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The top cooking and recipe apps you'll want to try this weekend Android Police
A collection of ready-to-eat meals is almost as good as a full night’s sleep.
Nothing can prepare someone for the level of exhaustion and elation that accompanies the early days of parenthood. But helping stock a friend’s freezer with delicious, nourishing dishes that need just a few minutes in the oven or microwave can certainly help.
A few tips: Before whipping up a freezer feast for friends, make sure there’s room in their freezer to accommodate it. For recipes that serve more than two, consider preparing half to eat soon and packaging the other half to be frozen and eaten at a later date, or divide a six-serving recipe into three meals by packing them in three two-serving containers. Use containers you don’t need returned, and label them with the dish’s name, instructions and maybe a little note — something like “You’re doing great, Dad!” or “What a lucky kid to have you as a mom.” Becoming a parent is a wild, and at times, lonely road. A little Post-it pep talk can go a long way.
Melissa Clark’s take on the classic Italian American casserole of fried, breaded chicken covered with tomato sauce and gooey cheese is cozy and satisfying. You can use pork or veal in place of the chicken, or, if you’re cooking for vegetarians, there’s always eggplant Parmesan or lasagna.
Recipe: Chicken Parmesan
These cinnamon rolls, which were adapted from “At Home With Magnolia: Classic American Recipes From the Owner of Magnolia Bakery” by Allysa Torey, don’t take as long to make as the traditional sort because they use baking powder and baking soda instead of yeast. Make a double batch, then gift one and freeze the other for your future lazy Sunday self.
Recipe: Easy No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
With chicken, rice and vegetables, Von Diaz’s arroz con pollo is a complete meal (or two) in and of itself. Boneless chicken thighs work best here — boneless breasts don’t have enough fat or flavor — but you can also use bone-in chicken thighs.
Recipe: Arroz con Pollo
Hot tip: Make friends with Genevieve Ko. Why? Because when you have a baby, she will appear at your house with slices of this cake stacked between wax paper in Tupperware. “Frozen, the slices are like fudgy brownies,” she said.
Recipe: Texas Sheet Cake
Cheesy heaven in a 9-by-13 pan, these Tex-Mex enchiladas from Bryan Washington will make everyone in the house happy. Include a jar of salsa, a container of sour cream and other toppings that’ll keep for a while with your delivery.
Recipe: Cheese Enchiladas
“I have made lifelong friends with this soup,” wrote Julia Moskin, and we believe her. Black beans, also known as turtle beans, make a complex, silky broth, so it doesn’t need meat for seasoning like some bean soups do. This recipe calls for chipotle chiles, but ground cumin and ground coriander are a milder substitute. Make a batch of cornbread — cut into wedges and plastic-wrapped so they can be frozen and thawed as needed — to go alongside.
Recipe: Best Black Bean Soup
New parents spend a lot of time holding their little people, so any foods that can be eaten easily with one hand — trail mix, muffins, cookies, hand pies, etc. — are a great idea. These gorgeous, pillowy-soft muffins, a recipe Marian Burros received from a reader in 1987, are tender and sweet, perfect for a 4 a.m. breakfast or a late-night feeding snack.
Eric Kim reverse-engineered the much-loved Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese, and for that, we love him forever. It’s so rich and creamy that it’s a meal on its own. Whatever you do, don’t skip the Velveeta! It has sodium citrate, which prevents the sauce from separating.
Recipe: Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Technically not a meal, but for a harried new parent with only one free arm, a big handful of this spicy-sweet mix from Ali Slagle counts. Make two batches: One to snack on now, and one to store in the freezer for later. You can eat it straight from the freezer, but the flavors are better if you let it come to room temperature first.
Recipe: Hot Honey Nut Mix
Pack as much seasonal produce as you can into this Italian vegetable soup from Sarah DiGregorio for a delicious and nourishing vegetarian meal that will delight new parents who’ve been subsisting on dry cereal and takeout. (Here are stovetop and Instant Pot versions as well.)
Make a batch of this chocolate chip cookie dough from David Leite (or any drop cookie dough, really), roll it into balls and freeze them in layers separated by parchment or wax paper in an airtight container. Whenever the desire strikes, new parents can bake off a cookie directly from the freezer. Write the baking instructions on an index card and tape it to the top of the container.
