Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites

by Deb Perelman

Deb Perelman, award-winning blogger and New York Times best-selling author of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, understands that a happy discovery in the kitchen has the ability to completely change the course of your day. Whether we’re cooking for ourselves, for a date night in, for a Sunday supper with friends, or for family on a busy weeknight, we all want recipes that are unfussy to make with triumphant results.

Deb thinks that cooking should be an escape from drudgery. Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites presents more than one hundred impossible-to-resist recipes—almost all of them brand-new, plus a few favorites from her website—that will make you want to stop what you’re doing right now and cook. These are real recipes for real people—people with busy lives who don’t want to sacrifice flavor or quality to eat meals they’re really excited about.

You’ll want to put these recipes in your Forever Files: Sticky Toffee Waffles (sticky toffee pudding you can eat for breakfast), Everything Drop Biscuits with Cream Cheese, and Magical Two-Ingredient Oat Brittle (a happy accident). There’s a (hopelessly, unapologetically inauthentic) Kale Caesar with Broken Eggs and Crushed Croutons, a Mango Apple Ceviche with Sunflower Seeds, and a Grandma-Style Chicken Noodle Soup that fixes everything. You can make Leek, Feta, and Greens Spiral Pie, crunchy Brussels and Three Cheese Pasta Bake that tastes better with brussels sprouts than without, Beefsteak Skirt Steak Salad, and Bacony Baked Pintos with the Works (as in, giant bowls of beans that you can dip into like nachos).
And, of course, no meal is complete without cake (and cookies and pies and puddings): Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake (the icebox cake to end all icebox cakes), Pretzel Linzers with Salted Caramel, Strawberry Cloud Cookies, Bake Sale Winning-est Gooey Oat Bars, as well as the ultimate Party Cake Builder—four one-bowl cakes for all occasions with mix-and-match frostings (bonus: less time spent doing dishes means everybody wins).

Written with Deb’s trademark humor and gorgeously illustrated with her own photographs, Smitten Kitchen Every Day is filled with what are sure to be your new favorite things to cook.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Foodie, Culinary

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2017

About the author

Deb Perelman is a self-taught home cook and photographer; and the creator of SmittenKitchen.com, an award-winning blog with a focus on stepped-up home cooking through unfussy ingredients. In previous iterations of her so-called career, she’s been a record store shift supervisor, a scrawler of “happy birthday” on bakery cakes, an art therapist, and a technology reporter. She likes her current gig—the one where she wakes up and cooks whatever she feels like that day—the best. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is her first book. Deb lives in New York City with her husband and two great kids.

Reviews

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a devoted fan of the Smitten Kitchen cooking blog. Every recipe I've tried from the site has been a success (if I do say so myself), and many of them are now in my permanent repertoire. But I wasn't as fond of the first Smitten Kitchen cookbook (imaginatively titled The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook). I see I gave it four stars here on Goodreads, but I'm pretty sure that was due to a combination of the book's physical beauty (Deb Perelman is also an amazing food photographer) and my love for the website. The fact is, I cooked only one recipe from that book (something having to do with black beans), it was nothing special, and I never made it again. Recently I looked through the book again on the theory that I was the problem rather than the book, but nope—I still didn't find anything else I wanted to make.

As a result, I didn't exactly rush to the store to purchase Perelman's second cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, but when I did finally get a chance to look through it, I saw so many recipes that I wanted to try that I brought it up to the register without a second thought. When I got home I happily read it from cover to cover. Each recipe is delightfully introduced by Perelman (she's a really good writer, and funny), and every single recipe has at least one beautiful color photo (rare for any cookbook!). But beyond that, I have never owned a cookbook with so many recipes I wanted to try. I would say in the entire book there are maybe 10 that don't interest me at all (with the exception of the brief section on appetizers—I have little interest in cooking apps, so that one didn't wow me as much). Everything else I am super excited to make, and shortly I plan to embark on a Smitten Kitchen cooking extravaganza. This book is so beautiful that I'm a little sad to think of it covered in food spatters and such, but this fate seems inevitable. Seriously amazing book.

Of course, I recognize that if I haven't cooked anything from this yet I can't truly judge the recipes, so perhaps I'll update this review after I've tried a few. But given Deb Perelman's track record on her website, I'm fully convinced this is going to become one of my best-loved and most-used cookbooks very soon.

[farmwifetwo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up about half way through. Been a number of years since I followed her blog but saw this book was out and got it from the library.

I find her recipes to be complicated, and not practical both in the time required, the materials to assemble and their general ease to make. Not just to actually make the recipes but also to read them. One day, Mom and I plan to make her black bread... one day.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's start this review saying that I LOVE Smitten Kitchen. Deb's food blog is like a bible to me; I can't even remember all the recipes that I've tried and loved over the years.

