Dinner: A Love Story (affiliate link) has a lot of sentimental value for me. It was the catalyst for recording my monthly dinner plans and learning to love the art of cooking. It’s simple and approachable. Her directions for roasting an entire chicken and then making broth from the remnants is my absolute favorite. I was really excited to dive into more of her recipes and they didn’t disappoint!
For my first recipe, I chose Pork Shoulder Ragú with Pappardelle (page 179). I doubled the amount of meat to four pounds (#bigfamilyproblems) but other than that, I stuck closely to the instructions. It was delicious! We had enough to eat it over pasta the first night and then in ciabatta rolls for the second.
Next up was Apple “Gazette” (page 263), an affectionately re-named term for galette made by the author’s daughter. We went apple picking the week before, so the timing was perfect for this one. The recipe calls for frozen pie crust, but I just whipped up my go-to homemade version. This recipe was extra fun because I got to bake it with my oldest. We each made a galette and his turned out way better than mine. We baked them at the same time and I think my pan tilted in the oven because all of the juicy goodness drained to the bottom. It was a little dry, but nothing a little powder sugar couldn’t fix!
The last recipe was Turkey Chili (page 100), made on the first fall-like evening of the season. For the most part, it was just your average chili recipe, but I think the spices are what kicked it up a notch. My first time adding a tiny bit of cinnamon! It was delicious and we didn’t even have any leftovers. I’ll be sure to double the recipe next time.
Final verdict: I love this cookbook. Definitely one to keep and try everything.
Cinnamon is my favorite part of my chili recipe! Love it. I'll have to pick this book up because I could use some more inspo in the dinner department.
I can't believe I never knew about this trick! So, so good.
Would you be able to give us the pork shoulder ragu recipe? I recently bought half a hog and am looking for pork loin or pork shoulder recipes. Thanks. Natalie
I found the recipe on her website! http://www.dinneralovestory.com/instant-dinner-party/