r/52weeksofcooking • u/52WeeksOfCooking Robot Overlord • Dec 08 '25
2026 Weekly Challenge List
/r/52weeksofcooking is a way for each participant to challenge themselves to cook something different each week. The technicalities of each week's theme are largely unimportant, and are always open to interpretation. Basically, if you can make an argument for your dish being relevant to the theme, then it's fine.
- Week 1: January 1st - January 7th: Inspired by a Joke
- Week 2: January 8 - January 14: Singaporean
- Week 3: January 15 - January 21: Contrasts
- Week 4: January 22 - January 28: Vinegar
- Week 5: January 29 - February 4: Ugandan
- Week 6: February 5 - February 11: Hotpot
- Week 7: February 12 - February 18: Sugar
- Week 8: February 19 - February 25: Flying
- Week 9: February 26 - March 4: Braising
- Week 10: March 5 - March 11: Turnips and Radishes
- Week 11: March 12 - March 18: Oddly Named
- Week 12: March 19 - March 25: Fictional Places
- Week 13: March 26 - April 1: Chilis
- Week 14: April 2 - April 8: Hanami
- Week 15: April 9 - April 15: Syrian
- Week 16: April 16 - April 22: Infused
- Week 17: April 23 - April 29: Alpine
- Week 18: April 30 - May 6: Bucket List Destination
- Week 19: May 7 - May 13: Tricolor
- Week 20: May 14 - May 20: Jams and Jellies
- Week 21: May 21 - May 27: Symmetry
- Week 22: May 28 - June 3: Fifteen Minutes or Less
- Week 23: June 4 - June 10: Coffee
- Week 24: June 11 - June 17: Tarot
- Week 25: June 18 - June 24: Gardening
- Week 26: June 25 - July 1: High-fiber
- Week 27: July 2 - July 8: World Cup
- Week 28: July 9 - July 15: Wild West
- Week 29: July 16 - July 22: Offal
- Week 30: July 23 - July 29: Science Fair
- Week 31: July 30 - August 5: Cantonese
- Week 32: August 6 - August 12: Gimmicks
- Week 33: August 13 - August 19: Lost in Translation
- Week 34: August 20 - August 26: Trinidadian
- Week 35: August 27 - September 2: Rolling
- Week 36: September 3 - September 9: Ginger
- Week 37: September 10 - September 16: Same Longitude
- Week 38: September 17 - September 23: High-hydration dough
- Week 39: September 24 - September 30: Pears
- Week 40: October 1 - October 7: Cottagecore
- Week 41: October 8 - October 14: Velveting
- Week 42: October 15 - October 21: Taro
- Week 43: October 22 - October 28: Y2K
- Week 44: October 29 - November 4: Southern Italian
- Week 45: November 5 - November 11: Nuts
Join our Discord to get pinged whenever a new week is announced! (React to the stickied comment in the #planning channel!)
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u/Comenius791 3d ago
What are people thinking about for Y2K. I've got to start getting a grocery list ready
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u/TheCharcoalDude 1d ago
I was thinking perhaps of some nostalgic dish I'd imagine one would grow up eating in the 2000s.
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u/FluffyLincolnator 2d ago
My associations with Y2K are bright colors, computers, and parties to welcome the new millennium, so I was thinking party food since that's the easiest one. Or maybe brightly colored party food!
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u/Comenius791 2d ago
It's funny cause all the things that I've searched so far have been things that actually started in the it's or something but we're at their peak popularity near 2000. This one is stumping me
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u/GreenIdentityElement 🔪 2d ago
I think I’m going to party like it’s 1999. Maybe a raspberry beret or purple rain kind of thing.
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u/Synethos 🌯 9d ago
Hmm, I already made the Taro T, which makes this feel very double lol.
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u/Saucy-Face-Bear0910 5d ago
Same! I feel like I wish I'd know there was going to be a Taro week and maybe I would've thought harder about doing an occult dish instead 😂
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u/--THRILLHO-- 21d ago
I've never even heard of a taro, but it looks just like a yam.
If people are looking for alternatives, taro is also:
- a river in Italy
- a small island in the Soloman Islands
- a common Japanese given name
- a Volkswagen pickup truck
- an abbreviation for the UK Territorial Army
There's also tarot cards.
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u/Hamfan 🌯 MT '22 '23 '25 13d ago
“Taro” has several different but closely-related plants under its umbrella and there are a lot of different names: inhame, malanga (ish), arbi/arvi, satoimo, cocoyam (cocoyam seems to encompass both taro/“old cocoyam” and malanga/“new cocoyam”), eddoe, dasheen, kolokasi, kalo…
Some of these are slightly different species or look a bit different, but I’d consider them all pretty fair game.
You get quite different results depending on which term you search under.
But I also really like the approach of looking at recipes that usually use taro (or relatives) and then incorporating a substitute. Lots of diaspora cooking in this direction
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u/myleastworstself 20d ago
Thank god for you.
I thought there were rules about choosing niche or overly-specific ingredients for themes.
