This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please visit the disclosures and privacy policy page.
Dec 30, 2023

Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Chili

This Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Chili is a surprisingly crisp and refreshing hot dish that can be served as a side dish with stir-fries, soups, and braises. 

Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Chili in a bowl.


This romaine lettuce stir-fry is a quick, easy, and wonderful way to enjoy a light and crispy vegetable side dish, especially when you are bored with salads. Plus, it's a great way to use that "about-to-wilt" extra head of lettuce you bought so you don't let it go to waste. 

Dec 25, 2023

Buttermilk, Herb, and Fontina Cheese Muffins

Serve these buttermilk, herb, and fontina cheese muffins for breakfast, for a snack, or with soup and salad for dinner. They are savory, filled with herbs, and loaded with cheesy goodness. 

Buttermilk, Herb, and Fontina Cheese Muffins in a bread basket.


These muffins are savory, cheesy, and especially fabulous as a substitute for bread with dinner. 

Dec 24, 2023

Eggnog Cookie Bars

These eggnog cookie bars, with a layer of eggnog shortbread topped by a layer of eggnog cheesecake and then sprinkled with more shortbread cookie dough, are a wonderful holiday dessert. 

Eggnog Cookie Bars on a light green plate.


If you have some leftover eggnog, this is a great dessert for using it up. Then again, these eggnog cookie bars are actually worth buying eggnog just to make them. 

Dec 20, 2023

French Berry Cake | Gâteau aux Baies

Fill this delicious French Berry Cake with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or a combination of all of these fresh berries. 

French Berry Cake Slices.


This Berry Cake, or Gâteau aux Baies, is an easy cake to make, and the resulting dessert is so simple yet elegant (the little black dress of desserts)! With a hint of lemon in the cake along with the fresh berries, it's perfect for an afternoon snack, family dessert, or for a holiday dinner party. 

Dec 16, 2023

Pear and Almond Tart

This pear and almond tart is an elegant, sophisticated, and delicious dessert that is also super easy to prepare. 

Pear and Almond Tart on a plate in front of the original tart.



This pear tart begins with an almond flour crust that is par-baked. Then, you spread on a frangipane-style filling, then tuck in some sliced poached or canned pears, brush the pears with butter, and sprinkle everything with sparkling sugar before baking.

Fougasse Bread with Herbs de Provence and Gruyère Cheese

This fougasse with herbes de Provence and a sprinkling of Gruyère is a crust lover's dream that you can enjoy warm straight from the oven. 

Fougasse Bread with Herbs de Provence and Gruyère Cheese in a basket.


Fougasse is a French-style flatbread. It's similar to Italian focaccia, but is shaped more like pizza dough, in that it is stretched rather than dimpled. Finally, it's slit in sections to resemble an ear of wheat (or even a ladder) before baking. 

Dec 12, 2023

Croissant Bread (Pull-apart Laminated Loaf)

This croissant bread is crispy and flaky on the outside and light and layered on the inside. You'll love peeling off layers of this amazing bread and spreading them with jam. 

Croissant Bread in a pan.


You can also just slice this bread and get creative. You don't need any butter because this bread is layered in butter before baking, just like a croissant. 

Dec 10, 2023

Mofo Gasy - Madagascar Yeasted Pancakes

Mofo gasy is a tasty puffy round mini-pancake that is a popular breakfast food sold by street vendors in the island nation of Madagascar. 

Mofo Gasy on a bowl with raspberries.


Mofo gasy are little yeasted pancakes that include rice and sweetened condensed milk. They are typically enjoyed with hot coffee and fruit and are cooked over charcoal at stands along the side of the road by food vendors. 

Dec 6, 2023

Red, White, and Green Polvorones (Mexican Sugar Cookies)

These red, white, and green polvorones are crispy on the outside and soft and crumbly on the inside. They are very similar to a cross between a shortbread cookie and a softer sugar cookie. 

Red, White, and Green Polvorones (Mexican Sugar Cookies) in a bowl.


