Tasty Over the Top: High Drama, Low Maintenance: A Cookbook

First things first: let’s define Over the Top. Does over the top mean these are impossible recipes that require flawless technique and lots of equipment? Um, no, that book does not sound like fun at all. Does over the top mean you’ll be putting things on top of things? Yeah, that definitely happens here. There are also things in things, plus lots of drizzling and stuffing. But no, that’s not really the point either. Does over the top mean you’ll be exploring flavors, presentations, and combinations you’ve never considered? Yes! That you’ll tackle things that are wild beyond belief but still totally doable? Oh yes! That these recipes will encourage you to question everything you’ve always known to be true and mark the moment that begins now, your new life, full of over-the-top food? Yaaaassss!!! That’s absolutely what this book is all about.

Over the top can even be a small thing—often a simple thing—that makes the everyday extraordinary, such as Tomato Soup in a Grilled Cheese Bread Bowl (whaaaat? see this page), Peanut Butter & Jelly Donuts (flip to this page to flip out), a Milkshake Overload that you have to see to believe (check the photo on this page), or a Grilled BLT Salad (head to this page) that has everything you love from the sandwich but in a salad. In this book, you’ll find 75 recipes that will blow your mind with their creativity, sneaky hacks, and Over the Top deliciousness.

While the recipes score big on flavor and creativity, they stay simple on ingredients and execution. For example, you may be making a Cheez-It Quiche, but you’re doing it with just six main ingredients (this page, pronto!). Or a BBQ Sheet Pan Supper that’s just a matter of wrapping things in foil and baking them all together on a sheet pan with collards, mac, ribs, and all (giddyup to this page). Or—get this—a Salad Party Platter that’s as easy as unwrapping a few items, popping some lids, and laying salad ingredients on a table, but it’s also literally the most elegant thing you’ve ever seen (the glow-up starts on this page). You’ll see a lot of packets, jars, cans, bags, and boxes of common grocery items throughout the book. It’s definitely a working-smarter-not-harder vibe in these pages.

When it comes to plating these treats, now is the time to go big and go bold. Over the top is a total mood. It’s confetti, sparklers, little cocktail umbrellas, RuPaul’s Drag Race, gel pens, WWE, mood rings, Jock Jams, Lisa Frank, T-shirt cannons, gold lamé, muscle cars, K-pop stans, Britney’s Instagram, hot dog eating contests, roller coasters, and tacky pool floats. Does that make sense? Don’t worry about it! Grab your wildest dish and dress it up, pile it on, glitter it, sauce it, garnish it. (That’s the big.) Or reject the flair and let the food speak for itself. (That’s the bold.) Sometimes a simple plating can be the most stunning presentation, and the surprise is all in the first bite. Or sometimes a truly insane plating can be like, Ayo, bro get a pic of me for the ’gram real quick. There’s no wrong way, only creative perspectives.

What’s most important is having fun. These recipes are meant to spark your imagination, make you laugh, make you think, and make you question what food can be. Go in with an open mind and see where it takes you. Nothing is that serious, most of all food, so start cooking with a wink and a little flair. That’s the real meaning of over the top!

the turbocharged pantry

On the following pages, you’ll find all the basics, plus the party. Most of these ingredients can be purchased fairly inexpensively and have long shelf lives, so that over the top doesn’t become overbudget.

Fats

Extra-virgin olive oil. There are delicious and inexpensive brands of extra-virgin olive oil in the grocery store, perfect for everyday cooking. For an over-the-top edge, invest in a bottle of extra-delicious extra-virgin to use for dipping and drizzling only.

Vegetable oil. With a light flavor and high smoke point, vegetable oil is perfect to use whenever you are deep-frying, stir-frying, and high-heat cooking.

Peanut oil. With a pleasant peanutty flavor and very high smoke point, peanut oil is perfect for the heaviest heavy-duty frying.

Unsalted butter. Stick with unsalted so you can control the sodium levels in your food. Investing in good butter is one way to take a dish over the top. Another way is to make your own butter. A third way is to buy a cow. jkjkjk.

Acids

Red wine vinegar. Super flavorful, red wine vinegar adds a lot of punch to any dish. Use it to stand up to (or cut through) big, rich flavors.

White wine vinegar. Good for dressing delicate salads and lighter meats.

Apple cider vinegar. An unmistakable sweet-tart flavor that is great for accenting sweet and savory dishes alike.

Condiments

Tamari. Tamari is a Japanese variation of soy sauce. It offers a more savory flavor than the salty punch of Chinese soy sauce, and is often gluten-free (check the label to be sure).

Dijon mustard. Forget all other mustards—this is the one. Dressings, sauces, and sandwiches will get a ton of flavor, without an overpowering mustard aftertaste.

Yellow mustard and grainy Dijon mustard. Okay, forget what we just said about forgetting other mustards. Yellow mustard is the best for when you need an unmistakable classic ballpark mustard flavor. If it’s texture you’re after, you can’t beat the crunch of grainy Dijon. These two are great to have on hand.

Mayonnaise. Mayo is a secret weapon for adding a ton of flavor and holding everything together.

Ketchup. Not just for burgers, ketchup is great for adding savory acidity to sauces and glazes.