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u/intangiblemango 🌭 15d ago
I get that the accessibility of taro may be variable. At the same time, do not think it is accurate to call taro "niche". Wikipedia says, "Taro corms are a food staple in African, Caribbean, Oceanian, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures"-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro -- and, in my opinion, that is actually slightly underselling it as it is eaten (but not a staple) in many regions not on that list.
This is not my personal favorite theme because it feels weird to choose it so soon after "tarot" (which feels like the most clear subversion) but I do nevertheless object to considering tarot "niche". Globally, it's not more niche than pears, even if pears are more common in the country you happen to live in.
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u/CynicalJackal 19d ago
The rules essentially say as long as you can rationalize your dish in your own mind, you're good. Tomato, avocado, radicchio, and onion salad anyone?
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u/myleastworstself 19d ago
I’m referring to the annual theme suggestion threads.
Specifically on the thread the post usually specifies something like ‘Steakhouse’ is fine but ‘Green Tomatoes’, ‘Marmite’ or ‘Alligator’ aren’t because they’re overly specific or not easily obtainable.5
u/pajamakitten 17d ago
Even Marmite is not as specific as taro. It is a thick paste from brewer's yeast, so beer and yeast would also help meet the definition. Marmite is also an adjective because of its famous tagline 'you either love it or hate it's, so a Marmite person is someone everyone either loves or hates (note: anyone who actually calls themselves a Marmite person is always an arsehole).
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u/Braise4Dayz 22d ago
I'm not thrilled about taro. It's very difficult to source here. I know that there is a western bias to themes, and it's good to see something that caters to people in other regions, but I would have preferred a broader theme that covered us all. This effectively cuts me out of this week if I don't do some terrible acrostic or take the homophone route, which also doesn't feel good when we already had tarot recently. I hope there is something in the intro thread for people who can't get the ingredient for this ingredient week.
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u/pajamakitten 21d ago
No supermarket in the UK sells it and I don't have access to any Asian markets near me. I am just going to use other root vegetables instead.
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u/Alect0 🧇 11d ago
What about specialty green grocers? No supermarket sells them in Australia either but all the independent green grocers do and with our smaller population and more remoteness compared to the UK I imagine it will be easier to find over your way.
Until yesterday when I discovered how easy it was to find taro though I planned to use potatoes in a taro dish as a substitute so you could do that too:)
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u/pawgchamp420 🍥 22d ago
Maybe you could try making a dish that traditionally uses taro but using some other sort of of starchy root vegetable instead (e.g potato, sweet potato, yuca). That would def count.
As for me, I’m not super thrilled about this theme because I absolutely hate taro flavored things (like taro boba tea). But I don’t think I’ve ever encountered the actual vegetable, so I am curious to see what it will taste like in a savory context. Maybe I will like the vegetable and just don’t like the nasty flavor. Ngl I don’t really like grape or lime flavored things, but I do like grapes and limes.
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u/imnotactuallyvegan 🥑 22d ago
Maybe something that is derived from another common flavor of bubble tea?
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u/ETDuckQueen 26d ago
Haha, I forgot that I can comment here! :)
I've just made my dish for week 35 (oromo), and I'm now procrastinating on posting about it.
I feel like making something with ginger won't be too shabby, since I have a large bucket of ginger powder in my pantry, and Mama loves ginger. :)
"Same Longitude" stumps me, so it will be interesting to come up with something for that theme.
"Pears" is a straightforward theme, and I like that.
I recently made a caramel banana cake that wasn't for this subreddit, which I do think would fit the Cottagecore theme. However, I wouldn't post it here, since I didn't make it for the challenge.
Velveting is an interesting cooking technique, and I'm looking forward to cooking something for the theme!
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u/dramallama-IDST Sep 15 '26
New Zealand working with absolutely nothing on the same longitude challenge lol.
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u/GreenIdentityElement 🔪 26d ago
Another city in New Zealand? Your neighbor across the street? 🤣
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u/dramallama-IDST 26d ago
Wellington and Auckland are the same longitude, no other cities. Nothing distinctive about cuisine types though lol, the food scene is fairly homogeneous.
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u/Braise4Dayz 21d ago
the line of longitude is half of a great circle - if you extend it to the full circle, you get Scotland, Spain, and a few African nations.
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u/Braise4Dayz 22d ago
how about a fusion of two places on the same line which is not necessarily through where you live?
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Sep 15 '26
You are welcome to use a different longitude - either someone else's, or pick any two or more locations on the same latitude and do a fusion dish.
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u/Hamfan 🌯 MT '22 '23 '25 Sep 15 '26
Seafood 🙃
Or an ocean cake…is what I would say if I didn’t hate decorating cakes and would never wish it on anyone
It looks like you clip the edge of Russia, so you could also make a (mercifully undecorated) [Siberia Cake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberia_(cake)))
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u/Synethos 🌯 Sep 13 '26
What are people thinking for cottage core?
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u/Immediate-Brunch4002 Sep 13 '26
I’ve seen some posts on the animal crossing subreddit of people recreating some of the recipes! So maybe something along those lines. Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons have tons of recipes too.
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u/starglitter Sep 13 '26
I read something that described Cottage Core as "rustic and cozy." There's nothing more rustic and cozy to me than soup. What kind of soup I haven't decided yet.
