This version of a shepherd’s pie plays with the regional flavors of India, and in actuality, probably shouldn’t be called a real shepherd’s pie because it has no lamb. Perhaps an Indian chicken-wrangler pie would be a better name. Notwithstanding nomenclature and food history’s neurotic exactness, this dish embodies the flavors of the subcontinent.
Did you see these new towels from IKEA? In keeping with the Swedish superstore’s tradition of announcing new product lines in February, IKEA’s latest goods for the kitchen and dining room arrived this month — just in time to ease the dreaded midwinter doldrums. Here’s what we’ve got our eye on.
We love the Oscars as much as anyone else, and with less than two weeks to go until we find out this year’s winners, we’re getting in the mood by reviewing some of our favorite flicks. Of course, we wanted to put our own unique spin on the nominees — starting with The Martian.
Starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a NASA crew member left for dead during an aborted mission to Mars, the film is up for six awards, including Best Picture. The central struggle of the movie, which based on the novel by Andy Weir, a computer programmer who originally self-published the book online, is how Watney will keep himself alive. The answer (spoiler alert!) is potatoes, which Watney grows himself using some, er, creative methods. He mostly eats the potatoes microwaved, with whatever condiments he has available — but we’ve got a few better ideas for how to cook your taters.
This deep-dish quiche is a hearty, flavor-packed meal in a pan. There are a few culinary tricks built into the recipe, like making a very stable cream cheese dough that — in an unusual twist — has eggs in it, and plenty of chilling and pre-baking. The result is a showy, lightly eggy, deeply satisfying meal that’s worth every moment of effort.
Open up your rice cooker, and in addition to your new appliance you’ll find a plastic paddle. Your first instinct may be to think you already have plenty of wooden spoons, spatulas, and cooking utensils, so the last thing you need is a flimsy plastic one taking up space. You may even be quick to toss it, deeming it useless. But not so fast — this paddle actually has an important purpose.
Making a bunch of poached eggs for a brunch party may seem intimidating — especially if you’re cracking one egg at a time into a simmering pot of water. How do you ensure that each egg is hot and perfectly yolk-y in the middle? It takes a lot of patience and practice.
Lucky for you, there’s an easier way to get the job done. All you need is a muffin tin and your oven.
Most of my understanding of the category of diner sandwiches we know as “melts” comes from the hyper-local archive of culinary amusements I know as Foods My Husband Will Order For Himself When Left To His Own Devices. I can’t give away all of his secrets — well, I can, but for a fee — but I have been given permission to tell you that the list is topped with Regrettable Chinese Takeout With a Life-Threatening Amount of Sichuan Peppercorns (to be repeated next time, no lessons learned), and somewhat further down the list, only if the day has been long and terrible enough, is a tuna melt — as in jarred mayo meets canned fish meets something square and flat that only passes for cheese in America. Did it not always come with a side of steak fries, which I want to steal because you should know by now that fries don’t count when I say I’m not hungry for dinner, I’d probably be breaking our house “don’t yuck my yum” rule even more often than my offspring.
So when I read that 2016 was going to be the year of the melt, I wondered if we were in for more dark times for Deb, such as when the entire universe decided that beets were delicious and it was 24 months before I could safely order a salad again. Instead, I decided to take matters into my own hands and rewrite the melt script in a way that I could enjoy, endlessly. Because I like bread. I like cheese. And while tuna salad may not be my thing, I hope you will soon agree that the mess I call Broccoli Rubble is ever as much deserving to be a star.
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If you’re feeling the mid-winter blues, you’re not alone — not by a long shot. Sure, you could try to cheer yourself up with a mug of hot cocoa, but some days just call for something a little stronger.
What is it about lunches that make them such a challenge? Whether you are packing a lunch just for you, or trying to fill the lunch boxes of your whole family, it can be easy to get into a rut and pack the same thing every day.
Take this as your wake-up call to serve up something new for lunch. The best part about these grain salads and other single-bowl ideas is that they can all be made ahead, and require minimal day-of assembly. A lunch that’s easy and delicious? Sign us up!
Microwave popcorn has changed my snacking habits forever. No, I’m not talking about the plastic-wrapped packages of microwave popcorn from the store — although I will thank them for the inspiration. I’m talking about a more DIY version using a scoop of kernels and a plain brown paper lunch bag. It’s so easy and fast that it has now become the only way I make popcorn.
