This week @hannahgoldfield reviewed I Dream of Dinner in the New Yorker. Can’t really capture what it means—this book could’ve been called “I overthink everything so you don’t have to.” And she called me young!
This was my kitchen for six years, where I’ve developed nearly every recipe (and even where we shot my cookbook). You’re right—you haven’t seen it in Architectural Digest. It took some years to convince the landlord to install an oven that would fit a half sheet pan and wasn’t 200 degrees off. The fridge door didn’t open all the way because of a wall. The counter space was what it was. There was definitely not a dishwasher. But we all have our quirks. I’m grateful it put up with near constant use and forced me to be a more efficient, resourceful cook. You’d think the kitchen could only fit one human but it came alive when friends came over and we’d all cook together. The fridge was raided, every tool put to use—though usually not for its intended purpose. Everyone would bring a droopy vegetable and a bit of leftover something knowing one of us would make it work. We never had enough chairs for everyone to fit at the table, but I preferred sharing chairs and squishing close.
Good news / bad news. I was so excited to cook from the book with @michaelstrahan on @goodmorningamerica this morning, but because someone in my party’s covid test came back inconclusive, I couldn’t go on. I did get to meet @jvn and we had matching hot pink dresses! That was the highlight. But really I am sorry that I didn’t get to introduce the book to you this morning. I didn’t write I Dream of Dinner as a prestige project for me. I wrote it for you, because I see you trying to keep it all together and wouldn’t it be nice if dinner could just be simple and good and dependable? And maybe you might enjoy cooking it—crack a smile? Laugh?! I Dream of Dinner is on-sale today and available wherever books are sold. I’m gonna nap and then I’ll be signing stock at @greenlightbklyn and @booksaremagicbk and celebrating with the people who’ve been by my side for this many-year project because holy shit what a morning!!!
So excited to share this recipe from @itsalislagle ! As Ali says: “An ideal accompaniment to baked beans is biscuits, you know that. This recipe has baked beans and biscuits, but newfangled just a little. The fruity apricot in the baked beans plays so well with the corn and sage in the biscuits. The biscuits bake on top of the bubbling, glazy beans. That’s dinner, with just a dollop of sour cream (the biscuits are made with sour cream so you’ll already have it). Or if you’d like to add a vegetable, stir some hearty greens, like chopped kale or collard greens, into the beans before plopping the biscuit dough on top.” 🍑🫘 enjoy!!
Each of my recipes in @nytcooking ’s 50 most popular new recipes of the year were developed on different stops on our cross-country trip, with different kitchens, tools, grocery stores….so I really can say they’re made for all cooks and kitchens! As a thank you for cooking my recipes (and for loving pasta and broccoli as much as I do), in my stories, there will be a gift link to each recipe, which means you can access them without a subscription. If you like what you see, there’s more of my work on NYT Cooking and in my cookbook, I Dream of Dinner, which has an almost embarrassing number of index entries for broccoli—and a whole pasta chapter. 1. Greek Chicken With Cucumber-Feta Salad (Palm Desert) 2. Sunday Sauce (Colorado) 3. Pasta and Lentils (Los Angeles) 4. Green Curry Glazed Tofu (NY) 5. Rosemary-Paprika Chicken and Fries (Oregon) 6. Crispy Baked Chicken (Oakland) 7. Skillet Broccoli Spaghetti (from my book! Photo by @markweinbergnyc ) 8. Beans and Greens Alla Vodka (NY) 9. Roasted Broccoli Grain Bowl with Nutritional Yeast Dressing (NY)
ABUNDANCE in the paper today: @yewande_komolafe ’s smart cookies, @rebekahpeppler ’s punch bowls, @clarkbar ’s gifts, my snacks, and photos by so many people who I love so much: @markweinbergnyc , @yossyarefi , @bobbilinstudio , @juliagartland . Thank you to my editors @margaux_laskey @genevieve_ko for supporting all the snacks. (P.S. That person re-watching Elf is me.)
