After back-to-back weekends out of town and a seriously silly weekday schedule, the only thing left to cook for dinner was well, nothing at all. My cupboards looked like they’d been ransacked by some crazed food burglar. Exhausted by this insufferable, never ending New York winter, the odds of me putting on a coat to walk to the grocery were slim to none. I was determined to make something out of nothing for dinner, one of my favorite challenges that almost always results in a good old fashioned kitchen sink pasta.

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Baked Eggs with Wilted Spinach – @mrcrowthers

Last week in The Cooking Cure we tackled all things breakfast. On the first day we asked readers to remember everything they had eaten for breakfast the week before, and on Friday (Day 5’s assignment) we had readers make a new breakfast and plan ahead for the next week (so fun!). How did it go for you?

We checked out the #cookingcure hashtag to see how Day 5’s assignment went for you — here are some highlights!

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Purim is the Jewish calendar’s biggest party festival. The holiday celebrates the heroism of Queen Esther, a Jewish woman who rose to become the Queen of Persia and saved her people from destruction at the hands of her husband’s ill-intentioned advisor, Haman. People celebrate Purim by gathering in synagogues to read Esther’s story aloud. They then head off to parties to celebrate the ancient victory by wearing costumes, getting tipsy, and, of course, eating.

Here are some of Purim’s most delectable foods and traditions.

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It’s a dreary Wednesday, and my neighbor Molly is tired of being cooped up in her house with her two little girls. “Why don’t you all come over tomorrow for a family dinner party?” I ask, almost without thinking about it. Everyone is excited, including my daughter, who likes being the 8-year-old babysitter-in-training, and we grown-ups are looking forward to a break in the routine.

But what to cook? And how to make this casual dinner party special while still keeping it fun and comfortable for the kids (and parents)? This week we’ll be talking all about our easy family dinner party, and how you can throw one of your own. Today we’ll start with the party plan!

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On counting what is precious. In famine, the number of dried beans in the cupboard; in abundance, piles of chicken bones and empty wine bottles. In sorrow, so many tears that they over-salt the soup; in happiness, the number of place settings at a wedding feast. In middle age, candles on the cake; in youth, the frosting roses. In celebration, bubbles in a champagne glass; in mourning, the number of bites taken from a sandwich, delivered to your door draped in a napkin (none).

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Easy Breakfast Recipe: Banana Split with Yogurt and Jam

Happy weekend, cooking friends! We’re so glad it’s almost spring, We’re just finishing up the first week of The Cooking Cure — all about breakfast and the planning thereof. If you’re following along, this weekend your assignment is to plan (and perhaps cook ahead) all your breakfasts for next week. We’d love to hear what your plans are for that — and anything else! What’s cooking this weekend?

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This week we’ve been talking all things breakfast, and as a result we’ve got some fun recipes for brunch this weekend. If Mexican is your thing, you really must try these bean chilaquiles with avocado and queso fresco. For the luxury casserole experience, try the brie and mushroom breakfast strata.

If you want to switch things up, or are in a breakfast rut, try the breakfast polenta squares (so easy!) or the sweet morning potato with yogurt, maple syrup and nuts. Either way, make sure you wash it all down with your own signature hot cocoa mix or a rosemary sloe gin fizz.

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This morning’s Kale, Bacon, and Egg Whole Wheat Breakfast Sandwich

Day 5: Make breakfast today and plan next week’s breakfasts.

This morning I woke and up and made breakfast in a clean kitchen. And it felt so good. As I shared yesterday, my biggest deterrent to cooking everyday is a messy kitchen, so one of my goals for this Cooking Cure has been to clean the kitchen after every meal. Last night I cleaned the kitchen both before and after dinner (hopefully I won’t be doing that again for a long time!), which left me with a neat, sunny space in which to make my breakfast sandwich this morning…

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Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage & Eggs

Day 5: Friday, March 7
Today’s Assignment: Make breakfast!
Weekend Assignment: Plan all your breakfasts for next week
The Cooking Cure: See all assignments so far here.

Here we are at the end of first week of the Cooking Cure! How do you feel? Or the better question: how are you feeling about breakfast?

Your mission today, should you choose to accept it, is to make yourself breakfast. Your mission for the weekend is a little bigger.

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Earlier this year we shared a surprising tip that we had just discovered: You make better bacon (with less mess) by cooking it in water. Weird, right? But it really works! We decided that it would be better shown in video — take a look!

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