What’s Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want is subtitled “125 Recipes for Real Life.” With the Coronavirus Pandemic, Diane and I have been cooking and baking more than we ever have. This new cookbook features plenty of yummy recipes: “Banana Bread Pancakes,” “Double Chocolate Chip Muffins,” “Heirloom Tomato & Steak Caprese,” “Chipotle Charizo Mac ‘n’ Cheese,” “White Win Chile Flake Pasta,” “Margherita Pizza,” “Bacon Cheddar & Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich,” and I could go on and on.
My only quibble is the lack of dessert recipes–but we have plenty of those from other cookbooks. Diane and I found the recipes easy to follow–no exotic ingredients. The results of all the recipes we tried turned out delicious! Only a 100 to go! Gaby Dalkin provides NO nutrition information in this book, but maybe she does on her web site. If you’re looking for a cookbook with easy, tasty recipes then I recommend What’s Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want. GRADE: A-
Table of Contents
Introduction 6
Chapter 1 The Most Important Meal of the Day 10
Chapter 2 All About That Snack Life 36
Entertaining: Make a Mezze 54
Chapter 3 Eat Your Greens 66
Chapter 4 Soul Mate: Carbs 96
Entertaining: Throw an Outdoor Bash 130
Chapter 5 When in Doubt… Vacation 142
Chapter 6 So Easy Even Thomas Can Do It 170
Chapter 7 Sides: The Best Part of Any Meal 190
Entertaining: Host a Taco Night 212
Chapter 8 If At First You Don’t Succeed, Have Dessert 224
Chapter 9 Sauces Make the Meal 248
Acknowledgments 258
Index 260
Forget about the cookbook. How was the prime rib?
Jeff, the Prime Rib from the Hideaway Grille was delicious! Diane loved her BBQ ribs, too.
I’m not really in the market for another cookbook, but I’ve been doing a lot of cooking during quarantine. My go-to books are Mark Bittmann’s HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and, naturally, the old classic standby, THE JOY OF COOKING. I used to have shelves of cookbooks, but I’ve culled them over the years. I’ve done more baking recently than in the past—banana bread, lemon loaf, and yeast bread (thanks to Maggie who sent me some yeast when our stores had none). We’ve also been planning our weekly menus in advance (which we used to do when the kids were little, but not so much in the past few years). We also got a new appliance: the George Foreman Grill. We got one for Julia when she moved into her new apartment and we liked its ease and versatility so much, we bought one for ourselves and one for Lilly when she moved. We’ve been making lots of things on the GFG: burgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, cod, salmon, asparagus, squash, and potato slices.
Deb, Diane loves the BETTY CROCKER COOKBOOK from decades ago. But, we do have Bittman’s HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and THE JOY OF COOKING, too. From time to time, we like to check out new cookbooks especially for the photos! We’ve had a George Foreman Grill for years. Very handy appliance!
When my parents moved to California in the ’70s, their local temple put out a cookbook (as a fundraiser, I think) and Jackie has used it for years. She still uses her two Calico Pantry cookbooks – all proceeds went to Cerebral Palsy. There are a few others she has too.
Jeff, Diane has memorized many of the recipes she prepares. But, occasionally, Diane will consult one of her cookbooks for a new recipe or check on an involved one with many ingredients.
Deb, have you tried sour dough bread?
We find it marvelous – have a friend who sells it from her small bakery.
I am checking out the George Foreman Grill right now.
Never heard you mention sharing cooking chores before George. Glad to hear you put on an apron once in awhile. Desserts in this house are periodic and always from the bakery.
We do keep lots of different cookies in stock.
Jackie
I think once John and I are truly empty nesters (which will be when Julia starts taking her CPA exams and/or when LSU requires staff who do not have direct student contact to work on-site), we’ll use the grill even more than we do today. It’s perfect for cooking for two people (we got the basic model—there are bigger ones, but we were thinking about only needing to cook for two fairly soon). I forgot to mention that it makes really good pressed sandwiches (paninis): we’ve done ham/turkey/Swiss/pepper jack cheese on chiabata bread and they were delicious. Plus, with a Bed, Bath, & Beyond coupon, the grill only cost about $25.
Deb, we have the basic model of the George Foreman Grill and it works well for two people meals. Diane seems to receive BED, BATH & BEYOND coupon almost every day!
