Taste what the author is cooking

We whipped up, served up and wolfed down three recipes from ‘Magnolia Table’

Some people just seem too good to be true. Joanna Gaines is one of those people. She is accomplished, approachable and, I admit, my favorite Gaines. (Sorry, Chip, but I have a feeling you would agree with me on that.) So, can she cook, too?

The co-star of HGTV’s departed Fixer Upper and now companion spinoff Fixer Upper: Behind the Design has a new

cookbook, Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering (William Morrow).

My colleagues and I have tested other celebrity cookbooks, including titles from Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chrissy Teigen, even Freddie Prinze Jr. Now it’s Gaines’ turn.

I’ve followed her recipes carefully and heeded her advice, and in my opinion, she can add successful cookbook author to her résumé.

Here are three recipes we put to the test: