I am one to read a cookbook from cover to cover, especially if it’s an ebook. I found that Chambers’ latest book had a huge waitlist at the library. But, not the electronic version. I sat down and read it on one snowy afternoon. I saw this title on a “best of” for 2024 so I am continuing that theme.

About the book:

With three little boys less than two years apart and a packed schedule as an online creator, Caroline Chambers often doesn’t feel like cooking. Inspired by her wildly popular Substack newsletter of the same name, this book is brimming with efficient recipes that take the guesswork out of dinner—in fact, each one is a complete meal: protein, veg, starch, done! The recipes are organized by the amount of time they take to cook, so whether you have 15 minutes to throw together something or a little bit more time on your hands, dinnertime is totally doable. On top of that, Caro gives you more ways to choose, so you can search by protein (Chicken thighs waiting in the fridge? Make White Chicken Chili. Nothing but beans in the pantry? Cannellini Caprese with Burrata is it!) or mood (Tomato Farrotto is perfect for a cozy craving, and Crunchy Honey Harissa Fish Tacos are an excellent way to show off). Most importantly, these recipes include Caro’s famously extensive swaps, riffs, tips, shortcuts, and more to be sure they work best for you, helping you save money, improvise, and even learn a thing or two. (Book Blurb taken from Chambers‘ site.)

About the Author:

Caroline Chambers is a New York Times Best Selling cookbook author, recipe developer, and culinary expert based in Carmel Valley, California. Her journey began in her mom’s kitchen in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and blossomed into a career as a chef, caterer, and freelancer for top brands and publications. Caroline’s first cookbook, Just Married, was published in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she connected with home cooks on Instagram (@carochambers) and launched her hit Substack newsletter, “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking.” Her latest cookbook, bearing the same title, was released in August 2024. Caroline also hosts the podcast So Into That. She lives with her husband George and their three sons, Mattis, Calum, and Cashel. (Bio taken from Chambers’ site.)

What I thought….

Another pandemic book. I almost sighed when I read this in her introduction. But something was a bit different here. I don’t know what it was about Chambers…. Her voice? Her honesty? Her spontaneity? Chambers’ philosophy was the same as Westervelt’s This is Not a Cookbook with hacks and swaps and freedom in the kitchen but I could relate to Chambers a lot more for some reason. She definitely gives the reader lots of freedom but there is guidance and wisdom too. Lots of it.

I’m going to start at the end. I love how she has her book indexed. She has her recipes listed by proteins first. Got fish? Peruse the recipes here. (A lot of her recipes just call for “fish,” she’s not particular whether it’s halibut or cod or whatever you have on hand.) Then (and I love this index item), she presents “What to Cook When…” Want to feel especially healthy? There’s recipes for that. What about craving something cozy? She’s got you covered. Need to feed people lunch? What about a meal that’s perfect to drop off for a friend? Pasta craving? Sandwich mood? Need a One-Pot or Sheet pan Meal? What if you want to show off? Or just be lazy and use your slow cooker? I think this is a genius way to index. And, once you’ve found what you’re craving, then what?

Once you find your recipe, what can you expect? Perhaps the most special part of this cookbook is that every single recipe is a complete meal. There’s no sides chapter, there are no sneaky subrecipes that will take you an extra hour to cook. (There are, however, obligatory greens and obligatory sweets for when you just need a little something extra!) My goal is to take the guesswork out of mealtime for you—everything you need for dinner is right there on the page. (12)

Moving on from the end of the book, I don’t really know where to begin. I bookmarked so many recipes, like at least every other one. Let’s start with the intro. Chambers is a child of the south and she acknowledges that “smoky, sweet, tangy and fried are in my blood” (9). She expanded on her Southern charm tastes with her catering business and found more crave-worthy food:

I learned what kinds of foods make people feel joy. The flavors that make them do they happy wiggles. The recipes they would come back into the kitchen begging for. (10)

And then she had a family and had to feed them. When applicable to a recipe, she offers Tips and other hacks. Slow denotes those recipes that can be easily adapted to a slow cooker. Shortcuts are just that, usually involving a store bought hack or an idea to save some time in prepping. Learn are tips that make one a better cook with explanations why you’re doing a technique or process. Riff gives ideas for swapping proteins, veggies, or sauces. Some are so “riffy” that you might have a new recipe when you get done. Swap is a major idea in this book. She wants you to swap it up! Bulk it up gives ideas for stretching the meal to feed more people or making it more complete for “hungrier people.” Her tips are meant to allow you to relax in the kitchen: “Do your thing! Cooking does not have to be stressful. Maybe you’ll never love it, but man, don’t let it stress you out.” (13)

She’s a proponent of getting you in the kitchen and provides nineteen ways to make yourself cook “even when you really, really don’t feel like it” (14). These hacks are everything from ordering your groceries online to having potlucks where you’re not cooking everything. There’s also little games to play:

Reach your arm deep into the back of your pantry. Grab a bag/cannister/jar that you haven’t even seen in a few months. Google “recipes using [fill in the blank]” to find a recipe to use that ingredient. Sometimes inspiration is lurking in a dark corner behind the slivered almonds! (14)

Chambers shares here favorite “pre-made” staples that she always has on hand here too: Trader Joe’s dumplings, Costco pesto, Lotus foods ramen noodles and Rao’s jarred marinara (15).

