Alex Snodgrass - The Defined Dish

Copyright 2019 by The Defined Dish, LLC

Foreword copyright 2019 by Melissa Urban

Photography copyright 2019 by Kristen Kilpatrick

Icon art copyright Shutterstock/Nataleana

The Defined Dish is a trademark of The Defined Dish, LLC.

All rights reserved.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-0-358-00441-7 (hbk)

ISBN 978-0-358-00400-4 (ebk)

Book design by Toni Tajima

v2.0120

To the Defined Dish Community: This book would not be here without you. A huge hug to each of you for always supporting me and cheering me on every step of the way. Thank you for sharing my blog with your friends and family and for cooking my dishes. It brings me more happiness than you could ever know. I cant wait to see these recipes be made in your own homes for the ones you love most! You are so special to me, and I am so incredibly blessed to be able to share what I love with you.

My sweet Sutton and Winnie: Everything I do is with you first in my heart. You make me want to wake up every day and do something great. Although I want you to stay young forever, I cannot wait until you are both old enough to cook these recipes one day. It already warms my heart thinking about it. You continue to inspire me to put my heart and soul into everything I do.

The queen, Melissa Urban: Thank you for starting the Whole30. You have changed my life in so many more ways than I could ever imagine. You not only taught me that eating clean makes me feel good, but aside from that, you taught me that taking care of myself first makes me a better human. Thank you for believing in me. I am forever grateful.

Kristen Kilpatrick: You made this book more beautiful than I could ever imagine. You are such a light to be around and I cannot imagine creating this book alongside anyone else but you. Thank you for pushing me outside of my comfort zone and making me feel beautiful in these photos. For capturing the beauty in these dishes I love so much. For spending countless hours and late nights working on this with me, and for making me laugh so hard I could pee my pants. I am lucky to call you my friend!

My funky, loving, and caring husband, Clayton: Without you, I might not stay sane doing what I do. Thank you for always talking through lifes and works obstacles. The Defined Dish wouldnt be here without you. You have encouraged me so much to pursue my dreams and have been such an important part of everything. Thank you for being my at-home Gordon Ramsay, tasting each and every one of these dishes and always providing your honest feedback. I love you more than words can say. Thank you for being my partner in life and for always lifting me up when I need you most.

Mom: Thank you for teaching me so much in the kitchen and for being a rock I can always count on. Without you, I would not be who I am today, sharing what I share and doing what I do. Youve shown me how to be the strong and loving woman I am. Thank you for your undying love and support in all that I do. (Oh, and for testing like 45 of these recipes for me!)

My best friend in the world, my sister, Madison: I dont know what Id do without you. Your friendship is one of the most important things to me in my life, and I am so grateful that God gave me a best friend through giving me a little sister. Thank you for being my ride-or-die, for testing hundreds of recipes for me, for listening to me when I need a good cry, and for pumping me up and making me feel like a rock star! I love you.

Dad: Thank you for supporting me and loving me, endlessly. Now that I am older with children, I look back on my childhood and see how much you have sacrificed for me, Madison, and Clay. Thank you for leaving your busy work day and never missing one of my sporting events or important school accomplishments, for drawing me a hot bath every night after a long day of being a busy kid (ha!), for waking me up at 5 a.m. for cross-country practices with a cold water and note in my car and for making me a hot breakfast every morning. You are a bada**. I am so proud to call you my Dad, and I am so grateful for the love you have shown me.

GoGo: I would have never in a million years thought Id be so close with my mother-in-law. You have taught me so much in the kitchen, and I thank you for that. But I thank you more for teaching me the art of dedication and sacrifice. I can always rely on you for anything and I hope to do the same for my children. Thank you for all that you do for our little family, and for loving me like your own daughter. You are so special to me.

Papa: Thank you for telling every single person that you talk about to my blog. I can just see you now at lunch today telling the waiter about it, and it makes me smile. You are such a wonderful father-in-law and I am appreciative of the love and support you provide.

Clay: My big brother who always has my back, cheers me on, and helps with my technological issues in life! I love you very much.

Teri Turner: Thank you so much for being a phone call away throughout my career and the creation of this book. You have been such a wonderful mentor and friend to me. I am so grateful for your support.

Taylor: Thank you for approaching me at Whole Foods that day and asking if I needed an assistant. I really did (ha ha), and you have far exceeded my expectations. Weve destroyed my kitchen far too many times together creating magic, and I look forward to many more. Thanks for being my friend, for being a part of The Defined Dish, and for being a crucial part in the creation of this book!

Justin Schwartz, my editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Thank you for making this possible and for making my day each time you cook one of my recipes on Instagram. I am so appreciative of having an editor who loves my work and my recipes.

My dear friend, Kourtney: Thank you for recipe testing for me, even though you hate cooking! I am so glad that we went to Spain together and became sisters by choice.

Kelly and McKenzie: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules and testing so many of these recipes for me. It makes me so grateful for Instagram to form friendships like yours.

Lisa Grubka at Fletcher & Company: Thank you for reaching out to me, for your encouragement, and for believing in me with such love and compassion.

Fannie, Jeanette, and Nonnie: As I wrote each of the Southern Charms recipes, I thought of you in Heaven. Thank you for showing me the art of cooking with heart and soul... and maybe a little bit of butter ;)

Martha, our nanny and friend: I am so thankful to have you in our lives, and to have someone that I trust so dearly help me take care of the girls so I can follow my dreams. Thank you for all that you do for our little family, for being a friend I can talk to, and for tasting all of my Tacos y Ms recipes and providing me with your honest opinion. You always know how to spice things up in the kitchen, and I love learning from you! I hope you know how important you are to me and our family. I couldnt do all that I do with The Defined Dish without you!