Let's Dish - March 2025

This month, I've been housesitting and dogsitting for my mom, so my cat and I have been staying at her house with her shih tzu. A cookbook titled "Super Simple" seemed like the perfect book for this time. I'm somewhat familiar with Half Baked Harvest, I have several of their recipes saved on Pinterest and have actually made a few. The ones I have made I've been impressed with.

The book has recipes just as appealing as the ones on Pinterest. The thing that often gets me on Pinterest is their photography, and it's present throughout the book as well.

The book starts off with important things to keep on hand in your pantry to aid in making "super simple" meals. It also has some recommendations for the fridge and freezer. After that, there is a section on basics such as bread dough, pancake mix, and even an Everything Bagel Spice. From there, it's sectioned off into Breakfast & Brunch, Appetizers & Sids, Salad & Soup, Pizza & Pasta, Vegetarian, Poultry & Pork, Beef & Lamb, Seafood & Fish, and Dessert. Something I appreciated about each recipe is the use of helpful icons. What I mean is there are symbols for recipes that have 10 ingredients or less, are 30 minutes or less, use 1 pan, use an instant pot/multi-cooker/slow cooker, and are staple recipes. If you're busy and need quick meals or depend on your Crock Pot, this is a helpful way to easily find the recipes that work best for you.

For my recipe, I went with the Browned Sage-Butter Chicken Pot Pie. I've never made a non-frozen pot pie before. It seemed simple, just a little more time consuming with the cook time. And it was. Once you're done cooking the sauce, it's pretty much just waiting for it to finish in the oven. It had a ton of flavor and I honestly liked the vegetable options better than most pot pies (I'm not a fan of peas but I love broccoli). The crust on top is crispy and flaky as well. I think I preferred not having a bottom crust. The rustic feel of just laying the crust over your pan is nice as well.

There are a ton of recipes throughout that I want to try at some point. There's a nice range of super familiar recipes, like egg-in-a-hole, and some that might not be part of your normal routine, like a coconut tikka masala. I do think that there is a range while still being simple. It's a good way to try new things without feeling overwhelmed. If you're someone who needs simple or quick meals to get on the table, definitely give this book a try!