The Dinner Plan

Spice importer Sana Javeri Kadri and her team traveled for four and a half months across the length and breadth of India and Sri Lanka to learn family recipes from the spice farmers she works with. They joined a wedding feast in Kashmir and a pakora party in Gujarat, toured a women's market in Manipur, and learned to make fish puffs like the ones at a legendary Sri Lankan bakery. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Sana shares the bites and cooking techniques that surprised her most during these travels—and how, back in California, they were translated into a cookbook for an American audience. Sana also mentions the recipes she leans on most when cooking at home for her stepdaughters. Get a preview of The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook on this week's newsletter at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Dirty Labs: Use code THEDINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order at dirtylabs.com.
Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
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Cookbook author and content creator Maxine Sharf organized her new cookbook, Maxi's Kitchen, by day of the week. Easy recipes for Mondays anticipate lower energy and keep things simple, while Tuesday recipes cut down on dishes. Wednesday mixes things up a bit, and Thursday is date night, with restaurant-worthy dishes you can make at home. Listen to the full episode to learn how she plots the rest of the week, the important thing she does before serving every meal, and why she thinks it's worth building up a regular repertoire of dinner ideas of your own. For Maxine's easy teriyaki chicken meatballs recipe and a list of her favorite cookbooks, head to TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Find LaBelle Patrimoine chicken at Whole Foods or GrownAsPromised.com
Brooklyn Delhi: Use code DINNERPLAN15 for 15% off your order at BrooklynDelhi.com.
Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Find Brami’s made-in-Italy protein pasta at Costco or wherever you shop.
Get Franklin Farms Ready Bake Tofu Kits wherever you buy groceries.
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Ella Quittner conducted around 1500 recipe tests as a part of her research for her new book, Obsessed With the Best. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, Ella and host Maggie Hoffman discuss the pros and cons of the internet's preoccupation with pronouncing certain foods and cooking techniques "the best," and what Ella was looking for as she attempted to figure out the best roast chicken, crispy smashed potatoes, and other favorite dishes. Ella shares one game-changing pantry staple that’s worth adding to your pantry, the struggle meals she makes when she's out of energy at dinner time, and the weird and fun dinner party tradition she's started with a few friends. Get Ella's Definitely Not a Lasagna and vodka sauce recipe at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Thanks to today's sponsors:
Rouxbe Online Culinary School: Get 30% off your first course with code DINNERPLAN30 at Rouxbe.com
Find LaBelle Patrimoine chicken at Whole Foods or GrownAsPromised.com
Stone and Skillet English Muffins: Check stoneandskillet.com for a store locator.
Find Franklin Farms Veggie Balls and Veggie Burgers in the refrigerated aisle. Store locator: FranklinFarms.com/where-to-buy
Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

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If you find feeding your kid frustrating, you're absolutely not alone. In this episode of The Dinner Plan, host Maggie Hoffman interviews cookbook author Phoebe Lapine, who is also the voice behind the Munch Menus newsletter on Substack. Phoebe's menu system helps busy parents figure out kid dinners, and in this conversation, she shares her advice for increasing variety if your child is picky (perhaps the word "rigid" is a better one.) She also talks about the ways her experience with auto-immune disease and SIBO changed her thinking about food and home cooking. Listen for Phoebe's favorite store-bought shortcuts for easy dinners, how she strategizes using the freezer to make weeknights less stressful, and how the logistics actually work in her family's busy schedule. Get Phoebe's favorite sheet-pan chicken recipe from Carbivore here at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Thanks to today's sponsors:
Rouxbe Online Culinary School: Get 30% off your first course with code DINNERPLAN30 at Rouxbe.com
Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Find Franklin Farms Veggie Balls and Veggie Burgers in the refrigerated aisle. Store locator: FranklinFarms.com/where-to-buy
Listen to The Side Dish from America’s Test Kitchen on your favorite podcast app or watch on Netflix.
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They call Naoko Takei Moore "Mrs. Donabe"—she’s taught classes on cooking with these Japanese clay pots, and wrote the first English-language book on the topic. Her new book, Simply Donabe, focuses on simple one-pot meals made in the donabe. In this week’s episode of The Dinner Plan podcast, host Maggie Hoffman asks Naoko about the advantages of donabe cooking, the best things to cook in the pot, and how she chooses between the many types of miso she always keeps on hand in the fridge. Over on The Dinner Plan's newsletter, you'll get Naoko's recipe for salmon steamed over quinoa. Find it at TheDinnerPlan.Substack.com.
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Thanks to this week's sponsors:
Aunt Fannie’s cleaning supplies are available on Thrive Market and Amazon or AuntFannies.com
Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Society Insurance: Find your local agent at SocietyInsurance.com
Catch The Side Dish from America’s Test Kitchen on Netflix or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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