An Ode to Smitten Kitchen

Who else Loves Smitten Kitchen?

I love cookbooks, and I really like to cook. I won’t say I love to cook because I don’t. Cooking is a lot of work. What I love is to eat. And I love to feed my husband and kids and to serve friends and extended family a feast for Friday night dinners (the Jewish Sabbath). I also love to provide those feasts myself and get creative when possible. Cookbooks help a ton, as do food blogs.

My copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

One my favorite food blogs is Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen, a site I admire for Deb’s dedication to interesting flavors while keeping the process and equipment as simple as possible. I subscribe by email and cheer when Deb updates the site, which isn’t as often as it used to be now that she’s a mega cookbook star. (Hello, same publishing house as Julia Child!)

Some Of My Favorite Smitten Kitchen Recipes

Before we discuss The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and the opportunity I had last night to hear Deb speak, let me point you to some of my favorite recipes on the site. I make Deb’s chocolate chip cookies often. I’ve made the mustard roasted potatoes numerous times despite my hate for mustard. They’re that delicious and a great side dish if you’re having company. I’ve made Deb’s strawberry rhubarb crumble when rhubarb is in season because my father-in-law is a rhubarb fan. I think it was a hit, but to be fair my father-in-law would never tell me if it wasn’t. (Note: I usually have to make some substitutions in Deb’s recipes if I’m using the desserts for a meat meal as our house is kosher, meaning no butter, milk, or cheese with meat meals.)

Smitten Kitchen Comments Section

One of the best parts of the Smitten Kitchen site is the comments section where Deb’s bazillion readers report on their attempts. Some people follow her recipes precisely and tell her if the dish turned out too salty, or not salty enough. Others make gluten-free versions, dairy-free, and so on. The comments section has a life of its own so it was no surprise to see Deb’s cookbook debut on the New York Times bestseller list and stay there. (By the way, none of the recipes in the book are on the site. And that’s the way it should be. All of us who have been using that site for free owe Deb this purchase!)

I’ve been cooking with the book since December and here’s what I can report so far. The brisket recipe along with the carrot and potatoes with dill are perfect for a winter meal. My family seems to prefer a sweeter brisket, but I loved this one. The roasted chicken is perfection, and I agree with her advice to eat it right away. It’s succulent. Really, I know no other word that fits better. I have many other recipes flagged and hope to make them soon. (Do not ask me to send you the brisket recipe, etc. I’m just going to tell you to buy the book!)

The Smitten Kitchen Book Tour In Minneapolis

As an admirer of Deb’s work for quite some time, I was thrilled when I heard she was stopping in Minneapolis while on her book tour. With a sweet and unassuming presence (she almost seemed surprised to see an audience), she gave a short talk about how the site started and how it grew. We learned that she takes all the photographs herself. She said people often ask her about her “fabulous” counters, which are actually just a cheap black plastic that her landlord put in a long time ago but happen to photograph well. She advised emerging food bloggers NOT to come with complicated recipes in order to feature them on a blog. She only puts up food that her family is actually eating, and she only updates the site when she has a recipe worthy of sharing.

It was fascinating to hear Deb describe how reluctant she was to write the book as she truly loves the internet and the blog format specifically. She described an intervention of sorts by her friends and family to get her to write a book proposal. We learned that Deb thought she’d never get that proposal accepted anyway, as she would only do a book that honored the site, meaning she wanted pictures for every recipe and long intros reminiscent of the chatty nature of the site. (Both demands are unusual for a cookbook, but you can see in the book that she got her way.) She also wanted the special “lay flat” binding so the book doesn’t close while you’re cooking. I can attest that the binding is a really nice touch!
Me with Deb

The question and answer portion of the night were fantastic. I got to ask how to make the meatloaf and meatballs from the book dairy-free (which would make them kosher). She suggested water instead of soy milk. Good to know! (We discussed that issue a little more when she signed my book.) She also told the audience that the lemon bars were the most difficult recipe for her to perfect for the book. And when someone asked her about making certain recipes gluten-free she sort of shrugged and said, “I’m gluten FULL.” It was a great moment and everyone laughed. But then she very sincerely directed people looking for gluten-free food to another site. Of course I can’t remember the name. Sorry!

All in all it was a great night. When I’m at book events or any event outside of my bubble world, I always vow to take more advantage of everything Minneapolis has to offer. My husband and I get out to restaurants, but we don’t do enough other interesting activities with or without the kids. It’s easy to get too comfortable in the every day routines of our lives. I’m feeling inspired right now to attend more lectures, to take the kids to places in town they’ve never seen, and so on. I’ll let you know how those adventures go as soon as all this snow melts. For now, you can find me in the kitchen.

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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

33 Responses

  1. I love the Smitten Kitchen blog, one of my favorites, too — I’m so envious you got to attend a lecture and meet Deb herself! I gave her book to both my daughter and my son’s girlfriend (we’re all huge fans) for Christmas, and I managed to use it several times before they spirited their books away. LOVE it. (p.s. speaking of love, little Nate is pretty darn adorable in that cupboard… that photo makes me miss those days even more!)
    Julia Munroe Martin recently posted..To DoMy Profile

    1. Thanks Julia! I love that picture too. Felt fitting for the post.

      What a nice gift for your daughter and your son’s girlfriend! I think a cookbook is a great gift even if it ends up on a shelf for a few years. I have pulled out cookbooks from decades ago and still find them wonderful.

