Staff Pick
Vivian Howard is one of my favorite TV chefs and I adored her first cookbook, Deep Run Roots. So naturally, I am looking forward to This Will Make It Taste Good. Who doesn’t want their food to taste good? She has an easy teaching style and her flavors are bright and often simple. Howard is an outstanding chef who makes your home cooking taste like her restaurant cooking. One hundred and twenty-five recipes, and I have deep love for every one of them. Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
An Eater Best Cookbook of Fall 2020
From caramelized onions to fruit preserves, make home cooking quick and
easy with ten simple "kitchen heroes" in these 125 recipes from the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Deep Run Roots.
I wrote this book to inspire you, and I promise it will change the way you cook,
the way you think about what's in your fridge, the way you see yourself in an apron.
Vivian Howard's first cookbook chronicling the food of Eastern North Carolina,
Deep Run Roots, was named one of the best of the year by 18 national publications, including the
New York Times,
USA Today,
Bon Appetit, and
Eater, and won an unprecedented four IACP awards, including
Cookbook of the Year. Now, Vivian returns with an essential work of
home-cooking genius that makes simple food exciting and accessible, no
matter your skill level in the kitchen.
Each chapter of
This Will Make It Taste Good is built on a flavor hero — a simple
but powerful recipe like her briny green sauce, spiced nuts, fruit
preserves, deeply caramelized onions, and spicy pickled tomatoes. Like a
belt that lends you a waist when you're feeling baggy, these flavor
heroes brighten, deepen, and define your food.
Many of these recipes are kitchen crutches, dead-easy, super-quick
meals to lean on when you're limping toward dinner. There are also
kitchen projects, adventures to bring some more joy into your life.
Vivian's mission is not to protect you from time in your kitchen, but to
help you make the most of the time you've got.
Nothing is complicated, and more than half the dishes are
vegetarian, gluten-free, or both. These recipes use ingredients that are
easy to find, keep around, and cook with — lots of chicken, prepared in a
bevy of ways to keep it interesting, and common vegetables like
broccoli, kale, squash, and sweet potatoes that look good no matter
where you shop.
And because food is the language Vivian uses to talk about her
life, that's what these recipes do, next to stories that offer a glimpse
at the people, challenges, and lessons learned that stock the pantry of
her life.
Review
"Home chefs will clap with
surprise and awe at these 100-plus recipes as Howard's unusual ideas
translate into some major flavor boosters without too much fuss..." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"A vibrant, empowering guide
for home cooks. Howard is a gifted storyteller, and her conversational
recipes and writing make readers feel as if they are cooking
side-by-side with a dear friend." Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"Howard's enthusiastic exploration of her life in and out of
the kitchen shows her at her best and most delightful." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Vivian Howard is the New York Times bestselling author of Deep Run Roots, which was named Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She co-created and stars in the public television shows Somewhere South and A Chef's Life, for which she has won Peabody, Emmy, and James Beard awards. She runs the restaurants Chef and the Farmer, Benny's Big Time, Lenoir, and Handy & Hot. Vivian lives in Deep Run, North Carolina, with her husband, Ben, and their twins, Theo and Flo.