of cooking is probably a bit beyond the effort the average person would put in for the everyday. Some of the recipes looks much more complex than they actually are, but there were a number of more special occasion meals, or meals that seem like they'd probably be more special occasion for most. Great cookbook for me personally, but if you're coming for real "every day" recipes, you may be disappointed.

[Jifu · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

I'll be a bit honest, when I first began to browse the pages of Cooking in Real Life, I was initially intimated by the various picture-perfect dishes I was seeing. But my concerns quickly began to die down as soon as I started to actually get down into the ingredient lists and the nitty gritty of the recipes. Soon enough I realized that this was exactly as advertised. Wonderful dishes covering a wide array of times of day and dietary preferences, but all remaining quite manageable not only with their components, but also the necessary steps need to get them from an assortment of ingredients and onto the table. My one complaint is that I would have liked a few more vegetarian mains to choose from here - but hopefully I'll see those in a sequel!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a cookbook lover, this book is a must have! I’ve been following Lidey since she was working with Ina and I’m so happy and excited for her 1st cookbook! First let me say that the recipes all look amazing and appetizing and made with fresh ingredients.
The directions are clear and concise and I know that they have been tested multiple times. I love the format of the book with most recipes on one page with a beautiful photo of the finished product right next to it.
The little “story” or introduction to each recipe is a nice touch and makes it truly unique and memorable. I also like the make ahead and leftover or substitution suggestions.
If you’ve been cooking for years or whether you are just starting out, this is definitely a cookbook that you’ll want to have because the recipes are ones you can make everyday.
I’ll be choosing “Cooking in Real Life “ when it’s my turn to host Cookbook Club.
I’ve pre-ordered my copy and I’m looking forward to getting it.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

[Jessica Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely recipes with accessible ingredients and steps!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book and the recipes in it, the title felt a little misleading and I thought there would be more easy/life is messy/make ahead recipes. This is not to take away from the actual content of the recipes which I found delightful (Especially the deserts!). The last part (easy add-ons and menu ideas) was fantastic.

[Tlwinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for about 1.5 months (I borrowed it from my local library to do a test run) and have made quite a few of the recipes in it. Needless to say, it will not be one that I will purchasing or even renewing for longer because there is so much in this cookbook that I have no desire to make. I did not find the photos especially appealing or appetizing. So that’s the first strike against it. I hit a few recipes in each section of this cookbook and this is what I think: 1) None of the recipes were terrible, as in I didn’t throw any of them away in disgust. They were all solid and edible, although I don’t know if I’d be particularly pleased if someone described my food that way. The leftovers did not always get eaten, which I always use as a gauge. 2) I didn’t find any of these recipes particularly easy to throw together and many of them had a full list of ingredients, some of which I couldn’t even find at my grocery store. Most recipes took approximately an hour to make, if not longer, and I felt like the finished dish did not live up to the amount of effort that went into it. 3) The recipes were definitely solid, but when I put so much time and effort into making a recipe - especially after wearing myself out at my job for 8 hours- I want my tastebuds to be deliriously happy when I put something in my mouth. These recipes were good but they were very, very ordinary. There is not one recipe that was delicious enough to write down and save. (UPDATE: I did actually go back into the book to copy down the recipe for Pickled Red Onions. In my opinion, they were the best recipe in the book and we've gone through multiple jars already!) Most recipes I found tasted similar to something I already had in my repertoire which I liked better and knew I would refer to instead. So, in my opinion, they did not measure up. There was a definite lack of any ZING! 4) My husband is the one who actually wanted me to take the book back to the library because he said I was putting way too much time and effort into making things that were just okay. That pretty much sums up this cookbook- It is just okay.

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful cookbook full of recipes I’m excited to try! They are an accessible, interesting, and perfect for family meals or dinner parties.

Here are some of the recipes that caught my attention:

Baked crab dip- Sounds delicious!

Kale salad with Gouda, honeycrisp, and walnuts- simple and fresh

Date night rib eye with wild mushrooms- for a very special meal

Roast Chicken with Cipolinni onions, white beans, and lemon- Great variation on a classic by making a quick side dish of white beans and onions in the same skillet you roasted the chicken in.

Salmon with honey and chili crunch- easy addition to some of our other favorite salmon recipes.

