Sometimes, when I’m at a loss as to what to eat, or how to dress up a salad, I do something moderately French. I whisk a classic mustard vinaigrette, or roast some beets, served alongside a baguette and a wedge of creamy-tart goat cheese. This trick never fails me.

Post-Bastille Day, we all stand to be reminded of how we can benefit from taking a page out of their cookbooks. A new article from Shine lets us in on a few French secrets for simple, unfussy dinners, (we’re staying far away from aspics and anything en croute for this one). Turns out, it’s not such a bad cooking style to emulate: they don’t waste anything, they deglaze like champs, they use butter, and often wine. Now stock up on some French pantry basics, go to the market, and see what’s good. (Scarves are optional, of course.) Your dinner will be better for it.

French Cooking Tricks That Will Simplify Dinner From Yahoo Shine

Eating your way around the world may seem like a daunting task, but it's exactly what husband and wife Jesse Friedman and Laura Hadden are doing - right in their own backyard in Brooklyn. The couple recently founded United Noshes, a project to prepare a meal from each of the 194 United Nations memebers of the world. The couple carefully sources ingredients and researches traditional cooking methods for each meal, meant to be shared with friends old and new. Their photo-filled blog catalogues each meal, and a recent meal from Cameroon included "poulet DG," a chicken curry dish with vegetables, along with cassava and corn mush, steamed pea cakes, fried plantains and a homemade spicy pepper sauce. One year in, they've completed 39 meals (they cook through the countries in alphabetical order), and expect the whole project to take about six years total. 

Realizing not everyone is able to eat this well, the project asks guests to make donations to the United Nation's World Food Program USA. As of last May, they've already donated over $6,000! If you're interested in advising the couple on a country you're familiar with, or just want to attend a dinner, you can sign up for their newsletter.