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potato.</p><p id="8cb3">Broccoli and cauliflower are awesome with cheese sauce and pasta with some chopped walnuts thrown in. And a good sprinkling of fresh parmesan.</p><p id="6cce">Or you have a half head of green cabbage that turns into a miracle when gently cooked in hot water until fork-tender, drained and accented with butter, salt, and pepper. Plain but divine. A few years ago I made it for my husband and he tasted it and said,</p><p id="fa88" type="7">“It’s taken you 20 years to make this for me? It is so good! You’ve been keeping secrets.”</p><p id="0177">I laughed and well, I had to agree. It’s an easy dish to have with bratwurst sausage when he is out of town working. A simple dish but absolutely delicious. <i>And there’s something wonderful about cooking something good like that when you’re alone.</i></p><p id="ad88">Or would that $2.00 bag of carrots you bought last week be perfect once they are cut into coins, gently boiled and then doctored up with some butter, a sprinkle of ground ginger and even a little shot of whiskey? It makes a great side to whatever leftover meat you’ve got in the fridge.</p><p id="3ee0">Peas and asparagus are easy, last-minute additions to anything and I always add them to the same pot the pasta is cooking in — toward the last 2–3 minutes. (Don’t add to the rice you’re boiling. Now you have a problem.)</p><p id="a8b9">And don’t worry if the vegetables in your fridge look a little limp. They can also be refreshed by giving them a quick sautee and adding them to any of the next suggestions below.</p><p id="d057"><i>Oh and think twice before you throw out the vegetable water when you’re done. Now it has transformed into vegetable broth and it is full of nutrients. Save it in ice-cube trays in the freezer or stick it in the fridge and make soup within the next few days.</i></p><h1 id="29dd">Pasta, Grains and Any Kind Of Dumpling</h1><p id="569e">Break free from the normal and boring spaghetti and tomato sauce. Groan. Do you have some orzo or egg noodles, soba noodles or rice noodles kicking around? Or a package of ramen? Honestly — just switching the pasta up makes a huge difference. <i>And asparagus or peas can be added to the same pot while the pasta cooks (the last 2–3 min) and no one will die.</i></p><p id="7cc7">Hmmm…. and how about couscous or pearl barley? Couscous takes minutes and pearl barley needs about 30 minutes. Perogies are SO GOOD or perhaps a Korean bulgogi dumpling? Affordable and delicious options are in your pantry and freezer.</p><div id="0093" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-comfort-of-lemony-pasta-d1688f3076a9"> <div> <div> <h2>The Comfort of Lemony Pasta</h2> <div><h3>Lemon egg noodles go a long way to lift your spirits.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*CAr8NYyb3BvUy4yr)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h1 id="a8ac">Rice</h1><p id="0d98">My husband is the rice guy in our house. He’s the master of making it simple with a little pot on the stove— no rice cooker required here. The ratio is always 1.5:1.</p><p id="b872"><b>Perfect rice:</b> 1.5 cups of liquid to 1 cup rice in a small pot. Bring to a boil, stir it with the lid off until the water reduces a bit and then put the lid on and cook at low heat for 20 min. Perfect ric