Slow roasted salmon with lemony leeks and asparagus. Sounds perfect for spring!

A section of veggie mains including red curry lentil with sweet potato and spinach or crispy cauliflower and chickpea cakes with Moroccan spices

There is a great section of easy, interesting sides such as green beans with garlic and crispy capers, crunchy cucumber salad with peanuts and chili flakes, roasted cauliflower with fried sage and hazelnuts, grilled zucchini with charred lemon vinaigrette and feta

The book ends with some lovely desserts and a great breakfast chapter with some great brunch recipes.

My favorite section is a list of menu ideas for a variety of gatherings using recipes in the book!

I have to eat gluten free, so I always consider how many of the recipes are actually something I can eat. In this book (though not specifically marked gluten free), I found the majority of the recipes could be easily adapted by a knowledgeable gluten-free home cook. And there are several gluten free dessert and breakfast recipes in those sections as well!

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Simon Element Publishing for the opportunity to review this book!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook! The recipes I'm most excited to try are Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting and Sea Salt and the Blueberry Muffin Sugar Cookies. The photos are beautiful and the recipes are well written and easy to follow. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Lidey Heuck, Simon Entertainment and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I snapped photos of a few interesting recipes, including a couple of vinaigrettes I'd like to try.

Interesting recipes.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s a no from me, dawg.

This cookbook is oozing with audacity. These recipes are neither delicious looking nor doable for the modern cook. We are broke and many of these recipes call for ingredients that are either expensive or not readily available (ONCE AGAIN, I FIND MYSELF SCREAMING ABOUT FOOD DESERTS). We are also short on time and many of these recipes are the opposite of time savers.

I don’t know what planet Lidey lives on, but it’s not planet earth where budgets are real and time is finite. This cookbook is pretentious and what’s up with the Kindle version of it? The formatting is awful.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful cookbook. So far I've made almost half of the recipes and they're quite easy and delicious. Many of the recipes appear to be twists on classic dishes, but they work and provide lots of flavor, so much so that they have become staples at home (eg: Taverna Salad is a new favorite as well as the Sausage and White Bean Soup)

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook really did leave an impact on me. But, I will have to say that the cover is nothing remarkable and I probably would not have picked up this cookbook if not for the "Best of 2024" publicity. (It's been on a number of these types of lists this year.Well, maybe I would have because of Ina Garten writing the forward.)

From the "Forward" on, I was impressed with Heuck. I mean, who has the hutzpah to write to Ina Garten and propose your own job with her? Heuck's my hero.

Ina writes of Heuck:

When most young people were out looking for a job---any job---Lidey was looking for her dream job. She found someone who knew someone who knew me, and she sent me her resume. Fortunately, at that moment, I happened to be looking for a creative person to help me with social media. (ix)

Heuck remembers showing up to work for Ina, just two weeks after graduation:

I wore a pencil skirt and ballet flats. My corporate attire was a dead giveaway that I had no idea what my job would really entail.... What I didn't realize was that I'd also be helping to shop for recipe ingredients, popping out to the garden to pick cherry tomatoes or fresh rosemary, and before long, cooking alongside the Barefoot Contessa herself. (1)

Obviously, she was highly influenced by Ina and her kitchen, but she also gives credit to her working mother's simple meals (who may not have been a great cook but was a fast cook) and her grandparents' elaborate Sunday dinner spreads. By her own admission, her food today is uncomplicated and delicious and meant for Cooking in Real Life.

Heuck begins with quick how-to-read-this-book tips and points out the notes that accompany many of her recipes to help the home cook customize. She includes how to make some of the smaller dishes (like sides and soups) into full meals. Included in the book are "no-recipe recipes" for the basics like searing salmon and roasting potatoes. I love a cookbook that includes menus and the final part of the book includes these, everything from celebratory feasts to "Busy Weeknight for 1, 2, or 4" to "Hot Date Night" (264-265). Another added bonus is that she includes sources for the serving pieces and table linens featured in the spectacular photographs of the recipes (266-267).

The recipes are fantastic and so versatile. I did a riff on her "Cheesy Stuffed Squash with Kale & Brown Rice" (137). Taking a nod from her tips, I used what I had on hand. I had a wild rice mix so swapped that in for the brown rice. I didn't have kale so I added some extra herbs like basil and parsley. These were great!

