Tomato-Cheddar Mac, Roasted Cabbage Salad With Spicy Lime Dressing, Sticky Date Oatmeal

A peek inside the author's Recipe Box

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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This article is a look into the author's personal Recipe Box, highlighting three dishes they are craving: Ali Slagle's one-pot Cheddar tomato mac, Zaynab Issa's sticky date and brown butter oatmeal, and a roasted cabbage salad with a spicy lime dressing.

Why it matters

The article explores the author's food cravings and how they document and embrace them, rather than trying to control them. It provides insight into the author's personal culinary preferences and the dishes that are resonating with them.

The details

The author describes Ali Slagle's one-pot Cheddar tomato mac as a "freakish chimera of comfort food" that combines elements of mac and cheese, tomatoey pasta, grilled cheese, and tomato soup. They also mention craving Zaynab Issa's sticky date and brown butter oatmeal, which the author saw on the New York Times Cooking app and hasn't been able to stop thinking about since. Additionally, the author references a roasted cabbage salad with a spicy lime dressing as another dish they are interested in making.

  • The article was published on March 5, 2026.

The players

Ali Slagle

A recipe developer whose one-pot Cheddar tomato mac dish is featured in the article.

Zaynab Issa

A chef whose sticky date and brown butter oatmeal recipe is mentioned in the article.

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What they’re saying

“Ali is something of a fantasy world builder here, and this dish a freakish chimera of comfort food: the head of mac and cheese, the body of tomatoey pasta, the wings of grilled cheese, the tail of tomato soup.”

— Tanya Sichynsky, Author (nytimes.com)

“If I don't make Zaynab Issa's sticky date and brown butter oatmeal soon, I fear something terrible will happen to me.”

— Tanya Sichynsky, Author (nytimes.com)

The takeaway

The article highlights the author's personal food cravings and their approach to embracing and documenting them, rather than trying to control them. It provides a glimpse into the author's culinary preferences and the dishes that are resonating with them, offering readers a relatable and intimate look into the author's Recipe Box.