I’ve been a sorry excuse for a half-Indian woman because I just started making dal for the first time in my many years on this earth. I’ve eaten a lot of dal, but it’s just not something I’ve ever tried to cook until this year.

"This is you, in a recipe!"

That's what my friend Lauren said when I told her about this idea to infuse the most old-school Minnesotan of recipes (hotdish, i.e. casserole) with Indian flavors. And she's right.

It me.

I’d like to talk about the Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi. Yes, THE cauliflower gnocchi.

Thank you for joining me here today—I’m back again with another episode of crispy chicken thighs (this one inspired by anchovy lobbyist Alison Roman).

The meals I make most often are usually the ones I forget to document for Worthy Pause. I’ve made this sausage skillet thing many, many times, but it never even crossed my mind that it might be a good recipe to share here until the other day when my daughter was scarfing it down like she hadn’t eaten all day (note: she hadn’t eaten all day because she had refused all the other foods).

Chicken soup for the bowl.

A good Mexican chorizo makes everything in touches taste delicious, without much effort. That’s my kind of meat.

Comfort food, Indian-style.

These kinds of easy grilling meals are my favorite because I never do the actual grilling. Seriously, I will prep all the food and then just hand it over to whoever is within arm’s reach at the time and be like, “Good luck and godspeed.”

How did the name of this recipe get so long? All those words seemed relevant at the time... and still do, I guess. The recipe itself, however, is extremely short. It's only two steps and three ingredients—can't beat that. 

It's for when you want buffalo chicken wings, but in a socially-acceptable-at-lunch sort of way. 

Carrot soup! The answer is carrot soup.