January was a bit of a strange month this year. There was crazy cold weather all across the country (even in Florida and Texas), my husband was out of town for work for most of the month, and I did some traveling of my own as well. For all of these reasons, I cooked a lot less than I usually do this month, and a lot of what I made were solo dinners or lunches for myself. This meant a lot of salads, work lunches, and simple dinners. Even so, I thought I’d round up the five best things I made this month and share them with you.
Five Great Things I Made This Month
In No Particular Order
1. Chicken Lettuce Wraps from a Favorite Cookbook
The first crop harvested from my indoor hydroponic Gardyn was Tokyo Bekana lettuce. When I was researching uses for this type of green I found that many reviewed it as “perfect for lettuce wraps”, so I thought I’d start there. I consulted one of my favorite Chinese cookbooks Chinese Cooking, Made Simple for the recipe and it did not disappoint. Such a flavorful, healthy dinner with the perfect crunch from the Tokyo Bekana.
2. This Instant Ramen I’ve Been Obsessing Over
I told you it was a strange month of solo dinners, remember? My husband picked out this Kokomen ramen at H-Mart solely because he liked the packaging (it has a chicken on it). Neither one of us was prepared for how much we love it, and I made it a few times this January when I was home alone on a cold night. The noodles are delicate but chewy and the broth is flavorful with a subtle spice. We’ll definitely be keeping some of these on hand for lazy nights. If you can’t find it in a store local to you it is also available here on Amazon.
3. Croque Madame from Soups, Salads, Sandwiches
For my first installment of “Cookbook Roulette“, the wheel landed on the Croque Madame recipe from Matty Matheson’s cookbook Soups, Salads, Sandwiches. This sandwich was rich, decadent, and topped with a runny egg for extra deliciousness. This meal definitely inspired me to make more recipes from this cookbook.
4. Arugula Pesto Pasta
I never get tired of making arugula pesto. It’s such a bright, delicious version of pesto and tossed with a good pasta shape, it makes for a fantastic meal. I like to top mine with a few quartered cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
5. Fresh Salads with Greens Harvested from My Gardyn
A little over sixty days into my Gardyn experiment and we are starting to get regular fresh salads. My favorite one so far was tossed with my go-to mustard vinaigrette dressing, but I’m looking forward to experimenting as I harvest more from the Gardyn.
January may have been a quieter month in the kitchen than usual, but it still reminded me how much I love simple, good food — even when it’s just for myself. From cookbook roulette wins to low-effort comfort meals and the joy of harvesting fresh greens at home, these are the kinds of things that keep cooking fun even when life feels a little off-rhythm. February already has a few more ambitious ideas in the works, and I’m excited to see what makes next month’s list. As always, I’ll report back.
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