Q: Please help me make my rice more interesting. I love to use basmati rice with many different dinners, but I am tired of the same old rice. What are some good recipes to liven up my rice?
Sent by George
After evaluating dinner habits for The Cooking Cure, yesterday we asked our readers to choose five new dinner recipes. After all, sometimes deciding what to cook is the hardest part of dinner!
We checked out the #cookingcure hashtag to see how Day 13’s assignment went for you — here are some highlights!
We’ve all been there: it’s 5pm and you have no idea what you’re going to do for dinner. You might wander around the grocery store after work or school without a real recipe in mind and choose a whole bunch of stuff for a “salad”. You might even skip the grocery store altogether and just order take-out or eat cereal straight from the box.
Well, this doesn’t need to be you any longer! Take this totally easy magazine-style quiz to find out what you should actually be eating for dinner.
I’ve been in Los Angeles for a week and we’ve already grilled artichokes three times. While the earth in my neck of the woods back east still snores through its winter slumber, agriculture is full-on here. Given the warm weather, we decided to grill as much as possible so we’ve been finishing off the ‘chokes on the grill. It lends a nice crispy texture to the edges (think potato chip!) and a smoky flavor that you just can’t get out of a pot of boiling water.
At the tail-end of winter, I’m often tempted to buy out-of-season produce flown in from far-flung regions. This week I’m taking a big breath, putting the asparagus down, and giving rutabagas and potatoes a last hurrah. They’re the perfect additions to this Thai-inspired chicken soup, adding a hearty note that feels just right for the equinox.
Day 13: Wednesday, March 19
Assignment: Find 5 new recipes to make for dinner
The Cooking Cure: See all assignments so far here
Sometimes deciding what to cook is the toughest part of making dinner, don’t you think? Whether you’re in a total dinner rut or, the opposite, you’re overwhelmed with the number of recipes you’re constantly accumulating, the problem is the same: taking time to make a conscious choice about what to have for dinner.
Today, your assignment is to make that time. Set aside part of your day to sift through your cookbooks, comb your favorite blogs and magazines, and sort through your recipe box. Give yourself the time you need to find some recipes that make you excited for dinner.
Rice and beans makes for the ultimate budget meal — especially if you cook dried beans from scratch — but that doesn’t mean your dinner has to be boring. Simmered with fragrant spices, wrapped up in a tortilla, baked into a comforting casserole, this combination can be cooked up in a variety of ways that manage to be satisfying and tasty, without breaking the bank.
Q: Can I use the leftover broth from corned beef and cabbage in a soup the next day?
Sent by Jane
I see monolithic stone backsplashes like these and think expensive — prohibitively so, but I still can’t help but pore over them as if a mason were standing by waiting for me to decide on one for my own kitchen. The beauty of natural stone is really allowed to shine in the running veins of large slabs, making backsplashes like this the focal point of the room.
The angle: All your favorite comfort foods, now with a Southwest twist!
Recipes for right now: Mushroom & Leek Migas, Sweet Potato & Bacon Sopes, Sage & Honey Skillet Biscuits, Vegan Puffy Tacos with Cumin-Spiced Hummus, Chicken Tinga Pot Pie, Coffee-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Weeknight Mole
Who would enjoy this book? Anyone who keeps their spice cupboard stocked with dried chilis, home cooks looking for a spicier kind of weeknight dinner
