Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make [Hardcover]

I bought this cookbook after hearing raves for it on NPR and have mixed feelings about it. The book has some interesting new twists on preparing greens with new flavor combinations such as Mustard Greens with Anchovy Croutons and Gruyere Cheese (be warned; anchovies appear in quite a few recipes) and Cabbage Salad with Peanuts, Mint, and Chilies. I liked the Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Yogurt and Pomegranate Seeds which was faster and easier to make than it sounds. Each recipe is followed by a "What Else" section with suggestions for versions of the basic recipe. This was important for me because I could not find ingredients like oyster mushrooms, unsweetened coconut flakes, orange blossom water, or preserved lemons, so I needed substitutions. Another plus is that the recipes range widely in flavor from India-inspired to Mediterranean to East-West Fusion cuisine. Lots of the recipes are genuinely original, such as Creme Brulee French Toast with Orange Blossom Water. I substituted diluted orange extract with a bit of agave syrup in it for the orange blossom water and it came out just fine. On the downside, the book is oddly plain; page after page of plain text feels at odds with the vibrant nature of the recipes. The book features only 16 color pictures in 386 pages. More pictures, please! A beautiful photo of a dish often inspires me to try the recipe. Despite the lack of photos the commentary and advice that accompany the recipes is excellent and you get the author's spontaneous joy and creativity as she experiments with the dishes. You feel like it would be fun to know the author Melissa Clark and spend time in her kitchen. She is very down-to-earth in her advice for busy cooks and while these recipes are probably not for newbie cooks, they are not hard to put together to great effect if you understand basic techniques for braising, grilling, roasting, etc. My husband loved the Braised Leg of Lamb with Garlicky Root Vegetable Puree; just a lovely and fragrant dish to make a Friday night at home special. I hope that in the next edition of this book there will be more pictures and suggestions for wine pairings too.

If you've ever cooked anything from Melissa's famed Good Appetite column in the NYTimes, you know that her recipes work. They are also delicious and practical for the home cook. This book is her kitchen diary for a year - what she actually cooked for herself and her family. The book is structured seasonally, month by month, making it really easy for those getting into seasonally inspired cooking to follow the book along. Having cooked many recipes from the book already, I can tell you it's a lovely addition to my shelf. So much so that I keep it within arm's reach for inspiration for what to make for tonight's dinner. In fact, tonight we'll be making roasted cauliflower from her book - a delicious, easy, terrific side dish. Andrew Scrivani (who is amazing) photographed this book - and each picture is mouthwateringly delicious. This will be a book you'll love forever.

This book keeps moving from the kitchen counter to my bedside reading table....the writing as well as the food is warm and comforting. I have made the mallomars- awesome and so easy! Also made the vietnamese grilled steak and cabbage which will be in a regular rotation at our house-it was light, flavorful and took just minutes to prepare. I will definitely use this book on a regular basis , along with her previous book. The recipes all work- I would not hesitate to make any recipe without trying it first for a dinner party.