Scrumptious from the Girl Who Ate Everything

by Christy Denney

If you can’t be left alone with warm cinnamon rolls or a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, or if you enjoy creating photos of your culinary creations almost as much as eating them, Christy Denney,  the blogger known as “The Girl Who Ate Everything,” has the perfect cookbook for you.

Scrumptious from the Girl Who Ate Everything combines Christy’s expert professional experience as a recipe writer for both Betty Crocker and General Mills with her life experience as a mother of five and one of ten siblings. Christy knows food often is the centerpiece of family life and can be a major undertaking, requiring creativity, planning, practice, and purpose.

Christy showcases 101 of her favorite recipes, each beautifully photographed using natural light from a window in her home, and includes detailed instructions for prep time along with helpful tips.

From unforgettable Sunday brunches with Banana Muffins, to easy weeknight one-pan dinners like One-Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet, to low-carb meals like Egg Roll in a Bowl, to rolling out the works for a game-day crowd—including her NFL-husband’s favorites like Jalapeno Popper Bread and Garlic Parmesan Wings—this is the family-friendly cookbook for anyone looking to plan quick-and-easy meals and wants a way to bring people together, feasting on food which can only be described as scrumptious.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures and recipes in this outstanding cookbook will surely give your eyes a heart attack! I was literally salivating, oohing and aahing as I turned each page: this was truly a feast for the eyes and the stomach! These recipes and the graphics truly live up to the title: absolutely Scrumptious!



As I was taking my time, enjoying each new entry, I was so pleased to discover a recipe for chicken and dumplings: one of my very favourite comfort foods! I appreciated the tip of sprinkling the rolled out dumplings with extra flour to avoid sticking. (Smart!)

Christy Denney has five children (three boys, two girls) and an ex-Miami Dolphins football player husband to feed. All those sheet pan recipes must come in handy come meal time!



I loved the picture of the entire clan in the first few pages of the book. A well-fed family is a happy family! (So, okay, I made that up, but I would have been a happy camper if my parents had been capable of whipping up even HALF of the goodies to be found in this absolute keeper of a cookbook.



The author gets right down to business and warms us up with a few quick sheet pan meals for the busy home chef. The One Pan Breakfast Bake - hash browns, bacon, cheddar cheese and olive oil, topped with six eggs - looked divinely enticing! I love that you aren't bombarded with three pages of ingredients in each recipe. I marveled at the simplicity but tastiness of each recipe. Cheese is a major ingredient in just about every recipe here, but I was not complaining. (I am going to try to make the "chaffles' - flourless waffles made with cheese and eggs on a waffle grill. My version will have to be with lactose-free cheese: I hope it works out! I'll keep you posted!)



The desserts almost had me in tears: I'm writing this review at one a.m. in the morning. No snacks allowed for me, although my taste buds are dancing up a storm. The Brownie Cookies looked divinely sinful, and for sure I am going to try the Birthday Cinnamon Roll Cake - secret ingredient: rainbow cake mix!!!



The Cookies and Cream Brownies also looked utterly decadent, and I'm pretty sure I gained weight just THINKING about eating one!



Christy Denney truly knocked one out of the ballpark with this keeper of a cookbook. I absolutely loved every single recipe and I know that any foodie would love to receive a copy of this book as a gift. I know I certainly would!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this extremely well executed cookbook. It was an absolute pleasure to read and review! 5 out of 5 Scrumptious Stars!
(Note: I was granted permission by Christie Denney's publicist to include some of the pictures from this beautifully illustrated cookbook, so all of those pictures belong to Christie Denney and are duplicated here with permission from her publicist. The Chaffles picture is still from the internet, as is the family portrait of the Denney family.)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first cookbook that I have ever reviewed on Goodreads and it's a great one!

