Delish: Eat Like Every Day's the Weekend

by Joanna Saltz, Editors of Delish

Amazingly delicious recipes from the team behind Hearst's wildly popular Delish.com website.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, Adult, Ebooks, Culinary

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Joanna Saltz is the current Editorial Director of Delish and House Beautiful, where she oversees all food and home content for both brands. From North Caldwell, NJ, Saltz has held editorial positions at Food Network Magazine, Seventeen, and The Knot. She describes herself as Captain Chaos—she loves her family, her Delish and House Beautiful teams, loud music, science-fiction movies, laughing, and making people happy.

Reviews

[karen]

oh, man - i NEED this for a future monthly project, please!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook if you are in college or the parent of high school and college age kids. Many of the recipes seem like they fit right in on a TGIF or Chili’s menu. There is a recipe for Jell-O shots and a few pages devoted to a Taco Bell in Las Vegas. I must admit, I’m going to make the boxed mac-n-cheese with crushed hot Cheetos “recipe” as soon as I make a grocery run. I mean, yum, right??? Right??? On the plus side, all the recipes have photographs and are easy to make. The cookbook is fun to flip through. On the negative side, many of the recipes run the risk of giving you a heart attack if you are of a certain age like me. I’m not saying I don’t want to eat the food in this book I’m saying I don’t think it’s a good idea. (For me, anyway).

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is a mildly interesting freak show

philly cheesesteak nachos
greek nachos
doritos chicken nachos
reuben egg rolls
spinach artichoke pretzels

caprese garlic bread
triple-cheese bacon spinach dip
hot reuben dip
caprese guacamole
greek guacamole

garlicky shrimp dip
pizza dip
texas trash dip
crab cake burgers
Old Bay sauce (relish and mayo and old bay, sorta like thousand islands dressing)

crack chicken
marry me chicken
firecracker salmon
chicken parm soup
pineapple salsa pork chips

bang bang shrimp
bang bang sauce
pizza pot pie
italian macaraoni and cheese (with italian sausage and cream)
avocado pesto linguine

fried lasagna
bolognese baked tortellini
Tex-Mex meatballs
chicken enchilada skillet
taco tomatoes

bbq chicken twice-baked potatoes
boston cream pancakes
giant twinkie cake (with horrific marshmallow creme)

---

a two star book
with the better recipes listed above

in a lot of ways it feels like a 70s book to be with crappy recipes and ingredients, and 20% of the time, there's tasty stuff there that rises to the top, but most of the stuff is pretty mediocre.

So it's a great book to get cheap, or if you love three recipes inside.
I don't expect a lot from Delish, so it's a cool book, with a lot of blech.

There's enough good recipes to make someone pretty happy
and there's enough weird and lousy stuff to make someone's dog blow chunks

you could make an amazing 100 page cookbook from it, so don't get me wrong
if you find three flawless recipes in any cookbook, it's worth praise

so this gets a definate 3 star rating
57.43744% of this book is something i will defend endlessly!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT.

Full color glossy pics of each and every recipe.

Occasional sidebars highlighting unique creations from diverse restaurants.
Also, occasional sidebars giving extra insight into the Delish work environment. (I now kinda want to work for Delish.)

ALL recipes simple. Occasional (verrrrry occasional) recipe requiring a little extra time admits to it upfront and presents an argument as to why you should proceed.

EVERYTHING looked delish to me. Had to narrow it down though to things that call for ingredients I regularly buy and things that my hubby would eat.

CHEESE. All over the book. Thank goodness I'm not lactose interolerant.

BUT: loads and loads of vegetarian options. No huge "chicken" and "beef" and "pork" sections. Broken up by type of food instead.

Glug glug- entire drinks section. Yum.

Tried:
•Pretzel Ring Beer Cheese Dip (I think I did something really incorrectly, because this turned out terrible. The faux pretzel bites tasted acidic and the cheese dip was chunky. We tossed the whole kit and kaboodle. Didn't care quite enough to try again.)
•Greek Grilled Cheese (Good! But work. And too many peppers.)
•Italian Mac & Cheese (Delicious! But the ratio of noodles to sausage was off. Too many noodles; not enough meat. Will not add to rotation.)
•Box Mac & Cheese Mix-Ins (Tried pepperoni + basil, pimento cheese + crushed Ritz, canned chili + ground beef, and pumpkin purée + sage. All GREAT! Not healthy, all, but delicious.)
•Ramen 4 Ways (Tried Breakfast Ramen (Ok. Won't repeat. But not bad. 1/2 the recipe made 2 breakfasts for me!) and Garlic-Parmesan Ramen (DELICIOUS. Takes two pans... but worth it. Still easy, even if there's a little extra dishes. SO GOOD.))
•Tamale Pie (Meh. Not bad (we ate the leftovers too), but dirtied two pans and wasn't worth it. More cornbread than meat. Don't regret trying, but not adding to rotation.)
•Quesadilla Cake (Really good! And fam loved. Made as per directions first, then edited just slightly to have fewer (but not none) tortilla layers. Came together easily and pretty quickly.)
•Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread (YUM. Hard to decide whether to file under "Breakfast" or "Dessert"!)
•Butterbeer Pie (Did NOT turn out at all. Couldn't even try to taste it.)
•Cheesy Brussels Sprout Bake (Super delicious! And really easy. Won't add to rotation because fam didn't like. Boo.)