Polvorón is a generic name for cookie also used in Spain, the Phillipines, and Latin America. The word in Spanish translates to "powder." It’s pretty much meant to describe the crumbly nature of the cookie!

Dec 4, 2023

Orange Biscochos

These biscochos, cookies flavored with oranges, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger, are a favorite Christmas cookie in El Paso and New Mexico. Plus, they are seriously tasty. 

Orange Biscochos in a bowl.

 

These cinnamon sugar cookies are also the official state cookie of New Mexico, where they are called biscochitos (or bizcochitos). 

Dec 2, 2023

Czech Christmas Bread (Vánočka)

This Czech Christmas bread, or Vánočka, is a celebration bread made with a lightly sweetened dough filled with raisins and topped with almonds. 

Slices of Czech Christmas Bread (Vánočka).


I did not grow up with a celebration bread tradition. I had no idea there was a whole world out there of wonderful celebration breads, including Christmas.   

Nov 29, 2023

Three-Ingredient Sourdough Onion Rings

These sourdough onion rings, with just three ingredients, will satisfy your craving for one of the best diner or coffee shop sides ever invented. 

Stack of Three-Ingredient Sourdough Onion Rings.


If you love onion rings as much as I do, this three-ingredient onion ring recipe will satisfy your craving when you can't get to your favorite diner, deli, or coffee shop. 

Nov 27, 2023

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

These cinnamon roll muffins have all of the flavors and warmth of your favorite breakfast treat in a muffin form. 

Cinnamon Roll Muffins in a brown wrapper with icing.

 


If you're not ready for making yeasted cinnamon buns, or don't have time for kneading and monitoring dough, these muffins capture all of the goodness of the traditional cinnamon buns in an easy to make and bake muffin. 

Nov 25, 2023

Green Cabbage, Apple, Fennel, Watercress, and Pecan Salad

This Green Cabbage, Apple, Fennel, Watercress, and Pecan Salad is perfect for fall and winter. 

Green Cabbage and Apple Salad with Watercress and Pecans on a dinner plate.


This is a simple salad filled with fresh ingredients and topped with a generous helping of toasted pecans. 

Nov 20, 2023

Almond Rum Cake | Gâteau de Nantes

You can trace the lineage of this deliciously moist almond rum cake to Nantes, a city in the Loire Valley in the western part of France. 

Two slices of Gâteau de Nantes with the whole cake in the background.


Gâteau de Nantes is a rich cake, made with almonds, flour, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, and lots of butter. It's then soaked in a rum and sugar syrup that is spiced with black pepper and allspice. Finally, it is topped with a sweet rum glaze. 

Nov 19, 2023

Jalapeño Mandarin Margarita

This margarita, made with tequila reposado, orange liqueur, fresh Mandarin juice, jalapeño chiles, and grilled limes, is slightly spicy, a little bit smoky, and totally refreshing. 

Jalapeño Mandarin Margarita and all of the ingredients.


Plus, the glass for this margarita is rimmed with Tajín, rather than just salt and lime. 

Nov 17, 2023

Eggnog Pots de Crème

These eggnog pots de crème are the perfect way to marry the traditional custardy French dessert with the flavors of an American Christmas tradition. 

Eggnog Pots de Crème in Custard Cups.


These little eggnog custardy desserts are the perfect dessert for entertaining. They're simple to make, with just a few ingredients. Plus, you can easily make these ahead of time. 

Nov 16, 2023

Shio Pan - Japanese Salt Bread - 塩パン

This Shio Pan, 塩パン, or Japanese salt bread, is a super soft, faintly sweet, and totally buttery crescent-style roll. These rolls are super flaky and light as air. 

Japanese Salt Bread with Sea Salt or Everything Bagel Topping in a bowl with the salt and topping ingredient containers.


These shio pan rolls are amazingly light, flaky, and most importantly, buttery. 

Nov 14, 2023

Thanksgiving Stuffing Rolls

Imagine dinner roll dough tossed in Thanksgiving stuffing and baked to a light golden soft roll. Plus, these stuffing rolls are the perfect vehicle for leftover turkey sandwiches. 

