Natasha's Kitchen by Natasha Kravchuk

Simple recipes for the novice cook...and the most perfect waffles and pies!

A page from Natasha’s Kitchen cookbook…a sublime peach pie!

Hi friend,

Before I tell you about this week’s cookbook, let me give you a little PSA¹.

You might have heard of the popular book Atomic Habits by James Clear. But here’s an embarrassing fact: I purchased the book when it first came out, and it sat on my bookshelf gathering dust for several years before I finally read it at the end of last year. After I finished it, I thought, “Why didn’t I read this sooner?” It was life changing, to say the least.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was the idea of reframing your words and actions to support the person you want to become. For example, if you want to quit smoking, you don’t say, “I want to quit smoking.” You say, “I want to be a non-smoker.” Then ask yourself, “What would a non-smoker do?”

Well, a non-smoker doesn’t smoke, for one. And two, a non-smoker doesn’t put themselves into situations that causes them to smoke in the first place.

You get the idea.

The main point is that small, everyday actions will add up over time. So, even if you feel like things are not moving fast enough, or there are no progress, trust that it is, as long as you continue doing the things that help you become the person you want to be.

Atomic Habits is no doubt one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time. I’ll recommend it to anyone, because I think every one of us can benefit from reading that book. James Clear took a very simple concept (developing habits), fully embraced it, and wrote his way into a book deal. It’s amazing, really, how he did it.

Now, onto this week’s cookbook.

I have a friend who likes to bake, and many years ago, she mentioned that she used recipes from Natasha’s Kitchen. It was one of those things that I stored in the back of my mind, never to be thought of again. Then, many years passed, and I stumbled upon one of Natasha’s recipes, thanks to the power of SEO. Although I can’t remember which recipe was the first one I tried, I do recall being completely enamored with her because it worked really, really well.

Natasha Kravchuk is a Ukrainian immigrant who came to the United States when she was just four years old. Along with four sisters, she and her family made a home in the Seattle area for years before moving to Idaho.

Her mom had gone to culinary school but never became a professional chef. Still, she was clever in the kitchen and as a result, Natasha and her siblings were well fed. “She saw it as a way to spoil us in one of the small ways she could,” Natasha writes. The downside is that Natasha did not learn how to cook until she had a family of her own.

She began sharing recipes online in 2009 and came to YouTube in 2011. Some of her earliest videos were simple dishes like spinach and artichoke dip (of which there is a version in her book), strawberry smoothies and cream cheese chicken chili. In the early days, the videos appear to be done in a darkly lit home kitchen; later, she enlisted the help of her husband, and upgraded to a bright, modern kitchen with Instagram-worthy cabinets. Her kids and husband would occasionally make appearances as well.

One thing that hasn’t changed is her hair and her personality. The former is always perfectly curled and the latter is always smiling — her signature phrase is, “I’m hungry so let’s get started!”

What makes Natasha unique is not just her bubbly personality, but the fact that she leans heavily on simple “American” dishes (like pastas and lasagnas, mashed potatoes, chicken noodle soup, fruit tarts, buttermilk pancakes, etc.) rather than dishes from her Ukrainian heritage. Her cookbook is the same way — full of classic dishes that are sure to please a crowd along with several Ukrainian dishes inspired by her mother.

So many good recipes in this book, as evidenced by my Post-it notes.

Overall rating

Cover: 8/10.

While I enjoyed seeing Natasha’s smiling face on the cover, I have to say it’s a bit…basic. Ubiquitous, even. The cover conveys such a simplicity that I often see in a lot of popular chefs’ cookbooks, so much that I probably would have passed by this book at the store without giving it a second chance.

Price: 9/10

For the price of $29.99 MSRP, the book is literally a steal, in my opinion, because it provides so much. There’s more than 100 recipes, which makes it a whoppin’ 29 cents per recipe, much cheaper than you’d expect.

Photography: 9/10

The photography for this cookbook, done by Charity Burggraaf, was excellent. I love seeing snapshots of Natasha and her family. It gave me the “close knit family” vibe, which speaks to the simplicity and comfort evident in many of her recipes.

Recipe quality: 8/10

Most, if not all, of the recipes I tried had easy-to-understand instructions. Some of the recipes, however, were written in a way that made me question what it meant. But it was probably due to my over tendency to question things rather than take it for what it is.

You’ll like this book if: you consider yourself an amateur cook, you want simple baking recipes, you want meals that you can make in a reasonable time, you’re a budget conscious consumer, you like popular “American” dishes but are open to other cultures’ dishes like borscht and pierogies.

For this cookbook, I tested a handful of recipes: cinnamon rolls (page 33), ricotta waffles (page 37), blueberry crumb muffins (page 38), fudgy banana bread (page 41), Diana’s chocolate birthday cake (page 229), fresh peach pie (page 239), tres leches cupcakes (page 250) (do you see a theme here?), spring greens salad (page 101), and baked mac and cheese (page 154).

This cookbook is a gold mine for the novice home cook. From avocado toast to chunky guacamole to deviled eggs to mac ‘n cheese and crispy bacon jalapeño poppers, this cookbook is filled with simple dishes you can execute even if you have no idea how to cook.

I appreciated the fact that Natasha provides “Pro Tips & Tricks” on most recipes — this is helpful in case you want to prep ahead, or scale the recipe up or down, and small useful tidbits that every home cook should know.

One thing that wasn’t in the book that I would add is the time it takes to make each recipe. I don’t know about you, but to me, knowing how much time it might take to make a recipe will help me determine whether I want to make it at all.

But the most important question was: did these recipes pass the day after test?

What is the day after test, you ask? Well, simply put: is the dish still good the next day as leftovers?

The answer: 95% yes. With the exception of the tres leches cupcakes, which didn’t work out very well despite following the recipe and the baked mac and cheese that stuck to the baking dish and was a bit dry, most dishes still tasted delightful the next day.

The overall winner, though, is the ricotta waffles. Its light, airy texture feels like a cloud of cotton candy dessert in your mouth. The zest from the lemon also added a nice undertone, making it the perfect thing to whip up on a lazy weekend morning. (Indeed, I made this a few times on Saturdays for my kids’ breakfasts, and they loved it). I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe at all. I like to top my waffles with whipped cream, a choice that my kids support wholeheartedly.

The runner up is peach pie. I found the pie crust recipe simple and easy to make, but the instructions for softening the peaches were a bit cumbersome and the timing of the ‘preheat the oven’ (step 4) to be slightly off from my actual preparation, so I would put this step a little bit later, perhaps right before I cut out the 1-inch wide strips for the top of the pie. I would also select peaches that are already fairly soft so it doesn’t need to be softened in a pot for that long.

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1. Public service announcement. Call it encouragement, positive reinforcement, reflections, or what have you…the idea is to get you into a good mindset so we can talk about fun stuff — cookbooks!