[Milton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total honesty? I judged his book by it's delicious looking cover and boy am I glad that I did! I had never heard of the online sensation that is Delish, but will now start to follow them on social media. Their recipes don't cater to a special diet, nor do they require special skills in the kitchen. All of the ingredients are easy to come by and I tagged half the book as recipes that I would like to try. Following the recipes won't be a problem as they are laid out perfectly concise along with pictures for important steps. This helps me in particular as I am a visual person. Wondering what types of meals they focus on? Well, that would be everything! They have drink recipes, appetizers, dinners, breakfasts, sandwiches and desserts. I look forward to trying some of the recipes for my family and having new ideas for things to bring to larger gatherings. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something easy and new to try!

Find it today:https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a cookbook snob, but this one totally connected with my lower, lizard brain (the pictures! the colors! the trying-too-hard-to-be-cool writing that incorporated slang that will be outdated in no time!). There were also a lot of recipes I bookmarked for future cooking because they seem so gosh darn easy and use everyday pantry staples that made lizard brain go “that be that smart thinking thing”.

I will now be searching all my libraries for other available titles from Delish. Look out, Milk Street. You’ve got some competition now…

[Dan R. Celhay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this thinking it was a magazine. Until I saw more pictures of the book elsewhere before I received it. Delish is real good capturing your eye and making you think everything tastes amazing, the pictures and colors in the book are great. However, some recipes seem like those 20 second recipes videos of cheese-stuffed-craze where every last shot is pulling melting cheese or cutting food items so the cheese pours out regardless of how unpleasant or bland that huge amount of cheese would taste ( like cheese stuffed pizza crust).

Short and practical, very calorie dense recipes. Will try some dessert and drink recipes.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my new favorite cookbook. Full review to come!

[Laura Bone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun cookbook. Not necessarily the healthiest or most "adult," but it is fun. And it has great pictures, which makes it very visually appealing. Plus, the recipes are generally easy to make. I've made about 6-7 recipes so far, and have many more that I want to try.

Technically I have the hardback edition, not the paperback.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The snickerdoodle blondies were tasty.

[Karen Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

yum

There are quite a few new recipes in here that I would like to try in some unique twists on recipes I already have

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made several yummy recipes from this book. I like the variety in this book.

Loved the Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. They were delicious!

The Snickerdoodle Blondies were gooey and fantastic.

The individual cheeseballs could have used just a bit more in the cheeseball mixture.

I also made the smores bake and it was so rich and yummy. Beware it will stick to your fingers and your spoon/fork and your plate just like a smore will!

[Linda Schwanz · Rating 1 out of 5]

No good want money back

Find a recipe then plan on making it. Go back to find it and it is not anywhere to be found. Go on the internet to see what you can find and there it is. It says it in the book but it is not. Want my money back.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrible indexing.

Recipes I made:
Tomato Tacos- Delicious! I used gluten-free and vegan substitutions and Cuban Mojo seasoning. The "tacos" look better served in wedges, but they're not practical for eating.

Cheeseburger Cups- Yum and good for small groups. I used a crumbled raw vegan burger, vegan cheese, gluten-free vegan bread, and bread and butter pickles.

Garlic-Pamesan Ramen- Delicious! I used gluten-free linguini noodles and vegan subsitutions. Plus, I added extra garlic, salt, and pepper.

[Corinne Colbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Some good inspiration. Too many recipes start with a box mix or canned dough for me to get too excited over.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delish
Saltz and the editors of “Delish” put together this simplistic, colorful and lively tribute to not cooking while actually preparing something to eat. They state that they designed Delish for those who love to eat but aren’t really mad about cooking.
Recipes start with ramen noodles, refrigerator biscuits or cookie dough, or boxes of Kraft Mac and cheese, mimic fast food recipes from Taco Bell, fry just about everything or put sprinkles on it, and the quantities of cheese used would put Chicago style pizza to shame. The question I have, given that I’m really not interested in all that other stuff, is there anything in here for the more “serious” cook? At first glance, my answer was no. But, actually, after I dug a bit deeper, I found some stuff that I will take with me. It’s easy to dismiss this book for its light hearted kind of silly appearance, but once I started looking at the recipes, I was kind of like, hmm. . . That looks good. I might not make it exactly how the recipe directs, but the idea is good (if you, like me, like the idea of sloppy joe potato skins).
The recipes are simple and very few of them venture beyond what most people have in their cabinets and fridge or can easily pick up at the local grocery. I’m a fan of simple and easy (as well as complex and complicated); each has its place. Many of these recipes are ones that you could dream up on your own if you put your mind to it, but if you want a simpler route to simple recipes, this book may suffice.
The bunless burger bites might make for a good appetizer at a bbq. And the jalapeño popper wonton cups are much easier than stuffing a jalapeño (but I would discard the wontons and just use those nicely cup shaped tortilla chips). And the s’mores bake is divine!
I could see giving this book to a highschool or college graduate whose going out of their own. It might inspire them more than other beginning cookbooks because of the bright colors and, well, rather “youthful” approach. And, even old cooks like me can find inspiration in beer cheese stuffing and chicken fried cauliflower.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t have time to look at all of Delish's 18,000 + images on Facebook or thousands on Insta but what I did see looked yummmmmmy. So, although I’m not into the super-hype surrounding Delish (and the vibe made me feel a bit old, lol) I checked it out and set about testing a few recipes. The first was Crack Chicken which is basically boneless BBQ chicken wings. They are baked, not fried, and the panko crumb crust gives them good texture. The sauce, scrumptious, although it could be made with less sugar. They were easy to make and just delicious; a 10/10 from my husband, who was very sad there weren’t more stashed away! I also tried the Creamy Chicken Broccoli Bake which was, once again, easy and tasty and comforting on a cold winter evening. For a sweet, I made the Snickerdoodle Blondies. They were moist and rich. The next time I’d only make ½ of the cinnamon sugar that they recommend for sprinkling though. Three recipes. Three successes. You can read the rest of my review on my Bake the Cake blog: https://bakethecakedotblog.wordpress....

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total honesty? I judged this book by its delicious-looking cover, and boy am I glad that I did! 

I had never heard of the online sensation that is Delish, but will now start to follow them on social media. Their recipes don't cater to a special diet, nor do they require special skills in the kitchen. All of the ingredients are easy to come by and I tagged half the book as recipes that I would like to try. Following the recipes won't be a problem since they are laid out perfectly along with pictures for important steps. This helps me in particular, as I am a visual person. 

Wondering what types of meals they focus on?  Well, that would be everything!  They have drink recipes, appetizers, dinners, breakfasts, sandwiches and desserts. I look forward to trying some of the recipes for my family and having new ideas for things to bring to larger gatherings. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something easy and new to try!

Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I like food porn. And this is ooey-gooey cheesey carbs that 20 somethings eat with abandon when drinking or when recovering from a night of drinking. And I want in! During the pandemic, it gives me the warm fuzzies to look at these pictures and imagine a day when I can actually whip up a big batch of Spinach Artichoke Pretzels or the Triple-Cheese Bacon Spinach Dip and take it over to someone's house for a party. Where we will drink. With abandon. As though we are 20 somethings. Sigh..... One day..... But some of my favorite food porn recipes are the Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese, the Marry Me Chicken (guaranteed to make the person you cooked for immediately fall to a knee and beg for your hand in matrimony), Ranch Roast Chicken, Green Bean Casserole Cups (cause apparently us 20 somethings (HA!) think this is new and hip whereas the old fashioned casserole is just so old fashioned!), and of course I'm thrilled with the Gingerbread Eggnog. Yum! Bring on the calories!!!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total honesty? I judged his book by it's delicious looking cover and boy am I glad that I did! I had never heard of the online sensation that is Delish, but will now start to follow them on social media. Their recipes don't cater to a special diet, nor do they require special skills in the kitchen. All of the ingredients are easy to come by and I tagged half the book as recipes that I would like to try. Following the recipes won't be a problem as they are laid out perfectly concise along with pictures for important steps. This helps me in particular as I am a visual person. Wondering what types of meals they focus on? Well, that would be everything! They have drink recipes, appetizers, dinners, breakfasts, sandwiches and desserts. I look forward to trying some of the recipes for my family and having new ideas for things to bring to larger gatherings. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something easy and new to try!

[Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, if you ate like this every day, you'd die of congestive heart failure before your 40th birthday. If you were going to shop for ingredients to make every recipe in the book, the #1 ingredient by volume in your cart would be cream cheese. Which isn't to say the book's worthless. Sometimes it is a party! Or maybe you just really love your tradition of Friday family game night with junk food snacks instead of real dinner. That's cool. But maybe balance Delish out with some Vegetarian Cooking for Everyoneor The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor.

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Good pictures to accompany the recipes. A lot of interesting combinations, very focused on entertaining and parties.

Prosecco Grapes*
Mermaid Lemonade
Caramel Apple Shots
Sangria Pops
Jalapeno Popper Won-ton Cups
Steak Frite Bites
French Dip Sliders
Cheese Ball Bites
Pretzel Ring Beer Cheese Dip (really any of the dips but especially this one)
Crack Chicken
Chicken Fried Steak Fingers
Marry Me Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Fried Lasagna
Tamale Pie*
Tex-Mex Meatballs
Everything Bagel Dip
Stuffed Poppers
Mimosas
Breakfast-Stuffed Baquette
Bacon Pancake Dippers
Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread
Banana Bread Waffles
Birthday Cake Banana Bread*
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Birthday Cake Fudge
Rose Sorbet
Onion Soup Standing Rib Roast*
Cheesy Brussels Sprout Bake
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Pumpkin Cheesecake Lasagna
Cookie Butter Cheesecake
Andes Layer Cake

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for weekend food. Their motto is ‘Eat like every day is the weekend!’ But if you are like this every day you’d probably have a weight problem. There is a TON of cheesy dishes; some really creative ideas (like the top of a sandwich roll baked in a Bundt pan) and a lot of great cocktail ideas. I can see why this site is so popular with teens and twenty-somethings- it appeals to their taste buds and aesthetic. But the authors are hyper aware of how cool and popular they are, which to me seems like a sign they’re starting to jump the shark.

There are some great ideas in here, especially with booze (sugared Prosecco grapes? Bloody Mary’s with bacon?). So it’s definitely worth checking out, and there are a ton of pictures. But these are pretty heavy and not too quick to make, so it’s a special occasion cookbook for sure.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm honestly not sure who the demographic for this book is.

I'd say early 20s because just looking at many of these recipes gives me indigestion. That being said, I also don't see someone who is living in a dorm or just learning to cook doing a "hack" with brownie mix to make hot chocolate with a bunch of other ingredients. Many of these recipes are over the top. The tone of this book feels like it tries to hard to be fun and misses the mark at times, especially with names like "crack chicken".

There are some nice pictures and some very rich recipes in this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw all of the recipe teasers on Facebook and Instagram and I got super excited when I got this book. I mean look at the cover, a gooey grilled cheese. Could there be anything more delicious looking to make you want to open the front cover? There are lots of yummy recipes and lots of pictures to go with them. It is a shame that I am allergic to half of the stuff in the recipes, but man they look so good, I just want to eat it all anyway. Thumbs u guys good job!!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't recall where I heard about Delish... Once I read it, it ends up it was not the type of recipes I was looking for. The book contains color photos of each dish, which is a big plus. It looks like basic ingredients - another plus. The book is nicely laid out in sections - drinks, starters, dips, carbs, tex-mex, sandwiches, entrees, pizza, brunch, deserts, etc. - another plus. ...just not my type of food.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been getting more healthy cookbooks lately, but having just discovered the Delish website, I found their cookbook at the library for a change of pace. It's got fun, yummy, but definitely not calorie conscious recipes, and I bookmarked these:
Crack Chicken
Chicken Fried Steak fingers
Tamale Pie
Buddha Bowls
The part of me that loves comfort food (okay, admittedly 80% of me) can't wait to try them. I hope they work!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved flipping through this simple, short-cut-friendly, show-stopping collection of recipes that somehow manages to capture the appeal of Delish's social media presence without sacrificing substance. This is a great cookbook to dip into for potlucks and parties - and I've marked a ton of recipes just for that purpose - but there's plenty of tasty stuff in here to make even an ordinary Monday night dinner feel special.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictures of Recipes? Yes.
Commentary on Recipes? Yes.
Nutrition Facts? No.
Recipe style? Hipster-adjacent.
Any keepers? Yes, lots!

I love how short the ingredient lists are. Not so short that you're just assembling prepackaged foods, not so long that my eyes glazed over halfway through the list. Just enough for relatively simple, delicious food. I am keeping several recipes from this book, but I should probably just buy a copy.

[Kara Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a cookbook for foodie snobs. This is a weekend, late night, hung over, ready for all the calories cookbook. All the food does look really good and user friendly/simple, but I wouldn't say it's the best for family dinners on the regular. A lot of really fun ideas though. And great for when you're in a time crunch on really busy nights.