I had the opportunity to try out two recipes from this cookbook. The first one was the No-Bake Tamale Pie, and the second was the Chicken with Smashed Potatoes, Potpie Style, which is the cover picture on the right.

The Tamale Pie had a unique touch with the use of polenta on top, which indeed made the preparation quicker. However, I have to admit that I missed the traditional cornbread. Additionally, it had a really spicy kick to it.

The Chicken dish, on the other hand, was truly delicious. Although the tarragon had a taste that resembled black licorice, which I found a bit yucky, it didn't overshadow the overall deliciousness of the dish.

Regarding the cookbook itself, it has pictures for approximately one-third of the recipes. The pictures were nice and added an appealing visual element, but I would have preferred to have more of them.

The timing mentioned in the recipes was a little iffy. What was stated as 15 minutes actually meant closer to 25 minutes or so.

On a positive note, this cookbook gets bonus points for being the genesis of Alisa's world famous puffy pancakes!