A lot of the recipes spoke of Fall to me so I'm saving her "White Bean & Mushroom Cassoulet with Gruyere Bread Crumbs" (132) for October or November. I'll probably revisit the Cheesy Stuffed Squash" then too. However, I had to make "Spaghetti with Sweet Corn Pesto" (138) NOW when fresh corn and cherry tomatoes are fresh.

You can find the original recipe on Heuck's blog. The only things I changed were I used seasoned Italian bread crumbs instead of panko (because I had them) and I added bacon (because I had some already cooked in the fridge). Best summer pasta ever!!!!!!

The entire "Dressings, Sauces, & Extras" is worth a careful perusal. You could do so many riffs with the recipes here (254-259).

I'm always drawn to the "Desserts" section in any book and Heuck did not disappoint. The PB&Gs (Peanut Butter & Ginger Cookies) (190) are some of the best I've ever made. Ground ginger plus crystalized ginger is added! You must try these! These are fluffy when they're removed from the oven but the fall a bit. That just adds to the chewy deliciousness of these cookies. The recipe for PB&Gs is worth the price of this book!

In the "Salads & a Few Soups" section I found another keeper: "Celery Waldorf with Pickled Golden Raisins" (69). This is a beautiful salad. There's more celery than apples but I love that. It seems like I always have a bunch of celery that needs used pronto. It's dressed with a simple vinaigrette and blue cheese.

The stars are the pickled raisins and the maple-candied walnuts.

I can't rave enough about those pickled raisins. I will share this part of the recipe, just 1/2 cup of golden raisins and 2-3 T. of a good white wine or Champagne vinegar and simmer together in a small pan. Evaporate all the vinegar (about 2 minutes). I ended up using more vinegar because I was using jumbo golden raisins. These are great as a snack but really dress up this salad.

Please note that the "Chicken, Beef & Pork" looks fabulous too. I just haven't gotten around to making anything from there.

Cooking in Real Life may end up on my shelves. Either that, or I will be habitually checking it out of the library every season. This is one of the keepers, my friends. It may also definitely be the best of the "Best of 2024" cookbooks!

[Michael Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

COOKING IN REAL LIFE by Lidey Heuck (pub March 11, 2024) is one of the best and most useful cookbooks I’ve read in several years. It’s a cookbook meant for everyone – delicious recipes built on ingredients you can probably get at your local supermarket or farmer’s market. I’m a big fan of cookbooks, both for inclusion in my high school library and at home on the farm. Nothing brings people together quite like great food, and being able to easily cook good food should, in my opinion, be a fundamental human right (which is why I include cookbooks in my library book talks with high schoolers).

Hueck came to cooking in a roundabout way, but one most foodies would envy . She got a job out of college working as a social media assistant for Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa – who wrote the foreword to this book. After nearly a decade working with Garten, including shopping for ingredients and testing recipes side by side with the Barefoot Contessa, Hueck offers her first cookbook: Cooking in Real Life.

The recipes are accessible and nearly all ingredients are probably already in your pantry at home, or generally easily purchased. To test this, I had the advance copy of the book with me on an iPad at my go-to grocery store in the midwest, and there were only two ingredients from random recipes I couldn’t source on my first stop: Littleneck clams and Harbison, a Vermont cheese, neither of these are midwestern staples.

The recipes are listed in the progression you would expect: appetizers through desserts, with an end section on dressings and sauces. One highlight is vegetable main dishes in addition to recipes for meat and fish. Heuck includes recipes for breakfast options as well, and if you’re really strapped for time to meal plan, she offers a variety of weeknight menus using recipes from the book. Notes in many recipes include tips, swaps, and ways to prep recipes in advance to save time.

I marked a few of the recipes to make as soon as possible for my family, for research and review purposes, of course: Baked Harbison Fondue; Arugula and Romaine Salad with Radish, Shaved Parm, Pistachios, & Mint; One-pan Chicken Meatballs with Red Sauce & Spinach; Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Pecans & Pomegranate Seeds; Banana Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting & Sea Salt; Hummingbird Pancakes with Caramelized Pineapple & Pecans.

