Cookbooks
Creamy One-Skillet Chicken Florentine From Joanna Gaines = Dinner Tonight
Plus, two more weeknight-friendly recipes from her new cookbook: Magnolia Table, Volume 2.
"It is around food that we gather in joy and in grief; it is an offering that comforts us in bad times and enriches the good times," Joanna Gaines writes in the introduction to her new cookbook, Magnolia Table, Volume 2.
This has always been true, of course, but the idea of cooking as comfort feels more important than ever. In the past few weeks, it seems like the world has collectively gathered in the kitchen—baking a batch of crinkly-chewy chocolate chip cookies, letting a pantry-friendly soup burble on the stovetop, and finally attempting a sourdough starter for the first time.
No one could have predicted that this is where we'd all be right now, but this collection of new recipes couldn't be more timely. Especially if, like me, you've exhausted your existing repertoire of standby pastas and casseroles (I will always love you, my bucatini marinara, but I think it's time we take a break) and are craving something new to try.
There are weekend projects, which I for one plan to tackle in between breaks of staring at my 1,000-piece puzzle: rosemary-scented focaccia (I finally got my hands on active dry yeast, huzzah!), pulled brisket sliders, and the handheld chocolate cakes served at Magnolia Press (Joanna and Chip's coffee shop in Waco).
And then there are what I like to call the any-nighters: supremely simple, satisfying dishes that can be on the table and ready to eat in under an hour (or 30 minutes). Like the original Magnolia Table cookbook, Volume 2 has this formula down pat.
Joanna's creamy chicken Florentine is a prime example. It hits all those any-night marks I mentioned a second ago—simple? Check. Satisfying? Most certainly. Ready in less than an hour? Easily. And as a bonus, it dirties but one skillet. Sold.
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 4 | boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each) |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 3/4 | teaspoons kosher salt |
| 1/2 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 1/2 | cup minced shallots (about 2 large) |
| 3 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1 | cup good-quality dry white wine |
| 1 | cup heavy cream |
| 4 | cups baby spinach (about 3 ounces) |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh parsley |
| 1/2 | lemon, cut into 4 wedges, for serving |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 4 | boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each) |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 3/4 | teaspoons kosher salt |
| 1/2 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 1/2 | cup minced shallots (about 2 large) |
| 3 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 1 | cup good-quality dry white wine |
| 1 | cup heavy cream |
| 4 | cups baby spinach (about 3 ounces) |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh parsley |
| 1/2 | lemon, cut into 4 wedges, for serving |
There's also weeknight salmon, speedy shrimp and grits, cheesy chicken and asparagus casserole, very riffable spinach tortellini soup, and so many others.
Flipping through the cookbook is like discovering an episode of Fixer Upper you somehow never watched—fresh, yet soothingly familiar. Each house is unique, but Chip's goofy jokes and Joanna's all-nighter before the big reveal are a constant. Oh, and the shiplap. Always the shiplap.
| 1 | pound baby new potatoes, quartered |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | teaspoon garlic salt |
| 1 | teaspoon kosher salt |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 | teaspoon paprika |
| 1 | teaspoon onion powder |
| 4 | skin-on salmon fillets, 1 1/2 inches thick (about 8 ounces each) |
| 3 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted |
| 2 | Meyer lemons |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh dill |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh parsley |
| 1 | pound baby new potatoes, quartered |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | teaspoon garlic salt |
| 1 | teaspoon kosher salt |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 | teaspoon paprika |
| 1 | teaspoon onion powder |
| 4 | skin-on salmon fillets, 1 1/2 inches thick (about 8 ounces each) |
| 3 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted |
| 2 | Meyer lemons |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh dill |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh parsley |
| 1 | tablespoon unsalted butter |
| 1/2 | medium onion, cut into medium dice |
| 1 | tablespoon minced garlic |
| 6 | cups (1 1/2 quarts) chicken broth |
| 1 | teaspoon (14 1/2-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes |
| 1/2 | teaspoon Italian seasoning |
| 1 | (9-ounce) package cheese tortellini |
| 1 | (14 1/2-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained |
| 6 | cups baby spinach |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Juice of ½ lemon | |
| 1 | cup shaved Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces) |
| 1 | loaf French bread, for serving |
| 1 | tablespoon unsalted butter |
| 1/2 | medium onion, cut into medium dice |
| 1 | tablespoon minced garlic |
| 6 | cups (1 1/2 quarts) chicken broth |
| 1 | teaspoon (14 1/2-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes |
| 1/2 | teaspoon Italian seasoning |
| 1 | (9-ounce) package cheese tortellini |
| 1 | (14 1/2-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained |
| 6 | cups baby spinach |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Juice of ½ lemon | |
| 1 | cup shaved Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces) |
| 1 | loaf French bread, for serving |
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