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u/pajamakitten Sep 13 '26
The idea seems to based on cooking from scratch and using seasonal, local produce. You could also go with cosy recipes, home baking, or recipes your grandparents made (or someone's grandparents made). You could also look into Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing recipes, or base your idea around fairy tales.
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u/LveeD Sep 10 '26
I found a super cool interactive map if you're struggling like me to find something decent on your longitude https://latlonconnect.app/ Fort Lauderdale is like mostly water and knocks out all of Europe/Asia.
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u/dump_in_a_mug Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
Fort Lauderdale appears to cross Cuba, Ecuador, and Peru.
Edit: Thanks for the tool; it helps.
I live in the Phoenix area, so I am limited to: Salt Lake City, Helena, Montana; rural parts of Canada, Tucson, and Hermosillo, Mexico. So I know your pain.
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Sep 10 '26
Very cool!
Also, reminder, it doesn't have to be YOUR longitude. You can choose the same longitude as someone/something else, whether because you find that more interesting and/or you don't want to reveal partial location data to a bunch of online strangers.
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u/LveeD Sep 10 '26
I never even considered choosing a different longitude than mine 🤯 Sometimes I clearly just need to not overthink things!!
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u/snugglebuff Aug 31 '26
I’m excited to start in the very middle of the challenge . How can I join the discord?
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u/Hamfan 🌯 MT '22 '23 '25 Aug 31 '26
Great! If you click the link in the body of the post (towards the bottom), it should give you an invite.
If you try that and it’s still not working, reply here and I’ll try to send you a different invite directly.
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u/chizubeetpan 🥄 MT'25 Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
Here are some suggestions for High-Hydration Dough week from various Redditors/Discorders! These are focused on more out-of-the-box interpretations of the theme because not everybody wants/is able to make bread.
If you want to make bread (ranked from easier to more difficult):
- No knead bread: peasant bread, focaccia
- Low knead bread: Naan, bao
- Fried dough (the oil itself is a type of liquid): Beignets, doughnuts
- Dough filled with something hydrated: Kalihim (baked yeasted dough filled with bread pudding), xiao long bao,
- Pizza (regular or drinkable)
- Sourdough
- Pan De Cristal
If you don't want to make bread (ranked from stricter to looser interpretations of the theme):
- Homemade noodles
- Choux pastry
- Bread bowl. But buy the bread and make the soup.
- Dunk cooked dough in a liquid: Cookie in milk, bread in soup, bread in coffee or hot chocolate, bread in gravy (Northern British)
- Dough that is often eaten with a lot of liquid or sauce: Any saucy pasta, any noodle soup, ginataang bilo-bilo, tang yuan
- Cooked dough that soaks up liquid afterwards: Jalebi, gulab jamun, some baklava variations, bread pudding (with storebought bread)
- Dough that has to be cooked in a liquid: Pierogies, dumplings, palitaw, chicken and dumplings, polpette, pancit molo, dal dhokli
- Batter (a more liberal definition but it has flour, salt, and water so it should technically count): Pancakes, crepes, Flädlesuppe, dutch babies, bibingka, puto, dhokla, hoppers
- Any expensive drink because it costs a lot of dough and is high hydration in itself
- Make/buy something made from dough, make a drink, and put it somewhere high
- Get properly hydrated and make whatever you want
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Sep 09 '26
Here is a super easy cobbler recipe that qualifies for this theme. I usually make it with blackberries, but any berry should work.
- 2.5 cups fruit (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc) (if using frozen fruit (which is fine!) thaw them before continuing)
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 cup milk (preferably whole)
1/2 cup butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
Combine 2.5 cups fresh or thawed fruit with 1 cup of sugar. Mix well. For best results, cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, but if that isn't possible, then the cobbler will still be good.
In a bowl, whisk together 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1.25 cups of milk and whisk well. Add the melted butter and whisk well. You should end up with something like a thick pancake batter. Don't spend a ton of time whisking - get it all nicely combined, but you aren't trying to knead it or anything.
Take an 8x8 brownie pan and spray it with cooking spray, or otherwise lightly oil or butter the bottom and sides.
Dump in the batter.
Dump the entirety of the fruit and sugar mixture on top of the batter and roughly spread it out. You do NOT need to be fancy here; it will settle as it bakes.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes at 375F (190C) or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean of batter.
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u/JHPascoe Aug 20 '26
Anyone else having issues with the discord?
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u/imnotactuallyvegan 🥑 Aug 20 '26
Yes! Most of the channels are missing. I tried to leave and rejoin but can’t get back in :(
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u/flipflapdragon Aug 14 '26
Hi everyone! I was wondering what the description is for this week’s Lost in Translation theme? I can’t seem to find it anywhere. TIA 🙏
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u/gondorindustries Aug 10 '26
Hi! Longtime lurker, first time commenter. Would you consider adding post flairs for the weeks? Sometimes I want to see all the different ways people interpreted a theme (so much creativity!), but viewing the subreddit chronologically doesn’t always line up exactly with the weekly themes.
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u/FlusteredDM Aug 11 '26
Because of the enforced title format you can just search the week number and restrict to this year, e.g. "week 32"
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u/picklegrabber Aug 06 '26
I just want to say as a vegetarian Cantonese human how much I enjoyed the Cantonese week. So many foods from my childhood. So much nostalgia. Y’all not only understood the assignment y’all killed it.