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies
“I make a really big pot of dal or khichdi and batch it into quart containers to freeze — always a hit with new moms!” Priya Krishna wrote. She recommends this dal recipe from Tejal Rao. Send along a few containers of cooked rice, which can also be frozen.
Recipe: Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas)
This quick shrimp-fried rice from Eric Kim smartly employs the use of one of our favorite shortcut ingredients: frozen vegetables. You can also make it with chunks of boneless chicken, but adjust your cook time accordingly. To reheat frozen rice, add a splash of water and stir the rice to break up chunks, then gently heat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
Recipe: Shrimp Fried Rice
Chili is a near-perfect food for sharing. This one, from Pierre Franey, is easy to make in large batches and to adjust spices for differing palates. It also tastes better the second day, freezes like a charm and can be repurposed into a topping for baked potatoes, nachos or chili dogs.
Recipe: Turkey Chili
This lemon cake from Yossy Arefi is the ultimate lemon cake. It contains the zest, juice and flesh of the fruit, so it’s tender, moist and delightfully lip-puckering. Bake it, slice it, then individually wrap the slices before freezing, so tired parents can defrost a slice or two whenever they need a little bit of sunshine.
Recipe: Lemon Bundt Cake
Divide Alison Roman’s recipe for chicken potpie into two smaller pans before topping with pastry and baking. Once cool, wrap well with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze. Ta-da! Two meals for the new family.
Recipe: Skillet Chicken Potpie
Crumbled Ritz crackers are the secret to these rich, tender meatballs from Kay Chun (but plain bread crumbs or even old-fashioned oats work, too). Once baked, layer them between parchment and freeze. Stir together the sauce in a small, lidded jar — two parts soy sauce to one part distilled white vinegar, sliced scallions and red-pepper flakes if you like — and pair with a salad that’ll keep for a few days like Genevieve Ko’s kale salad with plums.
Recipe: Chicken Miso Meatballs
If you want to contribute something, but you don’t have the time, then this is the recipe for you. Rub a boneless pork shoulder with a simple spice rub, toss it into a slow cooker, pour over a can of Dr. Pepper, root beer, cola or birch beer, then let it cook on low until the meat collapses and shreds easily. Toss with your favorite barbecue sauce and pile it into a big Tupperware container. Pick up a package of buns and a container of slaw from the store, and voilà, you’re the best friend ever.
Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
These bean and cheese burritos from Kay Chun are a cinch to make, and they freeze beautifully. Make a double batch, wrap them individually in foil and tuck them into your exhausted friend or family member’s freezer. If you have a kid, enlist them to decorate each wrapped burrito with cute pictures and messages using a Sharpie.
Recipe: Bean and Cheese Burritos
Homemade bread is balm for the weary soul. Bake up a loaf or two of Jim Lahey’s famous no-knead bread, then do as Emily Weinstein does: Slice, then toss into a plastic resealable bag and freeze. Whenever they want a piece of perfect toast, all they have to do is pop it into the toaster. (You could also reserve half for them to eat fresh with the pot of soup you’re bringing and slice and freeze the other half. Do you!)
Recipe: No-Knead Bread
Savory and sweet with pops of briny olives and crunchy almonds, picadillo is a Cuban beef and tomato dish that’s a delight to eat. Krysten Chambrot, associate editor of New York Times Cooking, said her mom filled her freezer with it when she was in college. “I ate it for months and was so grateful,” she wrote. “It’s literally the most cozy thing in the world to me.”
Recipe: Picadillo
Homemade chicken soup is always a good idea. Sarah DiGregorio’s lemony riff is a “fix-it-and-forget-it” version that comes together in a slow cooker so it’s mostly hands-off. Once it’s done, divide it into a couple of different containers — one for now and one to freeze — and don’t add the tortellini yet! Boil it separately until just al dente, and include it in a separate container so they can be added to the soup as needed.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Lemony Chicken Soup
We’ll say it again: Make them foods they can eat with one hand. This chunky, chocolaty granola from Ali Slagle fits the bill and can be eaten out of hand, in a bowl with milk or over ice cream. For those with a sweet tooth, you can add mini chocolate chips or Cocoa Puffs cereal after the granola has cooled.
