Family Dinner with JP

This is the synergy I was hoping for! I posted a tomato and anchovy and garlic butter spaghetti recipe. Eliza makes it for her family, and it's a hit! Eliza posts pics of the endeavor on the facedbooks. Friends of Eliza post a recipe they're reminded of, from the New York Times . I make that recipe. Things of note for this recipe: First off, this one was simple, and I made it for lunch. Not a huge time commitment. Secondly, I use chicken thighs. If you are boring/weird/like spending three times as much money on things/hate good flavor, you can certainly use chicken breasts. But don't. Third, this recipe uses anchovy, but I did not mention it in the title. People are afraid of anchovies. So make this dish, serve it to them, and don't even mention the anchovies until after they've already finished their seconds. And finally - this was the first dish I've made using my very own Fire Escape Herbs, who are doing very well and have not died yet at all. This ...

Christine is from Tampa, which is why she 1)knows a thing or two about Cuban food and 2)knows the Columbia Restaurant. One of those moments where, pestering her over Gchat, Christine sent an entirely inspired response to my "what should I make for dinner this week?" The answer was a Cuban Picadillo. And Christine was right. Picadillo, or "hash," is a traditional Spanish-influenced dish that usually includes ground beef. The Cuban variety typically involves raisins, olives, and capers, while other national varieties vary incredibly (some including hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, honey and lime, etc.) The dish was simple, but ultimately complex. Like a chili or stew, the leftovers were somehow even better than the original serving. I served mine over fluffy white rice. You might also include some fried plantains for scooping. Other suggestions include using this as taco filling or in croquettes. Its a seriously versatile dish. Of final note: If you don...