I have been collecting cookbooks since Joe and I first got married (thirteen years this June!). I come from a long line of skilled cooks yet, I never really developed a passion for it until I was living on my own and had my very first solo home kitchen. Back in the days where Joe and I had no other responsibilities but ourselves, work and the dogs, I would make us extravagant dinners after work. We would spend the time prepping together and watching baseball.
Now that the Tigers have been a bit on a cold streak and we have added a farm, child and animals to the mix things tend to get a little more complicated. The meals throughout the week have become simpler, especially in the summer months. The more extravagant meals are saved for the weekends. One thing has not wavered though, is my love of home cooking, fresh ingredients and of course browsing through cookbooks.
Any time Joe and I have the opportunity to travel I love to find a regional book to add to my collection. Sometimes it’s a local church recipe cookbook or a book from the famous chefs of the area. Over time I have collected over 200 books. Some are just for reading mostly because they require unattainable ingredients for my area but others, like my first pick for our February club are tried, true and simple.
Without further delay, the book for the month of February is the second book from Tieghan Gerard called Super Simple. Two of my absolute favorite weeknight meal recipes are in this book and are only two of a handful of recipes I make more than once. Has anyone here read “The Baby Sitters Club” Series? I always found it so cool that Claudia was so artsy she never made the same meal twice. I think that can mostly be said for me and what goes on in my kitchen. Even though I might make the same dish more than once (again only a handful of recipes) they are always a little different each time. More/less herb, salt, add this, take away that. That is the beauty of cooking and creating in the kitchen. You never know how the outcome is going to be because you never know when you might be inspired to take some creative liberties.
For this reason, I would love to hear what you all think of the book, the recipes and what you might have adjusted. On each cookbook club post I would love to hear that feedback. Feel free to comment back and forth to each other this is a club after all!
Why I love Super Simple from Half Baked Harvest.
Or as that should read, why I love Half Baked Harvest. I have followed Tieghan for years and was blown away when I realized how young she was when she first started. Her recipes mix flavor and ideas like nothing I’ve ever seen before and yet somehow, they are super … simple. I first found her when I googled “What to do with in season peaches” and her recipe for peach and mozzarella stacks popped up first. Since then, I have followed along as her cooking, backing and stunning photography continued to improve and perfect. She is one of the most talented food stylers I’ve ever followed.
So what are we cooking this month?
The three recipes I’ve chosen for us to prepare together from Supper Simple are…
Spaghetti Squash Alfredo – Serves 3 or 4, prep time is 15 minutes + 3 hours in a slow cooker. Found on page 141 of Supper Simple.
Garlic Butter Ramen – Serves 2, prep time is 5 minutes + 10 minute cooking time.
Found on page 145 of Supper Simple
Browned Sage Butter Chicken Pot Pie – Serves 6, prep time is 20 minutes and cooking time is 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Found on page 173 of Supper Simple.
Below is the grocery list for the three recipes from the book I will be preparing for the month of February. I can’t wait to cook together.
Let’s review our first recipe together! The Garlic Butter Ramen. Note: We will be cooking the Spaghetti Squash Alfredo this week!
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If you would like to join in the conversation please leave your feedback in the comment section.
- What was your overall impression of the recipe? This recipe for me is one of the hall of famers. It’s finished before you could dial the number for take out. In the past I’ve added the egg, the sesame, played around with other herbs but in the end, nothing beat the basil for me. Cooking this recipe in the winter time made me crave the fist fulls of fresh basil I pull from the garden in season. I made it without the egg this current round and I felt that it needed that creamy yolk finish so I don’t think I will skip that option again.
- What did you change/edit/add to the recipe? This time I stuck to the original recipe but skipped the egg. As previously stated I would definitely add it back in for next time.
- What was the most exciting thing about this recipe? The most exciting part of this recipe for me is the depth of flavor that is achieved in such little time. Things have been stressful lately with the house and work. At the end of this dark winter day I just wanted something warm and simple. This recipe delivered what I needed in under 15 minutes but still tasted fantastic.
