beef basil bowls with coconut-ginger rice

a 30-minute masterpiece!!!

VERY EXCITING NEWS! I’ve been working behind the scenes on something BIG since January…

I’ve teamed up with Real Good Fish, a Monterey-based seafood (and other proteins!) delivery company, to create a Real Good Fish x What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking box! One of the trickiest parts of writing WTC is that protein availability is so different all over the country (and world!) — especially when it comes to fish, which is the #1 thing y’all request more recipes for! But even things like bone-in pork chops or ground chicken (which are included in this month’s box!) can be difficult to find at a standard grocer.

You can now buy all of your proteins for the entire month of May’s What To Cook recipes right here!

They’ll be shipped to you frozen, and you’ll toss them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them!

Your $99 box will come with:

• Sustainably-caught California rockfish to make crunchy rockfish with sesame-ginger green beans and a truly next-level gochujang sauce.

• Sustainably-caught California Dover sole to make tomato basil fish en papillote (sounds fancy, but I promise it’s WTC-friendly using my hack!) with one-pot summer corn risotto.

• Pasture-raised Sonoma County ground chicken to make chicken caesar burgers (they’re so insanely good and this recipe is a part of a BIG GRILLING MENU that drops mid-May with a special guest!).

• Pasture-raised Sonoma County bone-in pork chops to make black pepper pork chops (based off of the black pepper steaks at Boney’s Market in Coronado, CA). If you think you don’t love pork chops, TRUST ME. You will love these!!

I am so, so SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! Please comment with any questions! I can’t wait to cook the exact same cut of meat from the same fishermen / farmers with you guys next month!

In my house — and I know many of yours too — the most successful mealtimes across the board are those in which everyone can choose their own adventure. You cook a few insanely delicious base components, dig through your fridge and pantry for topping options, then set them all out on the table family-style for everyone to dig in and build their own ideal plate.

CYOA (choose your own adventure) meals are perfect for dinner parties as they accommodate a bunch of different palates. They’re also a win with kids since they have some autonomy over what they’re eating. Did your child just fix herself a bowl of rice, cucumbers, and sauce? Whatever! At least she ate something!

This week’s recipe stars Thai basil beef, which comes together within 15 minutes and has so. much. flavor. With it, we’re going to make coconut-ginger rice and a drizzly peanut sauce, then pile our bowls high with fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, and/or other garnish options. I give a ton of ideas for toppings, but do your thing!

If you’d rather use ground chicken, turkey, or pork, do it! And if you aren’t into peanut sauce — or maybe you want to have a few options — the spicy mayo we made for our beef bulgogi bowls (a fan-fave CYOA recipe from 2022) would also be delicious here.

Happy almost Passover to all who celebrate! To make this recipe Passover-friendly, make cauliflower rice (the roasted way!) instead of rice, and use tamari (which is wheat-free) instead of soy sauce. Also, check your fish sauce to make sure it’s wheat-free. I hear some people are cool with rice during Passover, which makes things even easier!

PS: I ran this by multiple Jewish friends and they all say they’re “99% sure” these are the only substitutions needed, but if we missed anything, LMK in the comments!

Was Steve from Blues Clues an honorary member of your household growing up? Do your children watch Daniel Tiger as religiously as mine did during the pandemic? Do you use the little jingles from DT to get your kids to try new foods, get dressed and out of the house, calm down, etc. etc.?!

This week on So Into That I chatted with Angela Santomero, who created both of those beloved children’s shows (among others!). We talked about all things screen time and childhood development, plus how she was inspired and mentored by Fred Rogers (yes, THAT Mr. Rogers). She gives advice on how to balance what our kids want to watch with what we want our kids to watch, and much more.

In the newsletter, you’ll also find my travel recs for Coronado, a very chic $30 beach hat, my new go-to boxed mac and cheese, and a poem that may or may not make you ball your eyes out. Don’t miss it!

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beef basil bowls

Serves 4-6

Cook time: 30 minutes