Jackie, one look at my physique and you should know that I know my way around a kitchen. I make cookies from time to time. I also assist Diane when she undertakes a large cooking or backing project. My apron says: THIS IS NO ORDINARY HOUSEWIFE YOU’RE DEALING WITH.
I dislike cooking. Most of my cooking consists of things like hamburgers and grilled cheese and microwaving Stoufffers. Basically something quick. I think this happens a lot for single people. Thank God for takeout.
Steve, we have resorted to Take-Out more than normal during the pandemic. We want to support our local restaurants and pizzerias. And, we like a variety of food options. I haven’t had a Stouffers microwave dinner in 40 years. Diane prefers to make a lot of our meals from scratch.
I’m not a cook, but I do have some dishes I like to make (crockpot pork, roast baby carrots and pre peeled small potatoes on the bottom, browned pork, apple juice or cider for liquid and the last hour or so add cinnamon, sliced apples and rehydrated dried cherries. Also chili with ground turkey, black beans and rehydrated dried cherries and cinnamon. Veggie soup, with whatever veg you want, broth, herbs, tofu.
Even though I’m not a cook, I was asked to contribute a recipe to the malice domestic cookbook. My original one was how I burned jello, but they said they wanted a real recipe, so I used my mom’s raw apple cake one.
Jackie is the cook here, of course, but I do a few things (if you can read and follow instructions, it’s not that hard) – various grilled chicken dishes, turkey for Thanksgiving, anything involving pasta, chicken soup, eggs, etc. And I am a whiz at reheating pizza!
😉
Jeff, we have a Breville Smart Oven that reheats pizza marvelously!
I just bought my first toaster oven but it came with no recipes so I have to find a cookbook for it. I probably should have bought the grill. This post was two weeks too late! It seemed crazy to be putting an oven on to cook a chicken breast or salmon.
Patti, you’re exactly right! Our Breville Smart Oven is perfect for baking for two people. Very versatile!
We also have one of thes “contact grills” as we call them but my wife prefers the pans. Anyway right now we have to manage the amount of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, aubergines … that our garden produces.
Usually I only help with doing the dishes i e putting them in the dishwasher and back.
However I’m the specialist for German “Sausage salad” and chili con carne and similar stuff from the Mexican kitchen which we often had in the last years when we had groups of guests from Hungary, Germany or from the USA – my wife’s nephew visited us with wife, sons and their girlfriends …
He’s a prof at Nashville Vanderbilt university and it seems Mexican and Hungarian kitchen are similar.
PS and a bit OT:
It was really wondereful when we visited him nine years ago (our last trip to the USA …) and started from there for a journey to the South East, from the Smoky Mountains to Charleston, Savannah and down south until we reached the Space Center. And then back to Nashvilleof course – great memories!
Wolf, I enjoyed my visits to Knoxville, Tennessee. Very pleasant area. When you visited Tennessee did you go to Dollywood?
On all our holidays we never visited any of the amusement park, neither Orlando nor LA nor …
My wife is really interested in nature and of course the “real cities” like SFO and NYC.
Fun facts:
On our holiday to the West Coast (incl Grand Canyon, Yosemite etc) we of course went to Vegas, arrived in the late afternoon so I said:
Let’s go to the Motel6 off the Strip and walk around and then we can decide which of the famous hotels yo want to stay.
After walking up and down the Strip for some time she looked at me and said:
This is all so artificial – let’s go somewhere else tomorrow!
On apositive note:
Did you know that Dolly Parton declared that she stands behind BLM!
Wolf, Dolly Parton is very progressive.
Maggie, I am glad someone else burns jello.
I am not a cook and Kitty seldom bothers to cook nowadays so I invite all the cooks out there to stop by my house with samples; I’ll eat anything except lima beans.
Wolf, far more people stand behind BLM than do not. After nearly four years of racism from Trump and from Stephen Miller, the vast majority of Americans want the country to move to a more tolerant vision of this country.
Jerry, well said! Like you and millions of other Americans, I’m hoping for a more tolerant vision of this country rather than the dumpster fire we’re living in.
Let’s hope so!
I can’t understand that so many Americans support Trump – and even Pence!
Well (or rather not), statistics say that the USA are no longer among the 10 most democratic countries – who would have thought …