Sara Lynn Cauchon - The Domestic Geeks Meals Made Easy

Copyright 2019 by Inspired Entertainment, Inc.

Photography copyright 2019 by Inspired Entertainment, Inc.

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.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Cauchon, Sara Lynn, author.

Title: The Domestic Geeks meals made easy : a fresh, fuss-free approach to healthy cooking / Sara Lynn Cauchon.

Description: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. | Includes index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2018033161 (print) | LCCN 2018038315 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328525628 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328525772 (paper over board)

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking. | Low-fat dietRecipes. | Quick and easy cooking. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX714 (ebook) | LCC TX714 .C378 2019 (print) | DDC641.5/6384dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018033161

Book design by Allison Chi

v1.0219

This book is dedicated to the incredible and dedicated Domestic Geek community that continues to inspire me every day with their passion and enthusiasm.

thank you!

I can honestly say that when I started on this journey, I really had no idea what I was getting into. Writing a cookbook is so different from running a food blog or creating YouTube videos, but is something that I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. This book has truly been a labor of love, and I am so very grateful to the incredibly supportive and inspiring people who helped me bring it to life.

First and foremost, I have to thank my business partner and work wife, Sarah Bolen, for her patience and constant encouragement through this process. She always gives me lots of creative freedom but also knows how to gently keep me on track when I get obsessivewhich happens from time to time.

I also want to extend a major thanks to my amazing colleague Alisa Furniss, who worked in the kitchen for months to ensure that each and every one of these recipes was tested until perfect. I couldnt have done this without her. And also to the rest of the Domestic Geek teamCasey Jones and Emily Purcellwho remain so dedicated to creating delicious content for our incredible online community. I couldnt ask for a more talented and kind group of people to work with every day.

When it comes to a cookbook, mouthwatering food photography is a must, and I wouldnt have trusted this project to anyone but my dear friend Kyla Zanardi, who is both wildly talented and extremely patient, and helped me bring this vision to life. I also want to thank our amazing styling teamDara Sutin, Houston Mausner, and Rayna Schwartzwho, with seemingly no effort at all, makes everything look more delicious than I could ever even imagine.

And then theres the book itself, which would have never come to be without the gentle nudging of my amazing agent, Samantha Haywood, who somehow believed I could do this before I ever did. And of course, I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to our publishers, Justin Schwartz and Andrea Magyar, who have been huge champions of this project from the very beginning. Thanks to you both for guiding me through this unfamiliar and intimidating process and for working so collaboratively with me to see it to fruition.

And finally, I want to send a huge thanks to my amazing family that has loved me every step of the way and remains the Domestic Geeks biggest cheerleaders all these years later. Especially my husband, Gregory, who stood by me when I decided to quit my full-time job as a television producer to become a YouTube creator, and who didnt complain when I took over our tiny kitchen and then our entire house to make this dream a reality, and who continues to believe, even today, that I am capable of achieving anything I can imagine. xo

Hi there! Im guessing that if youre reading this, you want to eat better; that healthy eating is important to you and that you want to do more of it. But also that youre busyworking, studying, generally being awesomeand what little time you do have, you dont necessarily want to spend in the kitchen. I get it. Thats why my goal is to make eating well easier. Oh, and a lot more delicious, of course.

In my experience, the secret is not fancy ingredients, tools, or techniques. Its about having a collection of simple recipes that can be prepared quickly, affordably, and, above all, easily, but that you also actually want to eat. I hope this book is just that.

Im Sara Lynn, by the way, and if youre new to the Domestic Geek community, WELCOME! Ive spent the last five years dishing out all sorts of deliciousness on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and just about anywhere else hungry people seek kitchen inspiration. Its amazing to think that in that time, our cooking collective has grown to include more than 1.5 million dedicated food enthusiasts. A total dream come true, especially for someone who adores all things edible as much as I do.

Food was really my first love. Growing up, cooking was always my favorite thing to do. While other kids were watching cartoons or cheesy sitcoms, I was watching cooking shows and then heading into the kitchen to test newly discovered recipes and techniques. My parents were always incredibly supportive and, as parents do, politely choked down anything I served up with a spirited Good job! whether it was particularly palatable or not. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

But it wasnt enough for me to just cook the recipes, oh no. Channeling my beloved TV chefs, I would talk my imaginary audience through each and every step, recommending a pinch of this or a splash of that to a plethora of endlessly attentive stuffed animals. (Who, in retrospect, were probably grateful for their lack of hearingand taste buds, for that matter.)

As I grew up, my tastes grew with me, and I spent my early twenties experimenting with all sorts of exotic flavors and fussy French techniques. I traveled all over on eating adventures and discovered so many new cuisines along the way. I was so obsessed, in fact, that every week my fellow foodies and I hosted a Friday night supper club, where wed try daring new recipes over too many bottles of wine.

And like good wine, my cooking skills improved with age, but the amount of time I spent in the kitchen became less and less. As a busy professional, I just didnt have endless hours to stand at the stove anymore, and most often found myself either eating out or ordering inhabits that were jeopardizing both my health and my bank account. Something needed to change, so back to the kitchen I went.