There are dozens of reasons for making small batches of food: newlyweds, singles, empty nest couples, etc. Ryan Ross’s cookbook, No-Fuss Cookbook for Newlyweds: Practical Tips and Perfectly Portioned Recipes to Cook Together has plenty of ideas for cooking together, whether you are a newlywed or not. Cooking with a partner is fun, and can help build good relationships, as well as put out yummy food. This cookbook actually has great ideas, and appealing recipes that everyone will want to try. Most of the recipes are quite easy, and the instructions are simple to follow, so if one of the cooks has little experience, the dishes can turn out picture perfect anyway. Cooking with a partner is a great way to upgrade cooking skills.

This cookbook includes more than just recipes, there is information on how to set up a kitchen for two, Basic equipment needed to cook together, how to shop for two, and basic ingredients to have on hand. The recipes are written in standard form and call for ingredients that are easy to obtain at most larger grocery stores. Each recipe lets the cooks know if they are dairy free, gluten free, or nut free, which is nice for those with allergies or special dietary needs. Most of the recipes make good use of fruits and vegetables, as well as proteins, so cooking together can also be a healthy experience.

The one drawback to this cookbook is that there is only one photograph before each chapter and none in the chapters. Most modern-day cooks like to see what a finished dish will look like, and the lack of photos is unfortunate. Nevertheless, this cookbook has great suggestions for cooking with a partner, as well as good cooking hints and of course, mouthwatering recipes. If you don’t care about the lack of photos, you’ll most likely find several good recipes to make with your partner.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This cookbook is definitely tailored to couples for cooking smaller meals which I loved because there is just the two of us and I hate having too much food leftover. Not a problem with this cookbook. I tried a few of the recipes to see how much of a "no-fuss" they really are. If someone is truly inexperienced in the kitchen than some recipes may be a bit overwhelming so I stuck with a few classics that I have cooked before to see how they compare. I tried the Spaghetti Carbonara under 30 Minute recipes. In the One-Pot Recipes, I tried the Chicken Paprikash and the Salted Maple & Apple Crisp.

First, Spaghetti Carbonara. The recipe takes out the egg white and only uses the yolk so when mixing the final ingredients you do not have to worry about taking the pan off the heat when mixing. If you have made this recipe before you know that can make or break the consistency and you can end up with scrambled egg in your dish. Not a problem with this recipe and I will use this technique from now on. I found for 8 oz of pasta that 1/4 c Parmesan and 2 bacon slices were not enough flavor so I double both of them. Then it was delicious. My husband gave it a thumbs up. So good but not perfect. 4 stars.

Second, Chicken Paprikash. I originally learned this dish from my former mother-in-law who was part Hungarian. I am glad they used Hungarian paprika. That makes all the difference in this dish; however, 1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of spicy paprika is not enough. You can just buy Hot Hungarian paprika but whichever one you buy you need to double this amount to get a good flavor into the chicken and if you want any kind of broth for noodles you will need to double the chicken broth and sour cream as well. I actually make homemade noodles to go with this dish and it is delish but for no-fuss I can see where they suggest packaged noodles or rice. Again, once I doubled the ingredients (except for the chicken) my husband loved it. Again, 4 stars for having to double ingredients for taste.

Third, Salted Maple & Apple Crisp. I love a good apple crisp and this was simple enough to make. I think the maple in the apples and then again in the topping was too much. Just overly sweet. I would leave it out of the apples as they really don't need additional sweetness and just add it to the topping. The topping was very good and this smells so good when baking. 4 stars.

The best part of this book for newlyweds is how each recipe is divided up at the very end. Cooking can be overwhelming and both spouses should help out. My husband and I had a lot of fun making these recipes together. Thanks to Callisto Publishers & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I love to share cooking with everyone, mostly it’s just easier to get those dishes done. I’ve been trying to turn my daughter into a chef since she is the one home most of the time. This cookbook is a great gift for newlyweds but I say use it to just share the work.

What did I like? Not only does the author give us some tried and true recipes but she also gives us a guide on sharing the work. It’s always divisible by two people, and some of the recipes just look fantastic. I love the cover...and most of the recipes you can substitute out ingredients to make gluten free, or more healthy for you.

