Recipes
BBQ Night
If you don't live in Memphis, sorry. Here, it's easy to get a pound or two of pulled pork and then build your meal around it. I'm sure there's a sense of pride you feel when you grill or braise or smoke a large amount of pork, but in case you (1) have no clue how to do that or (2) are too lazy to really try, lots of BBQ spots in Memphis will sell you meat by the pound. Grab as many pounds as you need and focus on sides. You'll have a meal ready in minutes that tastes like you spent hours on it.
My personal favorite for chopped pork (not pulled, sue me) is Germantown Commissary. Just call up there and ask for a couple pounds and swing by to pick it up. It's super cheap and super good.
For sides, I usually grab a can of Bush's baked beans and a bag of broccoli carrot slaw from Whole Foods. A bag of frozen green beans results in virtually no prep and the inner peace associated with having at least one thing on your plate that is green.
Grandaddy Ray's Chili
A straightforward chili recipe with lots of opportunities to make it your own. This is our go-to "someone had a baby" recipe.
Broccoli Bolognese with Orecchiette
I haven't tried this recipe before. Something about savory and heavily seasoned Italian sausage alongside a palette-cleansing and pleasantly boring vegetable like broccoli always makes sense.
If you can't find orecchiette then use whatever pasta you want; shells are fine. No need to fret over not being able to find the fancy version of shells.
Misc
What is your favorite cooking tip or technique?
I love Quora. If you don't know, Quora is a website where people can ask questions and get answers from smart people who are actually qualified to answer. The best answers get upvoted. It's a lot like Yahoo Answers (except less stupid) and Reddit (except less...Reddit).
Here's a good question with several helpful answers, especially the top one about making your own stock.