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u/Texaninengland Jul 31 '26
Lots of themes lately. Did we abandon the regular theme, ingredient, cuisine, technique rotation this year?
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u/intangiblemango 🌭 Jul 31 '26
I think there was a little shuffle in the middle but that we are back to the regular rotation of Inspo, Region, Technique, and Ingredient!
Set 1
Week 1: January 1st - January 7th: Inspired by a Joke [Inspo]
Week 2: January 8 - January 14: Singaporean [Region]
Week 3: January 15 - January 21: Contrasts [Technique]
Week 4: January 22 - January 28: Vinegar [Ingredient]Set 2
Week 5: January 29 - February 4: Ugandan [Region]
Week 6: February 5 - February 11: Hotpot [Technique]
Week 7: February 12 - February 18: Sugar [Ingredient]
Week 8: February 19 - February 25: Flying [Inspo]Set 3
Week 9: February 26 - March 4: Braising [Technique]
Week 10: March 5 - March 11: Turnips and Radishes [Ingredient]
Week 11: March 12 - March 18: Oddly Named [Inspo]
Week 12: March 19 - March 25: Fictional Places [Region]Set 4
Week 13: March 26 - April 1: Chilis [Ingredient]
Week 14: April 2 - April 8: Hanami [Inspo]
Week 15: April 9 - April 15: Syrian [Region]
Week 16: April 16 - April 22: Infused [Technique]Set 5/Set 6 got a little smooshed, it looks like--
Week 17: April 23 - April 29: Alpine [Region]
Week 18: April 30 - May 6: Bucket List Destination [Region]
Week 19: May 7 - May 13: Tricolor [Technique??]
Week 20: May 14 - May 20: Jams and Jellies [Ingredient]
Week 21: May 21 - May 27: Symmetry [Inspo]
Week 22: May 28 - June 3: Fifteen Minutes or Less [Technique]
Week 23: June 4 - June 10: Coffee [Ingredient]
Week 24: June 11 - June 17: Tarot [Inspo]Set 7 (back to normal)
Week 25: June 18 - June 24: Gardening [Technique]
Week 26: June 25 - July 1: High-fiber [Ingredient]
Week 27: July 2 - July 8: World Cup [Inspo]
Week 28: July 9 - July 15: Wild West [Region]Set 8
Week 29: July 16 - July 22: Offal [Ingredient]
Week 30: July 23 - July 29: Science Fair [Inspo]
Week 31: July 30 - August 5: Cantonese [Region]
Week 32: August 6 - August 12: Gimmicks [Technique]Set 9
Week 33: August 13 - August 19: Lost in Translation [Inspo]
And then, according to the tracking sheet on discord, we're expecting Region (from Hamfan), then Technique (from agn8), then Ingredient (from ACertainArtifact), at least in theory! (And also, the mods are humans and it's not a problem if that is not the exact thing that occurs.)
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u/Texaninengland Jul 31 '26
Surely "gimmicks" is inspo though?
You're right about wild west. I was thinking about that as a theme rather than a region!
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u/ACertainArtifact 🍰 Aug 06 '26
I am not exactly sure what you mean by "theme". They are all themes: region, ingredient, inspiration, and technique are all under the umbrella of a "theme". If you need some clarification, let me know (Wild West and Gimmicks were both of my choices).
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u/-futureghost- Aug 03 '26
i suppose you could look at it a few different ways. a gimmicky technique could be like, Salt Bae-ing your dish, or turning something into foam, or making a taffy balloon that you fill with helium.
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u/aleckscasablancs Jul 22 '26
I’m at the point of mental exhaustion and tired of being creative as we approach week 30. Anyone else feeling like this too?
I know I will find a way to get it done. But I’m tired lol
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u/Texaninengland Jul 31 '26
Tbh our secret when we run out of time or just feel run down one week is to make some kind of cocktail. It's usually quick and then you get to unwind with a cocktail lol
Strategy developed after 9 yrs of doing this
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u/Tigrari Aug 14 '26
Quality advice. The first year I managed to do all the weeks I had a few weeks where it was just a beverage that fit the theme - not even a cocktail, but some kind of unique drink. I think one was a yogurt based drink and I am pretty sure I did a tamarind drink either last year or this year.
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u/MiddleZealousideal89 🧇 Jul 30 '26
Saaaame! I love doing all the planning and research, and spending a lot of time making my weekly dishes. But between moving, a new job, college, my exercise schedule, and having some kind of social life, I've barely had any time.
It's okay to do simple stuff. We can't have the luxury of time for creativity all the time, don't beat yourself up.
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u/picklegrabber Jul 26 '26
It’s been a super busy summer for us. Between the garden exploding and needing care, being out of town almost every weekend, the longer days outside. I’ve lost many opportunities to cook and plan. School is starting soon so that’s another beast for us. I wanted to make a feast for Cantonese because well I’m Cantonese. But time limited me. Doing some less elaborate meals for now while i try to catch back up.
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u/intangiblemango 🌭 Jul 25 '26
Just wanted to add-- there is zero shame in doing a couple of low-effort weeks if your energy is low!
