Dishes You Should Know By Heart
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Recently, lifehacker offered their list of dishes everyone must know how to make without a recipe. Currated by chefs and tastemakers, the list included some solid choices such as fresh marinara, an easy cocktail etc.
My friend Lauren shared her list yesterday, and I loved it. It is the list of a very well-rounded foodie. She listed dishes that call for a variety of techniques from roasting, baking to pickling. I’ll admit, I’ve never pickled anything. I think I’m just as well rounded of a foodie, I’m just not that into pickled stuff. Except onions -lately I’m obsessed with pickled onions, so I might give that a try.
Lauren’s list got me thinking, what are my “go-to” dishes that I can make without referencing a recipe?
Hummus is almost always a crowd pleaser. If your friends aren’t down with hummus, you would probably be best served finding new friends. It takes less than 10 minutes to whip up. It’s reasonably healthy and packed with flavor. You must have hummus in your “make from memory” arsenal.
I use this basil & walnut pesto recipe in several different recipes on my site. From pesto stuffed cherry tomatoes, pesto muffins and my favorite green eggs. With pesto comes great power – the power to jazz up just about anything. Once you know how to make a pesto, you can make lots of different variations using different herbs and ingredients. Cilantro pesto is another favorite of mine.
Fritatta is wonderful in that it allows you to make use of whatever you have on hand. It is ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s easy enough to make for yourself at home to eat in your PJs in front of the TV, but smart enough to serve company.
Beer bread is magic. Beer bread is foolproof. Flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and a pint of your favorite brew – done. The yeast in the beer does all the leavening for you. You can add in whatever additional flavors you would like. The recipe linked above has sharp white cheddar and dill. I’ve made sweet beer breads with fresh berries and St. Arnold Lawnmower. Beer bread is ideal for those “oh no I need to bring something to a potluck” or “I really should bring ‘so-and-so’ a homemade treat to celebrate their baby/new home/promotion, but I’m sooo busy” kind of moments in life. We all have those moments.
It’s a good idea to have one dish up your sleeve that everyone in the family loves, is simple and inexpensive to fix, and good during a variety of seasons. In my family, that dish is chicken picatta. The recipe linked above is my Moms – I’ve eaten her’s too many times to count, and I’ve made it so often for myself that I know the recipe by heart.
Everyone should have one dessert recipe that they know by rote. Maybe it’s your favorite cheesecake, lemon bars, or oatmeal cookies. For me, it’s chocolate stout cake. I’ve made this cake over and over – I’ve made it in a bundt as pictured above. I’ve made it in a towering 3-layer cake with whipped ganache frosting, and I’ve made it as cupcakes. This cake is moist, dense and chocolatey. Best of all, it’s always turned out for me. It’s not finicky at all like some cake recipes can be. I know that I always have everything I need for this recipe on hand (except maybe a stout which I can pick up at a convenience store on the way home), and I’ve got the method of preparation down pat.
I’m curious – what are some of your go-to recipes that you know by heart?
14 Responses to “Dishes You Should Know By Heart”
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A blog about food, the good life and wasp style. Meet Elizabeth... 
I love this concept, and I couldn’t agree more with three of your pics: hummus, pesto, and chicken piccata!
Maggie I would love to see your list – I feel like we are appetite twins
Pesto, marinara, chili {turkey poblano and the traditional variety}… and a really good margarita!
Love it! Pesto and hummus, both great choices. I still have pesto in my freezer from my last batch. I considered doing a generic “dips” entry on my list, as in, everyone should know how to make a good hummus/guacamole/salsa. It’s quick and easy and you can make it your own.
Oh this is a great idea! Evidently i need to learn to pickle as well though.
My go-to dishes: Spinach Dip, My Mom’s Garden Veggie Soup, Russian Chicken, My Grandmother’s Red Velvet, My Nana’s biscuits, & a French 75.
Thanks for including the recipe for Guiness Chocolate Cupcakes! I’d love to try that as a bundt cake as well. And btw your Chicken Picatta looks divine.
what a fun post! my go-to dishes i know by heart are, for appetizers: tomato-pancetta butter that i serve with crostini + tomato-goat cheese tarts. for entrees: spicy chicken + tomato posole, panko + parmesan crusted chicken, + meatballs. for dessert: nutella + chocolate chip cookies. i might make a blog post out of this in the future, too – thanks for the fab idea!
Great List. They all look delicious.
Cool idea, though I’m afraid to look up that Lifehacker list, since I surely know none of those.
Chicken piccata is one of my few “from memory” recipes; I make a decent breaded pork chop too . . . and, that’s about it from memory. Toast?
Interesting, though I will confess I can’t make hummus by heart. I always do too much or not enough olive oil or tahini. Oops.
I can almost make chocolate chip cookies without a recipe…muscle memory
Great list! Here are a few of mine: guacamole, chili, and chocolate chip cookies.
My favorite entertaining menu: mexican layered dip (homemade) gaucomale, Frogmore stew (onions, Kielbsa sausage, new potatoes, corn and shrimp all boiled together) my grandmother’s pound cake, brownies and pumpkin cupcakes. Also a spinach tea sandwich and pimento cheese ball if lots of people are expected I love to have parties!!!!!!
That’s a great list. I also think a great cocktail is something you should know by heart (martini of some kind, perhaps a cosmo), a simple soup that you can whip up quickly and meatloaf. Gotta have that perfect meatloaf recipe.
Yes! A cocktail is a must.
Oooo, I need beer bread in my life!