Recipe: Big Cluster Chocolaty Granola
“Ice cream. A freezer full of ice cream is an amazing thing,” wrote Pete Wells, when asked what freezer-friendly dish he likes to gift new parents. We’re pretty sure he meant ordering several pints (Jeni’s and Graeter’s are staff favorites), but some of Melissa Clark’s homemade salted caramel ice cream would feel like a real luxury.
Recipe: Salted Caramel Ice Cream
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How to make focaccia – recipe The GuardianWondering what to make for dinner? Need some inspiration? Here’s our list of suggestions: dinner recipes that take less than an hour of mostly hands-off time. Yes, there will be pasta and, yes, it will be delicious.
It’s the best time of the year if you love ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. It’s also a great time to escape the kitchen and grill weeknight meals—why save all the fun for the weekend? Our meal plan for the first week of August draws on these things, plus there’s a Meatless Monday recipe that will teach you a smart way to crisp canned chickpeas and turn them into an irresistible snack or important element of a vegetarian entrée. And don’t skip on the shrimp burgers; they might not replace hamburgers in your dinner rotation, but we hope you’ll add them to your recipe repertoire.
Get the week off to an easy start with this vegetarian meal that’s more about putting things together than cooking. Chickpeas, along with black beans and cannellini beans, are canned beans you’ll always find in our store cupboard and they anchor this easy dinner. Toss them with olive oil and z’aatar and roast them in the oven to create the crunchy element of this vegetarian dinner salad.
Stir the lemon zest into the Greek yoghurt and you’ll be amazed at how you’ve just made a stellar condiment. See if you can pull off a swoop of it on each dinner plate that’s worthy of Instagram. If your swoops are not quite food stylist level, no worries! You’ll be covering them with the other elements of the salad, including radishes and cucumbers tossed with lemon juice and olive oil, and the chickpeas and pita crisps.
Turn on the grill! For dinner tonight we’re grilling boneless, skinless chicken breast halves along with radishes and a serrano pepper.
While the grill is heating, make the mint-lime juice dressing that does double duty for this dinner recipe: half of it is tossed with the pounded chicken breasts as a marinade; reserve the other half for the salad.
Mince the serrano once it’s grilled and add to the remaining dressing, then drizzle the dressing over the mango, watercress, grilled radishes, and chicken. The finishing touch is daubs of goat cheese and small leaves of fresh mint.
Like your favourite caprese salad but in pasta form. The only cooking you need for dinner tonight is the pasta; we use campanelle. Why campanelle? Because we like it! And it’s got those twists and turns that penne lacks, but any short pasta would work. If you’re someone who thinks this pasta does not equal a main course, let us know—or grill some sausages to serve alongside.
Who doesn’t love 30-minute dinner recipes? This meal is cooked on the stovetop, and you could make it any night of the year, but it’s well suited to summer when bell peppers are at their best.
Need something to serve alongside these pork chops? Try a crusty bread, leftover potato salad, or a freshly cooked pot of rice.
Why not pull out all the stops? It’s Friday and that is reason enough to make grilled shrimp burgers. Actually, if you have time, you can make these patties on Thursday and refrigerate them overnight. And they only take 10 minutes to cook.
Use your favourite soft buns and don’t skimp on the accompaniments. There’s a chilli-lime mayo that’s simply a combo of store-bought mayo with paprika, onion powder, cayenne, and lime juice, and together with the hot cherry peppers, slices of ripe heirloom tomato, and soft lettuce leaves, they bring it all together.
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Not that you need me to tell you, but it’s hot outside. Record high temperatures have been set across the country with regularity and we’re only halfway through summer. As such, I’m sure you don’t want to spend much time — or any at all — standing over a stove this time of year. To help stay cool, here are recipes to keep you fed without raising the temperature in the kitchen. Not seeing a recipe you like? Head over to our Recipe Finder and search for more no-cook recipes.
Walnut Tacos, above. The genius of these tacos is the walnut crumble seasoned with Mexican-inspired spices. It takes only about a minute with a food processor, and the filling is ready to go into a tortilla.
Caprese Sandwich. I like to think of this as the long-lost Italian cousin of the Southern tomato sandwich. Instead of mayo, this stunner of a summer sandwich features mozzarella and basil. Add pesto, if you really want to kick it up a notch.