Many of you don't know this but I love to cook. I have been following Christy Denney's blog for a long while now. She's a mother of five and wife to a former Miami Dolphins football player so needless to say she has a lot of mouths to feed. What I like best about her recipes are that they are user friendly. No whacky ingredients that I'll never use again or can't find at all. No slaving over the stove for hours on end. The recipes are for *every* family and they aren't going to break your bank account. Every recipe here contains a photo - YAY! I hate making a recipe without knowing what the end product is supposed to look like. Most of the recipes also include a *scrumptious* tip at the end. Some of these tips I was already aware of but for the novice cook they can be quite helpful. I also want to high-five her for using rotisserie chicken in many of her recipes. Your store bought rotisserie chicken is a lifesaver especially on weeknights after a long day of work.

The book is broken down in sections but is a little different than your standard cookbook format. I'll present them to you here with a mention of the recipes that I am most excited to try.

One Pan Dinners

Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet - Bring on the heat!
Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Pasta - My favorite dip in pasta form. Yes, please!

Feeding a Crowd

Mini Chicken Chimichangas - Baked not fried so they must be healthy! Right? Don't answer that.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole - I'm not drooling you are!

Game Day Eats

Creamy Queso- I don't care, drown me in queso, I have no shame!
Jalapeno Popper Bread - Carbs + Heat + Cheese = LOVE!
Cuban Sandwich Dip - Don't mind me while I lick the bowl!

Low Carb Favorites

Carne Asada - Simple yet delicious!
Tuscan Soup - Creamy and dreamy!
Million Dollar Chicken - It looks like a million calories but it's low carb so who cares!

Quick and Easy

Beef and Broccoli - When your craving take out but don't won't to go out or put on pants!

Tried and True

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - I had no idea that egg noodles were so easy to make!
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs - Because why not!
Easy Bolognese - She had me at easy! Most Bolognese take hours so I'm curious about this one.

Something Sweet

Raspberry Cream Cheese Puffs - I loved Flaky Puffs as a kid and these remind me of my childhood favorite!
Cookies and Cream Brownies - I'm making these for my Oreo loving son. Not for me. Nope! (lies, all lies)

So there you have it. A wonderful cookbook for the everyday cook. A gourmet chef may not be impressed but I certainly was. Time to get cooking! 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for my complimentary copy!

[David Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scrumptious is a delightful culinary journey that wholly lives up to it’s name as it meanders about touching on all sorts of cuisine.

Give me a cookbook that promises deliciousness and draws me in with delectable looking stuffed shells (an all-time personal favorite), and you’d be hard pressed not to have my mouth watering.

The best thing I can say about this cookbook is that it doesn’t really have a niche. So many cookbooks are catered to a specific type of cooking or a specific geographic cuisine, which while they provide top notch recipes in those areas, I can’t turn to them any night of the week for fear of palate fatigue. Scrumptious bucks that trend hard throwing in recipes from all over the place, in a good way. I can’t imagine anyone struggling to find a handful of recipes that could become personal or family favorites.

In some ways though, that also hurts the title because without a more focused subject matter, it could very easily be forgotten when you are trying to meal plan, or come up with dinner ideas.

Unlike most cookbooks, this title just dives right into the recipes without any backstory on the author or why the recipes were selected. There are little tidbits that start each section and are included with the recipes themselves, however without that fluff at the beginning the title risks not drawing people in (fair or unfair as that may be).

The recipes I tried were very good, though a handful in there are not suitable for beginners. The directions were clear and I greatly appreciated that there was a picture for every single dish (I really hate when you can’t see what you’ll be making).

Overall this was a 4/5 for me. A cookbook I could see myself revisiting over and over, but also one I might forget about because I have a craving for a specific type of food and the recipes in it that fit that craving don’t jump to mind as easily as others. This is a super safe title for anyone who cooks, you will not be disappointed, and there’s close to a 0% chance you wont find at least a few recipes you use again and again.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been following the author’s blog for quite some time so I was excited to receive a copy of her cookbook. This books has Easy one pan dinners and delicious desserts that are beautifully photographed. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this cookbook.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

Reading through this book it's hard to believe the author doesn't have diabetes because these are generally very high calorie, high carb dishes, but Christy Denney is the typical beautiful, skinny, young blonde Mormon mommy blogger and the wife of a professional athlete. The recipes tend to use copious amounts of refined carbs (mostly bread, pasta and rice), cheese, heavy cream, meat, etc. Even her salads have pasta or a loaf of diced bread in them. There is one chapter just for low-carb recipes, though, which I appreciated.