Would I recommend or buy? The title has a way of making this a great wedding day present for sure but honestly anyone who has a relationship they’d like to nurture with food can utilize this book. Not a ton of pictures but what they did have was lovely looking. No fuss cooking, sounds great!

I received a complimentary copy to read. This book is also on KU So if you want to look, it’s really a no brainer! Four stars! Great gift idea.

I seem to have missed the date for reviewing this book. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope to pick it up at my local library. I appreciate your willingness to let me take a look at this book before its publication date.

No-Fuss Cookbook for Newlyweds is a quick recipe book that is nicely organized by no-cook, 30 minutes, 5 ingredients, one-pot, and sauces & staples. I really enjoyed this simple organization for the nights when you don't want a ton of work, especially the one-pot since I recently got an InstantPot off our wedding registry. The Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic-Basil Aioli was simple and delicious with some chicken we made. I liked that the recipes were very simple and straightforward and even included some kitchen hacks! For those who are health conscious, nutrition information was included and I appreciated the transparency. My only critique is some recipes I would not be interested in making. Overall a nice cookbook though!

I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Rockridge Press and the author Ryan Ross through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Decent recipes for cooking for two people. I would've liked to see more pictures though.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

This was ok; the food looked fresh and the accompanying "beginner cooking" info was pretty good. I would have really liked this when I was a newlywed. Unfortunately I'm now a vegetarian and dh eats meat, plus we have two young adult kids living with us, so I probably won't myself get much practical use from it.

I love the different and easy recipes in this cookbook. My brother just got engaged and this is something I think would be perfect for a gift for him (hence, the title). The ingredients are basic items we can get at grocery stores with easy to follow directions. Whether your experienced with cooking or are new, this is user friendly. The recipes all sound good but I just wish there were more photos of the recipes. I loved the beginning where the description of what you need for your kitchen and how to be efficient.

First of all, I love the chapter names. The way the recipes are divided into "5 ingredient meals" and "no cook meals" and "30-minute meals" and so on is incredibly functional and perfect for busy newlyweds! Chapter 1 was a nice intro (basically an "organize your kitchen, organize your life" which actually helped me think through my own wedding registry! Her advice is solid and helps differentiate the appliance must-haves from the appliance extras. Furthermore, as a cookbook geared towards newlyweds, I loved that all the serving sizes were 2-4 so we don't end up eating the same recipe for weeks on end (read: me, because my fiancé won't eat leftovers...GAH)!

As someone with peanut/nut allergies, I LOVED that each recipe is marked with any dietary notes (e.g. "nut free, vegetarian") at the very top, making it clear which options to steer clear from for people like me with restrictions. Furthermore, there are nutrition facts (calories, fat, sodium, etc.) at the bottom of each recipe, which is nice info to have for those that are calorie/macro conscious. One of my favorite things about the way these recipes are written is that each one has a "Divide & Conquer" section where she suggests what each cooking partner can do so that working together in the kitchen is as streamlined as possible. This is SO helpful! I also loved the little kitchen hacks that explain things like how to create curled chocolate shavings!

I won't be purchasing this book just because there are a LARGE number of recipes that have nuts/peanuts in them so it wouldn't be worth it for me (not going to pay for recipes I can't use, lol) but otherwise I might've considered it! I think it's super well done, the pictures are beautiful but I would've liked more of them (my only ding on the rating!), I like how the author's personality shines through, and I found the categorization and organization of the recipes really thoughtful.

I actually took notes on different recipes to try while I was reading this book - about to head to the grocery store now and stock up on the ingredients needed! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

Perhaps that part I liked most about this cookbook is the portion sizes being perfect for 2 people, which I find isn't the case in most cookbooks or recipes. Additionally I like the way the book is laid out. The photos of everything are stunning, and the recipes are very yummy. One critique that I would have for this book is that the recipes are not "easy" they are pretty involved. Thank you to NetGalley, Callisto Media, and Rockridge Press for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Overall, this is a nice cookbook but it does tend to be more on the chef-oriented side, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! All of the recipes look delicious and the instructions provided are easy to follow and understand. The recipes are divided by the time it takes to make rather than the type of dish, which I found to be very helpful as we tend to prefer the no-cook, one pot or 30 min style recipes.

