ademchaoua/GeneralTextCorpus huggingface dataset:
sunshine curry with cilantro-lime rice
 When my husband, George, and I first moved to the Monterey area, we lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea for two years. We adored every minute of it — the cobblestone streets, the secret passageways and courtyards, walking on the beach nearly every day. My favorite part of living in the village was the walkability. Forgot cilantro for that recipe? Two-block walk to the market. Not in the mood to cook tonight? A quick jaunt up the hill to our fave restaurant, Stationaery. Need a quick dopamine hit? Time to stroll on over to Paloosh to buy a new sweater! But my favorite thing of all, the thing that made me feel like the absolute stereotype of a smug Californian? Walking to the farmers’ market. I mean is there anything more show off-y than being able to walk from your home to the farmers’ market carrying your giant basket full of kale and dahlias in one hand, fresh baguette tucked under the other arm?! No, there is nothing. And man, it felt good. I became a full-fledged farmers’ market snob. “What’s for dinner tonight?” my husband would ask. “Oh, I’m not sure yet dear, I just need to see what looks good at the market today,” I would drawl. But childrearing times called for childrearing measures and POOF, months after Mattis was born, we looked around and suddenly we lived in the country! With land for our growing gang of beasts to roam, yes, but with no farmers’ markets in sight. We’re currently renovating our house in Carmel Valley, so we’ve been renting a place back down in farmers’ market country and I’ve been taking full advantage. I always share seasonal recipes here, but I daresay this summer has been my best seasonal work yet, because I am drawing direct influence from the changing offerings at the farmers’ markets around the Monterey peninsula. This week’s recipe is an ode to late summer. Typically I reserve curries for the winter months, but I couldn’t resist the allure of turning all of the quick-cooking veggies I got at the market this week into a super speedy (minus the chopping, there is a bit of chopping to be done), flavorful summer curry. The veggies soak up the creamy, zesty curry broth. Add chicken or tofu if you want, or leave it out for a veggie feast. If you can find it, a little chili crisp on top is such a fun addition. This week’s recipe calls for yellow curry paste, which can be tricky to find, which is against the WTC by-laws. Red or green curry paste can absolutely be swapped in here — it’ll be equally delicious, I just wanted to switch things up since we’ve used red curry paste a few times here (like in the thai chicken chop and peanut vegetable curry). There are tons of different curry pastes out there, each getting its distinct color from its main ingredients. Turmeric is a main ingredient in yellow curry paste, giving us that sunshine-y color! Your most reliable bet for finding yellow curry paste is Whole Foods, World Market, or Amazon. If you find it at another major grocer, let us know! Chili crisp (which is an optional drizzle on top) is easy to find at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or Amazon. Leave a comment Serves 4 to 6 Cook time: ~40 minutes
healthy (or not as healthy ...) corn chowder
 Click here for the WTC recipe index, and scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly version of today’s recipe. The inspiration for this week’s recipe, again, came from one of you! On our “favorite regional recipes” thread (it is SO FUN to read through your responses!), Simone from New England mentioned corn chowder, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. But then I couldn’t decide which route to take with this chowder. Surprisingly healthy, while still creamy and delicious? Or traditional, decadent, full of cream and bacon and maybe even a little cheese? Couldn’t decide — so I’m letting YOU choose your adventure here! My team and I tested this corn chowder many, many ways and we feel confident that no matter which route you choose, you’ll have a creamy bowl of delicious corn chowder on your dinner table in just about an hour (and much of that cook time is inactive!). This recipe is written such that the “healthier” ingredient option is listed first, and the “less healthy” option is listed second — for instance “coconut milk OR heavy cream.” (Except for the bacon line; bacon is obvs the more decadent route, but I highly suggest using it if you partake in bacon!) I actually hate calling something “healthier,” because foods like bacon and heavy cream can both be a part of a healthy, balanced diet when enjoyed in moderation, as in this soup! But, you get the gist. Feel free to mix and match too! For instance, skip the bacon but add heavy cream. Or use bacon but opt for coconut milk and omit the cheddar. What To Cook photographer, Anna, used bacon, frozen corn, and coconut milk and loved this chowdah. You do you!!! Let us know what ingredient combo you go with in the comments. I can’t wait to see how you guys make this chowder your own. Leave a comment P.S. Don’t skip the notes section at the bottom! You’ll see how to turn this recipe into a Thai shrimp chowder and a Southwestern chicken chowder. It’s like three recipes in one! Serves 4 Cook time: ~1 hour (30 minutes active, 30 minutes inactive)
pasta e ceci