Now that she’s set up the premise and philosophy, she gobsmacks you with some of the most delicious and easy sounding recipes I’ve seen in a long time. She continues to make this cookbook easy to use, dividing the sections into time frames—recipes that take “15-ish Minutes,” “30 Minutes,” “45 Minutes,” “1 Hour,” and “A little bit longer.” At the beginning of each recipe, she talks about its origin or how much her family loves it or what it’s the perfect dish for (to take to a picnic, haul for lunch, take to a friend’s house for dinner, etc.) If I continued on to talk about every single recipe I bookmarked, this post would take days to read and it’s already long enough. Instead, I am just going to list them here with a few words of praise.

• Garlicky Grains with Asparagus and Chicken Sausage. The type of grain and even the veggie is arbitrary and can be swapped out. Use a regular pork Italian sausage too if you prefer.
• Cheater Chicken Tinga Tostadas uses rotisserie chicken and people “lose their minds” over these. 
• Peannutty Pork & Brussels is more of a formula than a recipe. Use chicken and green beans, ground beef and shredded cabbage, pork and bell peppers. Endless possibilities.
• Any Fish with Saffron Cherry Tomatoes. I don’t have to point out the versatility here.
• Peanut Chicken Chop. A “chop” is what she often calls a dinner salad. You can see that peanut dressings and sauces are a thing which leads me to her Veggie Peanut Noods, too.
• Saucy Eggs w/Salty Olive Oil Bread is a pantry clean out recipe, use whatever pasta sauce you have and whatever hearty bread is on the counter.
• Cannellini Caprese with Burrata—just open some cans and slice some tomatoes.
• Cabbage-io de Pepe is a great way to use up cabbage (which I feel like I always get in the farm bag).
• Cheesy Rice and Beans is so simple but so easy and delicious looking.
• Cheesy Beef and Sweet Potato Flautas. Chambers has quite a few recipes with sweet potatoes (another farm bag surplus). 
• One-Pan al Pastor Enchiladas. I could literally almost smell these as I was reading.
• Thai Veggie Chop is another big salad that you could throw a lot of things into.
• Crunchy Sheet Pan Sliders is an In-and-Out inspired giant patty.
• Crunchy Refried Bean Taco-Dillas is one I will try sooner than later.
• Tater Tot Egg Bake just reinforces she’s a mom (and that she doesn’t take herself too seriously).
• Giant Ham & Cheese Croissant is made with puff pastry sheets.
• Maple Roasted Potatoes & Labneh and Melty Mexican Cauliflower could both be meals in themselves.
• Caramelized Peach Snickerdoodle Cobbler (no explanation needed for this one)
• Salted Brown Butter Toffee Skillet Cookie utilizes dark chocolate and Heath bars.

Sorry. That’s still a long list. I’ve left out a few but know there are some very inventive recipes in this book. Don’t let the rice and beans or the tater tot recipes put you off. 

What am I trying first? t was actually a recipe not included on the list: Beef and Rice Skillet Enchiladas. Her book came through for me. I had some ground beef and went to the Proteins index. This is a skillet recipe that is popped into the oven. I improvised because I didn’t have shallots so I used a red onion. I didn’t have a red bell pepper, but I did have some mini bells. I didn’t have enchilada sauce but I had a partial jar of verde salsa in the fridge. My package of ground beef was more like a pound and a third. And I don’t have a big enough oven-proof skillet with a lid so I used a Dutch oven. Lots of improv. How did this work out? Good but I will say that the garnishes probably make this dish.

I added avocado, red onion, jalapenos and carrots (pickled with the jalapenos). Without the garnishes this would be kind of meh, a typical one-pot recipe. I almost added some tortilla chips and would next time. This made a lot so I revisited the leftovers by making traditional enchiladas with this as a filling. No pics but it does make good enchilada stuffing. You could also use this for tacos and quesadillas. 

The Salted Brown Butter Toffee Skillet Cookie was a huge smash.

I modified the instructions a bit. Chambers wants you to mix up the cookie in the skillet after the butter is browned and cooled. I cooled the butter and used the mixer to cream it with the sugars, vanilla and eggs and then blended in the dry ingredients. I also added more chocolate! It’s a keeper. 

Big Brown Butter Chocolate Toffee Cookie!

Based on Salted Brown Butter Toffee Skillet Cookie by Caroline Chambers from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

Here’s my riff on Chamber’s recipe. I added more chocolate and changed the directions.

Ingredients

• 1 c. butter
• 1 (4.25 oz.) dark chocolate bar (like Hershey’s Special Dark XL)
• 1 (4 oz.) Heath bar
• 1 c. dark brown sugar
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 T. pure vanilla extract
• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. Kosher salt
• Sprinkling of flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Melt butter in an ovenproof 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Swirl the skillet often until the butter foams, then cook until the milk solids drop to the bottom and begin to brown. Watch carefully! This should take 5-8 minutes. Pour butter into a glass bowl or liquid measuring cup and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Set pan aside and don’t wipe it out.
2. Chop the candy bars into small pieces.
3. After the butter is cooled, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugars and cream together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and the Kosher salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add the chopped candy bars and mix just a bit more.
5. Press the dough into the skillet that the butter was melted in. Press evenly and sprinkle with a bit of the sea salt. Let the dough rest like this for 30 minutes. According to Chambers this will “allow the flour to hydrate before baking.” While you’re waiting, preheat the oven to 325 F. 
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cookie is light golden but has a soft-looking center.

Yield: 6-8

I just couldn’t wrap my head around mixing this all up in the skillet the butter was melted with. I’m a messy baker to begin with and I could only imagine the state of my stove-top if I attempted this recipe with Chambers’ directions. The mixer method worked well for me!

What’s next? Probably the crunchy bean taco recipe and another run at this cookie recipe for sure.

I’m linking up with March’s Foodies Read.