The day is finally here! For those wonderful readers who eagerly pre-ordered, brown-boxed packages are now arriving on doorsteps, delivering your very own copy of Simply Scratch: 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy. This isn’t just a collection of recipes; it’s an invitation to experience the joy of cooking from scratch, a journey crafted with passion and designed for every kitchen.
The Realization of a Culinary Dream: My Journey to Authorship
What am I feeling in this moment? It’s an intricate blend of profound gratitude and sheer elation – a feeling I might coin “grate-elation.” Honestly, the overwhelming sense of pride, humility, excitement, and a touch of disbelief washes over me as I fully grasp the reality: I, Laurie McNamara, have written a book. It’s a dream materialized, a testament to years of dedication to making wholesome, homemade food accessible to everyone.
The entire process of bringing this cookbook to life has been an incredible experience. It felt like a delightful journey back in time, figuratively speaking, as I delved into my earliest culinary memories. Gathering inspiration, dreaming up new flavor combinations, and meticulously crafting a collection of truly easy and delicious recipes was a labor of love. From the initial recipe development to the careful photography, the detailed writing, and even the meticulous editing, every step was imbued with a singular purpose. My ultimate goal was to create a resource brimming with recipes that anyone, regardless of their cooking skill level, can and should make, again and again. These are the dishes that build confidence, nourish families, and bring genuine joy to the kitchen. I truly adore every page.
Unveiling the Heart of Simply Scratch: What Awaits Inside
Even after my appearances, like the whirlwind experience on QVC, I realized there’s still so much more I want to share about this gorgeous book and the delightful contents you’ll discover once you flip open its cover. Don’t worry, there are no major spoiler alerts here, but I am excited to delve into some of the lesser-known details and amazing perks this cookbook offers. My aim was to create a truly indispensable resource for modern home cooks, a guide that goes beyond mere instructions.
While you’ll find treasured classic family recipes that evoke nostalgia and comfort, a significant portion of the book is dedicated to brand-new creations! It was incredibly important to me that this book offer a fresh experience. After all, why purchase a book when you can access my blog for free, right? Therefore, the vast majority of the recipes within these pages are exclusive to the book, not previously featured on my blog. Beyond the innovative recipes, you’ll also find my personal stories, honest accounts of my culinary trials (yes, I was once a notoriously picky eater!), my triumphs, and countless practical tips and tricks accumulated over years in the kitchen. Most importantly, it’s all about easy, wholesome recipes designed to simplify your life and elevate your home cooking. So, let’s spill the details!
Here’s What You Will Find Inside Simply Scratch:
Chapter One: Basics – Building Your Scratch Pantry
This foundational chapter is where I share the essential nitty-gritty of transforming your kitchen into what I affectionately call “The Scratch Pantry.” It’s an empowering guide to stocking your kitchen with key staples, identifying indispensable tools, and mastering fundamental tips and tricks of the trade. Here, you’ll learn how to set yourself up for success, ensuring you always have the right ingredients and equipment on hand to whip up delicious, homemade meals without stress. This chapter is your blueprint for an organized, efficient, and inspiring cooking space, fostering confidence from the very first page.
Chapter Two: The Basics, From Scratch – Elevating Everyday Essentials
Building upon the foundation of Chapter One, this chapter hands you the keys to my most cherished and frequently used kitchen basic recipes. It’s a comprehensive guide to mastering the fundamentals, divided into three invaluable parts. Overall, you’ll gain an arsenal of over 40 essential recipes, starting with indispensable basics like homemade mayonnaise, ketchup, flavorful broths, and rich condensed soups. This section also includes six versatile seasoning blends that will revolutionize your spice cabinet. Next, a dedicated section focuses on baking essentials, featuring recipes for fluffy pancake and waffle batters, flaky biscuits, perfect graham crackers, and much more, allowing you to create bakery-quality treats at home. Lastly, but certainly not least, part three dives into the world of sauces, dressings, and dips. Here, you’ll discover all my favorite salad dressings, vibrant dips, versatile sauces, and a truly game-changing concept: “dressinades” – combining the best of dressings and marinades into one delicious package. Mastering these basics will not only save you money but also dramatically enhance the flavor and quality of all your homemade dishes.
