| Good morning, all. We made it to another Saturday — sometimes I feel like I deserve a pat on the back just for that. I go to work, I parent, I adult the heck out of those five weekdays. My husband and I also manage to keep everyone fed, though by the end of the week, we're frequently improvising and scraping together various odds and ends. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. I'm always proud of saving money and ingredients by pulling together something seemingly out of nothing, and making it tasty, to boot. Nourish columnist Ellie Krieger fondly recalls her mother's way with resourceful, budget-friendly cooking, too. "When I was a kid, my mom would often make what she called 'mish-mosh' for dinner," she wrote this week. "The skillet of ground beef, tomatoes, onion and whatever leftover vegetables needed to get eaten was her way of pulling dinner together on a strict budget, squeezing cooking in-between working during the day and studying for her master's degree at night." As an homage, Ellie developed a recipe for Beef-Stuffed Eggplant, which piles saucy, spiced ground meat (use turkey, chicken, pork or a vegan alternative, if you prefer) on top of halves of the roasted vegetable. It's a great formula for your own use-what-you-have dishes with your choice of protein, spices and produce. When it comes to what's lurking in my refrigerator, there's typically a jar (or three) of pickles. Aaron Hutcherson decided to make this always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride food the star of his newest quick dinner, Chicken Salad With Pickles and Dill. His deli salad uses not only chopped dill pickles, but also chopped fresh cucumbers. The result is a refreshing, crunchy and textured dish that works well in sandwiches, wraps and lettuce cups. Feel free to use your preferred protein, such as diced ham or hard-cooked eggs, and whatever pickles you like. ("Just made it with cornichons. Delicious!" said one early review.) Daniela Galarza's Modern Waldorf Salad With Brie Toasts is a great technique for using the last bits of bread, cheese, fruit, nuts and greens hanging around your kitchen. This take on the classic dish that originated at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel in the late 1800s helps spin a salad into a full meal thanks to those cheesy toasts. Also featured in the mix: an apple, a cup of grapes and a handful of celery hearts — in other words, exactly the kinds of things haunting your fruit bowl or produce bin. Regardless of what you put in there, you'll want to dress it with the punchy vinaigrette starring cider and mustard seeds. What are some of your favorite scrappy meals or pantry MVPs? I'd love to hear about them in the live weekly chat Aaron and I host Wednesdays at noon Eastern. Send along your thoughts and questions now, then be sure to return when we kick things off. Until next week, happy cooking. |
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