The Good Stuff Truly stunning photography Love the use of many natural ingredients Plenty of unusual combinations that really work Simple uncomplicated meals The introduction is fabulous and interesting - one of the more in-depth introductions I have ever seen in a cookbook The Shrimp Pasta Rosa is now a main staple in our weekly dinners. Its easy and quick to make and the kids love it. We also substitute chicken for the shrimp frequently as seafood is seriously pricey in Calgary (and don't get me started on how expensive dairy products are in this province - Mascarpone is $12 a container - thank god this recipe only calls for a bit of it) A fabulous cookbook as every recipe has a remarkable introduction - definitely one of a kind From this day on I will only make her fries - her cooking method (up front stolen from another chef) is the perfect method for french fries. Never greasy!!!!! I love her because she is down to earth & loves food - and because she refuses to be Photoshopped!!!!! (Hubby thinks she is hot too) You have to make the mascarpone/ricotta crepes - trust me - I ate 4 at one sitting - num num num num The Not So Good Stuff Not really a not so good entry - more an fyi - read the introduction before making any of the recipes, it makes a huge difference when prepping and preparing the recipes Not a lot of kid friendly type recipes - my kids had fun looking at the pictures and mentioning unflattering comments about what the finished product looked like (for example one picture reminded them of vomit & I won't tell you what they said about one of the recipes that involved squid ink pasta) This is not one for the beginner cook. Way too many ingredients and steps that will frustrate the novice She actually suggested using store bought crepes -- gasp -- much cheaper to make your own (Yes Jeff made them for me - you know I suck at making them) Favorite Recipes Chocolate Olive Oil Cake Mascarpone & Ricotta Crepes with Rum Steeped Strawberries (to die for I swear - btw recipe calls for store bought crepes - we made our own and much better, cheaper & healthier) Shrimp Pasta Rosa (we eat this weekly - sometimes with chicken) Italian Tempura Shrimp - Now I suggest u spice up your tempura batter & forget the deep frying of the sage & lemon (icky) Italian Breakfast Banana Bread - very moist & although I balked at adding espresso - it actually gives it an interesting edge (ok & I added chocolate chips - hey I have too - banana bread is wrong without it) Who Should/Shouldn't Use Obviously fans of Nigella will enjoy This book is not for cooks like me -- I am much too lazy for the work involved Would recommend this book for more experienced cooks who like to experiment and have access to hard to find ingredients 4 Dewey's (Quality is a 5 - but I base my review on MY enjoyment of them) I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review