quality > quantity, plus time-saving flavor hacks

so into that #55

Hi! How are you? LA weighs heavy on my mind. I’m proud of us — via an Instagram fundraiser on my page we have raised close to $36,000 over the last few days for World Central Kitchen, who’s on the ground bringing water and food to first responders, volunteers, and families in need. In a time where the feelings of helplessness can feel suffocating, doing something small like contributing even $5 to a community fundraiser can help me breathe again.

If you like to see who exactly you’re donating to, GoFundMe also has a hub of verified fundraisers that will directly benefit people rebuilding their homes and lives in the wake of the wildfires.

I said on Sunday that if my IG community could raise $30,000 in less than 24 hours I’d develop a new California-inspired recipe to share the next day. And we did it! Below you’ll find that recipe, and click here to see a video of it. It’s a good one, guys — I hope you cook it this week.

a few great bras > a drawer full of meh bras

One of my “ins” for this new year is to focus on quality over quantity. Here are a few ways I’ve applied that mindset lately. I’d love to hear ways you do it too! Gimme all the inspo.

1. My underwear drawer. I’m over opening my underwear drawer and wading through 10 bras I haven’t worn in a decade to find the one that I’m looking for. At the beginning of 2025, I donated the ones that had never been worn, and got rid of the rest. I’ve talked about how much I love Harper Wilde’s Bliss Bralette before, it’s been my go-to bra since a friend recommended it four years ago, but I got myself a lacy style and their scoop bralette just before the holidays and really cannot overstate how thrilling it is to have a collection of bras I actually enjoy. They smooth everything out perfectly, hold everything in, and basically allow you to forget you’re even wearing a bra, which is kind of the goal? I wear one every day — and all day, whether I’m going on a hike or out to dinner. Want to try? Use code CARO15 for 15% off.

2. One-on-one time with my kids. I don’t get a ton of time to spend with each of my boys individually right now, so when I do, I’ve started to make sure I’m fully engaged, asking questions, and making the most of it whenever I can. I’m not half there, half reading emails — I give them my full undivided attention. My other 2025 “in” of treating my phone like a landline — keeping it in one location (a cupboard in my office) and going to visit it versus carrying it around all the time — has helped immeasurably with this. Phone, away.

3. Screen time. Not to beat a dead horse here, but I’m really tightening up screen time habits across the board for myself and my kids. Obviously my job requires a decent amount of phone and laptop time — and I’m not throwing our TVs in the trash can — but I’m being more intentional about what we are consuming. In are family movie nights, watching documentaries with George (or by myself while he watches Squid Games…), and reading; out is getting sucked down the Instagram explore page rabbit hole at 10 p.m. For all my romantasy gals, I’m finally reading Quicksilver and am very into it.

Using time-saving ingredients is always encouraged here at What to Cook. We are not people that frown at non-chef-y hacks. We love hacks!!! We were chatting as a team about store-bought ingredients we’ve been loving lately and a theme emerged: we’re all so into time-saving, flavor-boosting items that help make healthy home cooking easier. Here are a few favorites!

1. Store-bought dressings that double as marinades. Did anyone else’s mom marinate chicken in Italian dressing growing up?? All of ours did, and it’s a tradition worth carrying on. Some of my favorite store-bought dressings that can pull double duty are Primal Kitchen’s Italian Vinaigrette & Marinade, Gotham Greens’ Lemon Basil Vinaigrette, and Haven’s Kitchen’s Herby Chimichurri sauce. You could also make your own, of course, like we did for our balsamic basil grilled chicken. Click here for more homemade salad dressing recipes! But, take the shortcut when you need it.

2. Blender Bombs. From Molly: My whole family is on a smoothie kick right now and these make it so easy to add a bunch of nutrient-rich ingredients to them. We’re hooked on the OG, which has dates, almonds, pecans, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, bee pollen, walnuts, aloe vera, and more. Yes, I could add each of those ingredients individually to the blender, but it’s so much quicker to use a bomb! I’m also very into their vanilla plant-based protein powder — it’s delish. (They gave us a promo code — use code CARO to get 20% off.)