So I got this book expecting to love it to bits. But I didn't. :(

I tried three recipes from the book:

- The Ricotta blini with honey, orange and sea salt which were nice, but not better than my go-to buttermilk pancakes.

- The Bakery-style Butter Cookies which were lovely, but SO. MUCH. WORK. I don't think I'll ever try again.

- And the Marble Bundt Cake which was really good, but I had recently tried a different bundt cake recipe (The Neapolitan Cake from Sweet) and this one was not as good.

One recipe that's in the book and I did not make this time, but I've made for years, are the Perfect Blueberry Muffins.

These are AWESOME. Go try them out!

I had plans to try a couple more recipes, but after a while I noticed I was basically forcing myself to cook something I really didn't want to cook. So I stopped, and returned the book.

I guess my final thought is (as much as it pains me to say this): skip the book and stick to the blog.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from Smitten Kitchen! I enjoy reading SK because Deb's recipes are part attainable and part aspirational. Deb's pure love and enjoyment of food bursts off the page and you can't help but catch her enthusiasm. I'm probably never going to grill squid or make my own flatbread but I love reading about her process. I read cookbooks for inspiration and to get me out of cooking my usual recipes. To that end, I'm especially looking forward to making the red lentil soup, kale Caesar with broken eggs, and street cart chicken soon. Oh, and just about every dessert. Deb's recipes never steer me wrong.

[Ashley Tovar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really any recipes that appealed to me & definitely none that could be useful as an add on to my day to day meals. Just too over the top for my tastes.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Readers' Favorite Food & Cookbooks (2017). Sadly, this is no longer a category in the annual Goodreads Choice Awards.

Recipes that I made from this cookbook:
Everything drop biscuits with cream cheese
Grilled yogurt flatbreads
Dry-rub sweet potato steaks with green bean slaw
Chicken and rice, street cart style
Two thick, chewy oatmeal raisin chocolate chip mega-cookies (delicious and on repeat)

Solid, unfussy recipes that I'll be cooking again.

Take a look at the Smitten Kitchen website for some good recipes and a look at Deb's tiny New York kitchen. https://smittenkitchen.com/about/

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a few years but I remember enjoying the original Smitten Kitchen cookbook, although I never purchased it for my collection. So I was eager to try out the new one after seeing good reviews.

My normal testing process is to focus on one cookbook for a month or two trying out different recipes and working them into our weekly meal plans. I didn't get to try as much as I'd like of this one, but here is what I tried below:

Spinach and Goat Cheese Slab Frittata, p. 13 - This was great. I served this to guests with a salad. We left out the mushrooms because my husband is averse.
Loaded Breakfast Potato Skins, p. 20 - Good. Made for dinner and served with toast.
Sushi Takeout Cobb, p. 53 - this was delicious. Loved the dressing.
Kale Caesar with Broken Eggs and Crushed Croutons, p. 55 - Good. We don't care for raw kale, so next time we will sub regular lettuce.
Spring Fried Barley with a Sesame Sizzled Egg, p. 131 - Delicious. Light, but hearty and healthy.
Romesco, Chickpea, and smashed egg bowl, p. 137 - great. This is an example of a meal that is totally different than we would normally make. But it was delicious.
Chicken and Rice, Street Cart Style, p. 177 - Great.
Pork Tenderloin Agrodolce with Squash Rings, p. 189 - Awesome. Loved the onion sauce, although my husband wouldn't get near it.
Sizzling Beef Bulgogli Tacos, p. 191 - delicious. Fast and easy dinner.
Herb and Garlic Baked Camembert, p. 293 - Great. Served out on the patio at a family gathering.

About 1/3 of the book is sweets which I thought was excessive. With birthdays and Easter we are loaded down with candy so I purposely didn't try any of the sweets.

Overall, everything we tried was great. But it was sometimes a stretch to find something that my family would eat and enjoy or that I would make on a normal weeknight.

[Clwseattle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked out Smitten Kitchen Every Day from our wonderful King County Library System. I confess I have never read (watched??) The Smitten Kitchen, but my dear sister is a fan so I expected to love this book. I did not.

I feel Smitten Kitchen Every Day is just too pretentious by half. I absolutely believe she makes these recipes for her lovely family, but there are a grand total of three that caught my interest.

The cover claims "triumphant & unfussy new favorites". There is nothing unfussy (kale dusted pecorino popcorn?) about these recipes, nor this cookbook. Frankly, I am not even familiar with many of the ingredients in the recipes... Fregola? Halloumi? I had to look them up... and heaven only knows where I would buy them in the 'country' suburbs. Whole Foods is 40 miles away!

The dessert and baked goods sections are ... interesting but surprisingly pedestrian considering the rest of the cookbook.