    1. Thank you! It’s not my favorite picture, but I of course HAD TO use it. We had a nice conversation and she was honestly as lovely as she seems on the blog.

      Thanks for the compliment on the new layout!

    1. I’m hoping she does a second one. But it sounds like SO much work! I don’t know. I can’t imagine how she doesn’t though . . . it’s been such a hit. She said she’s looking forward to updating the blog more and refocusing on the blog once she’s done touring. So yay for us, her fans!

  2. One of my SIL’s pre-ordered this cookbook for me and my other SIL. We were so excited when they arrived, as we were already fans of the Smitten Kitchen blog.

    The cookbook totally delivered. It’s currently in the Top 2 of my favorite cookbooks (the other being JERUSALEM by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi…this book and the food is gorgeous).

    PS – LOVE the look of the site!
    Amber West recently posted..March BHBC Review – Let’s Pretend This Never HappenedMy Profile

    1. Amber– I bought Jerusalem too and it’s so gorgeous. I had high aspirations for cooking with it, but I have not cracked it open again. I might give it away on the blog some week! It’s too fabulous to just sit on my shelf.

  3. Love love love Smitten kitchen! The cookbook is so beautiful and fantastic. I think the best part is that Deb is someone you feel like you just know and want to hang out with all the time. Totally jealous you got to see her.

  4. This cookbook looks delightful! I love simple, yummy recipes like the titles you discussed. Will be checking it out. Thanks for spreading the word, now pass the soy butter! 😉

  5. I’ve never heard of this site, but will definitely check it out. I’m trying to think of something great that I’ve cooked lately, but I’m at a loss, which makes me feel bad. I was planning to attempt a side dish this weekend that I recently had at a restaurant – Horseradish Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. They were to die for, hope I can come close.

    1. No feeling bad! I only cook a big meal once a week (for Shabbat). Otherwise it’s lots of leftovers or simple things like chicken breasts and veggies. It’s too much prep and cleaning otherwise!

      Those potatoes sound delish!

  6. Talk about timing! I was just on Deb’s site salivating over the latest post for French onion tart. How awesome that you got to meet her! I loved learning that she takes all of her own photos.

    I’m a latecomer to the Smitten Kitchen bandwagon, so I feel a bit behind the curve in all of the revelry on the site. I just love cookbooks / cooking blogs where the cook’s personality shines and that is just what I get on Deb’s site.

    Now that you have a renewed interest in finding cultural activities, what will be the next thing on your list to do?

    1. Oh my–yes that tart looks divine. She has a mushroom one in the book that I’d like to try too.

      Good question on the cultural activities! For one thing, I auditioned for Listen to Your Mother, a live show where women read stories on stage. If I get it then I will be PART OF the cultural activity. 😉

  7. Oh my gosh, your kiddo in the cabinet! XD

    I’m not big on cooking (too picky an eater) but I can certainly appreciate how amazing Deb must be to care about the details of the book like pictures and a lay-flat spine. Good for her!
    Annie Neugebauer recently posted..Make it HappenMy Profile

    1. I thought it was so cool that even though her career has expanded so far beyond the blog she still cares about the blog first and foremost. That’s why those book details mattered to her so much! For her blog regulars!

  8. Can’t wait to try the mustard potatoes! I make a similar dish but chicken (for my boyfriend, tofu for me) and I love it (love mustard!!).

    The real issue here though is: How absolutely beautiful is Nate!! I swear it doesn’t seem like that long ago when you were talking about naming the new baby. Crazy quickly time passes.
    @Diann_D recently posted..Murakami on Running and WritingMy Profile

    1. I’m so glad you liked it! I liked Moksha, but didn’t love it. I liked the atmosphere and the heat, but the class wasn’t as rigorous as I expected. (I NEVER would have imagined uttering that sentence a year ago.) Anyway, I’m going to try it one more time but with a harder class. We’ll see!

  9. I love your smitten kitchen and your review of the cookbook and book signing. How fun! I also must confess my love for your new blog look. It’s gorgeous. You always continue to inspire me, Nina!

    I haven’t cooked up anything fabulous of late, but I can’t wait to have my own American kitchen and shop the glorious aisles of Kroger. Then, I will be looking up the Smitten cookbook. It sounds yummy and perfect for a busy family. Thanks!
    Jennifer King recently posted..Saying Goodbye to Prague, Hello to USAMy Profile

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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Hi, I'm Nina

DEAR NINA: Conversations About Friendship is a podcast and newsletter about the ups and downs of adult friendship. I’m the host, Nina Badzin, a Minneapolis-based writer who accepted a position as a friendship advice columnist in 2014 and never stopped. DEAR NINA, the podcast, started in 2021, and has been referenced in The Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostTime Magazine, The GuardianThe Chicago TribuneThe Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere

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