Friday cannon fodder: home cooking

I currently have about as much food in my apartment as I have ever had at one time. The reason: stocking up on the off-chance I have to stay inside for some period of time. It’s mostly basics — pasta, frozen vegetables, frozen chicken breasts, rices and beans, potatoes, soups, and other non-perishables.

Whether I end up eating just those things for several consecutive days or I eat down my surplus over time, I’m going to get really tired of plain chicken and rice. So I’ve been thinking about creative ways to use those ingredients in different dishes to up the variety. I like to cook. I like to experiment with new recipes, and I’ll try most anything once. I’m always looking for suggestions.

One dish I’m sure I’ll make is chicken parmigiana. It’s relatively easy to make, and you can’t really go wrong with lots of melted mozzarella cheese, right? Plus, it was a go-to for when I wanted to impress a date with my cooking skills. So I have at least some experience cooking it.

Another go-to dish for me is a hash. Grate some potatoes and get them nice and crispy, chop up some onions and some garlic in there, and throw some combination of whatever other things happen to be lying around. It’s a great way to use up half-portions of those random foods that would otherwise go bad and be thrown away.

What are your go-to dishes?

P.S. I was serious about looking for suggestions. Let me know if you’ve got any great recipes. We can start a TSF cooking club. First dish on the docket, Bang-Bang Shrimp. You know, because the Gunners?