Thanksgiving Stuffing Rolls in a bread basket.


Imagine if soft and fluffy pull-apart dinner rolls met traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, fell in love, and got married. The results might just be these rolls. 

Nov 13, 2023

Peppermint Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

If you love brownies and cheesecake, why not combine the best of both worlds into one amazing holiday dessert!

Peppermint Cheesecake Swirl Brownies on two white plates.


These peppermint cheesecake brownies begin with a super rich and fudgy brownie base and then are swirled with a minty cheesecake batter before baking. You will love them for the holidays. 

Nov 11, 2023

100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This 100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread brings the sweetness of cinnamon rolls to whole wheat bread. 

100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread slices on a blue plate.


This loaf is made with white whole wheat flour. It is a strain of whole wheat that has all of the nutritional value of regular whole wheat, but has a lighter color and a milder taste. 

Nov 5, 2023

Shoreek - Egyptian Sweet Rolls

Shoreek - soft, ethereal, fluffy, sweet, light as air... it's hard to choose the best word to best describe these Egyptian sweet rolls! 

Shoreek - Egyptian Sweet Rolls in a blue bowl.


These spirals of pull-apart bread, sprinkled with sugar, while not well known in the rest of the world, are said to be very popular in Egypt. They're especially enjoyed by Christians in Egypt for Easter, and year-round by everyone else in the country (source: The Kitchn). 

Nov 3, 2023

Baked Macaroni and Cheese for a Crowd

This simple baked macaroni and cheese is the perfect side dish for your next holiday dinner. It's super easy to make and totally unfussy. 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese in bowls.


Plus, I'm sure this macaroni and cheese will make any picky twelve-and-under guest at your table happy.

Oct 31, 2023

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

This recipe for make-ahead mashed potatoes will feed a crowd, perfect for your next holiday gathering.  

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes in a yellow casserole dish.


This recipe for mashed potatoes is perfect for busy holidays or those times when you are feeding a crowd and you don't want to be stuck in the kitchen mashing potatoes for a large crowd at the last minute. 

Oct 30, 2023

Corn Soufflé

This corn souffle is a family favorite side dish for holiday dinners. It rises perfectly and will impress your guests as you carry it to the dinner table. 

Corn Soufflé in the dish with a plate in front with one serving.


This corn soufflé is the real deal. It rises tall and lofty in the oven and is so impressive when you bring it to the table. 

Pecan Butterscotch Muffins

These pecan butterscotch muffins are filled with toasted pecans and butterscotch chips. 

Pecan Butterscotch Muffins on black plates.

 


The batter is sweetened with the rich flavors of maple syrup and dark brown sugar, giving these muffins the faint flavor of toffee. 

Oct 29, 2023

Muffuletta Sandwich with Homemade Bread

This big muffaletta sandwich, stacked with deli-style meats and cheeses and spread with an antipasti salad, will feed a crowd. 

Muffuletta Sandwich on a plate.


This sandwich, made with a 14-inch wide round sesame seed-topped soft bread, has its roots in New Orleans. It was first introduced by Sicilian immigrant Salvadore Lupo, the founder of Central Grocery and Deli, which is still located in the French Quarter. 

Oct 21, 2023

Homemade Graham Crackers

This recipe captures the flavor of graham crackers, but takes them to an entirely new level. Think crispy butter cookies with a cinnamon graham cracker flavor.

Homemade Graham Crackers in a blue mini casserole.


You will love these cookies. They are my "go-to" cookie for gift-giving, and every time I give them as gifts, I have been asked for the recipe. Every single time. 

Oct 20, 2023

Cranberry Vinaigrette

This cranberry vinaigrette is a sweet and tangy salad dressing or marinade. 

Cranberry Vinaigrette in a small glass jar.


This cranberry vinaigrette, with its bright flavor, is great for fall and winter salads. Serve on your favorite salad for Thanksgiving. 

Rum Baba (Baba au Rhum)

Rum baba, or baba au rhum, along with being a classic French dessert, is a delicious and elegant boozy yeasted cake. 