Options

e, every time and no messy boil-overs. <i>I am the one who likes to cook rice with coconut milk and a little water to top it up to the 1.5 cup liquid mark.</i></p><h1 id="8fa3">Potatoes</h1><p id="193d">Lots of delicious meals start with boiled potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley and dill and chopped green onion. Of course, there are mashed potatoes, especially if you threw 3 or 4 peeled garlic cloves in the water at the same time as the peeled potatoes. The garlic has to be fork-tender too.</p><p id="7d24">Baby potatoes require no peeling and with a handful of fresh, chopped herbs thrown on them and either butter or olive oil— you’ve made them irresistible. And they are the foundation of Nicoise salad which is one of my all-time favorites.</p><h1 id="da29">Eggs</h1><p id="1c63">“Eggs?” you say? Well sure. A couple of medium-boiled eggs are excellent in a chef salad, Nicoise salad, or a lovely, soft-poached egg on top of a simple, green salad as the French do. Plus — if you haven’t had a poached egg on top of any kind of pasta — well — you have no idea of the goodness you’re missing out on. And eggs are also delicious on top of mashed potato or any other mashed vegetable I mentioned earlier.</p><h1 id="f3be">Shrimp</h1><p id="ae11">I’m an Ina Garten fan and she says the perfect shrimp need 3 minutes of cooking time in gently simmering water with a few slices of lemon. Use a timer. I’ve made it her way for years and it always works and you never overcook them. <i>Remember — you want your shrimp to be in a C shape vs a tight, overcooked O.</i></p><p id="62f9">And then you just go to town and add the shrimp to salad, or pasta or rice…I am starting to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump.</p><p id="6ecd">So there you go.</p><p id="fc50">A pot of boiling water opens all sorts of fast options for you when you don’t know where to begin. There’s something to be said about getting into hot water!</p><p id="13e2"><i>Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/true-love-doesnt-need-flowers-chocolate-or-a-valentine-s-card-b9a291ef4c26?source=friends_link&sk=078a26f01044be800f0f356e2bf97147">this story</a> caught the attention of NBC News in New York!</i></p><div id="0564" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/what-a-well-dressed-salad-should-wear-9cd3b4d0c115"> <div> <div> <h2>What A Well-Dressed Salad Should Wear</h2> <div><h3>3 DIY salad dressings that work no matter what the occasion</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*bgE9Zgvicyiqfju9)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="af1f" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-odd-comfort-of-eggs-7f94d677e382"> <div> <div> <h2>The Odd Comfort Of Eggs</h2> <div><h3>But you were probably taught the wrong way to cook them.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*lcLBvD5brL-BqbhN)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

First — Boil A Pot Of Water

What to do when you can’t think of what to cook for dinner.

My mother has been cooking for my dad for over 50 years and sometimes she says, “I am so sick of thinking of what to cook for dinner.” You can’t blame her. Because let’s think about it for a moment. She’s made almost 38,000 meals for him and that’s not counting Sunday pancakes and bacon.

Dad laughs and says Mom’s kitchen tool of choice is the frying pan. He’s right — it is perfect for so many things. But it isn’t my favorite kitchen helper.

Thankfully I won’t ever have to cook 38,000 meals as my husband and I share that task. But my secret for making dinner when I am stuck for an idea? I don’t turn to the internet. Instead, I fill a pot with water and put it on to boil.

Listen — life can feel so complicated at times.

You’ve had a busy day at work, you did a few errands afterward and honestly, right now, the last thing you want to do is think about what to make for dinner.

If it were up to you, tonight you’d be eating a poached egg on toast in front of Netflix. But you probably have someone else you’d like to feed well too.

Sounds strange I know, but when you walk in the door — put a medium-sized pot of water on to boil. Now, go put on your comfy clothes.

Why start with a pot of boiling water? Well — so many things start happily there. And it is mindless and doesn’t stress you out and it gets the brain cells moving.

Then you peek into the fridge and face it squarely. When people think of boiling water, of course, all the usual standbys come to mind. Pasta, rice, and potatoes. Well then — let’s go there and beyond. You have more easy options than you think.

The Quirky Elegance of A Lemon

And you’re probably not using the best part.

medium.com

Vegetables

Vegetables are always my starting point with a pot of gently boiling water. Don’t overlook how delicious they can be once they are boiled. So many people are afraid of boiled vegetables because of bad experiences as a kid. I hope to change your mind. They can be gently simmered on their own or they can be added to the same cooking water as the pasta. The key is they should always be fork-tender (not mushy) vs barely cooked.

Perhaps you’re craving mashed potatoes in the worst way and tonight is the night. But hey listen — you can also boil sweet potato or turnip or even parsnips and they all taste wonderfully mashed, mixed together or added to mashed potato.

Broccoli and cauliflower are awesome with cheese sauce and pasta with some chopped walnuts thrown in. And a good sprinkling of fresh parmesan.