What's good -- there is a full page photo of every single recipe (yay) and they're gorgeous. The ingredient lists tend towards very sparse, which makes it easy to shop or prepare for. Denney uses a lot of purchased ingredients like marinara sauce, gnocchi, puff pastry, cake mixes, etc. so these are pretty simple to assemble. Many are one-pan dishes and most are likely to be very kid-friendly and husband-friendly since they use so much cheese, meat and wheat. Many of the recipes are very easy, and even the hard ones like birthday cake cinnamon rolls are written so they look easy (I'm not sure if this is good or bad?). Most don't call for expensive or hard to find ingredients, either. Some recipes are much healthier than others and these tend to be very simple ones with few ingredients like sheet pan dinners where meats and veggies are just baked on a pan together. There are also a lot of recipes that seem like they'd be delicious indulgences. There's a block of cream cheese in a lot of these recipes, and that's never a bad sign if you want something decadent.

What's not so good -- there is no nutritional information provided, other than carb counts for the low-carb chapter recipes. Many of them seem like they would be very, very high in calories, salt, sugar, carbs and/or fat, so people who are watching any of these would need to be wary. This is also not a cookbook easy to convert for people on special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, keto, etc.). As mentioned, some of the recipes seem deceptively simple but I know from experience that it's a little more work to make things like homemade cinnamon rolls even with boxed cake mix as part of the ingredient list.

This is the sort of cookbook that I'd be tempted to give to my 18 y/o son who's moving to his own house next year. He knows the basics of how to cook well but a lot of these would make great recipes to add to his repertoire. I won't, though, since he cooks for many gluten free and vegetarian folks and most of the recipes are the type I keep for company instead of everyday healthy meals. I think most people will absolutely love the cookbook though. There's a lot to love, especially if you don't have any health issues and are not trying to lose weight. Just be cautious because with this kind of eating every day you probably would before too long.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Leith Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is becoming one of my favorite cookbooks! Every time I look at it I find something else I want to cook. The recipes have pictures, they’re not too complicated, and they range from one-pan dinners to delicious desserts. There’s a chapter of low-carb favorites, and another one called game day eats as well as quick and easy. It’s written by The Girl Who Ate Everything, she’s a food blogger who wrote another cookbook that I really enjoyed.

I’ve enjoyed these recipes so far: One Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet, Panzanella Salad, Honest Garlic Pork Roast, Garlic Parmesan Wings, and Sheet Pan Apple Crisp. I’m sure I’ll have more favorites in the future. 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of old favorites here with a few new ones I can't wait to try all packaged in one beautifully presented cookbook. There are gorgeous pictures of each recipe: always a win in my book. She starts off with one-pan dinners, which is the key to my heart. The dessert section looks amazing and definitely things that are new to me: No Churn Banana Pie Ice Cream?! There is a section for potlucks and game day food options.

My only drawback on this book was the lack of nutritional information. No one is going to confuse these meals with anything but comfort food but in the day and age of updated food labels, calories at restaurants, etc. this should just be a given. Somewhat out of place was the chapter on low-carb/keto friendly dishes, which I guess is her husband's thing, where net carbs were provided which just goes back to my original point. I would take a 1/2 star off for that but still rounding up to 5 because the rest is spot on.

I will be adding this one to my permanent collection. Pre-ordering now for it's schedule November 2021 release.

Thank you to #Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an advanced temporary e-copy of #ScrumptiousfromTheGirlWhoAteEverything in exchange for an honest review.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first cookbook by this author and I really like how she had the book arranged: One-Pan Dinners, Feeding a Crowd, Game-Day Eats, Low-Carb Favorites, Quick and Easy, Tried and True, and Something Sweet. I also like how easy the directions are laid out and the pictures are truly mouth-watering. There are a lot of dinners for when you're short on time and I really like the low-carb options.

Some of my favorite recipes are One-Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet, Egg Roll in a Bowl, Honey Shrimp and Broccoli, Key Lime bars and the Brownie Cookies.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Katya · Rating 2 out of 5]

If by 'everything' you mean 'all of the cream cheese' then yes, Denney certainly did eat everything.

(I don't understand the middle American impulse to put cream cheese into things it doesn't belong in. Cream cheese belongs on bagels. Maybe dip. That's it.)

This cookbook is for people who need to get dinner on the table for the family quickly and easily and don't have adventurous palates. The most 'exotic' ingredient here is soy sauce or cumin. Few fresh vegetables and most ingredients come from the middle aisles of the grocery store, from cans and jars. Denney's idea of Mexican food is chicken enchiladas smothered in shredded cheese. The recipes are simple and easy to follow, but there's nothing groundbreaking here.

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christy Denney is the food blogger known as "The Girl Who Ate Everything," and she takes readers on a tour with this delightful cookbook which is perfect for family dinners, tailgating, holidays, and even casual date nights. With over 100 recipes divided into categories like Feeding a Crowd and Quick and Easy, it won't be hard to find something that you will want to make right away! Basic pantry staples and every day ingredients make these recipes approachable and economical. A few standouts - Sheet Pan Pancakes, so easy when you have a tableful of hungry kids; Rueben Hot Pockets made with "Fathead Dough" (low-carb); and a Churro Saltine Cracker Toffee that will make you the most popular person at your workplace when you bring it in. Oh, and the Chaffles - a cheesy egg waffle that can substitute for bread! Now that's an invention worth noting.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Scrumptious from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

I'm not familiar with the author. I requested this because of the cover.

I liked how easy and straightforward the recipes were, but they were nothing special.

I could Google these recipes and find many variations of them online.

I enjoyed the photos and the inclusion of a low carb recipe but there was little to no personalization accompanying the recipes; no memories or stories from the author as to why she was including a particular recipe.

There was no foreword or introduction but this was an ARC so maybe it wasn't added in yet.

This is ideal for cooks who don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and don't mind casseroles and heavy dishes.

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This cookbook is perfect for anyone new to cooking and looking for meals and recipe ideas for a family. The instructions are easy to follow and the layout of the book makes it easy to find a recipe that will be of interest. Also, the photos are very stunning, which is something that I love in a recipe book. That being said, there isn’t a lot to offer in this one for anyone with experience in the kitchen. The recipes themselves are quite basic and many of them use pre-packaged ingredients.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a little disappointing, which is possibly my fault for going into this with skewed expectations. I think this is probably a great cookbook for suburban moms, but that is not me, and I think I bookmarked 4 recipes out of the ~100, and even those four I'm not super excited about.

Recipes I've Made:
Alfredo Gnocchi and Broccoli Bake - this was actually really solid! quick vegetarian meal (I used veggie stock instead of the suggested chicken) that came together in less than 30 minutes with just a few, mostly staple, ingredients.

[Lisa | Lady_Logomancer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is fantastic! Denney has a firm grasp on modern cooking. Not only does everything look and sound amazing, there is something for every skill level. The variety of meal types is perfect for busy homemakers. There’s recipes for the oven, stovetop, slow cooker and Instapot. There’s also carb conscious and healthy options. She has it all! My particular favorites were the honey garlic pork roast and the key lime bars.

I think this book would make a spectacular housewarming gift or a great guide for those who are never sure what to make for dinner.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for my gifted copy!

