Like many of us waiting out the stay-at-home weeks (months!?) of Covid-19, I’ve been cooking A LOT. At first I was always trying something new, but that eventually got tiring and overly aggressive given my questionable mood at any given time. So now I find myself circling the same recipes until I decide to move on to a new batch. I lean towards recipes with a short list of ingredients—even in the best of times.
Here are the four easy recipes I’ve been making lately.
Lemon-Grilled Chicken Breasts from Cooking Light: We moved to a new house recently so our grill is still not connected. I’ve made these in a grill pan on the stove and they’re always juicy and delicious. I usually slice them and serve them next to a vegetable and rice or roasted potatoes. All six of us like this recipe.
Roast Chicken with Cabbage from Smitten Kitchen: I don’t know why I tend to hesitate when I see a recipe for a whole chicken. It’s always so good and makes me feel like a “real cook.” This recipe is EASY, uses only a few ingredients, and gets me to eat way more cabbage than I would otherwise. I use olive oil instead of butter to keep the recipe kosher. The kids have loved the chicken, but won’t eat the cabbage. More for Bryan and me!
Kale Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts from Smitten Kitchen: I buy pre-chopped kale. I’ve been using purple raisins instead of golden, and I leave out the breadcrumbs. Bryan and I love it. Again, the kids not so much. I’d like to try it with the golden ones, but I haven’t seen them at the store. Also, Deb suggests letting the kale sit dressed for ten minutes. I’d say that’s the minimum. The longer it sits, the better.
Skinny Taste Banana Bread: If you got my April newsletter, then you already saw me sing the praises of this recipe. I halve it every time and replace the nuts with about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. A big crowd pleaser here.
That’s my cooking report for now. For my reading list, look here. I’ve read a lot of good books this year.
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