I've had my fair share of kitchen disasters. Like the time I “eyeballed” my measurements when making Christmas cookies, because I was distracted watching The Holidate for the ninth time…you can in fact have too much baking soda. Or when I accidentally poured fish sauce instead of soy sauce into my stir fry last month because the bottles looked similar after a 16hr work day. Sometimes it feels as though the kitchen gods demand a sacrifice of dignity before letting you eat, but my favorite thing about cooking is that sometimes the biggest “disasters” lead to the biggest breakthroughs.

This newsletter is an ode to the beautiful accidents that have shaped what we eat, the simplest chicken recipes to add to your weeknight rotation when thinking feels hard, and the random fun facts about both that you can whip out at your next dinner party or spring picnic.

History 101: Two of the Happiest Culinary Accidents

The Tarte Tatin Saga (1880s)

As the story goes, the Tatin sisters were running a hotel in the Loire Valley. Stéphanie, the older sister, was exhausted after a long day and started making an apple pie. In her fatigue, she forgot to put the pastry in the pan first. The apples were already caramelizing in butter and sugar when she realized her mistake, so she just threw the pastry on top, baked it anyway, then flipped the whole thing over to serve. Just like that, the tarte tatin was born.

Check out a recipe for a pear tarte tatin here! 🍐 

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Conundrum (1930s)

Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, was making chocolate cookies one day when she realized she was out of baker's chocolate. In a pinch, she chopped up a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar, expecting it to melt completely into the dough. In a surprising turn of events, the chocolate held its shape, creating pockets of melty goodness. So, TLDR—she literally invented the chocolate chip cookie by running out of ingredients.

Check out the highest rated chocolate chip cookie recipe on the Pepper App here! 🍪 

6 Five-Ingredient Chicken Recipes

Sometimes the best cooking happens when we strip everything down to the essentials. And sometimes that just means how to make your weeknight chicken not…suck. These recipes prove that basic doesn’t have to mean boring.

1. Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

• Whole chicken

• Lemons

• Garlic

• Olive oil

• Salt

Stuff sliced lemons and crushed garlic under the skin and inside the cavity. Rub with olive oil and salt. Roast at 425°F for about 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature hits 165°F. Let rest before carving.

If you want to level up a little bit, here’s my recipe for what I call a “Goblin Chicken” (because of how you eat it with your gremlin claws on the living room floor)

2. Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs

• Chicken thighs

• Dijon mustard

• Honey

• Olive oil

• Thyme

Mix equal parts mustard and honey with a splash of olive oil and thyme. Slather on chicken thighs and bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes. Check out a full recipe here!

3. Coconut Milk Curry Chicken

• Chicken breasts

• Coconut milk

• Curry powder

• Onion

• Garlic

Sauté diced onion and garlic, add sliced chicken and brown. Pour in coconut milk, stir in curry powder, simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Read more here!

4. Five-Spice Glazed Chicken Wings

• Chicken wings

• Five-spice powder

• Honey

• Soy sauce

• Rice vinegar

Toss wings with five-spice. Bake at 425°F for 30-35 minutes. Mix honey, soy sauce, and vinegar, and brush onto wings during the last 5 minutes. Recipe here!

5. Pesto Chicken Bake

• Chicken breasts

• Pesto

• Cherry tomatoes

• Mozzarella cheese

• Salt

Season chicken with salt. Spread pesto on top, add halved cherry tomatoes and mozzarella slices. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes.

6. Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers

• Chicken thighs

• Greek yogurt

• Lemon juice

• Garlic

• Cumin

Mix yogurt with lemon juice, crushed garlic, and cumin. Marinate chicken chunks for at least 30 minutes, thread onto skewers, and grill or broil until charred and cooked through.

Everything Wrong with Rom-Com Kitchen Scenes: A Chef's Perspective

Hollywood has a lot to answer for when it comes to our collective fantasies about what cooking looks like. If you believed romantic comedies, kitchens are simply backdrops for witty banter and flour-dusted nose boops rather than actual working spaces where food is prepared.

The Flour Cloud Fallacy

In movie kitchens, baking always involves dramatically tossing flour into the air, creating a whimsical cloud that somehow only lands aesthetically on the protagonist's cheek, never in their eyes or lungs. Real bakers know flour is more precious than gold and treat it accordingly—with careful measurements and minimal airborne particles. No one is playfully blowing flour at their love interest unless they want to risk a yeast infection in their sinuses.

The Immaculate Conception Theory of Meal Preparation

Rom-com cooking involves precisely zero prep work. Vegetables are already chopped, herbs already washed, and sauces already reduced when the scene begins. No one spends twenty minutes peeling garlic or picking thyme leaves off stems. The movie kitchen is a magical realm where ingredients appear fully prepped.

The Silk Blouse Phenomenon

Perhaps most egregious of all rom-com kitchen sins is the wardrobe. Characters cook elaborate meals while wearing dry-clean-only fabrics without a spot or stain. No apron. Meanwhile, in the real world, I've somehow managed to get tomato sauce on my back while making pasta. Hollywood cooking exists in a parallel universe where oil never splatters, tomato sauce never bubbles, and turmeric never permanently stains everything it touches.

The One-Taste Perfection

The rom-com chef needs only one tiny taste from a wooden spoon to know their creation is perfect. In reality, cooking involves constant tasting, adjusting, re-seasoning, and occasional mild panic. No one gets it right on the first try, and no one certainly taps a wooden spoon against their lips thoughtfully before declaring, "It just needs a touch more truffle oil" (another rom-com fallacy—no professional chef is reaching for truffle oil to "elevate" a dish).

The Clean-As-You-Go Myth

Movie cooking produces zero dirty dishes. The workspace remains pristine throughout the cooking process, with nary a splatter on the stovetop or a pile of discarded vegetable scraps. The only mess allowable is the aforementioned cute flour smudge. In reality, good cooking looks like a crime scene, and the washing up afterward could be classified as light cardio.

So next time you're watching two attractive people flirtatiously making a soufflé in a Manhattan apartment with a kitchen bigger than most restaurants, remember: the real romance of cooking lies in the chaos.