Don’t Get Intimidated by Pinterest

Some days, the idea of cooking dinner can easily be overwhelming.

Miraculously, I had no plans on Tuesday night, which therefore allowed me to get excited about a relaxing night at home in the kitchen. I could open a nice bottle of champagne, put on the Spotify Michael Buble Christmas channel and just relax while cooking dinner. As soon as the clock struck 7pm, I headed downstairs, not even stopping to change out of my work clothes, and did a quick scan of ingredients in the fridge and pantry.

Inspired by the carton of eggs in the fridge and pile of onions in the pantry, I started skimming Pinterest for inspiration. Not the right move at 7pm, Diamond.  Leave it to Pinterest to immediately intimidate and overwhel. After typing in a few key ingredients I wanted to use, the results quickly included multiple step, complicated recipes. Instead of getting frustrated, I reached out to Kristine, whose Instagram feed never ceases to make me hungry, for some inspiration.

Within minutes, I found myself opening cans and cracking eggs, excited to whip up a dish that I fell in love with in London.  Little did I know that impressive, delicious dish only takes 30 minutes and uses ingredients most of us have in our pantry or refrigerator.

Friends, this New York Times Shakshuka is a recipe that you should pin on your “weeknight dinner” Pinterest board and enjoy often. It only has three, primary recipe steps and one of those is preheating the oven. I’m not kidding!

If you aren’t familiar with shakshuka, it is a traditional Israeli breakfast dish featuring eggs poached in tomatoes, peppers and onions.   The bright, spicy, one-pan dish is easy to make but the flavors will linger with you for hours. The smoky sauce will have you scooping up the remnants on your plate with pieces of crusty bread.  When paired with a small green salad and a hearty pour of wine or bubbly, it is the perfect, healthy, heart comfort food.

So, what did we learn from this post?

• Open bubbly before cooking.
• Don’t fall down the Pinterest intimidation rabbit hole.
• Phone or test friends for help.
• Eggs are great kitchen staples!
• Shakshuka is easier to make than you’d think.
• Have fun!