Dinner: Changing the Game: A Cookbook

High on flavor, low on fuss.Every dish I've made has been made in 30 to an hour from start to finish, not counting any marinating time.Recipes that turned out well and ones that didn't are listed below.Uncommon ingredients include z'atar, sumac, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, garam masala, and nuoc mam (fish sauce) among others, but if you are timid about these ingredients or can't easily find them, Clark does offer up some substitutions in a number of recipes.So far, my favorite recipes in this book are:— Cuban Flank Steak with Lime and Fresh Mango. The bright, citrus-y garlic marinade is a gorgeous green color that requires a mere 30-minutes to suffuse the flank steak with great flavor. I make flank steak fairly often (it's one of the leaner cuts of beef) and have tried a lot of good recipes, but this has to be my favorite. The flavor profile is just perfect and so very delicious.— Anchovy Chicken with Lemon and Capers. Chicken thighs never had it so good. So good!— Shakshuka. This version is amazing. The goat cheese in it is awesome. I've made this several times. (photo)— Fried Halloumi with Spiced Brussels Sprouts. Really good, easy and super quick. Bread cheese worked just as well as the halloumi for me and was not as salty. (photo)— Pizza Chicken with Pancetta, Mozzarella and Spicy Tomatoes. I should have thought of this one myself, but if I had, I'd be Melissa Clark. And I'm not. But reading the ingredients in the title is only a little tease as to what emerges as the final dish here. This is as yummy as it sounds.— Green Beans with Caper Vinaigrette. Not your grandmother's green beans. This vinaigrette is an easy way to put some zip into the same old, same old.In addition to these, there are curries, Thai-flavored dishes, really interesting tofu dishes (I might actually get into tofu again!!), pastas, salads, grain bowls, dips (yay for dips), and veggies. No desserts.One that didn't work out as well as I'd hoped:— Sake-Steamed Chicken. Nope. This is not work for me. I followed the recipe, making no substitutions, but did not get the flavor described in the recipe's intro. I regularly make Sake-Steamed Salmon from a Chinese recipe and thought this would be as good as that, but it wasn't.— Roast Turkey Breast with Rosemary and Anchovies had some good flavor in spots. In spots, because the paste that gets rubbed all over the breast before roasting was too clumpy to spread evenly over the breast. So there were clumps of flavor rather than flavor in every bite. I might try mashing it better (although I thought I had done a pretty good job of that) or spreading it underneath the breast skin where it might spread over the turkey more evenly while roasting. For some reason, the directions were not as clear as Clark's usual, very understandable style.One thing that I DON'T like about the book;The index. I went looking for a dressing that is used in one of the recipes I saw as part of the recipe for Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Kale and Thai Lime Dressing. There is no Dressing category, no Winter category, no Roasted. There is a Lime category and also a Vegetable category, but this recipe made it to neither of those. Someone did not do the best job on the index for sure, but I can't really ding a whole star for that when the recipes are so darn good.I highly, highly recommend this book if you are looking to rev up your dinners to new levels. The worst part is trying to decide what to make. This is one of those books you want to cook the whole way through.

I love cookbooks, and Melissa Clark's latest really is revolutionizing dinner. I consider myself an experienced (though by no means professional) cook, and I find her recipes inventive, inspirational, and easy to follow. The writing is clear, the ingredients are readily available, and the results are as beautiful as the photography. I am obsessed with this book.That said, this is not a cookbook for beginning cooks or the timid. One of the things I love about this book is that Clark pushes the envelope in unexpected and delicious ways. You need just a bit of an adventurous palate to enjoy this, but if you're willing to push the boundaries just a bit, you will be well-rewarded. The food within these pages is delicious.I've made the faux-tandoori chicken, the cumin spiced meatballs, and the sausage with rhubarb (though I subbed apples due to seasonality) and swiss chard. All were as delicious as I expected. Clark's recipes are well-spiced, which doesn't mean that they necessarily have lots of heat (i.e. chilies or cayenne pepper). Rather, she likes playing with warm spices (garam masala, cumin, cloves, all spice, ginger, garlic) as a way of bringing out unexpected flavors from even everyday ingredients.One more benefit of this book is her ability to let the cook know in advance when recipes can be paused, which stages can be done ahead, or how well something freezes. These tips are perfect for busy homes, and I haven't been led astray yet.

This cookbook does more than "Change the Game," it has literally changed my life. I enjoy cooking from this cookbook, I enjoy eating from this cookbook, and I feel so much better when I eat food prepared from this cookbook. It replaces a desire to go out to eat so much and has helped my husband and I eat more vegetables (I love vegetables, he doesn't, but he likes the food from this cookbook!). I recommend it to everyone and recently purchased a copy for my mom. I have lost weight but the food tastes nothing like traditional diet food which makes me feel deprived and cranky. Instead, I feel excited and nourished. I have liked all but one recipe, and that one may have been due to a user-error. Most recipes I more than like, I love them! The only downside is that some recipes include ingredients that are a little difficult to find, but I have found it easy enough to make substitutions or to order ingredients online. I think there are enough recipes that don't require special ingredients that I don't consider this a downside. I like that there are recipes inspired by cuisines from around the world, and sometimes that means using ingredients that are new to me. As a person who loves to learn and try new things, I think this is part of the fun!

Never had a cookbook like this. Every single recipe is worth cooking. Even the descriptions or anecdotes are great.

I've been following Melissa Clark's recipes for the NYT for a while now, and it's gotten me into experimenting a bit more with cooking. Her recipes are off the beaten track, but written with very plain, simple instructions, and she always gives you tips to substitute ingredients or do variants to the original recipe. Also, from prior experience I can tell you that her sauces and her suggestions for spices are absolutely inspired.This book has none of the recipes I already knew, but it's even more interesting for me, because it gives me a lot of ideas for ingredients I never really knew how to use. There's a bit of everything here except desserts - eggs, meat, fish, purely vegetarian recipes. I've only had the book for a few days, but I tried making the maple roasted tofu with squash the other day and the results were amazing. I have another dozen recipes shortlisted to try the next time I get my grocery shopping done.I have gotten my sister another copy of this book for her birthday. She's the real cook in the family and I know she's going to enjoy it.

I borrowed this cookbook from the library, and by the time I got to the recipe for turkey legs with cranberry às a sheet pan dinner I had to have my own copy. I read cookbooks as a hobby and I have about 1000 at home and now 1001. Melissa Clark is a well known and in my view, excellent writer for the NYT. The recipes are in the easy to medium range, achievable by any family that cooks. They are healthy tasty and well described. You won't be disappointed. And the photos are superb!

The book is great but the seller is not!!! BEWARE: This book is not a brand new book. I don’t appreciate getting a book that’s been sitting in your stock collecting dust, then I shouldn’t have to pay the brand new price for it. It’s def second hand.The book itself is awesome.

Toutes les recettes de ce livre font envie!! J'en ai deja fait plusieurs et je ne suis jamais décue!! Je recommande vivement!