#DinnerGenius

I figured out why I am so addicted to instagram. Contrary to what you might be thinking, it is not so I can live vicariously through that friend who always seems to find herself gazing at a palm-tree framed infinity pool in Phuket. Nor is it so I can be on top of whoever is consuming the #fluke @Marea. (Oh wait, #pinchme, he’s on to the #seaurchin.) N0, I love it because I follow some serious cooks in my feed  — test kitchen directors, cookbook authors, editors — and despite their fat-cat pedigree in the food world, it’s what they’re making for the kids at home that hooks me. Their meals are so simple you can just look at the photo and caption to figure out how to prepare. No recipe required. Check these out:

Who: Phyllis Grant Instagram handle: dashandbella Why: Not that I really need to answer that with a photo like this, but let me just say that I want to cook everything the Bouley-trained, Berkeley-based blogger is dreaming up for her two young kids. PS: Her love of kale is matched only by her affinity for F-bombs.

Who: Carla Lalli Music Handle: lallimusic Why: Because the Bon App Food & Features editor (and restaurant-trained vet) is a serious cook, but never takes food too seriously. Plus, she can write a caption.

Who: Sarah Carey handle: sarahcarey1 Why: She’s editor of Everyday Food, aka the epicenter of quick-and-easy cooking.

Who: Caroline Campion handle: devilandegg Why: Everything the onetime Saveur editor (+ co-author of Keepers) cooks and shoots seems to be assembled on-the-fly — which for the rest of us, translates to #confidence and #Hey!IcanDoThat.

Who: Jennifer Aaronson handle: giofrankie Why: The mother-of-two is a decade-long veteran of Martha Stewart Living’s kitchen (official title: Editorial Director) and her behind-the-scenes posts of cover shoots (like the current December one featuring insanely rendered little Alpine cookie characters) often prompt followers to say things like “How can this even be possible?” (OK, fine, that commenter was andyward15.) But mixed in to all this inspiration are weeknight MVPs like the one-pan pasta you see above. Also, apropos of nothing, she could not be nicer.

Who: Luisa Weiss Handle: wednesdaychef Why: Because she’s not only posting grown-up dishes like the one above — she’s also chronicling what’s cooking for her toddler, Hugo. Plus: A recent post of him playing at the crack of dawn was captioned, “Hugo is back to waking up at 5am and is sort of crushing my will to live.” #itgetseasier Luisa!

Who: Allie Lewis Clapp Handle: allielewisclapp Why: Because the Bon Appetit Food Editor is the master at elevating something simple to something special (See: Za’atar; Labneh) without scaring anyone off.

Oh look, it’s Phyllis Grant again!

Jenny

Who: Me Handle: dinneralovestory Why: See previous 686 posts on this blog and decide for yourself.