- What is your overall impression of the book this far? Are you interested in more or was this recipe/book not your flavor. This is a biased one for me to answer because… I picked the book. As stated above I have been cooking from this author for a few years and I can’t get enough. We are truly cooking some of my favorite dinners this month and I am so excited to hear your take on the book.
Thank you so much for joining in it has been SO FUN to cook together. I’m excited to get started this week on the squash!
Abby
I really liked this recipe and will be making it again. Half baked harvest is my go to for recipes and I love this cook book but I had passed over this recipe. I didn’t add the egg this time and instead baked teriyaki salmon on the side bc I thought the ramen wouldn’t be filling enough and I was wrong haha. Next time I’ll skip the salmon and try the egg. I agree that the basil reminded me of summer and my garden which was nice considering the temps when I made this were right around 0.
It’s 45 degrees here in Michigan today and it almost feels like a tease! I too thought when I first made this recipe that it wouldn’t be filling enough and I was pleasantly surprised. I wish I would have known how to elevate my ramen packets like this when I was in college haha.
We enjoyed this quick and tasty recipe. Since we were not able to get basil, we used green onions and my husband added some hot chili and garlic sauce to his. The cookbook has been an inspiration to try something new during the long cold winter.
My husband and I loved this Ramen recipe and will be adding it to our lineup. This definitely had a rich, comforting flavor (thanks butter ) so it’s great for this time of year!
I loved the rich garlic flavor, my favorite. Next time I think I’ll double the recipe so there’s some leftovers.
Does Otto eat this? My daughter helped in making but then when we sat down to eat she didn’t like the leaves in her noodles! I think I’ll have to make some plain noodles next time as well, until she’s brave enough to eat leaves.
The cookbook has a lot of recipes that look delicious, I love the photographs in it, they make me want to try them all. That’s something I look for in a cookbook, pictures of the end product which not every one has.
P.s. the wine pairing was superb too!
I loved the garlic butter ramen! My husband did not. He does have a cold but I had a feeling even without he wouldn’t like it. He said it was too much butter. I might try cutting down next time or this might just be a recipe I make for myself. Kept the recipe for the most part the same egg and all, except I used frozen spinach instead of the kale. I think what I loved the most was how fast it was. Love HBH, have her first book as well and cook a lot from both!
Loved this recipe! Super simple to make.
I wasn’t sure how my family would like it but my kids (3 and 5-years-old) and husband loved it and that’s a win in itself! It’s now one of our go to recipes.
First, I’ve been following Tieghan for a while as well. I have given her cookbooks as Christmas gifts to my daughter, daughter-in-law and son’s girlfriend. I, however, don’t have one – what’s up with that? Anyway, we loved this recipe. The hardest thing was finding the noodles! It was filling and warm on a cold Colorado evening. The only thing I did was offer fried egg or boiled (I didn’t have enough to offer all fried, and it was snowing. . .so.) I took a boiled and while I liked it, I think I would have preferred the fried – gotta love a runny yolk. The flavor was fantastic and with so few ingredients! It’s going in the rotation for quick meals. Overall impression is: Why don’t I have a copy, when my girls do? I have made several of her recipes from IG and they are always a hit. So, once this round of snow clears I may have to go get my own copy. As I too have a collection of cookbooks the problem will be where do I wedge it in?
This recipe was so fast, easy and filling. We substituted green onions since basil was not available. In addition my husband added hot garlic chili paste to his. The cookbook is very helpful with a wide variety of dishes.
I am loving this book! Great pick! The ramen was a different, yet simple way to have ramen without the broth. We added pork belly to ours and really enjoyed it!
My husband and I finally got around to making this recipe tonight and we were both pleasantly surprised. We were both cautiously optimistic given the simple steps and minimal ingredient list, but were really impressed with the depth of flavor it had and loved the additions of the toasted sesame seeds and egg! This will definitely be in our rotation moving forward, and we talked about trying it with chicken or shrimp next time!
love the idea of a recipe club! I always wanted to be the stacey in Babysitters Club and was always sad I was the Claudia. Now I am ever so happy to be a Claudia. 🙂