Good Enough: Embracing the Joys of Imperfection and Practicing Self-Care in the Kitchen

"This is a book that feels very much of its time, but also timeless. She talks a lot about her struggles with trying to get food on the table due to depression and anxiety. Of course, a lot of these things for many people were exacerbated in the last two years by the pandemic. She talks about the connection between food and what’s going on internally, how sometimes it can help to be cooking—and sometimes it can make you spiral out even more. She’s very honest about all these things that she and other people go through. Sometimes you can read a cookbook and feel it’s unrealistic. You’re not always going to be happy in the kitchen. I’m probably as guilty of this as much as anyone else; sometimes cooking is a real struggle. And she acknowledges that. She emphasizes that ‘good enough’ is not necessarily settling for less; it’s your best at any given moment, whether that’s putting cheese on crackers or cooking up a feast for people you love. One thing I like that she says is: cooking is an essential skill, but it amplifies the feelings we bring to it. Each chapter starts with an essay and then she shares recipes. The recipes are all very approachable, they’re things that you can riff on. It’s stuff you would make every day at home: pasta, soups, salads, cookies. Some are what you would call comfort foods, some are brighter. So it gives you this whole spectrum of things you can make, depending on how you’re feeling. She also gives you permission to take it easy and eat chips and dip, or whatever you feel like at any given moment. It’s like a pep talk, but a realistic one: ‘Take care of yourself, it’s okay to feel like you’re struggling—but feed yourself and take care of yourself.’ It’s really refreshing, without overly glossing over things."