taking on taste

Bo Corley has lost 200 pounds and discovered his passion for cooking as he learned to take on meal prepping. He started prepping better meals for himself and his family, and during the pandemic, he started offering his services to first responders and the elderly. As his business grew, and his social media influence expanded, he had to learn more about nutrition to serve his customers, who included professional bodybuilders. Now, he’s taken all that expertise and come up with a cookbook especially for busy cooks who want simple, flavorful, heathier options for family dinners.

Dinner in One Take is a collection of recipes for busy cooks and chaotic families. Using Corley’s techniques and cheat codes, you can increase flavor and decrease wasted calories as you make creative meals without needing a lot of ingredients or equipment. Corley uses cooking techniques like smoking, sous vide, and reverse searing to add flavor. He uses ingredients like avocado oil, roasted garlic, and brown butter to add savory notes. And he uses ideas from the internet to add layers of flavor without adding a lot of time.

So if you’re wanting to smoke some Dino Ribs, make a classic Smash Burger, or create Family Night (or Game Day Quesadillas, where each person can customize their own, Corley has the recipe for you. If you want a healthy-ish dinner, you can try the Secret Brine Skillet Chicken (the secret? pickle juice), Oven-”Fried” Catfish, or the Bo Wellington, which wraps a piece of salmon in spinach and puff pastry. Or you can go with some House Air Fryer Wings, with barbecue sauce, or with Buffalo sauce, or with Smokey Honey Habanero.

He loves a breakfast for dinner, and suggests French Toast Breakfast Nachos, Cloud Eggs, Come To the Table Skillet Potatoes (with fried eggs), or his Avocado Toast. Or you can go with a hand-held dinner, like an Elevated Grilled Cheese, Bougie Tuna Fish, or Shrimp Un-Tacos. And who doesn’t love a homemade pizza? Corley’s Endless Pizza offers customizable options so everyone can get the exact pizza they want. There are ideas for sides like Candied Sweet Potatoes, Better Brussels Sprouts, or Garlic-Lovers’ Tomato Soup you can add for the perfect bite. Or you can add a desert like Lemon-Lime Funnel Cakes or a Loaded Rice Crispy. There are even ideas for building tasty drinks, both with and without alcohol.

I was impressed with this cookbook. It has a lot of creative ideas for meals and smart cheats for adding flavor. Some of the techniques may not be easily available to everyone (smoking a brisket, or an entire pork shoulder, for example, which takes a lot of time and a smoker). But I think anyone can find some ideas that will work for their kitchen and their budget. He does have some tips for saving money and for getting the best equipment for your budget, and what is worth spending your money on, if you’re just starting out. There are lots of photos throughout, so you can see Corley’s vision for the dishes, and decide for yourself if you really want to try boiling your bacon or not.

Egalleys for Dinner in One Take were provided by Smith Publicity, Inc, with many thanks.