All of these look tasty and easy to make – easily fulfilling the promise of the book's title, Cooking in Real Life. I’ve already purchased a copy for my school library, and plan to get one for my farm kitchen as well.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Cooking in Real Life is a casual "everyday" cookbook with appealing recipes by Lidey Heuck. Released 12th March 2024 by Simon & Schuster on their Simon Element imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a graphically appealing, well written, and accessible cookbook with an array of everyday recipes to appeal to most tastes. The author has included an abbreviated pantry and ingredients list, but the recipes take up the bulk of the content. They're arranged thematically: Snacks & Drinks, Salads & a Few Soups, Chicken Beef & Pork, Fish & Shellfish, Veggie Mains, On the Side, Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, and Dressings Sauces & Extras.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in imperial (American) standard units with some metric measurements in parentheses. The nutritional information is not included. Each recipe includes a header with a short description of the recipe and approximate servings. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients. The photography is abundant and clear and the recipes are illustrated simply and clearly.

This is a large collection of recipes and even allowing for the fact that some of them are very similar to others in the same category, this will keep readers going for ages. There are many simple and healthy "everyday" recipes.

This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, gift giving, and a great "care package" moving out gift (bundled with cooking supplies and housewares) to newly fledged young adults living on their own for the first time.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Jessica Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had actually heard of this one already because it is such a big deal that Ina Garten’s protege, Lidey Heuck, now has her own cookbook! She got to know Ina as her social media manager but she’s been around food all her life- 2 of her uncles were restaurateurs and would teach her at Sunday dinners.
I attended a library Cook the Book for this exact cookbook and got to try so many yummy things made with fresh, healthy ingredients. So I was really excited when I got an opportunity to own and review this one! Thank you for the gifted copy, Simon Element!
🧺
Here’s what I made:
🍒 Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies- these are flourless and keep their soft, chewy texture for days… and if you eat gluten-free you know cookies normally dry out way faster. Loved the deep chocolate flavor and the pops of cherry
🍅 One-Pan Chicken Meatballs with Red Sauce & Spinach- jarred marinara is doctored up with spinach and extra parm and the meatballs are super flavorful
🌽 Spaghetti with Sweet Corn Pesto- you have to try this while it’s corn season!!! I was blown away by how sweet and beautiful this tasted. I had never heard of corn pesto and wow, what a great idea!
🌈 Rainbow Sprinkle Ice Cream Cake- I had to try this because gf ppl rarely get ice cream cake!! It didn’t quite hit my memory of what it should be because it’s just an Oreo crust and not actual cake, but it’s still cute, fun, and tasty.
🍓 Overnight Oats with Almond Butter & Strawberry Jam- continuing my streak of making all of the oatmeals for my son. The texture was not our favorite maybe because of the almond butter?

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cooking in Real Life is the kind of cookbook I love: clearly well developed/tested/written recipes, interesting mix of ingredients, informative without being preachy, and really made for home cooks. You won't find a recipe that includes yogurt that notes "preferably homemade", and you will find yourself marking lots of recipes to make.

I've made three (so far) and they have all be excellent:

*Golden Beet Dip with Yogurt and Tahini: gorgeous golden in color, this dip will have you zipping through any crudités on your platter to get to more dip! I roasted the beets when I had the oven on for something else and saved them for the next day. With the start ingredient prepped, making the dip was a breeze.

*Green Beans with Crispy Capers & Garlic: oh, the crispy capers are a major show stopper in this recipe. Blanched green beans get a quick sauté with the crispy capers and garlic - it's really that simple and really that delicious.

*Peanut Butter and Ginger Cookies (PB&Gs): Another recipe with an unexpected flavor combination that works beautifully. Double ginger with powdered + crystalized makes for a pronounced ginger flavor that's mellowed out by the peanut butter. They're soft in the middle and "just" crispy at the edges.

The photography in the book makes the food look good without feeling over styled. This is a book I know I will be cooking a lot more recipes from.

Simon Element provided me with a copy of this cookbook; the opinions shared are my unbiased review.

