Easy Everyday

Review by Bobbie Kitto
Recipes Included:  Hummus Crunch Bowls & Caprese Cottage Cheese Toast

When life seems to be whizzing by and the tasks of daily life are piling up, everyone needs 100 ways to make their life easier, especially if one is the principal meal preparer, this book Easy Everyday by Jessica Merchant, will be the way to making this happen. This book covers every meal prep from breakfast to lunch to dinner and beyond.

The dinner dishes are designed to be prepared in 10 minutes and on the table in about 30-45 minutes. Breakfast and Lunch should be almost instantaneous per the author.  Jessica loves to cook and prepare meals for her family and friends, but like most of us, doesn’t want to spend her whole day in the kitchen. Because of this mindset, she has developed several tricks to accomplish this over the past decade while she was she has been a full time recipe developer and a well- known food blogger (How Sweet Eats) with millions of readers.

To get the best use out of this book, I would carefully read the author’s introduction and view the video Link to Presentation:   https://youtu.be/xjz84-T . The author explains why she wrote the book, so that we could deliver fond memories with our families at meal times and not be too stressed out to enjoy the time ourselves. Jessica explains her Big Three approach. She uses ingredients that are versatile, have ease of preparation, and have leftover quality.  With this approach, Jessica multi-tasks so that while making one meal, another can be partially prepared at the same time.  Besides sharing her cooking philosophy she gives a guide to what should be in your refrigerator and a meat temperature safety guide. She also includes some guides on how to use salt, lemon, and many other ingredients we haven’t been using effectively. The author lists six tools she can’t live without (and they aren’t what might be expected nor are they expensive).

First chapter addresses sauces & dressings or as Jessica says her fridge essentials. They are not just for salads and are used in later recipes to bring them greater taste and faster to your table. Check out the Lemon Caesar dressing on page 34 or the Fancy Dipping Oil on page 36-37. This chapter alone makes the purchase of the book worth it.

Breakfast Bites is the name of Chapter Two.  If breakfast is your thing and are looking for something new, try Everything Smoked Salmon Frittata Soufflé’ on pages 58-59.

Lunch is covered in Chapter Three. Caprese Cottage Cheese Toast on pages 92-93 and Hummus Crunch Bowls on pages 94-95 are the recipes that are featured on the video link mentioned above.

Chapter Four covers Dinners and Sides. This is the most magical meal for the author.  Here are some the heartier dishes like Simple Whole Roasted Chicken on page 110-111 which can also be used in meals served in later in the week saving time in meal prep later. One of those recipes is on pages 114-115 Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Bowel. For the fish lovers there is a great Blackened Salmon Burgers with Mango slaw check out pages 138.

Jessica did not forget our need to be able to make something fast for an evening entertaining friends. Chapter Five contains recipes for such snacks as Sizzled Rosemary White Bean Dip on pages 194-195. Green Chile Chilled Queso on pages 190-191 would be a welcomed addition to just watching TV or enjoying a cocktail with friends. Suggestions for some new Cocktails and Mocktails can be found in Chapter Seven. For the cocktail, I would suggest trying Pomegranate Paloma on pages 236-237. The recipe for Frozen Lavender Lemonade caught my attention and is found on pages 244-245.

Jessica did not forget those of us with a sweet tooth. Chapter six will have everyone asking for the No Bake S’mores pie on pages 210-210 and Sour Cream Peach Cobbler found on pages 220-221 recipes.

This book would be a great gift for singles, newlyweds, people who are working moms and dads, and those of us retired who have done our time in the kitchen.  Wished I had this book years ago.

Recipes:

 Hummus Crunch Bowls

Serves 2 | Time: 30 minutes

2 cups cooked couscous

¾ cup hummus

1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

½ cup chopped cucumbers

½ cup chopped roasted red

peppers

½ cup pitted kalamata olives

¼ cup diced red onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh

parsley

1 batch Smashed Feta Vinaigrette

(page 30)

½ cup pita chips, crushed

Divide the couscous evenly between two bowls. Add a scoop of hummus to each. Top with the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, olives, onion, and parsley. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with the crushed pita chips. Serve!

Caprese Cottage Cheese Toast

Serves 2 | Time: 30 minutes

 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 slices sourdough bread, toasted

1 cup cottage cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

1 tablespoon hot honey

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, shaking the pan and stirring often, until the tomatoes burst and become almost saucy, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat. Spread each slice of toasted sourdough with ½ cup cottage cheese. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Top the cottage cheese with the tomatoes. Add on the fresh basil. Drizzle each with the balsamic and hot honey. Serve!

Review by Bobbie Kitto
Edited by Linda Kissam

Note: Roberta (Bobbie) Kitto is a freelance writer based out of Laughlin, NV. Her interests include travel, culinary pursuits and gardening. No fee was paid for this article review. Her opinions are her own.

To make the best of each recipe, use for quality ingredients! Bobbie  highly recommends products from Melissa’s.