Click here for the WTC recipe index, and scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly version of today’s recipe by guest author Colu Henry! From Caro: Oh man, I couldn’t be more pumped to introduce you guys to Colu Henry — my fourth maternity leave guest author! Colu is a writer, recipe developer, and frequent contributor to the New York Times and Food & Wine. She has worked in food for over 15 years and has learned what resonates with home cooks by creating elegant, yet approachable recipes without overthinking it. She is the author of Back Pocket Pasta and Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food, and the writer behind Colu Cooks on Substack. Which you should all subscribe to! Colu splits her time between Hudson, New York, and Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband. From Colu: The original request for this one-pot recipe came from my lovely editor Margaux at the New York Times. I’d oddly never made pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas) this way before, even though I wrote a whole book on pasta! And, although I’m generally against cooking pasta in the sauce it’s served in, I make an exception here. It really works. A lot of readers thought so too as it became one of my most popular dishes in record time! I started affectionately referring to her as “My Cec.” I’ve changed a few ingredients in this version to make it how I would serve it at home, but the best part about this recipe is that it relies on pantry ingredients and is incredibly forgiving. Use water in place of stock, use uncased sausage instead of pancetta (or leave the meat out entirely and keep it vegetarian). It’s truly a crowd-pleaser of a dish, and on a cold and blustery night it’s easy to double, so having friends over and opening a lot of red wine are actually the only two ingredients that aren’t optional. By Colu Henry
starbucks egg bite copycat frittata
Click here for a full archive of WTC meals (helpful for meal planning!), and scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of this recipe. Breakfast for dinner! This has been the number one request since I started What To Cook, and I promise this is just the first of more B4D recipes to come. There are so many directions you can go with breakfast for dinner — but every time I make pancakes for dinner I feel absolutely awful and sugar crash-y afterwards, so I went the savory, zero blood sugar crash route today. If you’re not an eggs-for-dinner kinda person, this of course also makes a fabulous breakfast or brunch recipe for all of your summer entertaining needs. If you’ve had a Starbucks egg bite, you probably started salivating the moment this hit your inbox. If you’ve never tried one, picture the most perfect bite of eggs imaginable. Soft, tender, flavorful, creamy — with pops of bacon (or red pepper! or both, for that matter!) throughout. They are absolutely delicious. So delicious, in fact, that back when they first gained popularity in 2018, I was hired not once, not twice, but THREE times to develop egg bite recipes for different companies! George and I ate a lot of eggs that year. Here’s one of those recipes - an Instant Pot egg white, red bell pepper, and spinach version. I have made this recipe like 50 times. So good. But today’s recipe is better (and so much easier). Instead of having you buy a special mold to make perfectly shaped egg bites, we’re making a giant egg bite in a regular ole skillet. AKA — we’re making an egg bite frittata. Cooking it low and slow at just 275°F emulates the sous vide cooking style that Starbucks uses, and keeps the eggs from seizing up and getting spongy and dry. You’ve seriously never had eggs like this before! Y’all. This sweet potato hash. It’s so good. It’s sweet and savory and simple. It’s more of a soft and tender situation, not a crispy hash brown. It’s cooked in leftover bacon fat from the frittata (or olive oil, for my vegetarians!) so the flavor is out of control. And it cooks right in the oven at the same time as the frittata, then gets blasted under the broiler to crisp it up a bit at the end. Serves 4 ~ 1 hour
what to cook when you consider yourself a "really bad cook"
 I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve received an email or message along these lines: “Hey Caro! I just subscribed to What To Cook! I literally have no idea how to cook, the only thing I ever make is boxed Mac and Cheese, and I screw that up half of the time. Where should I start? What are your best beginner recipes? Whether you’d throw yourself into this category, or you’re a more experienced cook looking for some really easy recipes, or you’d like to empower the non-cook in your home (looking at you, Georgie boy) to cook dinner for the family every now and then — here’s what I suggest. Can’t make it out to Montauk for lobster rolls this summer? ME EITHER. Shrimp rolls at home it is! This recipe is stupid simple but looks hella fancy. Had to throw a grilling recipe onto this list. Here, we make one marinade that does double duty as a sauce for a crunchy creamy no-greens salad that will freak you out it’s so good. This is a WTC mainstay that is a repeat recipe in many households. Everything cooks on a sheet-pan, and while it’s in the oven, we throw together a next-level good sauce in the blender. Yes, you can make ribs! No, it is not difficult! Skip the potatoes and grab some store-bought potato salad to make things super easy on yourself. I made this last night for dinner and man, it hits every time. The kids love them, the adults love them, if you need more protein, grab a rotisserie chicken. Go ahead and double the sauce so that you can make them again next week with no extra work! Longtime WTC readers, what are your favorite super easy WTC recipes that you turn to over and over? Leave a comment No posts
friendsgiving, but make it thanksgarten
