Add a Pinch: Easier, Faster, Fresher Southern Classics: A Cookbook

by Robyn Stone, Ree Drummond (Foreword)

With a foreword by Ree Drummond, this beautiful book has 100 easier, faster, lightened-up Southern recipes, from the blogger behind the popular Add a Pinch website.
 
A generation ago, home cooks may have had all day to prepare dinner, but most folks now want convenient, fast recipes that don’t rely on canned soups or other processed products. Here, fresh ingredients take center stage in slow cooker meals, casseroles and one-dish suppers, salads, soups, and desserts that have deep, satisfying flavors but are a cinch to make. Smart swaps like Greek yogurt for mayo in pimento cheese and cauliflower “rice” put a modern spin on these dishes. With 75 color photographs and lots of sidebars, this is the new Southern cooking handbook.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Southern, Food

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2017

Reviews

[John’aLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter picked this book up at the library last week, and convinced me to buy a copy. She bought one too and we’re both going to Cook recipes out of it this summer and fall as a project together.😄

[Ashley Sigmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious, fresh southern recipes that go beyond fried chicken--though of course she does have her recipe in her book. (Relatively) quick and easy meals that do not rely on processed food with a great variety of flavors and healthiness. My go-to when I want to make something tasty but don't want to cook all day or spend all my money.

There may be a few things that you have to be from the south to like, which may be the best that can be said about the broccoli-pineapple-cheddar-mayonnaise thing, but those kinds dishes do have a certain of nostalgic appeal for some southerners and if you are so inclined to make that kind of dish, Robyn's recipe is probably the best you can find. But if you are not, then recipes like her Slowcooker BBQ Ribs, her chili (the secret ingredient is espresso powder and holy hell is it tasty), or her Hoppin' John MORE than make up for some unfortunate 1950s-era holdovers. Her roasted veggies are better than the roasted veggies you would just throw together, and she works miracles with black-eyed peas.

[Dgilloon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this on Kindle and make many of the recipes, broccoli cheese casserole, buttered carrots with peas and thyme, Parmesan crusted chicken and broccoli, and spicy rosemary roasted nuts. I’m just cooking my way through and loving it.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-organized presentation of user-friendly recipes that look both forward and deep in the sauce drawer of Southern home cooking for inspiration. Nothing is too fussy, and most dishes appear so simple and inviting that I've made a few more than once within a month of initially cracking this collection open. Standouts are the sections devoted to Starters (Black-eyed Pea Hummus, Southern Cheese Crackers Three Ways) and Sides (Field Peas and Snaps, Grandmother Earlene's Creamed Corn), there are some good-looking mains featured in Skillet Suppers, and many of the Slow Cooker dinner solutions are tempting (I'm writing this as Winter approaches). I really appreciate handy how-tos packed in the sidebars and helpful icons denoting recipes that are freezer friendly, take 30 mins. or less, or require 10 ingredients or fewer—clearly a lot of thought went into making this book nice 'n easy for the casual cook. The dessert options offered in the Sweet Endings section are a bit of a let down, however, and there are some funky, Wednesday-night-church-dinner-pot-luck style head-scratchers that warm my heart even though they turn me off palate-wise (broccoli pineapple salad, anyone?). Also, for a book called Add A Pinch, there seems to be no one recipe that calls for a pinch of anything; exact measurements are given for even a 1/4 tsp of kosher salt, and that's cool, but it kind of takes the edge off the title's appeal. 3.5 for four stars: nice to have, but good for a check out.

[Weatherly Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, the techniques and ingredients are a whole lot better than any of Ree Drummonds. I appreciate that the couple of times the author calls for cream of chicken soup, that she gives a recipe for a homemade version. That said, there are not that many recipes i would make in this book. I appreciate that the recipes are simple and focus on the flavors of the ingredients, but many of these recipes need more herbs and spices. One seasoning that shows up in quite a few of the recipes is her Stone House Seasoning (recipe included) which is basically kosher salt with some ground black pepper and garlic powder in it. Besides being unimaginative, the recipe makes about a third of a cup which I would then have to store and would probably not use again. It would be more helpful to give the amounts for each of these individual ingredients for each recipe. I'm glad I got this from the library before purchasing it. This is a good cookbook for someone who doesn't like as much seasoning in their food.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could I’d give 5 ⭐️ just for the cover and picture in the book but unfortunately I would be remiss so I’ve given it 3. I just couldn’t find anything that said “make me”. So in my determination to try something I went for the Brown Sugar Baked Salmon and Vegetables. I skipped the veges in this recipe. I sautéed some on the side. I just don’t like baking veges and fish on the same tray. This is a really easy recipe with very little prep. Wasn’t to sure how the mustard and sugar combo was going to work out. I was afraid it would be too sweet. But it turned out pretty good. Would I make this again? Sure. Will it be a go to? Probably not.

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the cover - which is what always pulls me into a cookbook. Plus the pages are a lovely texture and there are ample photographs of dishes. The recipes I marked look simple and doable, and suggests some seasoning mixes to keep on hand. I can't wait to make the cover photo next summer with heirloom tomatoes, okra and corn. And there seems to be a sense of healthy in it as well. Looking forward to trying a few of the recipes.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Judging by the ratings, I seem to be in the minority in not loving this cookbook. One recipe that sticks in my mind is a broccoli pineapple salad that among other ingredients includes cheddar cheese, bacon and a cup of mayo. This just isn't the kind of food I could ever eat!

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Go To Recipes

Well written with simple ingredients that will work for the on-the-go parent. Recipes are clearly labeled with freeze ahead suggestions, crockpot ideas and leftover remakes.

[tiasreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Healthier takes on traditional Southern dishes. This is not necessarily a cookbook I'll be reaching for every day, but it's a good addition to my shelf. (Okay, who am I kidding, shelves. Many, many shelves of cookbooks.)

[Angel Hartline · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing wrong with this cookbook... it's full of solid Southern classics. Unfortunately I don't really need a lot of these recipes, so it's not likely I'll make much from this one. If you're newer to cooking and you're looking for classic Southern recipes, you'd probably like this one.

[Danielle Booey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mostly interested in the everyday seasoning recipe, cracker recipes, and the pimento cheese biscuits.

Some tasty looking southern cooking in here and a broccoli cheese casserole I might make soon.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent real world recipes that don't require exotic ingredients or advanced cooking skills.
Also the book has helpful tags like "Freezer Friendly" and "10 Ingredients."

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

copied quite a few recipes

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful recipes!

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to try the Easy Skillet Lasagna, the Poppy Seed Fruit Salad, and the Pimiento Cheese Biscuit recipes.

[Honest Mabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting recipes

There are some unique and interesting twists on classic southern recipes. So I definitely enjoyed it. I am certainly buying this book

[Rosey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple I wrote down

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like the concept for this book and i like the style of recipes. I feel that the authoress has a great knowledge of food and good experience cooking. As meat substitutes have come a long way in the past few years, many of these recipes are practical for vegetarians.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one I might end up buying. I just LOVE a good Southern cookbook and Robyn Stone does not disappoint! The premise of the cookbook is that she's trying to make a quicker, lighter version of many of the Southern dishes she grew up eating. It's organized like a traditional cookbook with chapters like starters & snacks, slow cooker suppers, simple sides, biscuits & bread, etc. Definitely a solid, Southern cookbook! There were so many recipes I'd like to try. I would definitely recommend this one.