Cook90 2022

Ah, yes. It’s that time of year again. January has come again, and we once more attempt to cook 90 meals in the month instead of going out, ordering takeout, or otherwise wussing out of cooking with canned soups or frozen meals. We’ve tried to do this twice before, and both times, I’ve failed. A new job came in the way the first time, and the second time my health declined pretty suddenly for a period of time. Now, the world has changed. I’m feeling better, and I’m working from home full time with more time to take care of myself and my husband.
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If you’ve been around for awhile, you know that COOK90 has its origins from Epicurious’s David Tamarkin, and the rules are simple: cook every meal for the entire month with only three exceptions across the whole of the month, and do not repeat a recipe. Breakfast is something of an exception since we all have certain proclivities during breakfast, but there’s absolutely no eating out during this period of time.

We started our preparations for this challenge back in November by slowly bulking up the pantry and the freezer with some easy to access and utilize ingredients that won’t take a lot of time out of my afternoons. The cookbook collection is so large that I have a lot of inspiration to turn to when I find my back against the wall. Cooler weather means more reason to start baking bread again, and it’s been keeping the house warm since the first cold day of the year so far.

We are starting one day late due to having company over New Years, and that meant a lot of eating out. If we included New Years Day, we’d be down to only one cheat day for the rest of the month. That’s a no go for me!

The plan is to post photos of each meal for you to see for your own, and if I wind up throwing something together particularly tasty of my own design, the recipe will go up the same week. We started a facebook group during the first year, and I plan on resurrecting that for this attempt as well.

For some inspiration to get us going on this endeavor, here are some COOK90 recipes from Epicurious that I’ve picked out of their own wrap up articles. 

Honey Garlic Noodles

A yummy, quick noodle bowl with a spicy sauce to keep you warm on a cold January afternoon, these honey-garlic noodles are right at the top of recipes I want to try out. My husband and I turn to stirfry a lot when the weather gets cold. We so often have leftover roast chicken that can go far with a pack of noodles. This recipe might be a good way to use that meat up too.

Slow Cooker Green Chicken Chili

I’m a sucker for slow cooker recipes of any kind, really, and one that makes COOK90 easier is absolutely a must try. This recipe from Epicurious contains sweet potatoes. I’ll likely replace them with russets since I’m not a sweet potato kind of girl. My husband and I make the white chicken chili from Epicurious when the cold weather comes around, so this will be a fun experiment with some new flavors.

Tuna and Artichoke Cooler Pressed Sandwiches

Working from home lets me have a lot more time in the morning to do what I want to do, which sometimes includes prepping meals ahead of time. This sandwich comes together quick according to the recipe, and leaving it in the fridge to let the flavors meld together and soak into the crusty baguette should only make it tastier. What a way to use the morning. Lunch was always a struggle when I tried to do COOK90 from the office.

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