Just what the title says---the basic pesto, which one can alter by adding salt or lemon or using a different cheese or nut or adding other greens. But this, as a basic starting place is perfect.

After years of using a Dory Greenspan recipe, this year I went with this one from the late Julia Reed. Not only is it much easier and much quicker, it's much better! It's not just the bourbon.

Thiis is a very nice very easy salad. I took the advice in the comments and slightly warmed my chickpeas. Had no dill so used basil instead.

A quite delicious riff on sausage stuffing. The instructions regarding the bread are really tedious--in the future, I would cut or tear the bread into the small bits directly rather than toasting and then tearing. Also, we skipped the pepper flakes and were very glad we did as our sausage was very spicy. The leeks add a buttery sweetness and the sherry vinegar brings it all home.

A lovely cake with the added bonus of being naturally gluten free. While it takes a bit of time (mostly inactive) it is quite easy to make. I dust my buttered pan with rice flour so as to keep it gluten free. Note that Ms. Roden's and Rachel Roddy's versions of the cake call for a "heaped" teaspoon of baking powder.

This is such a wonderful version of creamed spinach. I love the stuff but the idea of consuming all that heavy cream and butter puts me off. And here is a way of making it that is rich-tasting and that truly celebrates the pure flavor of spinach. And it's so easy. I used my immersion blender instead of the food processor--worked just fine and much easier to clean up after.

I found this to be more of a salsa than a salad, but enjoyed it with a grilled chicken breast, and then as a topping for bruschetta.

I made this for one, using a split chicken breast, bone-in, skin on. Happily, I had more than enough feta brine to immerse the breast. I used a small calphalon skillet which worked beautifully. Once I removed the roasted chicken, I did deglaze the pan with just a bit of water and poured the resulting sauce over the chicken which was perched on a bed of greens. Delicious! I thought it would be good but it far exceeded my expectations

Delicious!! I didn't necessarily follow the amounts too strictly--I was using up what was left from my CSA, so perhaps there were more tomatoes (of different varieties) and less yellow squash. And I used lemon thyme as my herb. So easy and so good. And really satisfying as a main course.

Delicious cake. We went with halved pears (much easier to turn)and we loved the way they looked. Only problem with the recipe is the instruction to let the cake cool for 30 minutes before turning it out of the pan. Because of a fear that the caramel-like honey/pear juice in the bottom of the pan would solidify, we turned it out almost immediately and it was perfect. The thyme (we used fresh- picked lemon thyme) was a brilliant addition.
The almonds seemed to all of us to be unnecessary.

A cross between sugar cookies and shortbread, these are delicious and easy, but I wish the lemon flavor were a bit more intense. I had a yield of 12 large (three ounce) cookies. I want to try these with orange rind and juice.

I made this as written but skipped the optional marmalade glaze, using instead a lemon glaze I had on hand. I also baked it in a 9" loaf pan and it came out just fine. Really nice texture, slices beautifully. I'm thinking of trying it again with orange instead of lemon and then using the marmalade glaze.

Delicious! I used chicken breasts and one jalapeno (what I had on hand), otherwise followed the recipe. I thought it was very easy and really really good.

Yet another great banana bread. Despite the many comments on the NYT site regarding reducing the sugar, I thought the sugar amount was just fine. I did use a bit more than 1/3 cup of Nutella---eyeballed it, using a teaspoon to dollop the spread. The result was a lovely, fragrant loaf which sliced beautifully and tasted great.

So easy and so good. And even better the second time around. I read the notes and added green pepper, garlic, bay leaves and cumin with water instead of stock.

Quite a nice, moist loaf. I used a garden variety marmalade, and lemon rind and juice and was quite pleased with result. The glaze as written is a bit much--half the amount of 10x is sufficient for a very good glaze.

I have made this aga9n, using homemade marmalade, a bit of grted lime and lemon and some fresh squeezed oj. The homemade marmalade, tarter than store bought made for a much better loaf and happily absorbed the full amount of glaze. Hence, an upgrade to five stars.

Many years ago, college friends (Cuban emigres) taught me to make picadillo---much like this, but served with a layer of diced potatoes fried crisp and another of sweet fried plantains. This recipe was not only delicious, but brought back some lovely memories.

A very delicious and surprisingly light cheesecake. I did substitute a generous half cup of yogurt for the cup of heavy cream and was very pleased with the result. Note that the ingredient list calls for cornstarch (which allows the cake to be labeled gluten free) but the instructions call for flour which is what I used. The crust is lovely and very easy--everything in the blender and done.

So delicious and so easy and really healthy. I found it easier to take the vegetables from the oven and place them in a soup pot (having squeezed out the garlic cloves), pour over the stock and puree the soup using the immersion blender. For a soup that is so low in fat and so healthy, it is very rich and creamy tasting.

This dish is superb! It's hard to believe that something so easy can be so fabulous. I made it as written, using chicken breasts. The scent produced is intoxicating and the sauce is as good as it smells. It's so good that I left some in the pan along with some shallots, garlic and lemon and added in some wedges of red potatoes and ended up with a magnificent side

this would be a five if it were not for the questionable time/temperature directions. I'm very glad I read the notes appended to the recipe prior to making this---I adjusted the cooking time/temperature accordingly. I also took Mary's comment to heart and sauteed some baby spinach and sliced par-boiled yukon golds in the remaining anchovy butter. Loved the result.

This is brilliant! So easy and the results are remarkable. I found the proportions to be just a little off--the dough is a little too wet--but easily rectified by working a little more flour in at the time of the second rise. Next time I'll just add a little less water. I love having the tub of dough in the fridge and being able to scoop out enough for a little loaf--fresh baked bread anytime.

This was quite good the day it was made; it was immensely better after spending the night in the fridge. I went with Greek yogurt and a bunch of scallions in the mix rather than fromage blanc and fennel. I loved the look of the spread with the flecks of green from the scallions.

Absolutely delicious and very easy. Made this exactly as written and loved it.

I took the easy way--put frozen chopped spinach in a pyrex casserole and thawed in the microwave. Then added all the other ingredients (went with garlic powder and yogurt instead of sour cream), stirred, covered and baked for about 15 minutes. Took the cover off and baked another ten minutes. It was delicious! (and I only had one dish and a spatula to clean...)

Great soup and so quick and easy! Wonderful even without the pesto and amazing with it.

Made with skinless boneless breast and homemade chicken stock. Loved it but would make the sauce a little thinner next time and a little zestier (shallots? tarragon?). Since I wasn't doing the whole de-boning thing, it was remarkably quick and easy.

Delicious and easy. I marinated for about 2 hours which seemed perfectly adequate. Added a bit more liquid about halfway thru cooking--would have like even a bit more sauce.