The authors introduction to each recipe lost its shine about 10 recipes in. Then it started to be tedious and predictable. I would rather have the recipe printed on one single page rather than spread over several pages because of the authors need to explain her triumphs. The pictures however are gorgeous.

2.5 stars.

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I've only had this cookbook for about 3 days and I've only made one of the recipes (Wild Mushroom Shepherd's Pie) but it was super delicious! Really just about everything in here looks amazing and I can't wait to try some more recipes!

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful book with some delicious looking recipes. Just...if I'm being honest...though it was subtitled "unfussy new favourites", I personally need a cookbook that's a little more simple/unfussy.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Deb--she's one of my favorite recipe developers and is absolutely charming! This cookbook, like her others, has a broad variety, lay-flat binding, and a photo for every recipe--all thing I look for in a cookbook. Lots of veggie options, as per usual, and there were definitely a lot of recipes that appealed. However, I will say I think this is her weakest of her (now three) cookbooks. The flavors and recipes here seem, overall, something of a departure from her usual fare--hard to put my finger on it exactly, but there were many that just didn't really feel like the kinds of recipes I've come to expect from her. I'll also say that I do think that the titling here is a bit misleading as well--many of these recipes actually did seem a little fussy and/or are definitely not the kind of recipe I'd make every day/on a normal weeknight. In fact, that is part of what I think felt different to me compared to many of her other recipes, that a lot of these actually seemed far more fussy that her usual.

Still a solid cookbook, which a number of recipes I'm excited about! But if you're new to Deb, I strongly recommend checking out her website (smittenkitchen.com) and/or picking up her first or third cookbook, which I think are far stronger.

Recipes I've Made:
2-Ingredient Maple Oat Brittle: easy and a good option if you want something granola-like quickly and don't have all the usual ingredients on hand, but I'd never reach for this over granola if I had the option.
Baked Oatmeal with Caramelized Pears and Vanilla Cream: phenomenal.
Everything Bagel Drop Biscuits: These turned out really dense in a not-appetizing way--I'm not convinced this wasn't user error/issue with my ingredients, but I haven't had a chance to remake them again to test out.
olive oil shortbread with rosemary and chocolate chunks - really interesting! glad to have tried them, but i don't think the flavor profile is for me--like, I'd absolutely happily eat these if they were the only dessert around, but I prefer more traditional shortbread.
winter squash flatbread with hummus and za'atar - i loved this one! fairly simple but the flavors are great.
broccoli, cheddar, and rice fritters - really tasty, and I love basically all vegetable fritters--great use for leftover rice!

[Gretchen Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Smitten Kitchen. I read through all of Deb's recipe intros and as always, they were warm and funny and insightful. I'm gonna start cooking my way through this weekend, starting with the blueberry muffins.

[Cynthia Paschen]

I look at the Smitten Kitchen once or twice a week (the web site, Instagram) for inspiration. I have her first book, The Smitten Kitchen cookbook, but will probably bring this one to the library book sale. Some of the recipes are complicated for this Iowa cook, many seem to be on the theme of putting stuff in a bowl and topping it with a fried egg. Not helpful to me. The photos are beautiful, though.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made some very very delicious want-to-repeat meals from this book but the layout is TERRIBLE!!! A long-winded intro and ingredient list will be on a right-hand page, while the directions require you to flip the page over - why?

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love her blog, but I can't imagine making these recipes for "every day."

[Liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Triumphant? Yes. Unfussy? No. Every day? Maybe if you have lots of free time.
Deb Perelman's 2nd cookbook is mis-titled. I loved the first one much more.

[Miss Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely photographs accompany each recipe - which is strictly essential for me as a very visual person - along with a brief description of how Perelman came to try it, recreate it, or some other personal note. Usually these anecdotes and cook's notes are easily skipped over, but I found her stories charming and funny. She acknowledges that life happens and the fancy recipe you set out to make sometimes has to change or your family situation shifts and you accommodate your cooking to meet that.

All in all, one of the most tasty cookbooks I have read for many a year. The whole book is a gem, but these recipes stood out.