Traditional rum baba is a yeasted cake that is soaked in a rum-based syrup, then brushed with an apricot glaze, and finally topped with crème Chantilly (French whipped cream). 

Oct 16, 2023

Sigteboller (Danish Salty Rye Rolls)

These Sigteboller, or Danish Salty Rye Rolls, with their soft interior and crisp thin crust, are easy to make and are wonderful warm from the oven and spread with butter. 

Danish Salty Rye Rolls in a basket.


You can serve these rolls for dinner, breakfast, or as a sandwich bun for lunch or a snack. These rye rolls are so versatile. 

Cranberry and Fudge Layered Pie

This cranberry and fudge layered pie is the perfect decadent chocolate dessert for the holidays. 

Cranberry and Fudge Layered Pie with a slice removed.

 

This pie consists of a flaky whole wheat crust filled with a layer of semi-sweet chocolate ganache and then topped with a sweet-tart layer of homemade cranberry sauce. 

Oct 15, 2023

Satan's Whiskers Cocktail

The Satan's Whiskers Cocktail is a wonderful cocktail for fall. With its orange color and Halloween-themed name, it is perfect for the season.

Satan's Whiskers Cocktail with the bottles behind it.



The Satan's whiskers is a bittersweet cocktail comprised of gin, dry and sweet rouge vermouth, Grand Marnier (a cognac flavored with bitter orange liqueur), orange juice, and orange bitters. 

Oct 13, 2023

Pumpkin Scones

If you love the flavors of pumpkin pie, you will love these pumpkin scones. 

Pumpkin Scones on a blue plate.


 


After baking, these pumpkin scones are drizzled with a vanilla bean glaze, which balances perfectly with the not-too-sweet scones. 

Oct 10, 2023

Italian Pane Francese (Italian Baguettes)

This Pane Francese is the shorter and flatter northern Italian cousin of the French baguette. It still comes with a crispy chewy crust and a soft airy interior, but it is much easier to make. 

Italian Baguettes with olive oil and balsamic.


The shape is pretty rustic, almost like a cross between a French baguette and a ciabatta. Making the dough involves a long fermentation for extra flavor. 

Sourdough Poppyseed Rolls

You can start making these sourdough poppyseed rolls at noon and they will be warm and ready for dinner. 

Sourdough Poppyseed Rolls in a basket with one cut in half.


These sourdough rolls are so flavorful with or without the poppyseeds, but I love the taste and texture that the poppyseeds add. 

Oct 9, 2023

Pumpkin Madeleines

These cute pumpkin madeleines are tasty little French-style sweet treats with a classic American fall flavor.  

Pumpkin Madeleines on black plates with an assortment in the background.


Madeleines are adorable little génoise sponge cakes (or are they cookies?) that are baked in a mold that makes them look like sea shells. They are tiny poppable cakes that are perfect for dipping in your morning or afternoon tea or coffee, or drizzled with a sweet sauce for dessert. 

Oct 8, 2023

Japanese Milk Bread with Furikake

This Japanese milk bread with furikake is a wonderfully soft loaf pan bread with added extra umami flavor from furikake, a Japanese seasoning. 

Japanese Milk Bread with Furikake on a cutting board.


This bread recipe is based on an Asian method for creating a super fluffy bread by cooking flour and water together to gelatinize the starches in the flour, making it super moisture absorbent. You can use more water in the dough without ending up with a super sticky, hard to handle dough. 

Oct 7, 2023

Halloween Cheese Ball

This Halloween cheese ball is a fun and delicious appetizer to serve at a Halloween, Thanksgiving, or game day celebration. 

Pumpkin-Shaped Halloween Cheese Ball with a bell pepper stem on a plate.


This pumpkin-shaped cheese ball is mildly spicy and delicious on your favorite cracker or crudité, such as celery or carrot sticks. I love this cheese spread on buttery crackers such as Ritz. 

Oct 5, 2023

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Bites

These chocolate peanut butter spider bites are a fun, salty-sweet treat to serve at your next Halloween party. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Bites on plates.



