Called kolache (koh-LAH-chee), kolacky (koh-LAH-kee), or how my dad pronounces it, koh-LAH-chkey, these Czechoslovakian yeast-based pastries can be filled with any sweet pie or pastry filling. Dad loves poppy seed filling, and armed with an old Better Homes and Gardens recipe, he set out to recreate the kolaches of his childhood. I think he was successful (after quadrupling the filling to dough ratio in the recipe), so much so that the day after making and eating these, he announced that he had gained two pounds, prompting him to give up dessert for two whole days....

I won’t lie; I have a bit of a potato problem. French Fries, Roasted Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, the list is never ending. I could never stick to a carbohydrate free lifestyle with this potato infatuation of mine. And with my favorite meal of the day, breakfast, you are almost always given a side of this delicious starchy vegetable. It depends on my mood, but I typically prefer the roasted and perfectly crisped home fries....

What Is Jerk Seasoning? Real jerk seasoning is a spicy Jamaican marinade, most often used on grilled chicken. Its flavor is at once earthy (from allspice and soy sauce) and spicy-bright (from fresh citrus and habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers). The jerk rub I’m using here is thicker than a marinade. Let’s call it a jerk-inspired rub, because we won’t be marinating the salmon. Also, while the Caribbean teems with edible fish, salmon is not one of them....

Most varieties are too sour and astringent raw, and will make your mouth pucker if you attempt to eat them without cooking them first. They are however, lovely cooked, and make the most beautiful rose-colored jelly. They’re also loaded with natural pectin, so you don’t need to add any additional pectin to the jelly making process. For many years my friend George had a quince tree in his yard, and every year he made a batch or two of quince jelly....

Now, imagine those chickens roasting over a baking dish filled with pasta: All those juices from the bird would drip into the pasta and give it an unbelievably delicious roasty flavor. Roasting Chicken On Top of Other Ingredients: An Ancient Technique This idea of roasting meat on top of other ingredients is actually an ancient technique from when individual families didn’t have their own ovens, and cooks brought pans of meat or poultry and whatever went with it to the local baker to roast in the baker’s big oven....

Growing up, the object of my lust was my grandmother’s recheio com chouriço—a kicky bread stuffing studded with piquant chunks of my aunt’s homemade sausage; it was one of the few Portuguese dishes I would eat. Fending off cousins on both sides of my twisted family tree (there were so many of us we could’ve started our own touring Christmas chorale) wasn’t easy. But I did it, and I have the pictures of me as a corpulent fourth-grader with a self-satisfied grin to prove it....

But do our picks stand up to those criteria? We sent our top picks to writer and product tester Prerna Singh to put them to the test in her home kitchen. She used each board to prep various kinds of vegetables and raw meat in her day to day cooking. We had Prerna look at whether the boards were spacious enough for convenient food prep, the stability of the board and its ability to stand up to regular knife use, whether it was also suited to cutting raw meat and catching juices, ease of cleaning, and more....

“As with any style of cooking, when first starting out on a flat-top grill, keep it simple. I recommend burgers as the first cook—they are fast and their higher fat content helps with seasoning the cooking surface,” says Daniel P. Craig, chef and founder of Kitchen Deets. “Flat-top grills are perfect for cooking breakfast and since you can do the whole meal on one surface it is a great way to learn temperature control and use multiple cooking zones....

Electric burners are nifty devices that allow you to take your cooking virtually anywhere with an electrical outlet. This makes them perfect for spaces with limited kitchen equipment. Those who travel frequently or create recipes for a living may also benefit from a portable cooktop. “A hot plate is the perfect space-saving solution for dorm rooms, small kitchens, tiny studios, or any environment with minimal counter space,” says Mila Furman, a private chef in Chicago....

The traditional homemade version is made with luscious cheese sauce scattered with buttery breadcrumbs and baked until crisp and bubbling. Milk is gradually whisked into a roux of melted butter and flour to make the smooth and creamy béchamel sauce. Melt in some grated cheese, and now you have a velvety cheese sauce called mornay. But you don’t always have to make a cream sauce. What I love about these simple and classic recipes is that they’re so easy to modify....

It’s a vegetarian extravaganza for special gatherings. Yes, it takes some time to put together, but it’s not daunting to pull off! Once you break it down you will see it is not overwhelming and you won’t have a sink full of pots and pans. How to Make Vegetarian Moussaka Moussaka is the ultimate Greek comfort food, and that’s true for both the vegetarian version and this more traditional version made with beef or lamb....

Growing up in Lagos Nigeria, fried chicken was a Sunday staple in my home. It was the cherry on top of our elaborate Sunday meal filled with jollof rice, fried rice, fried plantains, and coleslaw. We made the chicken by slow-cooking it in a slew of spices before deep frying. I knew I wanted my first “home cooked” meal away from home to bring back memories of summers spent cooking ‘concussions’ with my cousins—a term my mother used to refer to our cooking experiments....

Chocolate truffles are one of my favorite post-dinner treats. We’ve got young ones at home, so dinner is on the early side, and come 8pm, I’m in need of a tiny sweet treat. Just one or two of these is enough to satisfy my desire for both an after dinner drink and dessert. Plus, it’s really nice to open the fridge and peer in to find a tray of perfect chocolate treats just for you....

Both wild rice and brown rice have a rich, nutty flavor that complements the cranberries and pecans, and the citrus in the dressing. Bring rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 50 minutes. Do not stir. Do not uncover. Remove from stove and let sit, covered for 10 minutes. Then uncover, fluff up with a fork, and let cool to almost room temperature....

This particular salsa is popular in the north, or Sonoran part of Mexico, because of its use of Anaheim green chiles. Starting at age seven it was my job to make salsa for our family, which I did at least once a week for ten years. This is the recipe we used, the only difference between now and the mid-60s is that now you can get some very good canned “fire-roasted” tomatoes, perfect for salsa making....

That means you’ve got apples for pie, cake, crisp, sauce, tarts, and so forth. For days and days. Which Apples Should You Buy for Your Recipe? Although I think there are some general guidelines that are useful, people often worry a bit more than I think is necessary about which apples are good for which particular dessert. You’ll notice that many of the recipes in this round-up specifically call for using a variety that will provide a more complex flavor....

It is an unspoken sign of a cook’s skill; get it right and you have a creamy, silky dessert that melts in your mouth. Get it wrong, however, and you get a lumpy batter, or worse, scrambled eggs instead of custard. But what if I told you that you can get the same smooth, creamy custard, or pudding, or anything that “requires” tempering egg yolks without actually tempering them? While I have not tested every single recipe out there, I’ve discovered—from many ice creams, puddings, custards, crème anglaise, and crème pats (and many other Great British Bake Off recipes)—that tempering eggs is not necessary....