If you haven’t cooked before, I am sure many of you are cooking a lot more now. It is so important for us to look for ways in which we can save money during this time, and keep ourselves and our families safe. Cooking at home will save you lots of money in comparison to eating out, and buying in bulk and eating leftovers will save you time too. I wonder how many of you never-cookers have learned and are now enjoying it much more? If you’re just at the start of your cooking journey, I am envious of you, since you get to learn from my mistakes.

As you begin, you must know that there are lots of bad days in the kitchen, and more these days than usual. I find I am forgetting how to spell some simple words, and I have to look up recipes that I used to know by heart. It’s shaken me a little bit, but self kindness is important, and I’m forgiving myself.

Anyway, now that I’m making more mistakes, I thought I would share a few common ones with you, in hopes that you can avoid them. I am pretty sure I have shared them before, so for many of you it will be (I hope) a welcome reminder.

Soggy Salads: It is so important to wash your produce, but it is just as important to dry them, and I mean thoroughly dry them, not just pat it once with a paper towel. I usually wrap them in a dish towel (or you could use paper towels, but I know they are scarce right now). If you don’t, you will have a wet, soggy salad with thinner dressing because the water will get into the dressing too. Yuck!

Overcooking hard-boiled eggs: The next time you boil an egg, see what color the yellow part is. If it is bright yellow, you are good. If it is green around the edge, you have grossly overcooked it. I now have a new, foolproof method that never fails to cook the egg perfectly and peel easily without any problem. Bring water to a boil, drop the eggs in it, and turn your timer on for 10 minutes. As soon as the timer goes off, drain the eggs, and have a bowl of cold water next to you. BEFORE you plunge them into the cold water, peel them while they are warm and the shells will come off beautifully and perfect. Once they are peeled, go ahead and place them in the cold water to stop the cooking process. I promise you, it works.

Cutting your meat too soon: You must let your meat sit for at least 5 minutes after it is done. Use a meat thermometer. This takes all the guesswork out of the cooking process. Remember, always cook your meat 10 to 15 degrees less than the cooking time instructions. The meat will continue to cook after it has come out of the oven, and I am sure you would prefer eating a juicy piece instead of shoe leather.

For this recipe, remember to wash and dry your herbs as described above.  It will make a difference here.  I love this recipe for many reasons, but first among them is that my family will eat it. Amazing! This one is just packed with all good ingredients too. The shrimp takes on a delicious, buttery flavor, the corn is caramelized to the perfect sweetness, and it all comes together in a wine sauce that has just the right amount of heat. 

This recipe is courtesy of Colu Henry and will serve 4 to 6 people.  You will certainly find this dish at home at a lovely dinner on the patio.

Ingredients for Shrimp Linguine with Herbs, Corn and Arugula:

Kosher salt
12 ounces linguine or spaghetti
1-pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed, if you prefer
Black pepper
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 to 3 ears)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
8 ounces baby arugula, spinach or other tender greens
2 cups loosely packed, roughly chopped tender herbs, such as basil and mint
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until it is just short of al dente.

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.

While the pasta cooks, season the shrimp well with salt and pepper.

Melt half the butter in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat.

Add the shrimp and sauté until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Remove and set aside.

Add the corn to the pan and season with salt.

Cook, stirring frequently, until browned in spots, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute.

Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until it is reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.

Add the arugula by the handful, stirring well between each addition, until wilted, adding some of the reserved pasta water as needed.

Add the remaining butter and the shrimp to the pasta and toss until the butter is melted and everything is coated with sauce.

Add more pasta water as needed.

It’s that simple!