how to use this book

To help you decide which recipes to make depending on your schedule and who you are cooking for, I’ve added icons to each recipe. Here is the key:

*a family-sized meal that can be tweaked during preparation/cooking/at the end to specialize for both simpler and more sophisticated palates alike

There are also notes on some recipes: “Make It Vegan” or “Make It Kid Friendly” that offer you flexibility depending on your and your children’s preferences.

trust yourself I am not a professional cook. I am an amateur and a lover of all things culinary. I learned to cook with trial and mostly error. Over the years I have learned three essential things: control your heat–watch the fire carefully, flavors are usually diminished by things cooking too quickly (though there are exceptions)–trust yourself, and taste as you go. When you approach a meal with fear that it’s going to be terrible, it probably will be. Approach it like it is going to be delicious. And don’t forget the importance of the seasoning–that last pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon–especially when you’re preparing simple, ingredient-driven food–can be the most important step.