Or you have a half head of green cabbage that turns into a miracle when gently cooked in hot water until fork-tender, drained and accented with butter, salt, and pepper. Plain but divine. A few years ago I made it for my husband and he tasted it and said,

“It’s taken you 20 years to make this for me? It is so good! You’ve been keeping secrets.”

I laughed and well, I had to agree. It’s an easy dish to have with bratwurst sausage when he is out of town working. A simple dish but absolutely delicious. And there’s something wonderful about cooking something good like that when you’re alone.

Or would that $2.00 bag of carrots you bought last week be perfect once they are cut into coins, gently boiled and then doctored up with some butter, a sprinkle of ground ginger and even a little shot of whiskey? It makes a great side to whatever leftover meat you’ve got in the fridge.

Peas and asparagus are easy, last-minute additions to anything and I always add them to the same pot the pasta is cooking in — toward the last 2–3 minutes. (Don’t add to the rice you’re boiling. Now you have a problem.)

And don’t worry if the vegetables in your fridge look a little limp. They can also be refreshed by giving them a quick sautee and adding them to any of the next suggestions below.

Oh and think twice before you throw out the vegetable water when you’re done. Now it has transformed into vegetable broth and it is full of nutrients. Save it in ice-cube trays in the freezer or stick it in the fridge and make soup within the next few days.

Pasta, Grains and Any Kind Of Dumpling

Break free from the normal and boring spaghetti and tomato sauce. Groan. Do you have some orzo or egg noodles, soba noodles or rice noodles kicking around? Or a package of ramen? Honestly — just switching the pasta up makes a huge difference. And asparagus or peas can be added to the same pot while the pasta cooks (the last 2–3 min) and no one will die.

Hmmm…. and how about couscous or pearl barley? Couscous takes minutes and pearl barley needs about 30 minutes. Perogies are SO GOOD or perhaps a Korean bulgogi dumpling? Affordable and delicious options are in your pantry and freezer.

The Comfort of Lemony Pasta

Lemon egg noodles go a long way to lift your spirits.

medium.com

Rice

My husband is the rice guy in our house. He’s the master of making it simple with a little pot on the stove— no rice cooker required here. The ratio is always 1.5:1.

Perfect rice: 1.5 cups of liquid to 1 cup rice in a small pot. Bring to a boil, stir it with the lid off until the water reduces a bit and then put the lid on and cook at low heat for 20 min. Perfect rice, every time and no messy boil-overs. I am the one who likes to cook rice with coconut milk and a little water to top it up to the 1.5 cup liquid mark.

Potatoes

Lots of delicious meals start with boiled potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley and dill and chopped green onion. Of course, there are mashed potatoes, especially if you threw 3 or 4 peeled garlic cloves in the water at the same time as the peeled potatoes. The garlic has to be fork-tender too.

Baby potatoes require no peeling and with a handful of fresh, chopped herbs thrown on them and either butter or olive oil— you’ve made them irresistible. And they are the foundation of Nicoise salad which is one of my all-time favorites.

Eggs

“Eggs?” you say? Well sure. A couple of medium-boiled eggs are excellent in a chef salad, Nicoise salad, or a lovely, soft-poached egg on top of a simple, green salad as the French do. Plus — if you haven’t had a poached egg on top of any kind of pasta — well — you have no idea of the goodness you’re missing out on. And eggs are also delicious on top of mashed potato or any other mashed vegetable I mentioned earlier.

Shrimp

I’m an Ina Garten fan and she says the perfect shrimp need 3 minutes of cooking time in gently simmering water with a few slices of lemon. Use a timer. I’ve made it her way for years and it always works and you never overcook them. Remember — you want your shrimp to be in a C shape vs a tight, overcooked O.

And then you just go to town and add the shrimp to salad, or pasta or rice…I am starting to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump.

So there you go.

A pot of boiling water opens all sorts of fast options for you when you don’t know where to begin. There’s something to be said about getting into hot water!

Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News in New York!