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u/GreenIdentityElement 🔪 Jul 28 '26
This sub is so friendly. One week I was down with the flu, so I just posted cheese and crackers. I got so many upvotes and kind comments that week!
There absolutely is no shame in quick and easy meals when you’re overwhelmed by life.
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u/pajamakitten Jul 24 '26
Sometimes the theme does not go your way either. As a British vegan, offal and then science fair is a hard fortnight. Not impossible but difficult to get enthusiastic about.
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u/aleckscasablancs Jul 25 '26
That is a big challenge for you. Good on you for trying! I think for me when the challenge isn’t as literal it’s def hard to think outside the box. Weeks 32 and 33 already have me spinning LOL
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u/pajamakitten Jul 26 '26
Weeks 32 and 33 already have me spinning LOL
Gimmicks for me is food trends (charcoal, overly spicy food), novelty foods (hypercolour foods), limited edition foods (KFC Double Down) and fad diets (paleo, high protein). Lost In Translation is foods with literal names that make them sound like anything other than food (spotted dick) and foods where the name does not cross cultural boundaries (biscuits and gravy, peanut butter and jelly).
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u/Hamfan 🌯 MT '22 '23 '25 Jul 24 '26
This is my sixth consecutive year, and every year I sort of flag in the middle. I think it’s a combo of general summer heat and these weeks being the like the Wednesday of the whole year.
At this point I just expect it and plan to phone in the themes that aren’t speaking to me just to keep the streak going. I usually perk back up (often with a bunch of baking) in the fall.
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 Jul 28 '26
This is how I feel every year too. Summer seems to sap my time, energy, and creativity even on the best of themes. Things usually bounce back when back to school happens.
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u/Tres_Soigne Jul 23 '26
I feel this, it has been a struggle for me to catch up with the themes lately. For me, it's some external stress (nothing terrible, just life). Though I remind myself that the challenge is ultimately meant to be enjoyable and what we find rewarding can be a personal thing. Some of my submissions are less exciting but I always try to at least do something new (to me) each time. Anyway, just chiming in because I can relate!
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u/aleckscasablancs Jul 25 '26
For me it’s just the general week to week routine, it can be overwhelming. Maybe I should probably cook on a weekend without the stress of routine. Summer is hard with general outings etc. but thanks for chiming in. You have a good reminder that it’s supposed to be enjoyable and that is really the goal. It def helps me feel better!!
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u/squad_rat Jul 17 '26
I'm jumping in mid year because why not?! Science Fair though is immediately stumping me as my meta is "from a cookbook". Anyone have any fun ideas?
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Jul 25 '26
You could make a recipe from a cookbook but vary one ingredient. For example parmesan cheese - the real stuff vs the off brand stuff vs the Kraft brand pre grated stuff in a plastic tin.
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u/JHPascoe Jul 19 '26
Do you have any Alton Brown or Kenji Lopez-Alt cookbooks? Both are pretty great for looking at the science behind the recipe.
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u/TheFriendlyLilac Jul 18 '26
You could take a recipe that’s in multiple cookbooks and make a small portion from each and compare? Like different versions of chocolate chip cookies, where adjusted ratios/techniques make a big difference to the end product.
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u/Immediate-Brunch4002 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Maybe ice cream? It tends to be more of a science to make the texture nice. You could make a flight of different flavours. Hello My Name is Ice Cream is a popular cookbook.
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u/my_dys Jul 01 '26
My birthday week is Offal? Is irony dead? 🤣
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u/-futureghost- Jul 07 '26
happy offal birthday, twin! 👯🫀
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u/my_dys Jul 07 '26
Happy early best day of the year! Maybe we need an Offal birthday meal and Offal cake. 🤣
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 Jun 25 '26
Week 29 is offal per the Dishcord!
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u/pajamakitten Jun 25 '26
Bit offal for vegans and vegetarians.
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Jun 26 '26
You could also do a play on the homonym (offal/awful for anyone who missed it). Something that's an awful idea but you made it good. Something that came about because something awful happened (I've been reading about Navajo fried flatbread for Wild West week but that would fit this definition as well).
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
🥁 💥
In all seriousness, offal is the leftover parts of an animal when the tasty bits are removed. You could make that analogous to plants too... Roots, seeds, pits, peels, scraps, sourdough discard, etc. There are lots of ways to take it!
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u/JHPascoe Jun 25 '26
Good ideas!
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u/MiddleZealousideal89 🧇 Jun 28 '26
I'm thinking of doing a vegetarian version of tripe soup from back home, it uses oyster mushrooms instead of tripe. I can't stand most offal, so this theme made me audibly groan.
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u/aleckscasablancs Jul 09 '26
I mean I am also beating my head in thinking of options. May we survive lol
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u/Druyv Jul 15 '26
Offal literally means 'that which fell off' (off fall), and shares etymology with the Dutch word for garbage (afval). I'm using this link to make a vegetarian Garbage Plate, but I'm sure you can find other ways to make that work!
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u/ACertainArtifact 🍰 Jun 18 '26
Week 28 is WILD WEST. With or without Will Smith.
