11 Recipes for De-stressing This Weekend
Coming off the heels of this very long election week is enough to make anyone feel exhausted. The recipes below—some focused on ease, others on projects that’ll keep you engaged—are the kind of soul-soothing foods we always want when we need to rest and recharge. Among them: a chocolaty cheese sandwich, a warming lamb and lentil stew that’s made in the Instant Pot, a berry-and-cream-cheese-studded snack cake, and a cocktail designed to keep you toasty when you finally get a moment to step out onto your back deck and grab some fresh air.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton1/11Turmeric Hot Toddy
To make this golden-tinged hot toddy from bartender Claire Sprouse, you'll stir together an easy simple syrup with ground turmeric in the mix. With that elixir on hand in your fridge, you'll be ready whenever the moment for a hot cocktail arises. To finish the drink, pour in a splash of sherry, your favorite spirit, and bit of lemon. Sip, feel comforted, repeat.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson2/11Nutella Grilled Cheese
This salty-sweet combination feels somewhat subversive: who pairs chocolate and cheese!? Anna Stockwell does. And now you do. And you will continue to do so after tasting how glorious it can be in all its melted, sandwiched glory.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen3/11Tahini Billionaire Bars
These chocolate, butterscotch, and shortbread bars require a small amount of dedication, since each layer has to be made and cooled before you go on to the following step. The good news: each element is easy to prepare, and once they all come together, you'll be glad to have the bars on hand, even if they're likely to disappear pretty fast.
Photo by Martin Poole4/11Carrot, Onion, and Spinach Bhajias With Mango Chutney
These crispy fritters from Anjali Pathak's The Indian Family Kitchen are made with grated carrots, onions, and ginger, plus warming garam masala and chile. The dipping sauce is her riff on traditional mango chutney—it has a hefty pour of bourbon, which adds warming depth.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege5/11Butternut Squash Soup With Apples and Bacon
Butternut squash and apple soup is a classic for good reason. In this version, tart Granny Smith apples add zing to the earthy squash while a bit of bacon lends salty richness.
Photo by Baxter Miller6/11R-Rated Onions
If you have the presence of mind, spend some time this weekend stirring, and watching, and waiting on a pot of caramelized onions. These are no standard quick sauté—real caramelized onions takes upwards of an hour to make, but when done in bulk the rewards are long lasting. Stir them into a quick sour cream dip or to a sloppy joe–inspired sauce for a riff on eggs in purgatory.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton8/11Instant Pot Lamb Haleem
Sohla El-Waylly says the process of cooking this Pakistani lentil-and-lamb stew on the stovetop is "not a set-it-and-forget-it situation" and that it can take what “feels like forever.” Her Instant Pot version is markedly easier and quicker—and the flavor is fantastic.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich9/11Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese
Chef Erick Williams of Virtue in Chicago developed this mostly-stovetop macaroni and cheese for our 2020 Thanksgiving menu, but there's no reason you can't give it a test run before the end of the month rolls around.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell10/11Pork Chops With Fig and Grape Agrodolce
Few things are more satisfying in the kitchen than pulling off a restaurant-worthy dinner on your own. This pork chop, smothered in a sweet-and-sour fruit-studded pan sauce and served with a pleasantly bitter radicchio salad, looks like it belongs in your favorite steakhouse. But don't worry; it's easier than it looks.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark11/11Berry Cream Cheese Cake
End the weekend with a cake that you can take into breakfast and snack time in the week ahead. It's dappled with cream cheese and berries before baking, which means no frosting or other accompaniments are needed. Except, perhaps, a coffee, tea, or another pour of that turmeric toddy.