[Jordyn Gines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this cookbook is awesome! I was given an ARC to review and the recipes I’ve made so far have all been really good and easy to make. I can’t wait to try out all the game day snacks. The biscoff cookies were a huge hit in our house.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cookbook!! It's a little bit understated for the quantity of recipes included, with the recipes broken up into less traditional categories so that could actually be a detriment, making some recipes harder to find. I do love the categories and wide variety of options available, it just might make it tricky to find a certain recipe when I need it. The categories are One-Pan Dinners, Feeding a Crowd, Game-Day Eats, Low-Carb Favorites, Quick and Easy, Tried and True, and Something Sweet. I tend to look for recipes to prepare based on what I have to cook with that night, which meat I need to use from my fridge, etc. However, I LOVE that every single recipe has a picture!! The pictures are also extremely well done, providing a beautiful visualization of each dish. The recipes all appear to be fairly straight-forward and simple, with easy-to-find ingredients that everyone will most likely have in their pantry or be able to readily get. The recipes also aren't complicated, with excellent step-by-step instructions, a small list of ingredients (instead of a long list of lots of ingredients), as well as tips to help make the recipe even easier on the majority of the recipes. I really like how there is just a short-and-sweet introduction to each recipe. A cookbook should be mostly about the recipes, not a lot of narrative to wade through to get to the actual recipe. This cookbook provides that -- beautiful photos for every single recipe, straight-forward recipes with a reason why we should try that recipe, easy-to-find ingredients, and great step-by-step instructions. I received a digital ARC of this book, and I will be purchasing a physical copy to add to my cookbook library in my kitchen!! The look forward to adding so many of these recipes to my family's meals!!

***I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***

[Suzi (Lil Bit Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about a perfectly titled book – every recipe looks positively scrumptious! I know this because every single recipe is accompanied by a photo, which in my mind is the mark of a great cookbook. This cookbook is jam-packed with tried and true recipes from blogger Christy Denney (The Girl Who Ate Everything).

“Scrumptious” includes one-pan dinners (a favorite of mine), recipes for feeding crowds and game day munchies, tried and true classics, and of course desserts! There are some low carb recipes that look so good, you won’t even know they’re keto friendly. There’s also a quick and easy section, but none of the recipes in the book are overly complicated or fussy, and the directions are clear and easy to follow.

These recipes are super approachable and family-friendly. There are no “weird” ingredients or spices; these are all things that most people have on hand or buy regularly, and comfort ingredients abound: cheese, cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, and bacon. Yum! This is a cookbook I’ll reach for often.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book.

[Susanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn in by the lovely cover, but wish I had done a bit more reseach before I requested this as an ARC. Since I prefer to cook fresh and from scratch, and rarely use convenience foods, this cookbook went completely against the grain for me. Yes, I understand that for many people, it's about quickly getting something on the table without too much fuss. However, these recipes did not strike me as anything out of the ordinary, there was nothing I wanted to try or wouldn't have come up with on my own - and many were truly horrifying in nutritional terms. The whole thing felt more like a vanity project, including the photos. I won't even waste my breath about the US-centric ingredients and measurements.

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY! So many scrumptious recipes! I can’t wait to try many of them. Even some low carb and quick and easy recipes. I’d say you and I both need to check this book out and give the recipes a try. One pan dinners could become my new go to. 

What I really like are her tips throughout the recipes on what you can substitute, like shredded mozzarella for fresh if you don’t have it. Little things like that might leave a newer cook from making a recipe unless they knew they CAN swap things out like that. Kudos for the tips and the recipes! I’m going to be writing out my shopping list now and try a few to start.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was all set to hate on this cookbook for the following reasons:
1) The first recipe out the gate, the BLT Salad, has NO sauce to bind the ingredients. WTF. The cornerstone of a good pasta salad is the sauce (don’t @ me, pasta salads are, like 99% of my diet in summer…I’ve put in the research)
2) All these recipes sound BLAND. Like beyond bland. Like salt and pepper is the most exotic it gets up in here

But then I thought to myself: “Self…consider these the foundations of a house and the spices the interior décor. You have a whole freaking CABINET of spices with which to decorate.”

So, because nearly all these recipes look quick and stupid easy to throw together (and I’m nothing if not hungrily efficient), I find this a solid 4 star cookbook with the caveat that you, too, will need to put your own spice collection to work (hit up Penzeys or Savory Spice Shop and thank me later).

