Jenny Rosenstrach

This was one of my favorite books of 2017. Jenny created a blog with an emphasis on making family dinners a priority. This book is the culmination of that project. I loved it! I had never read her blog, but you definitely didn't need to.

My favorite thing about this "cookbook" is that her personal stories and experiences are sprinkled throughout it. You feel like you're getting to know her as you read about her recipes. I love how simple and straight forward most of the dinners are. Her show more philosophy is clear on every page: use good ingredients and make food you love and your idea of what "dinner" should be will change.

So far we've tried three of the recipes and they've all been great. We made the chicken pot pie, the arugula and prosciutto flatbread pizza, and the kale, white bean, and sausage soup. I love that there is room to get creative with her recipes. If you know you love a certain ingredient, toss it in the soup or on the pizza. You don't have to worry about messing it up.

The book has already gotten me excited about meal planning again. I've bought the ingredients for some of her other recipes (pork ragu, creamy tomato chicken, and tomato and white bean soup) and can't wait to try them out. Jenny includes lots of tips for getting kids to eat good food, which was so helpful! show less

Jenny Rosenstrach’s Dinner: A Love Story isn’t a conventional cookbook. It’s one part cookbook, yes; however it’s equal parts memoir and how-to manual for getting children to broaden their palates. Rosenstrach had me from the introduction when she explained that her book wouldn’t aspire to Martha Stewart levels of perfection nor further guilt-trip mothers who struggle with feeding picky children after exhausting days at work.

Rosenstrach’s considerably more organized than I. show more (I’m damning her with faint praise here!) Actually, she sounds more organized than most of us. However, all of her recipes are ones that most cooks can easily handle. The book is a step-by-step guide that instructs the novice cook and gradually adds additional skills. By the book’s third and final section, the ingredients have become more sophisticated and the recipes more complex. For this reason, there’s something here for everyone!

I wish I had had this book and its advice for encouraging more adventurous eating in children when my own three children were tots. However, even with my children in their 20s, I loved the recipes, both for their tastiness and their simplicity. Regardless of where you are in life, you won’t be sorry if you buy this book. show less

I am not sure why I got this book, but it came to me in the mail one day. I almost put it on the shelf without reading it – what a mistake that would have been! This is a cookbook – but it is also a book talking about a major part of our lives. The whole idea of the book is that a family needs to use food to celebrate being a family. The book is a cookbook written in a series of essays revolving around different events/holidays/times of the year. The author feels that the memories tied show more to food are so important that the food should be prepared with those memories in mind. For instance – it is worth getting up a little early if making a special breakfast on a child’s birthday will build a lasting memory. She also emphasizes that many things we do without really thinking about it are making lasting impressions on our children.
This book really got me thinking about my own memories of my mother’s meals and traditions, as well as the traditions I had made for my own family. I think everyone should have this book (and read it cover to cover, not just pick out the recipes). I plan on giving it as a wedding gift from now on! show less

Just what I was looking for! A thoughtful approach, recipes that turn out the way they are supposed to, faster food with great flavor, along with an actual usable plan. She finds a balance that takes everyone into account - people wanting to go more vegetarian, people who are vegetarian, as well as suggestions for making recipes vegan. Checked this out of the library and used it so much, I bought a copy of my own to explore over the next months.