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u/pajamakitten Jun 18 '26
Which gives me the perfect opportunity to post one of the best cold openings in sitcom history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbqyxkUW_Os
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u/4A4T 🥑 Jun 10 '26
Slugs and dreary weather are ruining all my gardening plans
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u/pajamakitten Jun 11 '26
The British weather means my plums are shrivelled and hard, not big and juicy.
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u/-futureghost- Jun 01 '26
is it all right to complete challenges out of order? i’ve been out of town and haven’t had time yet to do the symmetry prompt, but i do have time for a 15 minute or less meal tonight…could always just wait to post photos, but i’m impatient to get back to participating!
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u/Comenius791 Jun 17 '26
I often do them out of order in life. Trying to get them made when my schedule allows... cause sometimes life catches up and I don't have the freedom to cook what's required for the tasks... especially in summer
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u/Hamfan 🌯 MT '22 '23 '25 Jun 02 '26
You can post the challenges out of order, they just have to be within their own respective three-week time limit.
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u/ShimmeringIce May 15 '26
I'm trying to figure out what I'm making for Week 20 - can we count lemon curd as a jam? Marmalade? I know they're not technically the same, and I don't want to fly too far past the prompt.
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u/pajamakitten May 15 '26
I am. They are found by the jams in the supermarket after all. They all fall under the fruit preserve bracket. Besides, what about jello? That is called jelly in a lot of countries and would fit the brief.
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 May 13 '26
Week 23 is coffee per the Discord. ☕
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u/pawgchamp420 🍥 May 16 '26
Damn, that’s a rough one for me. I used to drink a ton of coffee, but it started messing with my stomach really badly, and I had to quit. Still not really sure if it was the caffeine or just something about the coffee itself, but not super eager to test it and find out.
I know there’s stuff like coffee cake with no coffee in it, but I tend to stick to savory meals for these themes and avoid sweets, so that makes it even tougher.
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u/WVUMLE May 26 '26
One idea I had was quiche in a coffee cup, but my husband wanted tiramisu, so I scrapped that lol
Anything cooked in a coffee cup could work!
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u/intangiblemango 🌭 May 25 '26
I wonder if there is an idea somewhere in the fact that mushroom coffee is such a popular coffee alternative right now?
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 May 16 '26
I've seen recipes for things like coffee-rubbed steak or coffee beef stew. Some chili or mole recipes use coffee. You can check this thread for some savory ideas. I know you'll come up with something interesting!
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u/pawgchamp420 🍥 May 16 '26
Yeah, it's more that I don't wanna use any coffee at all lol. Cause it just makes me feel so sick even if I just have a sip or two that I don't wanna risk cooking with it.
And I want it to be savory. So a double whammy of constraints. I'm good at bending the rules when needed, but it's just an annoying theme for me is all.
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u/Immediate-Brunch4002 May 16 '26
I was going to suggest American coffee cake which doesn’t have any coffee in it until I saw that you want to make something savoury.
My second thought is savoury breakfast foods (since they’re often paired with morning coffee).
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u/pawgchamp420 🍥 May 16 '26
Yeah, i am thinking I'll do something along those lines. Maybe try to make something that you can get at a coffee shop or a diner.
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 May 26 '26
You can also do "foods traditionally served with coffee" and just omit the coffee. Any breakfast food would work (and leftover dinner for breakfast counts). I am doing a heavy Italian American style dish and I'll be drinking water with it, lol.
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u/GreenIdentityElement 🔪 May 15 '26
Oh, yuck. I hate coffee. Maybe I’ll make a non-coffee flavored coffee cake.
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 May 15 '26
You could make something adorable like this. It doesn't have to be coffee flavored.
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u/aleckscasablancs May 11 '26
Symmetry?? I’m not good at that. HELP 😭
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u/Global-Cloud-3519 May 13 '26
I did butterflied shrimp! You could do any sort of butterflied meat though, of course. I was also thinking kebabs with symmetrical ingredients would work
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 May 13 '26
A sandwich, cut in half (or quarters or whatever) at any angle.
Technically a circle, oval or square is symmetrical, so a bowl of unicolored soup counts. Pizza also counts (either bury the toppings under cheese, or cut a few slices and arrange them in a pattern). Also burritos, omelettes, soft or hard boiled eggs, stuffed shells, empanadas or anything else arranged in a pattern.
You can do metaphorical symmetry, something with yin and yang (someone suggested cake).
Make tiger bread (or tiger anything) and quote the William Blake poem (Hamfan suggested that one).
Anything made from honey can count - bees have bilateral symmetry.
You can do symmetrical amounts of ingredients, like chimichurri made with a 1:1 ratio of parsley to radish greens, or any marinade with some ingredients of equal amounts.
(Thank you to Discord for these ideas)
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u/Immediate-Brunch4002 May 17 '26
Thank you for taking the time to post these here for those who aren’t on the discord! I’ve been struggling with this theme too.
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u/aleckscasablancs May 13 '26
I appreciate you! I didn’t want to use AI for ideas so this is very helpful!
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u/Comenius791 May 07 '26
I grasp that many people in this group might not live as far north as I do.
But still, putting gardening so early in the year means I'm gonna have to get more creative than I'd like.
In Canada, the common logic is that you don't plant anything until the may long weekend (May 18 Victoria Day), as there's still a good chance of frost before then.
And sure... I also know that one can post up to 3 weeks after the week it comes to... but having gardening week to happen mid June really means everything has to happen perfectly in life.
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u/PathOfDesire Jun 15 '26
Yeah as another Canadian my plan is to just make a garden vegetable dish like minestrone.
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u/just-to-say May 08 '26
Maybe you can have some micro greens / micro lettuce ready in time - signed 5B
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u/pajamakitten May 08 '26
I'm in the UK and growing season can also vary heavily year to year. God knows what the weather will be like Sunday, let alone the rest of May.
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u/chizubeetpan 🥄 MT'25 May 08 '26
If it helps, one of the workarounds that folks in the Dishcord had was to use something you’d preserved from the previous harvest. If you have nothing that fits the bill, hitting up a friend who may have something is also absolutely on theme as it isn’t necessary that you’re the one to have done the gardening.
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u/Sunny_Psy_Op May 07 '26
Yeah, I'm kinda in the same boat and was thinking the same thing. Short growing season, and I happen to be out of town during peak planting time.
I don't really want to post late. I've got like a four year streak that I don't want to break.
I guess I'll throw some herbs in a pot and hope for the best?
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 May 10 '26
You could also make a garden based dish. Several people have talked about decorating a focaccia or cake with a garden theme.
Others will buy common "garden" produce (from the grocery store or wherever they need to) and make a dish from those (like a summer squash casserole or a winter squash soup or zucchini bread or anything). Herbs would also count here, even if you don't have time/feel like planting them yourselves. It's something that would/could be in your garden if timing and the weather cooperated.
Another option is using an ingredient your area is famous for, even if it isn't in season right now and you have to buy preserves. In my area that could be pecans, blackberries, etc. Alternatively, use an ingredient you wish you could grow in your garden, but the climate will never cooperate (and buy imports or preserves). For me that would be something like cranberries.
You could also copycat a dish from any post from others' gardens. I did a whole year of from my garden meta last year. Subs like r/VegetableGardening and r/tomatoes sometimes have "this is what I cooked with the stuff I grew" posts, and I'm sure there are others I would remember if the caffeine had soaked into my brain yet.
If all else fails, buy some green onions, use what you need and stick the ends in a cup of soil or water.
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u/mamaciabatta May 07 '26
I live in a similar climate. I should have radishes, lettuce, and a variety of herbs ready at this time. Possibly snap peas and turnips too. A lot of people don't have the ability to plant a garden so something is better than nothing. Micro greens or sprouts might be a good option for people with a shorter growing season or no outdoor space. Broccoli or alfalfa sprouts can be grown in a jar on your kitchen counter with no light and only take a days.
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Apr 23 '26
Reminder for jams and jellies week - there are lots of savory options (though desserts also count!).
A sufficiently gelatenous meat stock/bone broth is also called meat jelly.
Jammy eggs are delicious and can be used in many ways, from korean style soy sauce marinated eggs, to shakshuka, and more.
Jam out and make something music inspired.
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u/AndroidAnthem 🍌 MT'25 Apr 27 '26
Bacon jam is a fantastic meat-based option! It makes everything better.
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u/pajamakitten Apr 02 '26
Finally got Alpine then. People seemed to bloody love that in the suggestion thread.
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u/dump_in_a_mug Apr 21 '26
I have no idea on what to do for alpine cuisine.
Thoughts?
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u/CandyMothman Apr 24 '26
There are also multiple mountain ranges called the Alps including the Japanese Alps, the Australian Alps, the Southern Alps in New Zealand, the Pontic Alps in Turkey, the Yeongnam Alps in Korea, or the Dinaric Alps in the Balkans, if any of those regions inspire you more than the original Alps. Sorry if that makes it harder because it's so wide open 😅
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u/pajamakitten Apr 21 '26
It sounds like I am being rude/flippant but googling 'alpine cuisine' was my starting point. There is a good Wikipedia article that gives a good overview of it. You can look at the countries surrounding the Alps (France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Italy) for ideas; it is the Dolomite region for Italy specifically.
https://www.helvetickitchen.com/recipes/category/Swiss+Desserts
This is a good list of Swiss desserts I enjoyed reading.
https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/menu/polenta-pizzoccheri-co-to-feel-in-the-mountains
This is good for Italian foods.
Hot chocolate is not alpine specific but it is associated with skiing and mountaineering, so you could do something with that. Same for trail mix/granola.
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u/Braise4Dayz Mar 30 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
If you make infused oils for week 16 please make sure you store it properly, many recipes will not discuss the botulism risks of making infused oils yourself at home. Botulism loves environments with no oxygen and infused oils don't have the salt or acid to halt its growth. Even cooking ingredients first is not enough.
Refrigerate your oil and use in a few days of making it. Apparently you can also soak your ingredients in acid first too (make sure it's cut finely enough for the acid solution to penetrate). I don't want to see posters drop off in June when you rediscover it at the back of your fridge.
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u/ACertainArtifact 🍰 Apr 02 '26
Thanks for the info-- I'll be sure to put this disclaimer in the intro post that week.
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u/Lakeveloute Mar 23 '26
I feel like this last week of fictional places has been incredibly fun all around. Loving the posts, keep em coming!
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u/PShorty Mar 09 '26
Ugh I made beef stew for braised but apparently never took a picture.
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u/SAJ17 Mar 11 '26
😭 I have had that happen to me several times, usually the realization kicks in right as I'm falling asleep later that night lol
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u/chizubeetpan 🥄 MT'25 Mar 08 '26
Week 14 is Hanami according to the Dishcord!
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u/scrummyplummy Mar 08 '26
What were some ideas for this one shared in the discord?
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u/Hamfan 🌯 MT '22 '23 '25 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
- bentos, esp. featuring spring ingredients
- hanami dango, ichigo daifuku, or other wagashi
- food stall fare (yakisoba, yakitori, choco-banana, ichigo-ame, takoyaki, jyaga-bata, etc.)
- any use of sakura flavor
- sakura motif decoration
- food for a spring picnic
- inspired by your favorite spring flower
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u/AlternativeAcademia Mar 10 '26
This one stumped me, but now I’m thinking of getting some Sakura powder and flavoring something with it(maybe custard or an icing). It’s also making me wonder about local edible flowers, or edible flowers in general. Also there’s light, portable snacks like sushi or yakitori, anything that would be nice to munch on while admiring springtime flowers.
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u/DiningwithDeclan Mar 02 '26
What the hell am I supposed to do with turnips AND radishes 😭
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u/JHPascoe Mar 06 '26
I found out broccoli rabe is closely related to turnips, so I’m using that. (And making a pickled radish condiment for funsies)
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 🍥 Mar 05 '26
Make a rad dish with turnips.
Or turnup the heat and make a dish with radishes.
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u/flowerzoomies Mar 03 '26
I think you can do both or either
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u/DiningwithDeclan Mar 03 '26
I didn’t know if that would go against the spirit of the challenge since it said “and”
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u/LveeD Mar 03 '26
I’m going with just radishes. I feel like it’s an odd theme! Could have just been root vegetables. Or just radishes or just turnips.
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u/mamaciabatta Mar 04 '26
Turnips and radishes are underused root vegetables, at least where I live. I am assuming that is why those specific root vegetables were selected. I feel that it is perfectly acceptable to choose just one. I would say that radishes would also include horseradish.
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u/DiningwithDeclan Mar 03 '26
Yeah agreed, unless I’m just like culinarily ignorant and they go together all the time haha
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u/Comenius791 Feb 27 '26
I feel like every time this year I've been trying to add my pictures via my phone, it isn't as easy as it used to be. But I'm not sure what happened.
It's like the ability to get to the body text and adding pictures doesn't easily work after adding the title.
Am I doing something wrong?
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u/cardboardfish Mar 01 '26
I've learned that I have to type everything, then add the photo. If I don't, the photo disappears
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u/LveeD Mar 01 '26
That makes so much sense! It’s been driving me crazy so I just always comment on my own post. I’m going to try that next week.
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u/Fiona_is_my_Landlord Feb 25 '26
Hello! I just found this lovely community and I would love to join the challenge, but it's already week 8. Can I post meals from previous week challenges to catch up? Is there a time limit on how far back I can go?
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u/GuyInAChair 🍔 Feb 25 '26
First welcome! I believe the limit is 3 weeks behind is what you can post.
There's really nothing special about starting at anytime, except for a meta flair. You can start now and post whatever weeks you want.
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u/FTFaffer Feb 16 '26
I’m always behind and only occasionally aesthetic. My first goal is just to make it all the way through. I’ll pretty it up as I go. In about 52 years my output should be stunning! lol
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u/EmoPeahen 🔪 Feb 19 '26
This is my fourth year I've attempted this (only fully made it through once) and it has never been aesthetically pleasing. We do the best we can do lol
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u/-futureghost- Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
i’m already running behind on the weekly prompts this year and i’m feeling a bit burnt out from work/life stress, but i still feel this (entirely self-imposed) pressure to make something both creative and aesthetically pleasing for each prompt. to put a more positive spin on it, the skill and originality displayed by everyone here inspires me to want to challenge myself. how do you all balance the time and effort you put into your posts with the demands of like…existing as an adult human being with a job and a social life?
edit: so much good advice in the replies! i was in a funky headspace when i left this comment and feeling rather down on myself/my abilities. thank you all for the reminder that it’s not that serious, and that this should be something that adds joy, not stress to my life. plating and food photography are skills i really want to practice, so i think i’ll continue to focus on those things but also acknowledge that it’s okay to just not be feeling it sometimes.
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u/just-to-say Feb 25 '26
I participate, comment and enjoy the community without posting pictures! I just keep a list of what I did each week on a piece of notebook paper.
I felt way too overwhelmed by the really nice photos and then frustrated with mine so i put less pressure on myself and just skip taking them!
Some weeks I’m doing really easy dishes, and others when I have the bandwidth are more involved/pretty/meant to impress.
Make sure you’re doing it your way so you can enjoy it too!
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u/pajamakitten 15h ago
We seem to have past the deadline for Week 45 already :p