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new go-to cookbook! The recipes are easy to follow and delicious. The photos are a nice touch. I honestly bookmarked so many recipes in this cookbook I finally just stopped because it was most of the book- unusual for me! Even better- these are recipes my whole family will eat and make weeknight meals easy. 5⭐️

[Jenny K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost every recipe in this collection looks like something I would make and my family would eat. It calls for everyday ingredients widely available. I am adding this cookbook to my wishlist and will be testing several recipes before I have to return it to the library.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read about Scrumptious, I wanted to check it out. It sounded appealing when I read the description. When I first flipped through the cookbook, I was surprised. I found several recipes that I was interested in trying and could see my family enjoying. It's hard for me to find cookbooks with several recipes that peak my interest. So far, I've made the Salsa Verde Chicken Skillet and the One-Pan Chicken Fajita Rice. Each of the recipes turned out fairly good except I didn't cook the rice long enough. It was something new so my kids weren't too interested in it, but they have to see a dish a few times before really enjoying and trying it. My husband enjoyed the meals especially the One-Pan Chicken Fajita Rice. He suggested that we add it to our regular meal rotation.

The recipes were not-too time consuming and flavorful. Usually, it seems like easy recipes skip the flavor, but I thought these recipes were delicious. I found the prep time and the cook time to be fairly accurate. The ingredients were mostly pantry staples for us, which I felt was a plus. There are several more recipes I would like to try and I gravitated toward the recipes in her "tried and true," "low-carb favorites," and "one pan dinner" sections. Those were the strongest sections to me. I felt like this cookbook offers more dinner options for my family that aren't overly time consuming. I would recommend checking it out.

Please note I received a free copy to review, however, this is my honest opinion.

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is wow!!!

I first opened the book just for a quick perusal and found that I could not stop exploring it after getting just a peak. The book itself is beautifully laid out, with delicious looking pictures for every recipe and easy to understand instructions. But on top of that, I could probably imagine myself making just about every one of them!

There are a lot of pretty standard favourites in the book like broccoli cheese soup, shepherds pie, and cheesy taco pasta shells. However, while most of the recipes seem like things I’ve heard of before, many of them have their own exciting twist (like Cuban sandwich dip, birthday cake cinnamon rolls, and sheet pan Philly cheesesteak). Plus, this book is just layered with the reality that it is a mom cooking for her family. The recipes often make enough to feed a group, come together in a relatively short period of time, and if there’s a way to make an arduous task quicker, she does it (like by cooking pancakes on a sheet pan or lasagna as a one pan meal).

Even reading the table of contents gives the clear impression that this is the kind of book anyone feeding a family could use everyday without getting bored. It’s divided into one pan meal, recipes to feed a crowd, game day snacks, low-carb favourites, quick and easy recipes, her tried and true favourites, and sweet desserts or snacks.

I am thoroughly impressed by this cookbook that features tons of recipes with easy instructions and big payoffs. Frankly, I think that for anyone looking for a cookbook that can help them get delicious meals on the table each day, this book is beyond worth it. It may not be filled with the most creative or new flavour profiles, so if you’re looking for that then I’d try elsewhere, but if you’re just looking for good and simple food, this is the book for you!

Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Scrumptious is a cooking and recipe guide with recipes developed and curated by Christy Denney. Due out 2nd Nov 2021 from Shadow Mountain, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and paperback formats.

This is a nice cookbook with an emphasis on ease of preparation, tastiness, casual dining and family appeal. These are really uncommonly tasty dishes. Many of them are one-pan/sheet pan dinner which make cleanup easy, and all the ones we tried were delicious.

There is no lead-in or introduction, the author opens with the recipes, grouped in chapters thematically: one pan dinners, feeding a crowd, game day eats, low-carb favorites, quick and easy, tried and true, and something sweet. The recipes are nearly all based on wholesome unprocessed ingredients (the exceptions are for things like premade marinara sauce which almost everyone has on hand).

Each recipe includes serving yields, special notes, and prep times. Recipe ingredients are listed bullet point style along with optional ingredients. All measurements are given in American standard measures only. The directions are given step by step, numbered sequentially. The nutritional information is not provided. The recipes' ingredients are easily sourced and the resultant dishes are family friendly and appealing to kids and adults. All of the recipes include photos. The food is beautifully presented and the serving suggestions are appetizing and appropriate. Nearly all of the recipes make a LOT of servings. This would be great for meal planning fans - make enough for dinner and have enough to pack a lunch for work the next day(s). There are a number of these recipes which have made it into my personal potluck recipe book of dishes to take to group dinners and family gatherings.

Good recipes, full of hearty and satisfying food.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a cookbook that has a little of everything. This book offers something for all palates, all sizes of families, and whether you want to eat healthily or indulge. I also was super impressed that most of the recipes are easy to make and with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

The categories found in the cookbook are:
One-Pan Dinners
Feeding a Crowd
Game-Day Eats
Low-Carb Favorites
Quick and Easy
Tried and True
Something Sweet

Here are some of the recipes that I tried and some that are still on my list to try:
Sheet Pan Pancakes
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Creamy Parmesan Shrimp
Monterey Chicken Quesadillas
Sheet Pan Philly Cheesesteak
One-Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Blueberry Lemon Blondies
Tuscan Soup
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

I'm actually excited to try more of the recipes. Alongside every single recipe is a gorgeous photo that makes your mouth water. This cookbook would make a fantastic gift for any cook in your life, young or old. To be honest, you just might as well buy a copy for yourself. Once you start looking through the pages, you will want to start cooking and baking to your heart's content.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are not many cookbooks out there that I would go and buy for myself. This cookbook is one that I would. I loved the way this author put this one together. She’s got plenty of recipes that would make family dinner quick and easy to prepare, as well as to clean up after. She also has recipes that would feed a crowd.

As I looked through this cookbook for the first time, there were so many recipes that caught my eye as ones I wanted to try. I’ve tried several and each and every one I’ve tried has been yummy. And my whole family enjoyed them. That’s kind of hard to do.

I’ve been asked to make sure I share what my favorite recipe was to make from this one. That’s so hard! We enjoyed the Enchilada Skillet and the Salsa Verde Chicken Skillet. Probably my favorite was the Brownie Cookies. There are so many more recipes that I’ll be trying from this one!

[Opal Edgar · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is many recipes that people will enjoy with their family, quick, cheesy and easy, but I will admit not to my taste. I think I prefer lighter flavours, something a little more fresh. But this is perfect for the people that don't want to spend forever in the kitchen and want to feed their family without fuss. I'm sure most recipes kids will enjoy and not complain about. But there was nothing in there that I personally wanted to try, I like quick and easy as much as anyone, but nothing wowed me here and it felt mainly like things I put together tired weeknights already.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been making The Girl Who Ate Everything's recipes for years and have another cookbook by her. I love how this one is set up, with family favorites, treats, appetizers, and even feeding a crowd. The pictures are as mouth-watering as the recipes. Our family favorite was hands down the Egg Roll in a Bowl. This is one book I'll be coming to again and again.

*I received a complimentary copy on Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

[Karen Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scrumptious from the Girl Who Ate Everything is a delightful cookbook from food blogger Christy Denney, founder of The Girl Who Ate Everything. Denney’s focus is on family friendly foods, and this cookbook is filled with mouthwatering recipes that are not only mostly easy to make, but also foods that will be popular for both kids and adults.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner and are easy to follow with numbered instructions. Both beginning and more advanced cooks will have an easy time preparing good food. The recipes are appealing, and there are beautiful photographs of most of the dishes. Denney has included recipes that are down-to-earth and will appeal to regular people; she doesn’t try to intimidate readers and cooks by over-complicating and trying to make them seem gourmet or adding extra steps like some television food stars.

So far, the recipes tested in my kitchen have turned out picture-perfect and exactly as expected (The Sheet Pan Steak and Parmesan Potatoes are easy, quick, and luscious). There are several other sheet pan dinners that are also quick and easy, as well as one-pan dinners to save time. Most of the main dishes are suitable for preparing on weeknights. The variety of dishes will appeal to almost everyone – picky eaters will even find something that they like. The book also includes enough desserts that are quick and easy so anyone with a sweet tooth will be happy.

For anyone who likes some quick, easy, and fun ideas for meals, this cookbook is an excellent choice.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.