Recipes for when you need them to love you

Three things to cook for the suckers you want to win over

Hello, chefs.

In honor of this Valentine’s weekend, it’s probably worth stating the obvious: cooking for people is my love language. And you know what? I’m not afraid to play dirty. If I decide I want to make you love me, by god, gird your loins, your heart, and your digestive system. It’s my super bowl. You’re gonna have my name tattooed on your arm by the end of the night.

Just kidding, mostly.

I feel like cooking something objectively delicious for someone signals that you’ve got this btch under control. Whether it’s a romantic opportunity you’re trying to close or something else. nothing gets the deal done quite like a solid chocolate chip cookie or perfectly crisp potato.

And you know what? Even if the cookies burn or the potatoes come out too firm, when it comes to cooking for someone, it really is the thought that counts. I’ve been making Sunday dinner for my friends and family in Nashville for almost ten years, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that 22-year-old Faith had no idea what she was doing in the kitchen. There were lots of cheese-stuffed chicken breast debacles. But it was a weekly opportunity for me to show people I loved them by way of simply meeting their daily caloric intake requirements.

So this weekend, here’s three recipes that I’m pretty sure won me a boyfriend last year.

-Faith

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Boyfriend chocolate chip cookies

This is literally the chocolate chip cookie on the back of the Crisco box. What is Crisco, you ask? Ask your grandmother. I make these for Dan every time he gets on the tour bus and I’m 99% sure they’re the reason he was pressured into making things official with me. This recipe is easiest with a standing mixer, but handheld works well, too:

1. Beat together:

   1. 3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco

   2. 1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2. Add:

   1. 1 egg

   2. 1 tablespoon vanilla

   3. 2 tablespoons milk

3. Scape down your bowl and add:

   1. 2 cups flour

   2. 1 teaspoon baking soda

   3. 1 teaspoon kosher salt

4. Mix in:

   1. 3/4 bag of semisweet chocolate chips

5. Roll into balls and bake at 375 for 10 minutes. You can also freeze the balls and pop them into the oven whenever the craving strikes. Which, trust me, it will.

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Smashed potatoes

This is an ideal side for a main that is kind of simple and requires a bit of ~pizzazz~ to liven it up. It really is easy, I promise, despite the steps required—just try it.

1. Boil a bag of small potatoes (take them out of the bag first, guys) until fork tender. Drain. If you’re prepping this for later, you can leave them like that for awhile, just drained in the pot.

2. Place your potatoes on a cutting board and, using a glass, gently smash until they’re about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a veeeeeery generous drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over med/high. You want it to basically cover the bottom.

4. Gently place your smashed potatoes in the hot oil and cook until crisp on each side. Then, the magic part…

5. While the second side gets crisp, sprinkle the top with shredded parm. Let it melt, then flip the potatoes back onto the cheesy side. Do the same with the other side. You should have two crisp, golden, cheesy sides when you’re done.

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Sticky coconut chicken and rice

This is a delicious one-pot meal from Kay Chun on NYTCooking. You can get away with serving it all by its own dang self, or steam up some leftover greens on the side. Mr. Faith called it chicken soup if chicken soup were rice, which I think I should take to mean that it makes him feel warm and cozy inside—nice.

1. Heat your oven to 375. Pat dry some boneless, skinless chicken and season with salt and pepper: I used 2 breasts, sliced into cutlets then halved, but 4 thighs would work well, too.

2. In an oven-safe pot with a lid, heat a good drizzle of olive oil over med/high. Lay in your chicken and brown on each side until cooked through. Remove onto a plate.

3. To the pot, add a bit more olive oil and a squeeze of ginger and a generous spoonful (or three) of minced garlic and cook for a minute, then add 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice and give it a stir.

4. Add everything else to the pot:

   1. 1 3/4 cups chicken stock

   2. a can of coconut milk

   3. a bunch of chopped green onions

   4. one chopped yellow pepper

   5. a handful of chopped cashews

5. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Then, add your chicken back to the pot, cover, and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve with cilantro on top.