There are different sections on setting up your kitchen, how to buy groceries for two instead of one and of course a variety of delicious recipes. A helpful tool with the recipes is that the author provides a "Divide & Conquer" section to help you coordinate who does what efficiently and without stepping on each others toes while cooking!

Overall, I wish there had been a few more pictures or at least one per recipe as I find that I prefer to have a visual of what I am making (or attempting to make). That being said, I did really enjoy this cookbook. I think it will definitely help us broaden our recipe pool and get into the habit of cooking more frequently.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this opportunity!

The No-Fuss Cookbook for Newlyweds by Ryan Ross is a bit too chef-oriented for my tastes as the recipes are not something I would use for daily cooking. Still the cookbook has a lot of promise as the author, who is a chef, writes about how to set up your kitchen for newlywed cooking, writes about how buy groceries for cooking for two; and her cookbook has plenty of color photos illustrating the recipes.

Some of the recipes you'll find include:

Peach, Prosciutto, Rocket, and Burrata Salad
Cinnamon Granola Berry Parfaits
Fondue for Two
Panfried Chicken with Hot Honey
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Faux Pho
House Hummus

One of the nice touches of her cookbook is the Divide & Conquer section found with her recipes. For example she writes at the end of the Roasted Chicken over Peasant Bread with Fingerlings (aka Million-Dollar Chicken) she breaks down how partners can each participate in the recipe preparation. To quote: Either partner can make the creme fraiche the night before. On the day of cooking, partner 1 can cut the potatoes and complete steps 2 and 3 while partner 2 prepares the bread...

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

This cookbook is great! It has no cook recipes, 30 minutes recipes, 5 ingredientes and one pot recipes! The recipes are mostly for 2 people and they sound amazing. The recipes are easy to follow, clear and well organized. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This cookbook is adorable. While I'm not a newlywed, I constantly struggle with cooking for one and not letting food go to waste. This cookbook is tailored to small yield recipes and making do with what you have.

I'm no chef and I appreciated that the recipes were divided not by meal time (entree, dessert etc) but by how they are prepared (i.e. No-Cook, One Pot etc). Also, as someone with dietary restrictions, I love that each recipe is are labeled (i.e. gluten free, vegetarian etc).

I do wish there were more photos but I'm not sure if that is because the ARC has fewer photos than the final hard copy?

Would definitely recommend this cookbook and want a hardcopy myself!

No-Fuss Cookbook for Newlyweds is a tutorial and resource guide plus recipe collection by Ryan Ross. Due out 14th July 2020 from Callisto on their Rockridge Press imprint, it's 192 pages (for the print copy) and available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook is available now). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The book has a straightforward and easy-to-follow format. Following an introductory chapter on setting up a first kitchen, the author covers the other necessary tools, supplies, and ingredients (with some very astute observations on what tools are *really* necessary and how to set up limited space for best use). The following chapters include the recipes, arranged rather oddly by prep time: no-cook, 30 minutes, recipes with 5 or fewer ingredients, one pot meals, and sauces and staples. The nutritional info provided is arranged with most major info given (calories, fats, carbohydrates, sodium, sugar, fiber). Almost none of the recipes are photographed, but the ones which are, are photographed well and clearly. Serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate. The lack of photography subtracts a bit (but not much) from the overall experience for me personally. (I like pictures, but realize and accept that they raise the production costs a lot on a book project).

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard only. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Special classifications for each recipe (30 minutes or less, 5 ingredient, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, etc) are included in a header bar. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store. The book also includes a short author bio and a metric conversion chart, along with a "what's for dinner" interactive index with links to recipes. The recipes are tasty and easily prepared, most requiring few ingredients and little prep time. One other thing I really liked was that the author included recommendations for cooking and spending time in the kitchen together. Although the book is ostensibly for couples setting up housekeeping together, there are a lot of good practical takeaways for roommates as well.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.