Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day may be Lidey Heuck's first cookbook, but she's no stranger to the home-cooking scene. As Ina Garten's assistant, Heuck developed and honed not only her cooking skills but also the art of recipe creation. Combining her work since then (contributing recipes to the New York Times, working as a prep cook at a Maine restaurant, and teaching cooking classes) with her experience as a busy wife and mother, Heuck offers other home cooks a collection of recipes that are "inventive but not overly complicated" and "use familiar ingredients but encourage us to do things a little bit differently."
For many recipes, Heuck recommends easy substitutions based on dietary restrictions or what's available (or missing) at readers' local grocery stores. It's a great tactic to set home cooks at ease; if Golden Beet Dip with Yogurt & Tahini sounds intimidating, her "simple swap" is using standard red beets, which Heuck notes will have a stronger flavor. She also flags recipes that are well-suited to advanced prep: readers can "get ahead" on the Marinated Fennel & Green Bean Salad by assembling the entire dish and letting it marinate at room temperature until ready to serve. Updated classics include a Celery Waldorf with Pickled Golden Raisins. And in recipes such as the Shortcut Chicken Schnitzel, Heuck offers tips on using fewer dishes while cooking. Her straightforward instructions, suggested menus, and easy add-ons make elevating a weeknight meal seem not only doable but also appealing. --Kristen Coates, editor and freelance reviewer