Whenever I fall into a dinnertime slump (which, as the primary cook for my family of four, happens more than I’d like to admit), I do what thousands of other home cooks do: I turn to Caroline Chambers. Chambers is the founder behind the most-subscribed-to food newsletter on Substack, “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking,” which has more than 200,000 subscribers. She is also the author of a new cookbook of the same name.
Like the newsletter, Chambers’s book is built around vibrant, flavorful recipes that get a complete dinner on the table in less than an hour with a minimum of dirty dishes. Think crunchy honey harissa fish tacos and a one-pan coconut curry chicken with gingery rice. The book also captures the same charismatic, approachable energy that makes Chambers’s newsletter such a phenomenon.
Also expect plenty of practical riffs and clever tricks. With hectic back-to-school schedules on the horizon (goodbye, lazy summer evenings by the grill), I checked in with Chambers for her tips to get fuss-free weeknight dinners on the table that everyone in your family will love. Toasted Fontina and Prosciutto Sandwiches.
Scott Suchman/photo; Carolyn Robb/food styling, for The Washington Post 1. Embrace the dinner sandwich Sandwiches may be the ultimate lunchtime food, but Chambers said it is a mistake to sleep on their dinnertime appeal. On especially busy nights when everyone needs to eat at different times, she goes for sheet pan sandwiches.
“They are cus.