Hot sauce. Hot sauce can range from taco-truck-style habanero to the ubiquitous squeeze bottle of sriracha. Pick one that you love for everyday use and grab a couple other styles to meet the needs of specific dishes. (But let’s be honest, if you’re a Hot Sauce Person, your collection is probably already over the top.)

Honey. Honey can be expensive, but it’s worth it to invest in a good bottle, preferably from somewhere local. If you’re going to branch out from clover, wildflower, or orange blossom, go really over the top with something wild like spicy honey!

Peanut butter. Good old PB can bridge sweet and savory dishes, so it’s always good to have on hand. And by good we mean everything from natural brands to your favorite childhood brand, whatever you like best.

Jams and fruit preserves. Fruit jams are for so much more than just toast and sandwiches! Keep a few flavors around for dressing up everything from breakfast to dessert (and making cocktails, too).

Dry Goods

Pasta. Keep a few boxes of various pastas in fun shapes around.

Rice. Similar to pasta, rice comes in a lot of fun varieties, from jet-black Forbidden Rice to multicolored mixes. Keep a couple varieties, like long-grain white, a short-grain type, and some brown rice, on hand at all times.

Bread crumbs. Perfect for binding, coating, and topping, dried bread crumbs are a triple threat worth keeping around. Buy plain; you can take it over the top with herbs and spices as needed. (Extra over-the-top move: pulverizing a stale nub of bread in the food processor, then stashing those homemade crumbs in the freezer.)

Flour. All-purpose is the standard, and that’s all we’ll use here.

Baking soda and baking powder. Both are leavening agents, but they react differently. Baking soda reacts to acid, so the rise begins immediately. Baking powder reacts to acid and heat, so the reaction starts immediately, but the rise happens in the oven. Note that they cannot be used interchangeably, even though they’re often used together. And hey, do your baking projects a solid and swap out your baking powder supply every 6 to 12 months.

Granulated sugar. The standard for sweetener. This is the white sugar you’re used to seeing.

Light brown sugar. Brown sugar is granulated sugar mixed with molasses. Light brown sugar has a more subtle flavor than dark, giving it a higher adaptability and broader application.

Powdered sugar. The perfect finishing touch when breakfast or dessert needs some over-the-top flair, and essential for glazes and frostings. It’s sometimes labeled icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar.

Seasonings

Salt. Salting well is step one to making over-the-top flavors sing. Kosher salt has a nice texture for easy seasoning and isn’t aggressively salty. (Plus, it’s cheap in bulk!) Also invest in a good flaky sea salt, like Maldon or Jacobsen, for finishing touches on sweet and savory alike.

Pepper. Buy a sturdy pepper grinder and refill it with whole peppercorns as needed. Nothing beats freshly ground pepper—the oils in the peppercorns activate for an extra-pepper-y taste; plus, you can control the grind from fine to coarse.

Dried herbs and spices. Dried herbs are much more powerful than fresh, so reduce the quantity called for by a third if subbing in dried. Dried spices in general are best when heat and fat can activate their flavor (known as blooming), so make sure they interact with heat at some point while using them. If yours have been around since the last Tasty book hit shelves, it’s probably time to replace them.

Fresh

Meats, produce, herbs, and dairy should be purchased as close as possible to the day you’ll need them. Buying meat in bulk can be cheaper in the long run, so portion and freeze what you don’t immediately need. Just remember to move it to the refrigerator at least twelve hours before you need it so it has time to defrost.

Similarly, frozen fruit can be useful in months when fresh is out of season.

Buying vegetables and herbs in small quantities may seem tedious, but it’s cheaper than throwing them out after a few days. Some frozen vegetables, like peas and corn, are often tastier and easier than buying fresh.

Cheese, milk, and eggs should all be bought as needed to prevent spoilage. Shredded cheese can be frozen and thawed later, but everything else should be used before the expiration date.

over the top pantry

Beyond the basics, keep a shelf or a drawer full of the fun stuff to add a burst of party spirit to any dish.

Sprinkles. They all have a home here: everything from nonpareils (tiny multicolored balls) to classic rainbow to glistening sanding sugar to edible glitter.

Candy. A variety of things like mini candy bars, peanut butter cups, gummy candies, lollipops, sour candies, marshmallows, and chocolate chips will give desserts and drinks an over-the-top decorative and celebratory boost.

Cookies. The classics—like graham crackers, vanilla wafers, chocolate sandwich cookies, and toaster pastries—can be crushed and crumbled for a variety of applications, like a crunchy finish to a dessert, a delicious rim on a milkshake glass, or a sweet surprise at breakfast.

Chips. To add texture and flavor to savory dishes, keep everything from sour cream and onion to flamin’ hot to nacho cheese. They’ll all come in handy whether you’re building the ultimate nachos, turbocharging corn on the cob, or making an over-the-top omelet.

Butterfly pea flower tea. Butterfly pea flower tea is a popular herbal tea in Southeast Asia that is just starting to show up in Western stores. Vibrant blue when brewed, it turns a beautiful pale lavender when lemon juice is added. Search for it in specialty tea shops or order it online. Make sure to buy the dried flowers, not the