What Do I Make for Dinner??
Dear Em and Lil,
I have a hard time committing to trying out new recipes to cook. What should I cook for dinner tomorrow night?
Sincerely,
Dinner Beginner
EM: Thanks for writing in. I have been eating daily since birth, so I’ve got some expertise to share about dinner for tomorrow night.
First thing’s first, how long do you think we will remain in quarantine? If you are a reader who thinks things should be back to normal fairly soon, it is practical to start planning for your summer beach bod. Check out this Ginger Asian Coleslaw, an excellent vegan, low-carb, keto-friendly option for dinner tomorrow night.
If you are a reader who thinks that the quarantine will last through the summer, potentially for several years to come, it is important that you start stocking up for the upcoming hibernation. Am I suggesting that you morph into a human bear? Yep. Check out this Deep Fried Oreo Cake as a non-vegan, high-carb keto-unfriendly option for dinner tomorrow night. I hope you and your family are remaining healthy in these uncanny times.
LIL: Why does trying a new recipe require just so many steps? Just scrolling down on a website to the actual recipe could often take 3 or even 5 years. And then, then what if you have to go to the grocery store for ingredients? If you’re doing that, you should probably make a list and pick up anything else you might need in the next few weeks, and maybe learn how to do canning— or actually, start a garden?— because who knows what’s going to happen! When every trip out into public makes you feel like Ernest Shackleton, it’s pretty hard to get excited to try some new chicken-with-little-curly-things on it.
I say, use a recipe as a jumping off point to cook with whatever ingredients you have. Get really comfortable with substitutions. You can usually find a list of possible ingredient swaps by looking online, and if you don’t have any of those, just shut your eyes, open your fridge, and point. Go for recipes that can expand to include anything you want to use up, and won’t act out at you if you skip a couple steps. So that being said, for tomorrow night, you should make chili!
