Remember when it was exciting to find a product in the store that was advertised "As seen on TV"?
In a 180-degree twist, it warmed our print-loving hearts to see an old-fashioned, hardcover, bound-paper cookbook by Tasty, the ubiquitous social media giant that produces short recipe videos.
No more squinting at a screen while roasting peppers for Tasty's jalapeno popper dip. No fretting over the possibility of missing steps while making its Neapolitan brownie bomb.
Those recipes and other viewer favorites are "as seen online" in "Tasty Latest & Greatest: Everything You Want to Cook Right Now" (Clarkson Potter, 192 pp., $19.99). (Tasty already offers a customizable, spiral-bound cookbook on its website, tasty.co, but the new release is considered an "official Tasty cookbook.")
The tome is organized into nine sections: party (which includes fried mac 'n' cheese sticks, burrito cups); country fare (buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, tornado potatoes); sweet (giant cinnamon roll, caramel rose apple pie); classic (French pepper steak, chicken cordon bleu); vegetarian (baked Buffalo cauliflower, zucchini "meat"balls); best ever (cheesiest garlic bread ever, fudgiest brownies ever); around the world (German pancake aka Dutch baby, Korean BBQ-style beef aka bulgogi); on trend (fidget spinner cookies, unicorn cheesecake); and bombs and rings (cheeseburger pretzel bombs, blooming quesadilla ring).
Of course, some of the decadent dishes we craved after seeing them online are included, such as chili cheese dog boats, one-pot chicken-bacon pesto pasta, cheesecake-stuffed banana bread ring, and the magic chocolate ball (hot chocolate sauce is poured over a chocolate sphere, which melts to reveal a brownie, berries and ice cream hidden inside).
Not all of the recipes include a photo of the finished dish, but the instructions are straightforward and easy to follow.
"In our world, cooking isn't supposed to be intimidating, or take up your entire weekend, or contain a ton of stuff you have to run around for hours sourcing out," says "Tasty Latest & Greatest." "It's meant to be delicious ... but above all else, it's supposed to be a good time."
Fidget Spinner Cookies
"Nothing to be nervous about here: follow the instructions and you'll have an actual working version of our nation's national therapy toy." Makes 12 cookies.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
Royal icing, any color, for decoration
1. In large bowl, add flour, sugar and salt, and mix together with wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Add butter, and mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add vanilla and cream cheese, and mix until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.
2. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead until it becomes a cohesive ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Use a fidget spinner as a guide to cut out 12 shapes in dough. Use a clean water bottle cap to cut out 12 circles. Take extra dough and roll out again to 1/2-inch thickness. With a straw, poke out 12 small pegs that will act as dowels for fidget spinner cookies.
5. With same straw, poke holes in fidget spinner cookie centers and move it around in a circle, widening hole to be larger than diameter of pegs. Place all shapes on baking sheet.
6. Bake for 7 minutes and remove pegs. Rotate baking sheet and continue baking for 8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown.
7. Cool cookies completely, then decorate as you like with your favorite icing or decorations. Use frosting or royal icing as glue to attach a peg to backside of one of small circles. Place fidget spinner cookie base over peg and attach second circle cookie with more frosting. Let all the frosting dry before attempting to spin.
-- Adapted from "Tasty Latest & Greatest: Everything You Want to Cook Right Now" (Clarkson Potter, 192 pp., $19.99)
Cheeseburger Pretzel Bombs
"When a recipe looks more complicated than it is but still tastes like a million bucks, you're in a win-win position. These meatball-stuffed, cheese-wrapped cylinders are a great example. The best part is that after making them you'll know how to pretzelize anything you can wrap in plain-old pizza dough; the secret is ... wait for it ... baking soda!" Makes 14 bombs.
Cheeseburger pretzel bombs from "Tasty Latest & Greatest." 1 pound pizza dough, left out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes
7 slices of American cheese, cut in half
14 frozen mini meatballs, thawed
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg, beaten
Coarse sea salt
Yellow mustard, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut dough into 14 even pieces. Working one at a time, stretch out a piece of dough into a long strip, about 8 inches long. Place a piece of cheese at top, followed by a meatball, and roll up cheese and meatball in dough. Rotate halfway through rolling to ensure you are completely encasing cheese and meat. Pull tightly and use remaining slack to cover any possible gaps/holes. Press dough into itself to seal and place on lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, cheese and meatballs.
3. In medium saucepan over high heat, bring 5 cups of water to boil. Once boiling, add baking soda and stir to dissolve. Return pot to a boil.
4. In batches (working 3 to 5 at a time), add rolled dough balls into pot and allow to boil for 20 to 30 seconds, stirring gently. Remove and dab on paper towel before replacing on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
5. Brush each boiled ball with beaten egg and then sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the outsides have browned. Serve warm with mustard, if desired.
-- Adapted from "Tasty Latest & Greatest: Everything You Want to Cook Right Now" (Clarkson Potter, 192 pp., $19.99)
One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
"Whether you make a pie crust from scratch or pick one up from the refrigerator case at the grocery, you've now got the essential item for pot-pie perfection. The filling of potatoes, onions, carrots, and peas -- not to mention the excitement of breaking through the flaky crust to reveal the creamy filling -- is the cooking equivalent of a cozy set of PJs." Makes 4 servings.
One-skillet chicken pot pie from "Tasty Latest & Greatest." 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Yukon Gold potato, cubed
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 frozen prepared pie dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in cast-iron skillet. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until meat is golden brown on outside and no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside.
2. To same skillet, add onions and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add potato cubes and saute about 5 minutes. Add peas and carrots, and stir again. Add butter and allow it to melt. Sprinkle flour on top, covering vegetables, and quickly stir to avoid lumps. Pour in chicken broth and bring to boil to thicken sauce. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
3. Place pie dough over chicken and vegetable mixture, and carefully seal along edges of skillet with your fingers. Brush pastry with egg, and cut 3 slits in the top to release steam. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
-- Adapted from "Tasty Latest and Greatest: Everything You Want to Cook Right Now" (Clarkson Potter, 192 pp., $19.99)