Favorite recipes

My basic requirement is that recipes don't require a lot of skill. They aren't all necessarily short though. Some require a lot of preparatory cutting unless you have a food processor (like latkes).

General notes

• If a recipe that isn't supposed to be very garlic-y says to use a few cloves of garlic, always use a full head of garlic
• If a recipe is supposed to be garlic-y, use multiple heads of garlic (at least two)
• If a recipe calls for some amount of spinach or kale in a way that the greens get cooked and shrink, you can add 2-4 times the amount of greens and not taste a difference. You'll eat more greens. And greens in soup tend to hold soup flavor quite well.

Recipes

• Cambodian salad

  Blacken the chicken by frying with a bit of salt and sugar. Add apple slices or mango slices as well.

• Laziji (Sichuan mala chicken, 辣子鸡)
• Cacio e pepe

  Notes: Use a lot of salt in the pasta water. Don't burn the oil you toast pepper in, but do let it toast for as long as possible (before burning).

• Creamy Tuscan chicken

  Notes: Two bunches of spinach. Never enough spinach.

• Salmon, bacon, kale and white beans
• Spicy cabbage stir fry

  Notes: Use generous amount of sugar. The result won't be sweet but it better brings out the contrast with vinegar and spice.

• Latkes

  Notes: Swap potatoes for any root vegetables (turnip, sweet potato, carrots, onions) for variety. Serve with sour cream, pickles, and/or apple sauce. Without these toppings you'll need to add more salt than you think or the latkes will be pretty bland.

• French onion soup

  Notes: Keep the soup and bread separate so they can be stored easily. Serve bowl-at-a-time by dishing soup into a bowl, covering with one or two pieces of bread, topping with generous amount of sliced Gruyere/Emmental/Jarlsberg or (American) Swiss cheese and microwave for a minute or two until the cheese melts.

• Navy bean stew with feta and olives

  Notes: Unlike many recipes here the flavor in this dish is not extremely strong. But it's still a good dish. Make sure to use feta stored in a brine.

• Croque madame
• Cabbage and kielbasa soup

  Notes: Easy way to eat tons of veggies. -1 for involving processed meats, however.

• Chicken and dumplings
• Zucchini pizza casserole

Recipes/meals I don't like

• Mushroom risotto: It's always incredibly bland.