Smitten Blini
Ricotta Blini with Honey, Orange, and Sea Salt
Loaded Breakfast Potato Skin
Perfect Blueberry Muffins
Quick Sausage, Kale, and Crouton Saute
*Chicken and Rice, Street Cart Style
Parsley Basil Vinaigrette
Pork Tenderloin agrodolce with squash rings
Sizzling Bulgogi Tacos
Miso Maple Ribs with roasted scallions
Pretzel Linzers with salted caramel
*Wintry Apple Bake with double ginger crumble
Apricot Pistachio Squares
*Smeteneh Kuchen / Sour Cream Coffee Cake

[Jeanie Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is a winner for sure. I enjoy Perelman's anecdotes about cooking and eating, and her photography is killer. But for a cookbook to get my approval, the recipes have to be solid. We have cooked and enjoyed many from this book already, and will return again and again to these:
-kale caesar salad- delish! (my son could have eaten the whole bowl himself)
-red lentil soup - the addition of curry leaves made this dal like soup perfect
-grilled yogurt flatbreads - yum! and super easy, was great with the lentil soup
-crispy tofu and broccoli with sesame peanut dressing- so so good for dinner, but even better for lunch - I will make this often!
- pizza beans- the family loved this cheesy mess, I prefer my beans on the less cheesy side (nothing can beat 101 Cookbooks fiasco beans in my opinion...)

I'm looking forward to trying some other mains and salads from this book, and that chocolate pecan slab pie is definitely on the to-cook list as well.

[Helen Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to sit down and eat these recipes, when Deb Perlman has prepared them. They look delicious, but I lack the expertise with some of the more exotic ingredients, and generally, in order for me to prepare something, I have to imagine that it would appeal to at least a small majority of my family, rather than just to me. So I would like for her to feed me, but I likely won’t be trying to prepare the recipes. Deb Perlman is a great writer, and the preambles to each recipe are very entertaining . I also like the way she does not list every ingredient in the name of the recipe. That usually smacks of someone trying to be interesting based on an odd assemblage of ingredients. And she does not do this. Four stars, and I certainly understand a five star rating from others.

[Manisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROS:
- pictures of every recipe
- for the same reason i've loved her blog for the last 8 years i've been a reader - i feel like i'm reading recipes written by a friend, i love the narration in her recipe intros
- pictures of every recipe!!!!
- lots of cool vegetarian mains
- would make probably 90% of what's in the book (i'm not that into butternut squash or sweet breakfast foods womp womp)
- PICTURES OF EVERY RECIPE!!!!

CONS:
- after making a couple recipes and skimming the rest, i can tell that several of these recipes are definitely not "unfussy" and a few would require some research/specialty grocery store shopping, so i think these are more like weekend endeavors rather than every day cooking

[Penny Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yeah. I was leaning toward buying this one without looking at it first, because Smitten Kitchen, but then once I started drooling over the photos and descriptions I knew it had to be part of my collection. Then, to my amazement, I discovered that I'd made one of these recipes (chocolate pecan slab pie) for Christmas! So yeah - adding it to a cart right now.... Thanks, Deb!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a great book; I marked several recipes to try in the weeks to come, including a mouthwatering artichoke parmesan galette, a carrot miso dressing I hope is like the one I loved in Seattle, and a potato-asparagus salad with gribiche. I don't know that I will seek to buy a copy just yet, but I anticipate borrowing the library copy more than once.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um, awesome. With simple, but nicely elevated meals, I can cook to please all the fussy folks in my life, but still have the flavor I crave. And I just tried out three recipes this week. All winners. As usual. Thanks, Deb.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh so awesome, easy, and inspiring. I love Smitten Kitchen!

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t exactly read this book start to finish but I do have it and use it regularly! I have made many things out of it and the cake section has become my go-to for birthdays!

[Ada-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the title, most of these recipes are supes fussy. Kale dusted popcorn? Homemade tortellini as step 1 of a long recipe? A handful of dishes look attempt-worthy, but most would not be everyday meals that I would have time to make snd that my whole family would actually eat.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her recipes and am signed up for her email newsletter. She is one of my top go to chefs.

[Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was too much for an "everyday" cookbook. Potatoes (regular or sweet) on their own are not a meal or main dish -- pretty disappointed in the vegetarian section. Also, she completely lost me when she called carrot ginger dressing from japanese restaurants an "underground new York thing." LOL. I think the baking recipes look very good but I didn't realize they would be taking up so much of the cookbook. Maybe best to publish a separate baking book.

[AH]

Just picked up this book at the local bookstore. Yes, they still exist although they seem to be selling a lot of tchochkes nowadays. I've been a fan of Ms. Perelman's blog and I always look forward to her weekly email of great recipes. Full review to come when I've had a chance to cook a few recipes.

[Danielle Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this from the library twice, and now it's time to send it back and buy my own copy. I was disappointed by Perelman's first cookbook despite absolutely loving her Smitten Kitchen blog, but this cookbook was a much better fit for both my own and my family's eating habits. We're vegetarian, so I can't comment on the Meat Mains section, but we made quite a few recipes from the Vegetable Mains section that were all very good. I've also made a couple of the salads, her "dense, grainy daily bread," the red lentil soup, and several of the cakes. Her directions are relatively straightforward, and each recipe includes a color photo. Some of her recipe intros are more interesting than others. If you like the blog but weren't a fan of her first book, I would still encourage you to pick-up this one.