Chapter Three: Breakfast & Brunch – Start Your Day Deliciously
The rest of the book beautifully rounds out your culinary repertoire, beginning with Chapter Three. Imagine leisurely mornings filled with delectable dishes like perfectly baked eggs, crispy home fries, light and fluffy scones, and an irresistible roasted banana coffee cake. This chapter provides an array of recipes to elevate your breakfast and brunch experiences, whether you’re enjoying a quiet meal for one or hosting a joyful gathering with loved ones. Each recipe is designed to be approachable, making it easy to bring restaurant-quality brunch to your own table.
Chapter Four: Soup, Salads and Sandwiches – Light, Hearty, and Flavorful
Chapter Four delivers on satisfying cravings for comforting and wholesome meals. Some of my personal favorites include the smoky chipotle butternut squash soup, a surprisingly delightful lentil “pasta” salad, and the incredibly satisfying grilled turkey BBT sandwiches – truly a must-try! This chapter offers a versatile selection of recipes perfect for light lunches, hearty dinners, or easy entertaining. Each dish is packed with flavor and designed to be both nourishing and easy to prepare, proving that healthy eating can be utterly delicious and approachable for any home cook.
Chapter Five: Sides – The Perfect Companions to Any Meal
Chapter Five is a robust and hefty chapter, brimming with an abundance of side dish options that will complement any main course. Dive into innovative recipes like farro fried “rice,” creamy roasted garlic whipped cauliflower, and incredibly flavorful skillet re-fried black beans. These sides are far from mere afterthoughts; they are designed to be as exciting and delicious as your main dishes, adding texture, flavor, and nutritional balance to every plate. Whether you’re looking for something quick and easy or a dish to impress, this chapter has you covered with diverse and appealing options.
Chapter Six: Mains – The Heart of Your Dinner Table
Following the wealth of side dishes, Chapter Six delivers the main event: a comprehensive collection of Mains. I’ve made sure to cover all the bases here, offering enticing options for chicken, pork, beef, seafood, and a variety of delicious vegetarian dishes. Some of my most beloved recipes in this chapter include the comforting home-style baked chicken, a savory turkey vegetable meatloaf, the uniquely flavorful blackberry glazed salmon, and a hearty vegetarian pot pie. Each recipe is thoughtfully developed to be both wholesome and approachable, ensuring that every dinner you prepare is both satisfying and simple to execute, making weeknight cooking a pleasure rather than a chore.
Chapter Seven: Dessert – A Sweet Ending to Every Meal
And what, I ask, is a cookbook without an utterly delightful Chapter Seven dedicated to Dessert, am I right? Prepare to indulge in everything from rich, fudgy brownies and elegant crème brûlée to classic cookies, creamy cheesecakes, and a variety of delectable pies! I’m intentionally leaving the specifics off this list; you’ll truly have to see it to believe the incredible range and simplicity of these sweet treats. This chapter is designed to help you create impressive desserts from scratch, turning everyday meals into special occasions and satisfying every sweet tooth with ease.
More Than Just Recipes: Deeper Book Details & Special Touches
- A Comprehensive Collection of 120 Recipes: This cookbook is a powerhouse, featuring an impressive 120 recipes! Over 40 of these are essential kitchen staple recipes, forming the backbone of your “scratch kitchen.” These foundational recipes are incredibly versatile and can be utilized throughout the entire book, empowering you to cook truly from scratch. While this chapter may contain a few familiar recipes from my blog, you’ll also discover a plethora of exciting new additions – hello, homemade marinara! For the chapters that follow, only a handful (just five!) of recipes were pulled from the blog, but even these have received a significant makeover. I’ve reworked them to be even easier, faster to prepare, or more thoroughly from scratch, reflecting the natural evolution of cooking and recipes over time. This ensures that even familiar dishes feel fresh and optimized for modern home cooks.
