The grilled cheese sandwich is a classic. Perfectly melted and oozy cheese, sandwiched between two golden, crisp, buttery slices of bread — it’s simple, comforting, and utterly timeless. It’s one of the first things we learn to cook, and one we carry with us through the years.
But as basic as this sandwich is, there are a few hang-ups that could stand between you and the grilled cheese of your dreams. Don’t let it happen to you.
The night before I went to the hospital to have this little nugget, in one last burst of frenetic nesting — a tornado of focused, effective energy I sorely miss in these early months — I decided to do something so practical, I’m still patting myself on the back for it: I made a big volume of lazy baked ziti and divide it into three dishes, two that went into the freezer. I have not been this productive or effective since.
I’ve said this before, but there’s honestly very little reason you need to cook in New York City. You can get everything and anything you want, even healthier fare, delivered hot, often at a reasonable price with no advanced planning. So, if you’re going to be crazy like me and cook, you’ve got to have another reason to do it. Previously, I’d made the argument that a really great reason to do so is out of inherent persnicketiness; to pick the dish nobody else makes the way you like it and set out to master it at home, so you can eat what you want most of all. But upon coming home from the hospital with this easily-reheated, unequivocally comforting and loved by the whole family dish in the freezer, I found a new reason: normalcy. Sure, we’d upended my son’s life with an invader, sure, nothing would ever be exactly the same again, but there we were, sitting at the same table with the same people at 6 p.m. a few days after she was born, eating the same food we had a few days before she was born, and it kind of felt like we might just pull this whole thing off. (And we did again! Like, two months later, oof.)
… Read the rest of my old-school baked ziti on smittenkitchen.com
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With shorter days and crisper temperatures heading our way, having a warm, home-cooked dinner waiting for us when we walk in the door is such a comfort. With the help of a slow cooker, the prep and cooking don’t have to happen at the last minute, which frees you up to focus on other important tasks, like pouring that glass of wine!
From comforting soups to hearty braises, there’s plenty to choose from with these 15 recipes. Bonus: These recipes also make plenty of leftovers — perfect for lunch the next day!
I’ve been a Costco shopper for over 20 years. I’m not sure if that makes me really old or simply infatuated with grocery shopping in bulk. Either way, I really loved Emma’s recent tour of Costco with her mom; I can totally relate! As a longtime Costco shopper, I know she’s right on the money with her recommendations of great products; I buy the same pasta, jam, and salad mixes. I also have some tried-and-true reasons for continuing to give Costco my business.
But can shopping at Costco (and other club stores) really save you money?
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by EXODUSMOM
“Canned tomatoes make this delicious and versatile salsa fast and easy. Adjust the ingredients to taste.”
Allow me to present the humble broccoli — beloved steamed side dish with lemon and butter, faithful team player to quick stir-fries, virtuous add-in to any number of cheesy pasta dishes. Broccoli is the vegetable we reach for when we need a little something extra to round out a meal. Here’s how to trim it down to bite-sized pieces, along with five ways to cook it up.
How many times have you found yourself in desperate need of pancakes, but without the requisite buttermilk in the fridge? Or there’s the other scenario: You want to make a recipe, but you’re reluctant to buy an entire carton of buttermilk when you only need a half-cup. For either situation, I have a solution: It’s easy to make a very quick buttermilk substitute in less than 10 minutes.
I think we can agree that crispy, smoky bacon is one of life’s greatest pleasures. However, standing over a hot stove dodging sputtering bacon grease is not. Here is how we can have the best of both worlds: a hands-free, hassle-free method for cooking perfect bacon, all in the oven.
As long as there are a few potatoes in the pantry, I know that I have at least one option for dinner. Whether topped with a simple pat of butter or a scoop of hearty chili, baked potatoes are a favorite no-brainer meal when I just want something easy and warm. Here are three different ways to make them.
