Magnolia Table 2 Final Summary

Second cookbook challenge complete!

This one took much longer to finish than it needed to. Life, as they say, got in the way. The year 2020 was just a train wreck for everyone and 2021 had its share of challenges as well. I am still working from home but we are making an effort to get out of the house more this year than last, so I actually cooked less than usual. The good feeling you get supporting a portion of the local economy that has been absolutely devastated by the lockdowns outweighs the horror of the prices you have to pay.

You would think that being pseudo-confined at home for almost 2 years would make it easier to finish the challenge. A lot of progress was made initially and then gingerbread 2020 ground everything to a halt. Momentum picked up going into 2021, but all progress stopped again to put in a new guest bath which took well into spring to complete. And after spending most of 2020 indoors I really wanted to get outside. A lot of improvements to the yard were made in 2021: retaining walls capped, a new huge raised bed was installed, and the front yard grass was given a lot of care to repair damage from army worms. Then gingerbread season 2021 arrived and, again, every spare moment was dedicated to my obsession with creating an entry into the OGPI competition.

As 2021 started to wind down I focused in on wrapping up several loose ends to have a clean slate for 2022, and top of the list was knocking out the last few entries and putting the summary together so this would not span 3 different years. So, without further ado, I give you the final summary of the Magnolia Table 2 cookbook challenge!

As I noted in the month 2 check-in, there are a lot of good recipes in both her books and I have found myself over the last 3 years repeatedly pulling them both out on a pretty regular basis. But when all is said and done, book 2 does end up with a bit of an edge on “keeper” recipes. I absolutely loved the breads section, and the number of phenomenal dinner recipes is just flat out astounding. There are so many 4.9 and 4.8 starred recipes that I only had room for the 4.9s.

Top favorites, best of the best recipes are:

Naked coconut cake – I could eat half a cake at one sitting this is so good and it is absolutely gorgeous under a glass cake stand cover.
Blueberry Sweet Rolls – This is my go-to recipe for brunch/breakfast family gatherings. I have made this about 6 times and it never lasts very long once made.
Pesto Buratta with Roasted Tomatoes – Buratta is the great discovery of this book and the pesto is incredibly tasty, too. Together they are phenomenal!
Philly Cheesesteaks – Mark’s favorite and one of mine as well. This is another I have made several times and will keep going back to.

Here are the best and worst by category with the caveat that it is totally subjective and based on my taste preferences. The hubby and I both rated these and were mostly aligned, but not always (see Huevos Rancheros and Overnight Black-Eyed Peas). If you have a differing opinion put it in the comments – just be kind and remember that we all have different tastes.

Share this: