public RedirectToActionResult Add(int activeones, string activetwos) { Utilities.UserToView(this); //created variable to save recipe var selectRecipe = context.Recipes //find recipe ID .Where(t => t.RecipeId == activeones) .FirstOrDefault(); //if recipeId not valid then null // a session to save the favorite recipe to var session = new SessionClass(HttpContext.Session); //get favorite recipe var favoriteRecipe = session.GetRecipes(); //check if favorite recipe is already on the list by comparing recipe id with activeones var existingRecipe = favoriteRecipe.Where(x => x.RecipeId == activeones) .FirstOrDefault(); //loop to add recipe if not on list if (existingRecipe == null) { favoriteRecipe.Add(selectRecipe); session.SetMyRecipes(favoriteRecipe); } TempData["message"] = $"{activetwos} added to your favorites"; return(RedirectToAction("Index")); }