Arbpen - Adrienne Boswell

If you are tired of going to the store and coming home with things you did not need, or of finding science experiments in the back of the refrigerator, monthly meal planning might be the fix. I wrote the Monthly Meal Planning Workbook around four simple steps you repeat every month: take inventory of what you have, plan a month of dinners around it, do one big shop for shelf-stable and freezable foods, and keep a short perishables list for weekly pickups. It works on a fixed income, a part-time income, a lot of money, or very little, because your rent, insurance, and car payment all come due monthly no matter how your paycheck lands. When I made the switch, I saved about $50 a month almost immediately. Full disclosure: I am the author. The paperback is currently 30% off at the IngramSpark shop: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=TFKTOMzVSy4htl0rXmji8lUNzMdPovHYOkDJ7QULuuv Read the full review, including my weekly dinner rhythm and what the book and course cost: https://the-good-...

Looking for a budget friendly dinner that tastes anything but basic? Chicken and Cabbage pairs warm spiced chicken with carrots and cabbage in one cast iron skillet. The vegetables cook in the chicken drippings and create their own golden sauce, and fresh lime ties it all together. Learn why the method works, how to store leftovers, and how to adjust the spices to your taste. Read the full recipe at The Good Plate: https://the-good-plate.com/chicken-and-cabbage/

  Halloween costumes and decorations do not need a craft store run. First, build a spider costume from black leggings and a long-sleeved shirt; knee-high pantyhose stuffed with bubble wrap and pipe cleaners become legs that bend. Next, turn the same black clothes into a Fashionista Cat Costume, where coordinated accessories do all the work. Finally, greet trick-or-treaters with a Halloween wreath; wired ribbon helps the bows hold their shape. Spider Costume: https://the-good-plate.com/tarantula-costume-halloween/ Cat Costume: https://the-good-plate.com/cat-costume-well-dressed-black-cat/ Halloween Wreath: https://the-good-plate.com/how-to-make-a-halloween-wreath/ All 9 Halloween ideas: https://the-good-plate.com/9-irresistible-holiday-recipes-and-crafts/

Halloween food can look frightening without being difficult. Start your party with a Skull Cheeseball, shaped by hand and finished with walnut teeth ( https://the-good-plate.com/skull-cheeseball/ ). Next, welcome guests with a Halloween wreath; wired ribbon helps the bows keep their shape ( https://the-good-plate.com/how-to-make-a-halloween-wreath/ ). For dinner, Grave Digger Pie dresses up classic shepherd's pie with a mashed potato graveyard ( https://the-good-plate.com/grave-digger-pie/ ). Finally, Day of the Dead Brownies add chipotle and cinnamon for a warm finish ( https://the-good-plate.com/day-of-the-dead-brownies/ ). See all four on the front page of The Good Plate: https://the-good-plate.com/

  The October issue of What's Cookin'? from The Good Plate is here, and the theme is Treats. On the menu: Cherry Tomato Phyllo Tart with Pesto and Feta, Honey Jalapeno Chicken and Dragon Eggs, Garlic Fries, Welsh Rarebit, and Cherry Lime Rickey Round Baklava for dessert. Halloween falls on a Saturday and it's Oktoberfest season, so there is something here for both parties. Read the full issue with all five recipes: https://the-good-plate.com/newsletters/whats-cookin-treats/

This week's recipe leans into Halloween folklore: garlic has a centuries old reputation for keeping vampires away, and these crispy garlic fries make the flavor case just as strongly. Russet potato wedges roast with fresh garlic, olive oil, and black pepper until golden and crisp. Read the full post, including serving and storage tips, on The Good Plate: https://the-good-plate.com/garlic-fries-keep-vampires-away/

Prime Day is coming October 6-7, and this year I put together a roundup ahead of time instead of scrambling once the sale actually starts. The Thanksgiving side is built around an actual hosting day, not just a pile of gadgets: prep, oven overflow, carving, and leftover storage, plus a nod to my own cookbook, Talking Turkey. The Halloween side keeps things welcoming rather than gimmicky. And if you're not signed up for Amazon Prime yet, this is genuinely the window where it matters. Full roundup, and the thinking behind each pick: https://the-good-plate.com/newsletters/amazonprime-day-october-2026/

This Honey Jalapeno Chicken and Dragon Eggs recipe pairs honey jalapeno marinated chicken thighs with colcannon stuffed twice baked potatoes, rubbed in edible gold for a Halloween table with a little dragon story built in. The chicken cooks on a barbecue grill, a rotisserie, or a cast iron pan, then gets finished with a glossy honey jalapeno glaze. Read the full recipe at https://the-good-plate.com/honey-jalapeno-chicken-and-dragon-eggs/

  I've been making a lot of baklava lately, but this one is different: Cherry Lime Rickey Round Baklava, built around the flavor of the old soda fountain drink instead of the usual honey and nuts. One full sheet of phyllo per pastry, cherries and lime baked into the dough itself, and a restrained hand with the sugar, since the filling is really the only sweet part. Full recipe, history of the rickey, and a video walkthrough: https://the-good-plate.com/cherry-lime-rickey-round-baklava/ #Baklava #CherryLimeRickey #TheGoodPlate

  🌸 Is this flower stand secretly the best thing you're not using for your herb garden? I ordered this flower display stand — and yes, it's genuinely built for cut, long-stemmed flowers, not potted plants — and put it through 6+ months outdoors, including a windstorm that sent my other plants running for cover. It didn't budge. Then I put it to work holding fresh-cut herbs instead, and it turned out to be just as good at that. Full written review: https://the-good-plate.com/review/flower-display-stand/ #FlowerDisplayStand #FlowerStand #CutFlowers #OutdoorDecor #PatioDecor #HerbGarden #TheGoodPlate #ProductReview

  Did you know tomatoes do not have to be ripe to be worth eating? Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes take the firm, tart ones and turn them into a crisp, tangy bite. A yogurt and Crystal hot sauce coating stands in for egg, seasoned cornmeal goes on with a shake in a bag, and seven minutes in the air fryer finishes the job. Full recipe: https://the-good-plate.com/air-fryer-fried-green-tomatoes/ #FriedGreenTomatoes #AirFryerRecipes

  I put together a full pirate party playlist, mixing sea shanties, movie themes, and family-friendly songs, so you can build the right soundtrack whether your crew is kids or adults. There's a grog recipe in there too, along with six free pirate illustrations you can download for your own party. Read the whole post here: https://the-good-plate.com/pirate-party-music-yo-ho-ho/

  The heat is finally breaking, and it is time to cook like it. Four recipes just landed on the front page of The Good Plate, each one built for that first cool snap. Try Healthy Broccoli Salad Two Ways for something light and bright, Pumpkin Chocolate Pound Cake for dessert, Lasagna Soup with Chicken Kale Sausage for a warm bowl on a cooler evening, and Three Pepper Healthy Meatloaf for a comforting dinner. Find them all at http://the-good-plate.com .

This month's newsletter is live, and it leans all the way into appetizers and starters for end of summer entertaining. Lemon Fluff Tiramisu takes the star spot, a no-bake riff on tiramisu built around lemon instead of espresso. Fruit boats and risotto rice balls play backup, both easy to make ahead. Homemade mascarpone finally gets its own turn as the dessert entry, and a quick chimichurri gives grill owners something to fight over. There is also a stovetop smoking course for apartment dwellers without a grill, a review of a parody book for Star Trek's 60th anniversary, and a Labor Day hosting kit rounding things out. Read the full issue here: https://the-good-plate.com/newsletters/whats-cookin-starters/

  This Cherry Tomato Phyllo Tart with Pesto and Feta pairs flaky, Greek-style phyllo with a homemade Italian pesto and briny feta for a true Mediterranean-inspired dish. The phyllo folds up its own rustic crust, no pastry skills required, and the whole thing finishes in the air fryer. Full recipe and step by step photos here: https://the-good-plate.com/cherry-tomato-phyllo-tart-with-pesto-and-feta/ #CherryTomatoTart, #PhylloTart, #PestoRecipe, #TheGoodPlate

New on The Good Plate: Chicken Birria Tacos Made Easy for the Slow Cooker. I'm walking through how dried New Mexico, negro, and chipotle chiles become a smoky sauce, why I reduce that sauce on the stovetop before it meets the chicken, and how a frozen chicken start makes this an easy dump-and-go dinner. There's also a bit of history in there; the word "birria" has a genuinely disputed origin, and I get into it. Full recipe here: https://the-good-plate.com/chicken-birria-tacos/

  Today we are doing something a little different at The Good Plate's Kitchen. In honor of Star Trek's 60th anniversary, I am reading a bit from Fun with Kirk and Spock, a parody reading primer by Robb Pearlman that reskins the original crew as a "see Spot run" style picture book. It is not an official Star Trek book, and honestly, not really a children's book either, even though it is built like one. Full written review at the link below. Full review: https://the-good-plate.com/review/fun-with-kirk-and-spock/ #StarTrekParody #FunWithKirkAndSpock #RobbPearlman #StarTrek60 #TrekkieGifts #StarTrekBook #TheGoodPlate

  One technique, six cooking methods, five flavor variations. Swipe through to see how a single foil packet recipe adapts to whatever equipment a home cook already owns, and why that kind of flexible teaching content tends to perform well with readers. https://the-good-plate.com/snapper-packets-stuffed-with-shrimp/ #FoodContent, #RecipeDevelopment, #ContentStrategy, #TheGoodPlate

  Fusion Recipes for Apartment Kitchens — 5 Easy Fusion Dishes This month's fusion lineup: a Baked Salmon Sushi Stack (deconstructed sushi, no rolling mat needed), a Curry Burger, a Scrambled Burger Quiche, Apple-Stuffed Wontons, and a cold Giant Beans Salad. All apartment-friendly, no specialty equipment required. Full recipes and instructions at https://the-good-plate.com/newsletters/whats-cookin-fusion/ . #FusionRecipes #ApartmentCooking #EasyDinnerIdeas #HomeCooking #TheGoodPlate #RecipeOfTheMonth

  This week's recipe borrows from three places at once. The chimichurri sauce is genuinely Argentine, made the traditional way and used both as a marinade and a fresh tableside condiment. The cooking method relies on a sous vide immersion cooker, nothing to do with a traditional asado, but it delivers perfectly even doneness before a hard sear builds the crust. And the plate itself leans Tex-Mex if you want it to, tortillas and salsa on the side, with the option to build full tacos from the leftovers. Full recipe, ingredient list, and step by step photos are on The Good Plate. https://the-good-plate.com/chimichurri-steak-sous-vide/ #Chimichurri #SousVide #ArgentineCooking #FusionRecipe