Fried eggs for dinner? @itsalislagle , author of “I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have To)” has three smart cooking methods to achieve, for instance, the egg version of filet mignon. The world’s cheapest (but elegant!) dinner. #recipes #cooking #milkstreet
These homely, beige meat blobs (aka the sesame chicken meatballs) are one of the most popular dishes from I Dream of Dinner—and I love that for them, and all of us. They were a last-minute addition and are not photogenic, but with this book I tried to get the food stylists and photographers out of my head (sorry @markweinbergnyc @samanthaseneviratne @eliwino !). Yes we eat with our eyes yada yada, but there’s also something special about making food that you don’t want to photograph, that you share just with the ones you cooked it for. The colorless, shapeless, algorithmically challenging foods can do so much good and deserve their chance, too. (P.S. for this reason the recipes in cookbooks without photos are often the most delicious.) Book photo by the magic makers @markweinbergnyc @samanthaseneviratne
*entries closed* Free books! My hope is I DREAM OF DINNER can meet people wherever they are and thanks for @clarksonpotter , I have 100 copies of I DREAM OF DINNER to donate to organizations doing positive work in their communities. To request one, fill out the form at https://bit.ly/IDODnonprofits. Tell all your friends, too. (Credit goes to @rubytandoh for the idea.) Finally, if you’re in a position to purchase a copy of the book, please do! I think you’ll like it. If you already like it, please tell folks by writing a review on a retailer site. Thank you thank you
*entries closed* 😎🤗I Dream of Dinner—& Winning Big (a Sweepstakes) 🤩😎 You can totally cook the recipes in I Dream of Dinner with whatever tools you’ve got (no food processor or blender required!), but there are a few items that bring particular joy to my kitchen and I’d love to share them with you. Enter the sweepstakes at the link in my bio (https://bit.ly/IDODsweepstakes) for a chance to win… @food52 x @dansk Købenstyle Casserole, where the top is also a trivet—ingenuity! @jonopandolfi Alaska bowl, only thing I eat out of. @farmhousepottery Double Oven Mitt, which protects your wrists—and belly if you need to balance a heavy pot on your side. @farmhousepottery Wooden Bowl, for Big Salads. @dusendusen Stripe Apron & Stripe Napkins, for a pow of pattern and color. @GIR Spatula & Spoonula, for scraping, stirring, AND spooning. @jasperhillfarm Cheeeeeeeeze! @seedandmill set of Original, Za’atar & Garlic Tahini—so creamy, so nutty. A signed copy of I Dream of Dinner NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between April 19, 2022 and April 26, 2022. Open to US residents, 18 and older. One winner will be selected. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. See Official Rules for full details.
@nytcooking has a big excerpt from I DREAM OF DINNER, with five recipes that turn vegetables into pasta sauces and range from raw to cooked forever. The story is for these moments: “My heart says pasta but my head says vegetables.” “Oops what do I do with all the spring produce I just impulse-purchased?” “What the hell are we gonna eat tonight?” Search “Ali Slagle veggie pasta sauce nyt” for answers. Edited by @genevieve_ko @kchambrot , recipe edited by @margaux_laskey (my editor for 5 years, I am so lucky), recipe tested by @lisanicklin (my tester for 5 years, again so lucky), photo edited by @kgoug , imagery by @christophertestani @bryangardnerphotography , food styling @monicapierini @lishsteiling Related: As a freelancer, nothing is a guarantee except very expensive healthcare. Every “yes” is a triumph, so it’s surreal to have published 200+ recipes @nytimes or that my book is in its pages. I’m thankful to every person in my career who’s said “yes,” especially @emweinstein and @emofly all those years ago.
This isn’t even a third of I DREAM OF DINNER 🆒 Get these guys and loads more by preordering wherever books are sold (@nowservingla @omnivorebooks have signed copies!)