[Karen Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always nice to find a new cookbook that includes recipes for dishes people actually want to eat. One cookbook that has unique, but mouthwatering recipes is Lidey Heuck’s Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day . This nice cookbook has new, innovative recipes that aren’t the same-old same-old dishes we are sick of eating. To further validate it, it includes an introduction from famous television star, Ina Garten, who most of us love and trust.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions. They are user friendly and easy to follow for both beginning and advanced cooks. Every recipe also includes notes, tips, and vignettes from the author, which makes cooks more able to relate.

Another plus is that there are beautiful, professional photographs of most of the recipes, which make this a fun cookbook to peruse and enjoy reading before the difficult task of deciding just what to make next. The number of new salads is a highlight, but there are yummy other recipes for soups, main dishes, desserts, appetizers and anything else someone might be in the mood to cook.

All told, this is an excellent cookbook with fun food ideas for almost everyone. It will make a good addition to any cookbook collection.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

No thanks. So many things that did not work for me in this book.

1. She refers to herself as a recipe developer but there was nothing new here. Really basic recipes but somehow she over complicated them so

2. This is not everyday cooking. I am cooking and trying new recipes regularly and it still took at least 90 minutes to make the Corn Pesto Pasta which after all that effort didn't taste like corn!!

3. The elitism was seriously off-putting, oh I got a job with Ina because I knew someone who knew her, oh I lived in one of the highest cost of living areas in the country because I knew someone who gave me a place to live. Oh my job with Ina got me a job at the NYTimes oh my NYT gig got me a cookbook deal. Good god, stop! I'm sure she is a lovely person but come on!

4. I am annoyed that I trusted the NYT recommendation of this cookbook because one of their nepo babies wrote it.

5. and Ina! "Lidey was looking for her dream job when most people look for any job". That is what rich people do! They do whatever the fuck they want (dream job!) while regular people have to work for money because they dont have any!!!!!

God writing this made me loathe all of them. So yea, this cookbook made me hate Ina Garten* I do not recommend.

*only for about 4 minutes.

[Boyschool · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m confused as to why this is described on the inside front cover as “ recipes that use everyday ingredients”, or why it’s entitled Cooking in Real Life. My rating is based on my expectations versus reality. I do not consider the following recipes to be made with “everyday” ingredients, nor do I consider them to be something I’d make in “real life.
Tomato and peach salad with toasted farro and mozzarella

Escarole salad with Cara Cara oranges, marcona almonds and goat cheese

Roast chicken with cipollini onions, white beans and lemon

White bean and mushroom cassoulet with Gruyère bread crumbs

Roasted cauliflower with fried sage and hazelnuts

I’ve been cooking for 40 years. When I am looking at a cookbook described as everyday ingredients and real life, I don’t expect to find almost every recipe using hard to find or expensive ingredients. That is my reason for the low rating. I’m a working mom. I am not wanting to make fancy expensive meals. Maybe this book should have been titled cooking in fantasy life? Haha.

[Erin Hoyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made six recipes from Cooking in Real Life by Lidey Heuck and posted individual reviews and pics on my IG. Here is the recipe for recipe #1: Orecchiette with White Bolognese. Loaded with veggies, fresh ground pork from my local butcher, pancetta, white wine, heavy cream, topped with Italian parsley, basil, and freshly grated Asiago. I served with sliced French bread from my local bakery. This was so flavorful and a huge hit with the fam! It’s spring but we’re snowed in, and this was perfect for the juxtaposition of the weather/season. Note: I used conchiglie pasta as it was the closest I could find in my small town. I also substituted dried basil for the fennel as I am not a fennel fan. I would absolutely make this again. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC! Review spoiler: I already ordered the cookbook as I adore the couple of recipes I have tried so far.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get a kick out of the fact that the author titled this book completely unironically. This is not my real life. 🙂 I did not work for Ina Garten and I certainly don’t live in the Hamptons. This is a great cookbook for high end, whole foods, somewhat pretentious recipes. There is a photo for every recipe, but no nutritional information. It should provide enough for gluten free and vegetarian readers, but not much for folks with other dietary needs like vegan or dairy free. I made note of a few recipes to try but for the most part they were a little too much for me (and the lack of nutritional information is generally a deal breaker for me). Still recommended, especially for foodies.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Ina influenced, the recipes are straightforward and pretty easy. There is a picture for everything. The best chapters for me were the drinks/snacks - she likes grapefruity drinks just like me and I got some great entertaining ideas. The fish recipes are strong; breakfast is in the back of the book but also solid. The best recipe of them all is the chocolate cherry cookie - it's incredible. I could have done without all the random snaps of her family - she's not a celebrity. And there isn't any nutritional information.