Gochiso-Dofu (Decorated Tofu). Silken tofu serves as a smooth, creamy canvas for an array of toppings that add more flavor and texture. “This dish is all about contrast — dark and light, crunchy and creamy, intense and mild,” food editor Joe Yonan writes.
Black Bean Salad With Cherries. This salad “echoes the key flavors of barbecue-sauce-slathered proteins with its fruitiness and savory, chili-lime dressing, while also offering the cool counterpoint of juicy cherries, crisp bites of jicama (or radish) and springy cilantro,” Nourish columnist Ellie Krieger writes. (If you’re not sold on that description alone, I’m not sure what else I can say.)
Dill Ham Salad Sandwich. While chicken, tuna and egg generally take all of the spotlight in the realm of salad sandwiches, this version with ham and dill is not to be ignored.
Avocado, Cucumber and Fennel Soup. While everyone is familiar with tomato gazpacho, it’s not the only cold soup you should be making this summer. Enter this verdant beauty. “The jazz comes from garnishes of jalapeño, dill, basil and pumpkin seeds, all of which add pops of flavor and texture to the soothing, cooling, refreshing soup,” Yonan writes.
Mango Dessert Cups. Mangoes and summer are a match made in heaven. If you’re looking to enjoy them beyond eating them fresh and letting the juice drip down your chin as you rip the flesh from the seed, this creamy, puddinglike dessert is a winner.
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Creamy garlic soup and grilled peppers: José Pizarro’s recipes for light summer lunches The Guardian
I’m a year-round baker, there’s no denying it. Even in summer, I crank up my oven to 475 degrees to bake sourdough bread (though more often than not at night, when it’s theoretically cooler). August and September are also prime recipe-testing season for our annual holiday cookie issue. Thankfully, I’m blessed with an air conditioner that can mostly handle my projects, but even I can appreciate the joys of a no-bake dessert.
Recipes that don’t require heat are also welcome when I want something light and refreshing. Or when I don’t have the energy for a complicated dish. These sweet treats from our Recipe Finder are ideal for when you feel the same. None require the oven or stovetop, and one uses a microwave.
Black Forest Icebox Cake. Between turning on the oven to bake and worrying about melting frosting, layer cakes can be a less than ideal option in the heat. So, staff writer Aaron Hutcherson found a delightful way to channel this retro dessert as an icebox cake. I’ve made it and can testify to its greatness. McVities Icebox Mess is another variation on the genre.
Rainbow Sprinkle Icebox Cake. Similarly, if you have a summer birthday to celebrate, allow me to suggest this festive, fun centerpiece from Jessie Sheehan. It’s like Funfetti, but in chilled form. For more sprinkle possibilities, check out a favorite from my youth (which my mom just made the other week for us!): That Cream Cheese Cool Whip Pie.
Peaches With Rosemary-Mascarpone Whipped Cream. You’ll need to plan ahead to cold-steep the rosemary in the cream for whipping, but otherwise there’s very little effort to put together this Italian-inspired dessert that features store-bought pizzelle (thin waffle cookies).
Strawberry Fool With Raspberries. Frozen berries, sugar and cream are the foundation for this convenient, wallet-friendly dessert.
Piña Colada Granita. This option walks the line between dessert and drink. It’s refreshing either way you look at it, though.
Rum Balls. It’s a shame people only think of these confections around the holidays, because they’re a great option for a cookie-adjacent treat that requires no baking.
Chai Floats. These creamy floats use coffee ice cream and chai latte mix for a slightly more grown-up version of a childhood staple.
Good Stuff Eatery’s Milky Way Malt. Here’s a decadent, eye-catching milkshake that take its inspiration from malted milk balls.
Cacao Chia Pudding. While many puddings need cooking on the stovetop, this vegan recipe makes use of a food processor or high-speed blender.
Monster Cookie Dough. Customize your own edible cookie dough for the kids or kids-at-heart in your life. Because flour is not safe to eat raw, you need to buy either heat-treated flour, or do it yourself in the microwave, which takes about 2 minutes per the recipe instructions.
No-Bake Hemp Brownie Bites. These raw, vegan and gluten-free bites have the flavor of a brownie. Dates lend plenty of moisture and tender chew. Similarly, Date-Coconut Energy Balls rely on fruit, nuts and seeds.