3. Spice blends. Some nights I’ll happily measure out chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne to make sheet-pan fajitas. Other nights I absolutely cannot. On those nights I rely on spice blends!! My friend Gaby’s spice blends are lovely — I’m obsessed with her taco and everyday blends.

4. Better than Bouillon. Unless you’re brand new to WTC (in which case, hi and welcome!!), you know I love Better than Bouillon (BTB). I don’t buy quarts of stock anymore, I just use 1 teaspoon of BTB + 1 cup of water anytime I cook/call for stock in a recipe. FYI, I also do not bring the water to a boil before I mix it with BTB like the jar instructs… I just add them both to whatever I’m cooking and stir — they’ll mix as they cook!

5. Frozen crushed garlic + ginger cubes. I buy these at Trader Joe’s but most other stores have them too (like Target)! They’re meal-savers on days when mincing is out of the question. Swap in 1 cube for 1 clove of garlic, or 1 cube for 1 teaspoon or 1 inch of fresh ginger. I hugely prefer the fresh flavor of the frozen cubes over jarred minced garlic and ginger, or the kind that comes in a tube.

6. A can of chipotle peppers in adobo. Chipotle peppers in adobo are a mainstay in my pantry (or freezer — you can freeze leftovers!). Throw a couple peppers in your butternut squash soup, blend them into mayonnaise with lime juice for a delicious condiment, smash them into a paste with olive oil and salt and use it as a meat marinade, or use them in a recipe (like the chipotle cheddar chimichanga tacos linked below). Warning!! When a recipe calls for “1 chipotle en adobo” it is calling for ONE PEPPER, not one can!! And remove the seeds from the pepper if you have a crew of spice wimps.

goodies from The Ones welcome kit

Earlier this week, 831 Stories, the publishing group that brought us Big Fan (my fave book of 2024!), launched The Ones — a membership program for 831 super fans. For $99, the membership includes a copy of the next five books they’ll publish (Including Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath, due out January 28!) as well as early and exclusive access to special perks, members-only merch, discounts, events, and more fun surprises. To celebrate the launch of The Ones, the 831 team has offered to give free memberships to 3 lucky readers of What to Cook!!

To enter to win¹, comment on this post (you can weigh in on a theme above or just say hi!) by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, January 21 — the winners will be chosen at random and announced in next week’s So Into That on January 22. Good luck!

What to Cook launched in December 2020, which means there are more than 200 recipes in the archives. To help you cook through them, let’s revisit what we cooked this week over the last few years.

1. chicken meatballs with lemon orzo, 2024

This entire meal is such a hit with my kids. We make use of Meyer lemons, which are in season at the moment. And the chicken meatballs would be a great thing to meal prep in case Monday’s guide inspired you to spend some time this weekend meal-preppin!

2. 30-minute beef and broccoli, 2023

This one gives me cozy nostalgia vibes. It also utilizes frozen crushed garlic and ginger cubes like we chatted about above!

3. healthy-ish turkey bolognese, 2022

Probably a quarter of my children’s annual vegetable consumption comes from this bolognese, which is DELICIOUS and contains pounds of hidden veggies. It’s one of the most popular recipes in WTC history and a version of it even made it into the book.

4. chipotle cheddar chimichanga tacos, 2021

Here’s where you can use those chipotle peppers in adobo! You can also swap the individual spices out for a taco seasoning spice blend.

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Serves 4

Cook time: 45 minutes (or 30 minutes, if you use store-bought Caesar dressing instead!)

Tools:

• Chef’s knife

• Parchment paper

• Rolling pin or heavy bottle

• 3 shallow bowls

• Microplane or grater

• Large mixing bowl

• A large frying pan or a foil-lined baking sheet

• A paper towel-lined plate (if you’re frying your chicken)

Ingredients:

For the schnitzel and salad:

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced carefully in half horizontally

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

• Kosher salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup avocado or vegetable oil (or cooking spray, if baking)

• 2 large heads of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced and washed

• 1 medium honey crisp apple (cold from the fridge, ideally!)

