Cozy Cookbook Review: More is More

I love a colorful cookbook, and More is More by Molly Baz was a fantastic option to explore and review. The pictures in the front few pages of the book show Molly hanging out with a group of friends and enjoying drinks and snacks, so we made sure to make some recipes to share with friends. It was awesome to get others involved. It’s right in the name of the book – More is More. 

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Background of the Book & Author

Molly Baz is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author who also owns a natural wine company and a subscription recipe club. She worked as a senior food editor at Bon Appetit. More is More is divided into recipe chapters with creative names, including Be the Salad You Wish to See in the World, Where There’s Surf There is Turf, and The USDA Recommends 9 Servings of Veg Per Day.

Baz starts the book with a story about Calamari that just wasn’t hitting the spot. She explained how she used the items on the table at the pub and in her Bloody Mary to revamp the dish and make it something wonderful. It’s a great introduction to the way she approaches food and seasonings. 

The book includes a few cocktails and smoothie recipes. Each recipe has a cook-along audio and video accompaniment. Baz also includes footnotes with information that will help you shop for ingredients and a suggestion for what other recipes the item would pair well with.

What Grabbed My Attention

Honestly, the fonts and color grabbed my attention. The book is colorful, and the pictures make me want to have friends over and eat food together. I started following the author on Instagram and knew immediately that she would have some recipes that we would love.

Get your copy here from Bookshop.org or on Amazon here.

Overall Cookbook Rating

Ease of recipes – 8/10

Knowledge of methods & ingredients – 9/10

Fits the theme – 8/10

Taste overall of test recipes – 10/10

Quantity of recipes that generated excitement – 9/10

Overall rating – 8.8/10

Feedback from a lazy cook who hates a dish pile up and making dinner decisions:

I used the food processor and blender more with her recipes than usual, which can be a pain to clean, but the recipes were worth it.

Feedback from an aspiring cook who wants to impress herself and learn how to do more:

This cookbook encouraged me to be more brave and add more seasoning when I want to. It also makes me want to experiment more with making sauces using the food processor.

Recipes I Cooked from the Cookbook:

Dish 1 – The Flakiest Fish with Shingled Potatoes and Walnut Gremolata

Everyone loves a meal that’s cooked with just one sheet pan. We make a lot of baked fish with lemon and butter, so this wasn’t too far outside our norm. Usually, we just steam some veggies, so I loved adding the potatoes to the pan. This was incredibly easy to make and would be a good way for someone who doesn’t make a lot of fish to get a tasty introduction. 

Changes made – None

Suggestions for next time – I would use less lemon to tame down the acid. 

Dish 2 – Big-Ass Latke

This was our Easter dinner choice with friends, and I’m proud of how we pulled it off. Just reading the directions and knowing that we were going to have to flip the big-ass latke was intimidating. Everyone could enjoy a slice once it was done and we had succeeded. This was incredibly filling and would be the perfect brunch item if you don’t feel like making multiple latkes. 

Changes made – We struggled to find horseradish, so we went without it. We are not huge fans, so we didn’t feel we were missing out. 

Suggestions for next time – I would add the horseradish if I was serving to a large group, but otherwise, no changes for this recipe.

Dish 3 – Spicy Green Fregola with Salty Yog

This bright green dish was a great way to pack in your greens with an entire bag of spinach added to the food processor. The flavor was fantastic, and the recipe made a lot of food. We had this with the big-ass latke for a Sunday supper with friends, and there were leftovers to take home. I would definitely make this again as a good way to stock up on veggies. 

Changes made – I used couscous instead of fregola and opted for the jalapeno. We also did not read the instructions on the “assemble” piece, so we mixed the yogurt right into the dish. 

Suggestions for next time – Follow the instructions. I would also be happy to try the serrano chiles instead of the jalapeno, but I’m sure either way is good. 

Dish 4 – Rigatoni with Creamed Leeks & Chive-y Bread Crumbs

I added a fourth recipe because we combined two others. This one was exactly what we needed when the spring weather turned back to the winter grays and cold for a few days. Leeks might just be my new favorite vegetable. This will probably be in our rotation in the colder months when cheesy pasta sounds the best. 

Changes made – None

Suggestions for next time – I might add some chopped broccoli or peas to the pasta for a little bit of green, but it’s definitely not required.

Lessons Learned

• Nuts are superior to breadcrumbs when a little crunch is wanted on the top of fish. I would love to try this on baked pasta, too. 
• Potatoes contain a lot of water. When I had to wring out the onions and potatoes, I was surprised at how much water came from them. 
• Leeks are just wonderful, and I should utilize them more. 
• Having a Dutch oven is essential. I bought ours for a sourdough journey, but I’ve been using it so much more, and for the leek dish, it proved its worth. 
• Salt is its own category in the kitchen. She recommends using salt cellars, one for kosher and one for sea salt. Who am I to argue with this salty queen?

Who Should Buy This Cookbook

This book is perfect for any level of kitchen comfort. The recipes have a wide range, including meaty options and plenty of veg-friendly choices. There are even desserts that fall on the less sweet side. This would be great for anyone who likes to entertain and feed people good food. It might not be the healthiest, but there is great variety and balance in the options. Any chefs who diligently measure out each ingredient might not totally jive with Molly’s tactics, but maybe they need some encouragement to experiment more in the kitchen. This would make a great wedding shower or housewarming gift, maybe even paired with her first cookbook and some beautiful salt cellars like these from the Container Store.

Final Thoughts on More is More

I loved this book. The only reason I might not purchase it for my kitchen is the amount of meat recipes that we would never make in our pescatarian household. This is definitely one of my top favorites for the year so far (along with Isa Does It.) Don’t skip over the smoothie and drink recipes, too. We have made the tahini date smoothie multiple times this week as a “dessert.” 

I’m excited to get my hands on her first book and do more of a deep dive on her website. Buy your copy of More is More, and tell me what recipes you are most excited about. See the full list of cookbooks we’ve reviewed so far this year here.