Cookbook Review and Recipe: Young & Hungry By Gabi Moskowitz and Diana Snyder

YOUNG & HUNGRY
Your Complete Guide to a Delicious Life

By: Gabi Moskowitz and Diana Snyder

Published: April 11, 2017

Publisher: Freeform

Non-Fiction

Gabi Diamond is the character on the Freeform produced TV show, "Young & Hungry". The show was loosely based on the life of Gabi Moskowitz, the editor-in-chief of the nationally-acclaimed budget cooking blog BrokeAssGourmet and an author of several cookbooks. Moskowitz is also the co-producer of "Young & Hungry". Author Diana Snyder is a full-time writer for Freeform's "Young & Hungry".

YOUNG & HUNGRY is more than just a cookbook, but a guide to setting up your life and home as you enter the adult world. As stated in the introduction, there comes a time in everyone's life when you need to learn how to cook and get a decent apartment. This book begins to set young women (the target audience) up with a stocked pantry and medicine cabinet, how to handle those first job interviews, handling stressful situations, and lots of easy recipes to feed yourself or company.

I have never even heard of the TV show "Young & Hungry" before so I asked my teen daughter about it. She hadn't either but was willing to go through the book and give me her thoughts. Even though I thought this was marketed to teen girls, I would say it is written more for high school to college-aged girls. When my daughter pointed out the essentials for a medicine cabinet and condoms were listed, I realized the target audience was likely a bit older. But, I had her go through the recipes and choose one she wanted to try. She agreed there were other helpful tips and liked the homemade recipes for a body scrub and face mask. I'm glad she skipped the part about office tips as there were discussions about Tinder and not sleeping with your boss. The tips for online dating were straight-forward and honest, just again, not for a teenager.

So, while I think this is a book that offers helpful tips and recipes, it is a bit misleading in the presentation. When the show "Young & Hungry" receives five nominations for the Teen Choice Awards, you assume it is for teens. This book is not unless you just focus on the recipes.

There are plenty of quick and easy recipes included in this book like Roast Chicken, Overnight Oatmeal, Strawberry Basil Lemonade, and Magical One-Pot Spaghetti to name a few. The recipe we chose to make was the Hand Pies. They were a perfect idea for Father's Day as we could cater the pies to each family member's personal tastes. They were fun and easy to make and quite delicious.

HAND PIES

Click HERE for Printable Version

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Makes 6

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour
Parchment Paper
1 Standard Pie Crust (found in the dairy section of most stores)

Filling Ideas

Jam
Smores: Mini Marshmallows, Chocolate Chips, and Graham Crackers (broken up)
PB&J: Peanut Butter and Jam
Lemon Curd
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin Puree, Brown Sugar, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a Pinch of Salt
Hot Pepper Jam and Cream Cheese
Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Dust the counter with flour.
4. Roll the dough out into a smooth oval about 1/8 inch thick.
5. Use a glass or round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles about 4" in diameter or whatever size you have.
6. On half of the circles, cut a tiny "X" in the middle of the circle.
7. Fill the circles without an "X" with a tablespoon or two of filling into the center of one circle.
8. Wet your finger and circle the border of the dough with the filling on it.
9. Place the circle with the "X" on the top of the dough with the filling.
10. use your fingers to pinch the pieces of dough together to form a tight seal.
11. Use the back of a fork to gently seal the edges of the dough.
12. Repeat with remaining circles of dough.
13. Arrange on a baking sheet making sure there is space between each pie. 
14. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until golden brown.
15. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes and serve.

We rolled out the dough and cut circles with a glass.

 Since the pie crust package came with two doughs, we rolled out both and made 11 pies.  

These were the toppings we chose for our pies: 

marshmallows and mini chocolate chips, strawberry rhubarb jam, cookie butter, and lemon curd. 

Each circle got a dollop of ingredients in the center.

Then each circle was dabbed with water before placing the top circle on.

The hand pies are ready to go in the oven.

A college student or recent graduate starting off in her own apartment will find this book helpful in decorating and setting up apartment and office space. The recipes are simple and useful in both entertaining or feeding yourself. The presentation of material is honest and fun. It's a girls' guide to being young, single, and starting off life as an adult.


To purchase YOUNG & HUNGRY, click the photo below:

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