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Beatty's Chocolate Cake 5/5 ⭐️- Made this for my husband’s birthday and WOW—so chocolately and delicious! The coffee adds such a rich, slightly coffee flavor that makes the chocolate even better. I also melted the semisweet chocolate in the microwave in 15-second increments, which worked great. Overall, this cake is to die for! It was a little time-consuming, but I enjoyed every minute of making it.

Frozen berries with hot white chocolate 5/5 ⭐️ Wow! So simple, yet SO delicious! Something about the frozen berries with the warm white chocolate poured over the top is absolutely incredible. I melted the chocolate in the microwave in 15-second increments instead of on the stove, and it worked perfectly. Just remember to allow several hours for the berries to freeze—or buy them pre-frozen!

Rib-eye steaks with cornmeal-fried onion rings 5/5 ⭐️ - The ribeye was flavorful and perfectly cooked with just three simple ingredients. And the onion rings—wow! They were light, crispy, and so delicious. A little salty, but absolutely worth it. I’ll make this 100 times over

Guacamole Salad 5/5 ⭐️ - So good! This was fresh, easy, and delicious. I also loved that the avocados didn’t turn brown. Don't be scared of the jalapeños or cayenne, it was mild spice. It would make an excellent summer side dish or even a light main dish. Definitely a recipe I’ll make again!

Tomato Feta Salad 5/5 ⭐️- so easy and SO good! This is such a great way to use up a ton of cherry tomatoes. Fresh, simple, and absolutely delicious. Definitely one of my top three tomato recipes from this cookbook!

Bibb Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing 5/5 ⭐️ - I couldn’t find Bibb lettuce, so I used butter lettuce instead, and it worked perfectly! The basil green goddess dressing was sooo delicious! It made an entire jar, so we had plenty leftover. I wasn’t sure about the 2 teaspoons of anchovy paste, but I added it and really enjoyed the dressing! I think you could do without it though!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches 4/5 ⭐️- This chicken salad was good and very simple to make! Next time, I’d use a little less salt and add more celery because I prefer a little more crunch. The other chicken salad recipe in this cookbook with grapes is excellent and is still my favorite. My husband really loved this one, though!

California BLT's 5/5 ⭐️- The best BLT we’ve ever had! The avocado really takes it to another level, but even without the avocado, the way this BLT is put together is pure perfection. Toasting the bread in the oven after the bacon was done worked so well! Such a simple recipe, but absolutely delicious and definitely one we’ll make again and again!

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches 4.5/5 ⭐️ Insanely good!! Beware, the recipe calls for 30 min roasting, 30 min cooling AND a few hours marinating. I did not 😂 Ice water straight from the oven + only 15 min marinating and the flavor was exploding! Used garlic herb Italian bread instead of ciabatta. So good as is, but you could add turkey or rotisserie chicken too!

Garlic and Herb Tomatoes 5/5 ⭐️ So good! Such a great way to use garden cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs. I ended up squishing the tomatoes because I was afraid they’d burst in my mouth 😂 It made the most beautiful garlicky sauce, and I ended up dipping my chicken in it too. Took maybe 10 minutes, SO easy!

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula 4.5/5 ⭐️ Delicious and so easy! I added fresh cherry tomatoes, and I think other vegetables would work well too. I love a lemon pasta in the summer, and the arugula adds great flavor. The only reason it’s not a 5/5 is that the heavy cream makes it a bit richer and heavier than most summer pastas, so it wouldn’t be a regular staple for me.

Chicken with Goat Cheese & Basil 3/5 ⭐️ This is the lowest-rated recipe I’ve made so far. I’m not a huge fan of skin-on chicken, and it’s possible I didn’t get the skin crispy enough. I normally love goat cheese, but in this I found it a little overpowering. That said, I can definitely see this being a hit for someone who enjoys rich goat cheese and crispy chicken skin, it just wasn’t my favorite.

Chicken Salad Véronique 5/5 ⭐️ I made this before and it was a huge hit at my birthday party! I served it in butter lettuce leaves and added toasted pecans for extra crunch. I couldn’t find fresh tarragon, but even without it, this was one of the best chicken salads I’ve ever had. The bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts made it so flavorful! Best of all, it was simple to make. Definitely a repeat recipe.

Caesar Club Sandwich 4/5 ⭐️ This was a huge, filling sandwich that made a great lunch! I couldn’t find anchovy paste, so I substituted Caesar dressing, and it still turned out delicious. The combination of chicken, pancetta, arugula, and Parmesan worked really well together. I think the anchovy paste would have added a little more depth of flavor, but I’d definitely make this again. Great recipe!

Fresh Whiskey Sours 4.5/5 ⭐️- Batch cocktail that's very simple to make. My guests said it was very good. I enjoyed it despite not being a dark liquor kind of girl. Fresh citrus makes all the difference!

4.5/5 ⭐️ Herb-roasted onions – Who knew onion quarters could shine as a side? Lemony, herby, and so flavorful. Super cheap and quick to make, perfect alongside pork loin and mashed potatoes.

4/5 ⭐️ Buttermilk mashed potatoes – The perfect mashed potatoes: creamy, rich, and full of flavor. Definitely a treat with whole milk and a full stick of butter 😬 Next time, I’d salt to tast, they turned out a bit too salty for me.

4/5 ⭐️ Eli's Asian Salmon. I scaled this down to 1 lb of salmon, halved the marinade, and used about 1 cup total with ~3/4 cup panko. Even as someone who doesn’t love salmon, I thought this was verrrry good! Next time I’d use low-sodium soy sauce—one spot got a bit too salty where the panko soaked it up. Also, I’d skip wrapping it tightly in foil after baking since it softened that crispy top.

5/5 ⭐️ Broccoli Rabe with Garlic - Simple but incredibly flavorful. The garlic-infused oil coats every bite and really transforms the broccoli into something special. I used two heads of regular broccoli instead of broccoli rabe since I couldn’t find any, and it turned out perfect. I’ll try rabe next. I’ve heard it’s more bitter, but this version is absolutely going into my regular rotation.

4/5 ⭐️ Portobello Mushroom Lasagna is very rich; full of whole milk, cheese, and butter. It feels like a treat. I probably wouldn’t want it as leftovers because it’s so rich, but it would be great for serving a group. The distinct nutmeg flavor works well with the pepper and Parmesan. My only gripe: it uses 5 pans—lots of dishes! I’d also use 2–2.5 lbs mushrooms since they cook down so much.

Chocolate Cupcakes & Peanut Butter Icing - 3.5/5 ⭐️ My first Ina Garten recipe below 4 stars I’ve made. I brought to book club last night and the cake was very cocoa-powder forward. The icing leaned more peanut butter than sweet. Good, but not one I’d make again. I've had other chocolate "cakes" from her recipes that are 5/5 ⭐️ that could be why I was expecting more.