cooking by mood
Adrianna Adarme has been cooking since she was a kid, when she would pretend she had her own cooking show. She grew up learning Colombian and Peruvian dishes from her grandmother, and living in Florida, she also got a hearty helping of Cuban, Jamaican, and Dominican cuisine as well. But as she got older and life got more complicated, she realized that what she really wanted to cook was food that was accessible as well as delicious. She just wanted food that fit her mood and made her feel good.
She started a blog called A Cozy Kitchen and started sharing her recipes and her heart. Now she’s put her favorite recipes together into a cookbook, organizing them by feeling, by season, and by how much energy you need to throw them together.
When it’s the middle of the week, and you need dinner, you can head to Recipes for the Midweek Slump and make Creamy Pasta al Limone with Seared Scallops or Crispy Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Celery Apple Salad. Or if you’re rushed for time, there is a chapter of Quick to the Table, with Thirty=Minute Lasagna Soup, One-Pan Lemon Shrimp Orzo, or Sheet Pan Blackened Cod Fajitas.
When it’s cold outside, there are Sweater Weather Things like Warm Pretzel Tots with Chili Crisp Mustard, Antipasto Sheet Pan Pizza, or Marry me Meatballs. Or maybe it’s Oven Season, for Sticky Apple Toffee Pudding, Marbled Basque Cheesecake, or Pistachio Cherry Biscotti.
But when it’s summer, it’s time for Hot Days, Cool Plates, like Peruvian-Style Ceviche or an Italian-Style Turkey Sub. Sun-Kissed Evenings call for Jerk Chicken Skewers and Super-Citrusy Margaritas. And Sugar and Sunshine includes Strawberry Cobbler, Passion Fruit Curd Pavlovas, and Lemon Tiramisu.
For lazy, cozy weekends, there are Slow Sunday Bolognese, Peruvian Chicken over a Panzanella Salad, or Barbacoa Short Ribs. Or if you’re in Weekend Baking Mode, it’s time for The Fluffiest Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing, Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies, or Hummingbird Layer Cake.
For WFH—We’re Feeling Hungry—lunches, you can try the Giardiniera Tuna Wrap or Bite-Size Bean and Cheese Burritos. Or When We Need a Reset, there is the a Cozy Breakfast Plate, Green Broccoli Pea Pasta, and Homemade Electrolyte Drink.
Adarme brings her style and confidence to these recipes, offering a way for home cooks to find their own cozy. She focuses on ease and intention, wanting these recipes to bring warmth and delight for every mood. I love the way this cookbook is set up, and Adarme’s easy grace in presenting her ideas and her recipes. They dance with Latin American flavors and homestyle comfort, and they make me want to put on my favorite pajama pants and hang out in the kitchen until my soul is full. The photographs are beautiful and inviting, but the real heart of this cookbook is Adarme herself and the way she brings her favorite comfort foods to anyone willing to get in the kitchen and give her recipes a shot.
A copy of A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook was provided by Ten Speen Press, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.
