You Got This!: Recipes Anyone Can Make and Everyone Will Love

Instagrammer Morrisey proves a chipper cheerleader for new cooks in her eclectic hodgepodge of a debut. The author, who oversaw prepared foods for the Whole Foods grocery store chain, writes in her inviting introduction that she learned to cook from watching the Food Network. Chapters are organized into standard groupings like dinner (options include macaroni and cheese with chicken breast and bacon, and classic meatloaf) and vegetables (bean and sweet potato enchiladas, carrots tossed with gochujang). Morrisey vacillates between gimmicky and classic: desserts include potato chips dipped in chocolate but also chocolate pots de crème and olive oil cake. While ready-made foods feature heavily (Christmas morning coffee cake incorporates cake mix and instant pudding, and chicken fajita pinwheels are encased in store-bought pizza dough), there are also useful recipes for building blocks like ranch dressing and galette dough. French toast in strips and chicken tenders in a corn flake crust recipes stem from the years the author spent feeding her six kids, while other offerings, like marinated flank steak with pineapple salsa, and salmon brushed with a glaze of mustard, ginger, and apricot preserves, appeal to more sophisticated palates and teach helpful techniques. In attempting to offer something for everyone, the collection ends up feeling a bit uneven. Still, there are treasures to be found here. (Mar.)