Easiest Butternut Squash Soup

More snow, and more soup today. Everyone loves butternut squash soup, but making it is kind of a pain–so much peeling and chopping! It’s such a pain, in fact, that it’s sparked the creation of a whole new supermarket product–packaged peeled-and-chopped butternut squash. Ew. I don’t know why so many recipes ask you to peel and cut the raw squash–it’s not necessary at all. Just slice it in half, roast the two halves in the oven, and scoop the flesh into your soup. It’s ridiculously easy. Read on for a how-to and 5-ingredient recipe…

Tomato and White-Bean Soup with Rosemary

I swear even when I feel like my fridge and cupboards are bare, I can always pull together a pot of soup. Soup is the easiest thing to make, and remarkably fast once you’ve got your basic method down. This was on the lunch table in less than half an hour from start to finish. Here’s how:

Snowy-Day Brownies

Aaaah! Another snow day! These brownies, made by me and my two-year old, were already out of the oven by 9:30 AM.

This is my favorite brownie recipe. It’s so easy and turns out perfectly every time–moist and fudgy with a shiny, crackled top. You can find the original recipe on CHOW. I remember its author, Aida, working tirelessly to come up with the easiest and best brownies back when we both worked there–and she succeeded! I follow it almost exactly, but add an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder and substitute 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder for the brewed espresso. Read on for the recipe…

Spicy Cabbage with Glazed Pork and Rice

Cabbage is apparently having a moment. Well actually, it’s more a moment of appreciation than a full-blown trend, but nevertheless, this article just happened to come out in the NY Times the day after I made this dish. Coincidence? No, it’s just that cabbage is one of the only vegetables that can be found at top quality right now (the dead of winter.) The sauteed cabbage recipe, spiced with chilies and lots of ginger, is from Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Mad Hungry book. I wanted to build a meal around it. Pork tenderloin with a simple hoisin-ginger glaze was an easy pairing. I added rice and topped it with a crispy fried egg and lots of sriracha.