These chocolate and peanut butter pretzel spiders are made with just four ingredients and are great for making with kids. In fact, you could make these as an activity for kids to do during a family gathering. 

Oct 2, 2023

Breadstick Snakes

These breadstick snakes are an easy and tasty snack. Plus, they a fun way to fill your bread basket as a side for dinner.  

Breadstick Snakes on a black plate with dipping sauce.


Serve these breadsticks with a side of hot pizza sauce or marinara sauce on game day for a fun way to ring in fall. 

Oct 1, 2023

Lavash Pizza with Cauliflower, Fennel, and Mozzarella

This cauliflower and fennel topped lavash is a quick and simple way to toss together an amazing and nutritious "pizza" in just 30 minutes. 

Lavash Pizza with Cauliflower, Fennel, and Mozzarella cut into pieces on a cutting board


Begin with two store-bought 9 inch by 12 inch lavash breads. Although you can make your own lavash (and it's fun to make), one of the goals (besides total deliciousness) of making this pizza is that it is simple to throw together and e-a-s-y! 

Sep 25, 2023

Pizza Muffins

These savory pizza muffins have the flavors of pizza in a little handheld muffin. 



These muffins are stuffed with two kinds of cheeses, sautéed onions and pepperoni. You can assemble them in minutes and bake them for a tasty treat that any pizza fan would love. 

Sep 23, 2023

Smashed Potatoes

These smashed potatoes are both crispy and creamy, and full of flavor. They are the perfect side dish for a steak or roast beef dinner. 

Smashed Potatoes Ready to serve.


These crispy smashed potatoes are like ulta crispy skin-on French fries with a super creamy interior. 

Sep 21, 2023

Pear and Cranberry Crostata

Celebrate fall with this rustic roasted pear and cranberry crostata. 

Close up of roasted pear tart with cranberries.



This pear and cranberry crostada begins with a pâte brisée crust filled with frangipane. Next, it's layered with roasted pear halves and cranberries. The crust is brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled generously with sparkling sugar before baking. 

Sep 20, 2023

Pierre Hermé's Half-Baked Chocolate Cake

This half-baked chocolate cake, or Gâteau au Chocolat Mi-Cuit, just oozes delicious gooey chocolate when you cut it open. 

Cut loaf of Pierre Hermé's Half-Baked Chocolate Cake with the soft chocolate.

 


If you're familiar with those little individual molten chocolate cakes, also known as lava cakes, that were all the rage a few years ago, just know that this cake takes the concept to another level. 

Sep 16, 2023

Fried Sweet Rice with Chinese Sausage

This fried sweet rice with sausages and shiitake mushrooms is so easy to make and totally tasty. 

Two small blue bowls of Fried Sweet Rice with Chinese Sausage.


This fried rice recipe is different than most because it calls for sweet rice (or sticky rice), which is a short grain rice higher in starch, or amylopectin (fancy name for a plant starch). 

Sourdough Lebanese Morning Bread (Khobz al-Sabah)

This Lebanese Morning Bread is a tasty pita-style sourdough bread made with three kinds of flour: all-purpose, whole wheat, and corn meal. 

Sourdough Lebanese Morning Bread (Khobz al-Sabah) stacked in a bowl.


The combination of whole wheat, corn meal, and all purpose flour, along with the sourdough starter, adds so much texture and flavor to this bread. 

Sep 12, 2023

Apple Babka

A thick slice of this apple babka will remind you of both apple pie and cinnamon rolls. 

Apple Babka on a cutting board with slices showing the crumb and filling swirls.


This apple babka is filled with a mixture of grated apple, pecan meal, sugar, and spices. It's kind of like if apple pie and cinnamon rolls got married, this babka would be the happy result. 

Sep 9, 2023

Homemade Chunky Guacamole

This is my favorite recipe for chunky guacamole. It's easy, flexible, and totally flavorful. 

Homemade Chunky Guacamole in a yellow bowl.


This guacamole is fabulous with tortilla chips and a margarita or bloody Mary for a summer al fresco dinner party appetizer, or for serving while tailgating during the fall.