 I'm also listening to her book and like to announce, "I'm going to go hang with my friend Ina" before I press play. My best friend, Ina. Duh. Expand full comment I'm listening to Ina's book right now and I'm enjoying it so much. Her enticing descriptions of ingredients, adventures in Paris, the twists and turns of her career, the different phases of her marriage...she has been on such a unique path and it's been really fun to listen to so far! I also watched the Martha doc and I agree, the Ina book has been a good follow up! Expand full comment I hosted Book Club last night and we potlucked with all Ina recipes as our read for the month was her memoir! What fun! And one of our ladies brought a pitcher of Ina’s Cosmos…. So you know the evening was a hit! We all just loved the book! Expand full comment DYING over Thanksgarten and the wigs! Friend-party goals! Expand full comment Well i hope it’s a bit more uplifting than “the women” as tough as it was, I liked it. Love the Ina “ bobs” and will check it out! Happy holidays !! Expand full comment I just finished listening to her book, I find her voice so soothing-- Barefoot Contessa is my comfort show, I keep every episode taped and at the ready :) I had no idea she didn't have any formal training, makes me love her even more! Her love story with Jeffrey was so sweet too, their devotion to their marriage through all life's up and downs is one to emulate! Expand full comment I read the book and loved it. I might have to do the audio book too. Have all her cookbooks and also have yours. Love them all. Expand full comment I can't believe you didn't mention Jeffrey. I feel like he's a pivotal part of the Ina, brand! Or maybe I'm the only one who feels this way. Ha! Expand full comment haha well i didn't mention him re: thanksgarten but yes i agree!! read my dedication to george in my book :) Expand full comment
KT on What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking
 KT May 30, 2023 The same thing is happening to me! Expand full comment Reply (1) Share Caroline Chambers May 30, 2023 Weird... I'm using it right now and it's working for me. Are you using the app or web? Expand full comment Reply (2) Share KT Jun 1, 2023 I’ve been trying it on the app. Will try again on the web! Expand full comment Reply Share AEK Mar 5 It doesn’t work for me on the app. Expand full comment Reply (1) Share Chelsea Myers Jun 30 Same Expand full comment Reply Share
Lisa Weiss on What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking
My wife Lisa convinced me to post this here. I write reviews for Yelp, Nextdoor, and Google and wrote the following. Bob For those of you who have bothered to read my missives on Yelp, Nextdoor or Google, you know that I tend to write something different than most reviewers. Today is no different. I am a novice cook. I am one of the lucky few who is married to a spectacular woman, who is immensely smart and successful, and fabulously good looking and often times drives me to distraction. After she had a long day back in November she told me (read ordered) that she would like me to take care of making dinner. To her shock and surprise (and mine I have to admit) I said sure. Our daughter and son-in-law live nearby so I told them I would cook for them and their two kids (ages 3 1/2 and 2) also. I figured cooking for six can't be much harder than cooking for two. Our daughter gave us a hard copy and a Substack subscription to "What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking" by Carolin Chambers, who is originally from Winston Salem, which is where we live. I have enjoyed it immensely. The recipes are easy to follow, the ingredients are easy to find and IMHO the meals have been great. I have now made 40 different dinners. Caro, that's what Caroline Chambers goes by (we’re not friends yet) has made this easy and fun. The step by step instructions are great. She even gives you ideas for substitutions if someone doesn't like an ingredient. I have tried other recipes and they have not been as idiot proof as Caro's. If you need to get someone or yourself a gift , get this book and the online subscription. Now for a story; my son-in-law is from a small town in NC. He considers, Chick-fil-a with Chick-fil-sauce is adventurous eating. I followed a recipe that used kimchi (boy does it stink prior to cooking) and he loves it. I cook three meals a week. Dinner Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. We eat leftovers on Wednesday and go out for pizza on Friday and Saturday. Sunday if we are all in town we have dinner together like the Reagan's from the TV show "Blue Bloods". Now for another story. When I was stationed in Germany, another bachelor and I decided to use up some of our accumulated leave and drive to Paris and attend a cooking class for people aspiring to be chefs. There were 30 people in the class, 28 women and us. We had an amazing time. The instructors thought we were nuts but loved our enthusiasm. Expand full comment
Kelsey on What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking
 My new Madewell wide leg jeans! I had unexpected abdominal surgery this past spring and alllll of my jeans were suddenly incompatible with my new scars and then I finally found an adorable and comfortable new pair last week. I’m absolutely delighted! Expand full comment I can! They are the ‘Low Slung Baggy’ jeans (they are not particularly low rise on me, esp compared to the 2000s) Expand full comment Ha! So true. I bought a pair of "low rise" jeans last fall and they just fit at my hips rather than at my belly button. We know how low low can go! Expand full comment Finding a perfect fitting pair of jeans is such a win!! Can you share which pair?! Expand full comment
baby is here! and he has a name!