- “Made it a Meal” – Your Dinner Dilemma Solved: One feature I was absolutely determined to include was taking the guesswork out of dinner planning. In my experience, the trickiest part of preparing a meal isn’t the cooking itself, but deciding on the main dish and then figuring out what side dishes will pair perfectly with it. SOOOO, I’ve done it for you! High five! In the Mains chapter, at the conclusion of each recipe, you’ll find a special section labeled “Made it a Meal.” Here, I’ve hand-selected and paired each main dish with one or more complementary side dishes from within the book. Of course, you’re always free to mix and match on your own, but I believe this feature will be incredibly helpful on those particularly draining days (you know, like Mondays?) when you need ready-made, delicious meal options chosen for you. It’s all about making your cooking life simpler and more enjoyable.
- Heartfelt Touches and Cherished Family Connections: Beyond the practical recipes, I’ve woven in several special, personal touches throughout the book that you might not even notice if I didn’t highlight them here. For instance, one recipe photo beautifully captures my daughter wearing my mother’s cherished apron. My mother wore that apron constantly when she was cooking and baking, and for one of my more recent birthdays, she gave me Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, wrapped in that very apron. I cried, and I truly cherish having it. You’ll also spot the silver knife my parents used to cut their wedding cake, my grandmother-in-law Florence’s elegant milk glass cake stand, her wedding china, and a beautifully hand-carved wooden bowl from Germany. My other grandmother-in-law, Jean’s retro wooden serving dish, makes an appearance in the Soups, Salads & Sandwiches chapter. It was profoundly important for me to include these special items and everyday pieces of kitchenware, as they represent the cherished people in my life. Alongside these tangible details, you’ll find treasured family recipes, personal musings, and anecdotes that deeply tie my friends and family to the recipes within this book. Essentially, each recipe doesn’t just offer instructions; it tells a story, making this cookbook a true reflection of love, family, and the joy of sharing food.
- Designed to Be Your Go-To Home-Cook’s Bible: From the very first day, my fervent wish for Simply Scratch: 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy was for it to become the new bible for home cooks. I envisioned a book that wouldn’t sit pristine on a shelf, but rather one that would be constantly referenced, truly loved, and well-used – its pages dog-eared, sticky with syrup, egg whites, and flour in its creases. As I mentioned earlier, I keep this book on my own kitchen counter, not merely to show it off (well, maybe just a little bit!), but because I genuinely turn to it and cook from it a lot. It’s filled with recipes that I truly adore and make on a regular basis in my own home. My hope is that it will serve as your constant culinary companion, a source of inspiration, confidence, and delicious meals for years to come.
Well, that’s all for now from my end. I wish I could say I have glamorous plans today – perhaps sipping mimosas and nibbling on bon-bons – but alas, there’s delicious food to be cooked and laundry that inevitably needs washing. Such is real life… a delightful drag, indeed!
**If you receive your copy of Simply Scratch today, I would absolutely love for you to snap a photo! Share a shot of yourself holding it, or simply the beautiful book itself, and either tweet me or tag me on Instagram (@simply_scratch for both platforms). You can also share it directly on my Simply Scratch Facebook page! I can’t wait to see you and your new book! Interested in purchasing a copy? Click Here to get yours today. OH! And don’t forget about the FREE 10 Recipe Dinner Bundle that was offered for pre-orders – make sure you claim yours if you pre-ordered!
A heartfelt thank you to all who pre-ordered, to future readers, and to everyone who will cook from the pages of this book. I genuinely hope you cherish it and find as much joy in its recipes as I do.
Happy Cooking! I love you all!!