Cold weather is here! Time for split pea soup, the easiest/cheapest soup you can make.

Ingredients:

• 3 strips bacon
• olive oil
• (optional) Half cup of diced ham
• One large onion
• 6 cups broth or water
• One 16-oz bag split peas
• Eight carrots, medium dice

Dice bacon and cook to a crisp over medium-high heat. Remove the bacon and set aside. If using ham, brown the ham in the bacon fat, then remove and set aside. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, then sautee the onions until translucent/somewhat browned.

Add split peas and stock and bring to a boil. When the split peas are almost cooked through (but not quite), add the diced carrots and ham (if using).

Serve with Greek yogurt.

Phrases I just Googled because I couldn’t remember the name of the Harlem Globetrotters (presented in chronological order):

basketball team fancy

fancy trick basketball

fancy trick basketball team

fancy trick basketball team whistle music

fancy trick basketball team whistle theme song

(the last one finally got it)

Moments ago, I was sitting in my office eating an especially delicious hard-boiled egg when it occurred to me that many of you may not be aware of the best way to hard-boil eggs! I can’t remember where I learned this method, but dollars to doughnuts it was either Mark Bittman or the Food Lab.

Step 1: Bring small pot of water to boil.

Step 2: Put eggs into water.

Step 3: Immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot.

Step 4: Let eggs sit for twelve minutes.

After twelve minutes I plunge them into an ice bath because I think (perhaps incorrectly) that it makes them easier to peel afterwards.

FACT: Eggs are my favorite food.

This salad is a BIG WINNER, you guys. I made it up when I was having a bunch of people over and thank God I made extra because it is so delicious. Also, a great way to use up extra CSA produce. All amounts are approximate. Oh, and it keeps beautifully (even dressed) and if you want more protein just add some rotisserie chicken.

SALAD

1.5 cups cooked farro

2 bunches kale, massaged with oil and salt

3 golden beets, roasted and chopped

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, chopped into cubes, and roasted with cinnamon

1 granny smith apple, quartered and thinly sliced

DRESSING

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 tablespoons pomegranate juice

4 tablespoons olive oil

• The Raisin Administrative Committee (raisins.org)
• The Leafy Greens Council (leafy-greens.org)
• The National Onion Association (onions-usa.org)
• The Cherry Marketing Institute (choosecherries.com)
• Pickle Pickers International (ilovepickles.org)

Sorry I’ve been neglecting you, blog! But I am back with another salad. The dressing for this is just incredible.

So, I based it on this Bon Appetit recipe for Sweet, Tart, and Spicy Shrimp Cucumber Salad. I made the dressing exactly as ordered, but switched up the salad components as follows:

• 1 head Napa cabbage
• 1 cucumber, chopped into cubes
• 1 orange pepper, chopped into matchsticks
• 1 mango, chopped into matchsticks
• cilantro and basil

I also left out the shrimp because I was having it with a main. I seriously cannot say enough good things about the dressing. You may want to cut the fish sauce down to 1.75TB instead of 2TB–that is the only thing I’d change. As for the salad itself, I would also add some purple cabbage, mostly because the salad was a bit overdressed with just the Napa and it would have evened things out.

If you are friends with me (which is a condition of knowing about this blog, so chances are high that you are), you’ve probably had one of my salted brown butter Rice Krispie treats. I brought these to Ben’s birthday last night, to stroofing a few weeks ago (albeit with some horrible pseudo-Krispie), to random BBQs, and they are always super popular. My theory is that people tend to go overboard when making public-facing desserts, aiming for rich and sweet rather than light and subtle. But often (especially after a big meal), nobody wants more heavy food. These Rice Krispie treats are the opposite of heavy. They are probably 95% air, and the rest is a sweet-savor-crunchy-chewy surprise.

Two notes about this recipe. First, I think it requires slightly more Rice Krispies than called for; more like 7.5 cups. Second, some extra salt sprinkled on top is fantastic.

Maybe everyone is Paleo/gluten-free/terrible now and no longer eats sandwiches. But I like a good sandwich now and again, especially if it’s a breakfast sandwich.

The best sandwich bread recipe is super easy, takes only about two hours of rise time, and tastes AWESOME. You can sub in some whole wheat flour if you’d like. It’s delicious partly because it contains butter and sugar, but whatever. Still better for you than those weird chemical loaves of bread you get at the store.

In theory you could make this without a Kitchenaid (just knead it!) but if you have one, use it. We used to have this bread once a year when my dad made it for Thanksgiving (it is ideal for a leftover sandwich), but now I make it once or twice a month.

It is unlikely that any of you will ever find yourselves in possession of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, because you are not monsters. But sometimes things happen. You desperately need chicken to make salads for the week but the store is out of both rotisserie chicken AND chicken thighs, and it’s 9pm and you don’t have time to roast a whole chicken. WHAT TO DO? Perhaps you would buy a pork chop, or a flank steak, or a salmon. But I? I bought the breasts.

I Googled some version of “is there any way to cook chicken breasts without turning them into horrible avian husks” and found these directions on the Kitchn. The technique looked sound (low, slow, and plenty of moisture), so I gave it a try.

Result: EDIBLE chicken breasts! Not transcendent and certainly not as good as thighs, but absolutely acceptable in a salad. So the next time your store is out of real chicken (what the fuck...