Of Course It’s Good!: Aggressively Delicious Meals ANYONE Can Make and EVERYONE Will Love

by Jessica Secrest

None of the Nonsense, All of the Flavor

Prepare delicious meals with this no-frills, all-flavor recipe collection from Jessica Secrest, the wildly popular home chef known for her hostile humor and affordable recipes. Her long-awaited debut cookbook has an array of mouthwatering meals that focus on low-effort ingredients and techniques―think pre-shredded cheese, tater tots galore, and your handy-dandy slow cooker―so you’ll have an endless source of recipes to feed your family without wasting time or money.

Jessica’s signature style is present throughout each page, loudly guiding you in the kitchen and reminding you that tasty cooking doesn’t always need to be done with a smile. Recipes include:

- The BEST Baked Mac and Cheese
- Taco Potato Tot Casserole
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Cowboy BBQ Burgers
- Teriyaki Pork
- Fried Pickle Quesadillas
- Sloppy Joe Fries
- Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip

Whether you are looking to tackle weeknight dinner, Sunday breakfast, or an out-of-nowhere dessert craving, you’ll have Jessica in your corner each step of the way, aggressively reminding you that no matter what you create, there’s no doubt it’ll be good.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Emily Titchenal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a cookbook with recipes my family will actually eat! Most cookbooks I can pick maybe 1-2 recipes my whole family will eat. With this cookbook I only found maybe 5 that someone here won’t like, and some of those I can just modify slightly to make them work. Also it helps if you read this book in Jessica’s voice. Now I have to go WASH MY ******* HANDS 😉

[Jennifer Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for this cookbook to arrive since the moment I heard about it and I am not at all disappointed with it! Not only did I order myself a copy but also 4 additional copies for my adult kids!

I am beyond proud of Jessica for sharing this amazing book with the world! I discovered her while doomscrolling and absolutely feel in love with her REAL life attitude and take on everything shared in her videos.

I’m not even joking when I say I read this cookbook cover to cover this morning and I am so excited to try these recipes. In the past I have said multiple times in our household “ok guys I don’t have a real plan for dinner but I’m going to concoct something.” My husband always said my concoction dinners are some of his favorites! Now I can make some of these with added affirmations that you don’t have to follow fancy recipes to make great meals! (As she would say “make this shit!)

Thank you Jessica for sharing your life with us!
I wish I could give you a million stars for this review as you deserve it.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've tabbed enough recipes to fill a month-long rotating menu at this point. Hopefully the gremlins like them as much as I will.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Michigan home girl! The recipes are spot on and simple enough that I can make modifications necessary for my GF Celiac child. Bonus, I love that the writing stays true to Jessica’s personality! Wash Your F-ing Hands!

[Ashley Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first thing I noticed about this book was how thin it was. It’s less than half the size and weight of what I would consider a normal cook book size, based off the other I have. Paging through it, I felt a lot of the recipes were repetitive. There’s a very similar Asian dish that I saw four times in the first half of the book. Later when I took a closer look I counted about 60 recipes, most of which are some variation of tacos, sloppy joe, pasta and Asian inspired bowls. It feels like every meal is virtually the same. I’m surprised at this because I really enjoy her social videos and don’t feel like her recipe videos are redundant, but this was the opposite for me. I really am quite surprised how uncreative and kind of basic this book is 🫤
I love Jessica’s personality and videos so it makes me sad that the book was a miss for me!

[Nichole Lansdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a long time follower and was so excited to get my copy. I love that Jessica's humor is all throughout the book and the variation of recipes is perfect!! So excited to get cooking again.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library (as a way to decide if it was worth purchasing). I follow her on social media, find her interesting, and am happy for her success. My one star rating is for this book solely as a COOKBOOK. First off it’s very slim, and most of the recipes involve tater tots, frozen corn, chemical filled flavor powders, and SO MUCH CHEESE. Many of the recipes feel repetitive, not particularly healthy, and there isn’t much variety. I did try two of them (the taco tater tot bake and the sausage rice), thinking that my grandkids would like them, but they sadly gave them a thumbs down (Jessica swears her kids eat this stuff, but most kids I know don’t like food that’s all jumbled together). Reading most of the 5 star reviews, they’re clearly from her loyal followers, which is lovely, but skews the value of this cookbook. I’ll be returning it to the library and not purchasing.

[Purple Dragon Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real, easy, delicious recipes that ANYONE can make... with a touch of Jessica's authentic spice (aka aggressiveness)

[Lisa Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is amazing! The recipes in here are quick and simple and something a whole family can enjoy!

[Devon Jaronczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook with easy to follow recipes. I love how it is written with a bit of sarcasm, humor and aggression just like its author.

[jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

the recipes are super easy to follow and absolutely delicious so glad to meet her and finally have the written recipes!

[Minnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally I don't rate cookbooks and I'm all for shortcuts and inexpensive ingredients but calling this 'cooking' and feeding a family like this on the regular is insane, sorry.

[AmyLou Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a cookbook for every day moms who just wanna feed their kids and call it a night. I hate cookbooks that say "easy meals" and then are filled with frilly ingredients and a million steps.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow her on Facebook and found her from a recommendation of a friend. Her cookbook is written as she talks. It makes me laugh! Plus, the recipes are delicious and easy and family friendly. If you want to check her out on Facebook before purchasing this book, her Facebook page is called applesauceandADHD.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

the only thing that would make this better is having Jess here to cook for me. or at least yell at me to wash my fucking hands.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I enjoy her videos, I found the cookbook to be quite lacking and relieved that I had checked it out of the library. I cook every day, these recipes are high in sodium and contain a lot of processed foods like tater tots. I wish she had included more of the tips and tricks she does on her videos.

[Lisa Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

sure 'anyone' can make this slop but NO ONE should eat it and I doubt those who say they 'love it'

This book is a one way ticket to cardiac rehab. What you need is cheese, cheese and more cheese and the author claims to be lactose intolerant. You need a massive amount of tater tots, heavy cream, sausage, possibly chicken- preferrably sausage and if you want to make cookies you need to hunt down shortening or 'lard'.

I'm not sure who Jessica paid off to get this through editing and published. No wonder america is morbidly obese with a myriad of health issues, and prescription companies are reporting record profits.

PLEASE for the sake of your health, your childrens health, your family DO NOT MAKE THIS FOOD.

Also if you have any food allergies- there are recipes with peanuts/peanut butter

America we can do better, we need to demand better. Its not good, its awful.

one star because negative stars are not available.

[Brooke Kolek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook Jessica! I can't wait to make some of your recipes.

[Juliette Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

of course I read it and cooked it

I love Jessica and her WASH YOUR FUCKING HANDS and her wit. Love her videos and recipes. I have a super picky boyfriend vs my late husband who literally ate everything I cooked. So these recipes are perfect for him. He hates veggies, onions and garlic, oh the horror to this Hungarian born girl who was taught to cook with a shitload of onions and garlic, so these recipes have saved me. Thank you.

[Amy Dee Eidson Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her personality! It comes through in her writing as well as in her videos. The recipes are good, too!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great cookbook for any young adult learning the ropes of cooking food that is comfort and easy. Is it the healthiest of foods, nope. But is it a realistic get dinner on the table with something for everyone in the book. Highly recommend for anyone wanting some food for regular folks recipes and of course for those who can handle a few swear words along the way.

[Sarah Feehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

She makes life easy for me when it comes to cooking! My family has given 5 stars to each of the meals I have made from this cookbook! I enjoy the personal aggressive tutorials right in my home. They always mar me giggle while pouring a metric ton of garlic or washing my hands!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen her aggressive tutorial videos on Facebook and found them funny and interesting. When I heard she published a cookbook, I had to see it. Very realistic and fun to read through. Most of the recipes are not what I would choose, but looked and sounded delicious. This w0uld be a good book for a beginner cook or a busy family.

[Jaclyn Goodfellow-Olmsted · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading a cookbook instead of cooking the recipes. yes.

[Jennie Houghteling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sat and read this cookbook like a novel. I have been following Jessica on Facebook as @applesauceandadhd for years and love watching her recipes. I am excited to try the recipes in her book and have already made a shopping list of ingredients I need to make that happen.
I like that with her recipes there is no wrong way ingredient wise. If you don't like something (or don't have something) there are easy substitutions fornmost of the dishes. You can customize them to fit your family's needs.
I too have also been cooking for a long time and make up a lot of my recipes as I go. I like how Jessica thinks when she makes her meals and I am glad to have this book for ideas and examples. There are also some things I have never cooked, but with her easy recipes I am ready to try.
I am also very glad to support a fellow Michigan girlie.

[Kaylee Nuesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made the cinnamon roll pancakes this morning and they were amazing!! They didn’t turn out as fancy as her photos, but that’s ok for a first try. Most all of the recipes seem very simple and very crowd pleasing. I had my husband look through to tell me what he wanted for dinner, and his response was “it all looks good to me”. I’m so happy for Jessica, and I can’t wait to see what her future holds💗

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a beautiful book! I can't wait to try the recipes .

[Tracy D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got my cook book and I love it.

[Bianca Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed! Already have like five recipes I need to make this weekend.