As I sit here recovering from having my tubes removed, I have no intention to ever need Bobbie in the future, but just wanted to say that I love that they are sponsoring a maternity leave for you! I went back to work with my daughter and son as a medical resident at 9 weeks and 4 weeks respectively, and you will never meet someone who celebrates a long maternity leave as much as me! Because, yes I did it, but more so, it was the worst and I would have traded a lot to not have to do it that way. I was also a serious underproducer who drove myself nearly crazy trying to EBF and both of my kids ended up being combo fed and then quickly transitioned to being fully formula fed because they would have died otherwise. That is not hyperbole; when I look at pictures of my daughter at 2 months, when I was still trying to EBF, I think that I would have admitted that baby to the hospital if I had seen her at her 2 month appt. Despite gallons of mothers milk tea, a reglan prescription, Power Pumping, an SNS with tubes taped to my boobs to help encourage my son to stay at the breast while supplementing, and as many gadgets as you could imagine - I was never able to produce enough, even before going back to work. All of that to say - fed is best, and I am glad that there are formula companies who are committed to making sure our babies don’t starve when (for any and every reason) breast feeding isn’t the right choice for a family. I hope you have the sweetest time with sweet little Tav and the rest of the beasts during your leave, Caro! Expand full comment
how to make summer feel special
Such great timing - I grilled for the first time ever tonight! Made your Most Perfect Grilled Chicken with corn on the cob. It turned out awesome but I was so stressed in the process! 1. Can you talk about temp testing? I tested with an instant read thermometer and took the chicken off when it read 160 (for boneless skinless breasts), but the juice was still pink and it seemed a little undercooked when I cut into it. I ended up putting the chicken back on the grill for 3-4 minutes. Not sure what I did wrong… maybe stuck the probe in too far or not far enough? Also should I take the meat off the grill first or keep on? 2. How important is maintaining a specific temp on the grill? Mine has a thermometer but is pretty low tech and I’m def losing a lot of heat with the lid open to temp check or flip. 3. Metal grill brush? We don’t have one bc my husband says they’ve never worked for him, the bristles just fall off eventually and end up in food. He’s also not had success scrubbing a hot grill. Is there a trick to it? (Or is this user error on his end…) Thank you for this! I’m excited to try more and build my big grill energy out here. Expand full comment
grilled chicken and vegetables with burrata and green sauce
 Hello from the so-humid-that-the-word-humid-can’t-even-describe-it Carolinas! We’ve been in DeBordieu, SC for a week visiting my in-laws, and today we’re driving two hours up the coast to Southport, NC, where we’ll jump on a ferry to Bald Head Island, my happiest place. My grandparents bought a house here in the 70s, one of the first 50 houses on the island, and this place is the keeper of many of my most treasured memories. When we’re on Bald Head, we spend every possible moment of daylight at the beach or pool, and there are so many tiny children running around these days that dinners that require the least possible amount of time in the kitchen are key to our success. We mostly to really simple grilled (because: no kitchen mess!!) meals: steaks and corn, chicken and veggies, shrimp and asparagus. To keep things from feeling boring, I jazz dinners up with saucy things. The green sauce and burrata in this week’s recipe, for instance, take “grilled chicken and veggies” from a ho-hum meal to something really special and “hey can you send me that recipe?!”-worthy. OH! And the bread. Grilled bread, to be exact. If you’ve never drizzled a slice of really good bread with olive oil, then seared it on a hot grill, you’ve been missing out. Throw some grilled bread onto the side of your platter and use it to scoop up the burrata and sauce into the perfect little bites. First, we marinate the chicken and vegetables in the same herby concoction that later serves as our sauce. Full disclosure: I have vacation brain and forgot that we just made an herby green sauce for last week’s herby shrimp couscous bowls. But the good news is: you double make either that sauce, or this sauce, and use it in both recipes! If you haven’t made that recipe yet — you need to — it’s getting killer reviews! It’s great to marinate your meat for up to 24 hours, but if you don’t have time, 15 minutes at room temperature will absolutely do the trick. When it’s time to cook, the grilling only takes 10 to 15 minutes, since we are using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs. The sauce is already made, so then all that’s left to do is pile everything onto a platter, top it with burrata and some peppery arugula for freshness, and serve it with more sauce and that toasty grilled bread! Serves 4 Cook time: 30 minutes + at least 15 minutes (or up to 24 hours) for marinating the chicken Tools: