Chili season is upon us. That means it’s time to dust off your favorite chili recipe and grab your cherished chili pot. But before you get too deep into prep, consider adding one of our six secret ingredients; each capable of transforming any bowl of ho-hum chili into something magnificent. […]
Kitchen Tips
My Great Aunt’s Famous Pumpkin Cake Turns Boxed Mix Into ‘Magic’
Every family has heirloom recipes that they can’t imagine a holiday without. Mine consists of the pumpkin roll my great aunt used to make for Thanksgiving, the Croatian nut roll my grandma insisted on having for Christmas, and my mom’s Polish pound cake that’s so good we sometimes make two and freeze one for […]
The Easy Pot Pie I Make Every Year With My Thanksgiving Leftovers
Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt Mimi’s house is a holiday tradition that never gets old. Every year, 18 of us gather around her table with hungry bellies for a four-course feast: antipasto, cavatelli with my mom’s homemade sauce and meatballs, the turkey with all the accoutrements, and a variety of […]
The Toothpick Test Might Be Ruining Your Cakes
For most of us, the toothpick test has been a part of our baking vocabulary since day one. Your mom used it, your grandma used it, even the majority of cake recipes published today read, “Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.” So, it might come […]
This 5-Ingredient Grandma-Approved Appetizer Will Become Your New Holiday Tradition
Charcuterie boards and Buffalo chicken dip are great and all, but sometimes you just want the classics. I’m talking about vintage appetizers that never go out of style: jelly-glazed meatballs, nut-studded cheese balls, sweet-and-tangy shrimp cocktail. They’re the kinds of bites that always hit and somehow never feel dated. Another […]
20 Easy Fall Desserts You Can Make in 3 Steps or Less
After a cozy Sunday roast that’s been simmering all day in the slow cooker or a comfort casserole from the oven, a scratch-made dessert hits the spot on a fall evening. And while many cookies and cakes require several steps, it doesn’t always have to be that way. These fall […]
This Embarrassingly Easy Breakfast Casserole Is All I Want On Christmas Morning
In my book, the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning (or any morning, really) is the croque madame. While it has all the makings of an ordinary ham and cheese sandwich, a few tweaks elevate it to a decadent brunch legend: Gruyere and Black Forest ham paired with béchamel sauce, a […]
My Mom’s Green Bean Casserole Is So Good, We Eat It For Dessert
Growing up, my family’s Thanksgiving meal went something like this: Dad smoked the turkey and baked a ham and my mom, the ultimate home cook, made everything else. That usually meant three or four side dishes and a couple of desserts. As my siblings and I got older and had […]
My Favorite 3-Ingredient, No-Bake Thanksgiving Appetizer Doubles As Dessert
If you think about it, serving Thanksgiving appetizers seems unnecessary. You’re about to sit down to a big feast that often leaves you stuffed. But before you feast, you pick at the charcuterie board, dip chips into pumpkin hummus, and pop cranberry Brie bites like you don’t fully comprehend the […]
This Baking Sheet Mistake Could Ruin Your Cookies
There are dozens of fantastic ways to use aluminum foil in your kitchen—from covering your leftover lasagna before re-heating it in the oven to lining your grill to make roasting veggies easier and less messy. These are just a few of the myriad reasons foil has rightly earned its place […]