Half Baked Harvest Super Simple

Recipes Tested: 13
Recipe Success: 11/13

Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredient Accessibility: Moderately accessible
Best For: Home cooks that want to elevate their flavors, without going too far out of their comfort zone.

Although this is the second Half Baked Harvest cookbook, it’s the first one I bought. Thanks to Pinterest, I had already fallen in love with Teighan Gerard’s recipes, so of course I had to snap this up. 

Of all her cookbooks (yes, I own them all!), Super Simple is the one that I use most often.

Challenging My Comfort Zone: I don’t want to eat the same ol’ boring dishes all the time. But also, I don’t always have the time or mental energy to tackle exotic ingredients or complicated techniques. Gerard solves that by taking familiar ingredients and combining them in new ways.

Flavors: Getting out of my comfort zone is one great and all, but I still want dinner to taste good. So I guess I should add that she combines familiar ingredients in new ways that you will actually enjoy eating.

Visual Appeal: There is something about eating pretty food that just makes it taste better. The use of colors and textures in her recipes-even for someone like me who can’t plate worth a damn–make for exciting looking meals.

Realistic Food Styling: The food photography in the book is amazing. Every dish looks like a masterpiece. And if you think your home-cooked recreation will look the same, think again. There is a definite mismatch between some of the photos and the actual recipes. One recipe shows a brown crust on fish and veggies steamed in parchment. Others show ingredients in the finished dish that are not in the recipe.

⭐ YFIF Favorite: Red’s Favorite Schnitzel
This is one of the simplest recipes in the book, and I had low expectations. I was wrong. Easy + budget-friendly + flavorful = win.

🍴 Best Alternative to a Sad Desk Lunch: Sundried Tomato and Avocado Salad with Chicken
I love a hearty salad for lunch, and even better if I can prep it in advance. This salad checks all the boxes. And honestly, who can say no to a bacon vinaigrette?

🧒 Kid-Approved (No Bribes Required): Butter Roasted Tomato Soup
This a fall staple in our house. 10/10, no notes.

🚫 What I’d Never Make Again: Spicy Poblano Tacos with Fried Sesame Halloumi
So many flavors. So many textures. This was chaos in a tortilla and I don’t mean that in a fun, exciting way.

Follow your instincts. The photos, while beautiful, do not always represent what you’re going to get if you follow the instructions. 

Don’t skip reading the recipe notes. There are a lot of helpful tips and recommendations for substitutions there.

Buy!