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Four. That’s how many cookbooks I bought in 2018. Each one has a different appeal which (I think) is obvious from their titles: Date Night Dinners, The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook, Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen,  and Giada’s Italy.

Three. That’s how many of these books I’ve made recipes from so far.

Three is also the number of dishes I plan to make from Date Night Dinners right away though I hope to make many more of them to reach beyond my comfort zone into the seafood section of the book. I like seafood but I’m often the only one eating it in my house so I tend to make it the same way every time; with non-dairy garlic lemon butter. Date Night Dinners has a variety of fish recipes I haven’t eaten or cooked before, so, adventure!

The reason I purchased this book is because of the array of recipes which range from the familiar to the unique; the stories and informative introduction to each recipe which make me feel like I’m having a chat with the author; the conversion charts in the back which are worth the purchase price of the book by themselves, the cooking tips you can only learn from another experienced cook, the author’s obvious passion for food, and because the portions are perfect for my household of three.

There are a few versions of this book available. I have the paperback Black & White Date Night Edition. I bought the paperback because I want to hold the book in my hands as I’m cooking. I rarely buy Kindle versions of cookbooks.

Braised Pork Loin

This is my first pork loin roast. I feel like such a grown up now. My granddaughter and I looked through the book and I narrowed the choices to two meat dishes to make for Christmas dinner and then she chose the pork loin, based on the photo and on the title; she loves pork as much as I do. Neither of us eat a lot of meat, but when we do we often choose pork. It’s a flavor, texture, and versatility thing.

Because Christmas dinner is a big deal I read through the recipe several times, looking for those hidden stumbling blocks that you sometimes find with new recipes.  There were none to be found so I moved on to shopping.  I’m a planner so I bought one plain tenderloin and one marinated one in case the seasonings in the recipe didn’t pass muster. This was a holiday dinner, after all, and though the recipe read like it would taste good… You understand.

Taylor’s tenderloin seasonings were better than the marinade by far.  Her sauce, onions, and carrots were divine. The pork was fork tender and luscious. I had leftovers that I froze and ate for three more meals; they were as good as the first time I served them.

I’ll be back to share when I’ve sampled dishes from two more sections: Sides and Veggies. Vegetables are my favorites because they are a delicious way to stay healthy. The book has nineteen vegetable recipes to choose from. Yes!

About Sloane Taylor