For the Caesar dressing:

• Heaping 1/2 cup mayo

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 to 2 tablespoons of anchovy paste (depending on how anchovy-y ya like it!)

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (buy an extra lemon just in case you want to add more! I always do)

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• Big pinch of kosher salt and several grinds of pepper

Cut 2 chicken breasts in half as slowly and carefully as you need to to try to get two perfectly even halves. Place each half between two pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin or heavy bottle to flatten each to about 1/4 inch. Don’t pound too hard and break them!

Set out 3 shallow bowls.

In the first bowl, make the Caesar dressing! Combine a heaping 1/2 cup mayo, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 to 2 tablespoons of anchovy paste (depending on how anchovy-y ya like it!), 1 grated garlic clove, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a big pinch of kosher salt, and several grinds of pepper. Taste. I like to add a lot more lemon juice, personally, but I know many like a richer Caesar dressing, so do your thing! Add additional salt, lemon, anchovy paste, etc. until it’s your perfect Caesar dressing.

Transfer half of the dressing to a large mixing bowl to use later (we’ll use what’s left in that shallow bowl as a dredge for the chicken!).

Now back to the chicken. Place 1/2 cup all-purpose flour in the second shallow bowl, and place 1 1/2 cups panko and 1/4 cup grated Parm in the third bowl. Season both with kosher salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Dredge each piece of chicken through the flour until fully coated, then through the Caesar dressing that’s still in the shallow bowl until fully coated (it will want to REALLY stick on there — we only need a light coating so use your hands to wipe off any excess), and finally through the panko mixture. If you run out of panko or Caesar dressing while breading the chicken, just add more to the bowl.

To fry it: Heat 1/2 cup avocado oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When you add a piece of panko and it sizzles, you’re ready to cook. Cook one piece of chicken at a time for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Don’t skip the paper towel step!

To bake it: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet in an even layer and spray with cooking spray on both sides. Bake for 6 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Check that the chicken is 165°F internally.

Thinly slice 2 large heads of romaine and cut 1 medium honey crisp apple (cold from the fridge, ideally!) into matchsticks. Toss with the reserved dressing in the mixing bowl.

Place one schnitzel on a plate and cover with salad. Use a microplane or box grater to grate fresh Parm all over the top. Add a few grinds of pepper. Repeat with remaining plates. Done! ENJOY IMMEDIATELY!

chicken caesar schnitzel

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• Save time: Swap in store-bought Caesar dressing!

• Vegetarian: Add some roasted cauliflower and chickpeas to your Caesar salad instead. You can swap out the anchovies for capers but you may need to add extra mayo to thicken things up.

• Leftover makeover: If you have leftover schnitzel, make chicken Parm the next day! Place the schnitzel on a baking sheet, smother it with marinara and mozzarella, and bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes.

• Gluten-free: Use GF panko and 1:1 gluten-free baking flour or almond flour.

• Dairy-free: Omit the Parm.

• Chicken breasts: You could use chicken tenders instead — no need to slice them in half.

• All-purpose flour: Almond flour, 1:1 baking flour, whole-wheat flour…

• Panko bread crumbs: Panko will yield the crispiest chicken but any breadcrumbs will do!

• Parmesan cheese: Pecorino romano, vegan Parm, or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast

• Avocado oil: Vegetable oil, canola oil, or another neutral cooking oil

• Romaine: I love a kale Caesar! Or use another crunchy lettuce like green leaf.

• Honey crisp apple: Another type of apple, pear, fuyu persimmon

• Mayo: Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, vegan mayo

• Anchovy paste: 3-6 anchovies, 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or 1-2 tablespoons capers (you may need to add extra mayo to thicken things up if using capers)

• Garlic clove: 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or a thawed cube of crushed garlic

• Lemon: No sub for zest, but you could use 2 tablespoons of a light-colored vinegar in place of the juice.

• Dijon: Whole-grain mustard or omit

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