Heuck's recipes are approachable, and delicious. I don't know if they're great for everyday, but they are perfect for weekends when you want to put something special on the table but don't want to spend hours alone in the kitchen prepping.

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cherry, Nectarine, & Jalapeno Salsa
Kale Salad with Gouda, Honeycrisp & Walnuts
Sausage and White Bean Soup with Swiss Chard
Avgolemono-ish Chicken Noodle Soup
Champagne Chicken
Grilled Chicken with Yogurt & Shawarma Spices
Orecchiette with White Bolognese
Shortcut Chicken Schnitzel*
Braised Green Cabbage with Bacon and Caraway Seeds
Perfect Picnic Coleslaw
Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Pomegranate Seeds
Peanut Butter & Ginger Cookies
Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake with Buttermilk Biscuits
Perfect Little Chocolate Puddings
Peaches & Cream Pie*
Blueberry Muffin Sugar Cookies
Maine Pumpkin Buckle
Red Potato & Leek Frittata with Goat Cheese and Dill
Leftover-Chicken Chicken Broth

The "On the Side" chapter was excellent!

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I will read most anything that is endorsed by Ina Garten, because she is …Ina Garten and fabulous. This contains beautiful photographs, a full breadth of recipes, from cocktails to desserts, menu suggestions and even thoughts on what to do with leftovers. Most are reasonably easy to prepare with clear concise directions and easily accessible ingredients. Lidey has curated a wonderful book that would be a nice and very purposeful addition to anyones shelf. I have made recipes so far and yum! She learned so much from Ina and yet has created her own beautiful book. Kudos.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful cookbook with beautiful recipes- borrowed from the library to see if I’d like to buy at some point & I would- and it’s a good one- fresh with good basics too. I bookmarked a lot of recipes I’d like to try. 1 star off because I agree that this is definitely still bougie vibes and the title a bit misleading/out of touch for the average person, but I was familiar with her background (Ina, NYTC, Lost Kitchen) so this wasn’t at all surprising to me. Take the title with a fancy Maldon grain of salt, but still gorgeous inspiration for mixing things up on occasion.

[Reading Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a unique and different cookbook for me,not what I was expecting at all. I was very impressed. There are so many new recipes to try and the photographs make you wanna dive in. They were not what we are used to eating but we love trying something new. We enjoyed the Champagne chicken and the Peaches and Cream pie. We can’t wait to try more. Great detail in the recipe makes it easy to follow along and complete, even for a novice like me. Your going to enjoy this book.

[Julie P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook has quickly become a North Star for me in the kitchen! Simple but impressive recipes that feel so manageable. I love how easy the recipes are to follow and Lidey’s voice and writing style is approachable and fun. I have found myself actually reading the descriptions and stories within the cookbook, which I almost never do with others.

So happy to have this book in my home providing constant culinary inspiration!!!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad I borrowed this one from the library, because I don’t think it’s going to get a spot in my collection unless I find a cheap used copy. The only chapters I found appealing were the sides and the desserts, though I did copy down quite a few recipes from those. Quite a bit of pretentiousness (“When my neighbor in East Hampton…”) and shallow photos unrelated to the food, both of which drive me crazy in cookbooks.

[Kate]

Made the potato salad with chickpeas (yum, a keeper), avocado green goddess dressing, shawarma-spiced chicken, and the roasted fish with herbs. Definitely going to make the champagne chicken at some point. At first I was very “meh” about this book but I saw someone posting about the roasted fish and decided to try it. I still don’t feel like this is the most interesting cookbook around but the recipes I made were solid!

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

However odd a choice the front cover (pasta with sweet corn?! and dated lighting/background no less), don't let it fool you. I think the 90's vibe is intentional(?). Keep turning the pages. Fancier recipes than "every day" in my household, but many stand out choices here.

Recipes I've dogeared to make:
p. 78: Tomato & Peach Salad with toasted Farro & Mozzarella
p. 93: Grilled chicken with yogurt & shawarma spices