Lists at the end of the year can reveal a lot. You can tell a lot about someone by looking at their most-played music on Spotify, for example. How much upbeat pop and disco did you hear? Perhaps Death Cab for Cutie was a sign that the mood wasn’t quite right? According to New York Times Cooking, our general mood was also reflected in their end-of-year recap: The need for ease and comfort, as well as tried-and-true favourites, was critical.
You know those times when you just want to eat cake and you don’t want to make a choice between vanilla or chocolate, but you also don’t want to wait? You’ll love this cake! The recipe yields more chocolate cream-cheese frosting than you’ll need for the cake, but it’s quick and easy to make with vanilla and chocolate swirls.
In addition, the Bundt pan makes it appear more expensive than it is! This cake was a lifesaver for me this year, serving as a go-to treat on weeknights, for scary movies on Sundays, for birthdays, and just for fun. CHRISTOPHER BROWN
My Cheez-It year was in 2021. My very own Cheez-It dispenser was lying on its side in the cupboard at one point not too long ago. I also made tubs of Hetty McKinnon’s spicy soy dressing during that difficult year when I wasn’t scarfing down Cheez-Its by the handful. As a tiny meal kit, it would be ready in five minutes or less every night when I’d forgotten to eat, and I’d keep it in the fridge with some silken tofu blocks. KRYSTEN CHAMBROT is the author.
Smooth Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing Recipe
Using broccolini, tomatoes, and lemon in a baked feta dish has become a go-to recipe for me over the past year or so. Before she passed away in January, my grandmother often visited me at home, where she would eat this quick recipe that I would make for her.
Not to brag, but this sandwich has been on the menu many times this year, not just because I was developing the recipe. For years after it had been published, I would continue to experiment with the recipe, using different types of meats such as pulled pork and turkey bacon, as well as adding different kinds of jam or preserves. MORALES CHRISTIANA
Feta Baked with Broccolini, Tomatoes, and Lemon – Elena Ruz Sandwich
a skillet caramel apple crisp from Yossy Arefi that is both delicious and not overly difficult to make. Occasionally, I just make the salted caramel and use it to drizzle over ice cream or as a dip for apples. Dorie Greenspan’s recipe or Julia Moskin’s Cheddar cheese puffs from Tori Ritchie have also inspired me to make gougères. Having a few in the freezer will make you appear to be a master chef when friends come over. She is known as KIM SEVERSON
Kimchi jjigae with baby back ribs is a dish that I’ve eaten my entire life, thanks to my mother’s recipe. I riffed on my mother’s recipe endlessly, as with any generational recipe. One of the best things about kimchi jjigae is how many different ways it can be used. This is a soothing balm the first time you experience it.
The kimchi has softened even more by the second night, and the broth’s colour and flavour have both darkened. You can always add more sliced onions and instant noodles or chopped Spam to it on the third and fourth nights if necessary. My morning congee might be topped with the dregs from the previous night’s congee, which include a tangle of overcooked onions and kimchi that has been simmered for a long time. I’m so thankful for this stew, which serves as my beginning, middle, and end. CHRISTOPHER JOHN
Kimchi Jjigae with Baby Back Ribs is a simple recipe.
The more ways I can use plantains, the better! A dish of root vegetables simmered in a tomato-chile-based sauce, courtesy of Yewande Komolafe’s asaro recipe, quickly became one of my go-tos for solace during a year full of highs and lows for me. CHRISTINE FERNANDEZ
Asaro is the name of the dish (Yam and Plantain Curry)
Fried eggs, white rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil are just some of the great ingredients in Eric Kim’s gyeran bap. This dish looks and tastes like it took much longer than 10 minutes to prepare thanks to the addition of butter that was quickly brown and a heap of gim. Becky Hughes
How to Make: Gyeran Bap (Egg Rice)
I also ate out a lot more than I care to admit this year. And who can blame me for doing so? My neighbourhood in Brooklyn has a plethora of options, all of which are better than the last. Even though I love to cook, there were days when I couldn’t face the prospect of starting a meal. Is it horrifying to consider cutting up a vegetable? Herculean. Boiling water in a pot? Offensive.
Because Melissa Clark is a kind goddess, she has bestowed upon us mere mortals like myself a version of the viral TikTok feta pasta recipe that does not require us to boil our pasta separately on the stovetop, as was the case previously. Countless times have passed without my noticing. KASIA PILAT is the name
Pasta with Feta, Cherry Tomatoes, and Parmesan.
I saw my doctor in June. The short of it is that I’ve been on a “diet” ever since. I was fortunate enough to visit family in France shortly thereafter, right when the markets were bursting with tomatoes and summer squash, making Melissa Clark’s ratatouille (look, doc: no starch!) the perfect party food.
With its milky richness, warming herbaceousness, and no starch, Ali Slagle’s Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup has become an instant staple in our house. This is Brett Anderson. A Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup with Ratatouille.