The perfect bars for me and my family pack a pucker that’s tamed by a slightly sweet, buttery, and crisp shortbread crust. The lemon curd is firm enough to hold its shape when cut, but still rich and creamy like pudding. Video: How to Make Lemon Bars Also, head over to YouTube to watch our Senior Editor Summer Miller make this recipe with her kids as part of our Simply Kids Cook YouTube series!...

I first encountered this delightful pea salad at a friend’s potluck. It was one of the dishes that everyone went back to for seconds. How to Make Pea Salad This recipe uses frozen peas, which you don’t even have to defrost, green onions, water chestnuts, and smoked almonds. The peas do thaw a bit, but they’re wonderful cold and crunchy too. I’m not sure of the original source of this pea salad recipe, but since the recipe calls for Smokehouse Almonds, perhaps the almond company?...

The food of Florence is renowned, albeit simple and with roots in peasant cuisine. One famous dish, a hefty Tuscan steak, is grilled and often served on a bed of spinach with a few lemon wedges. What Does ‘Florentine’ Mean in Cooking? In fact this dark, leafy green is so frequently found in dishes from this region that seeing the tag “Florentine” in the name of a recipe usually implies that spinach is involved....

In England (and Australia and New Zealand) they would call the beef dish a “cottage pie” and the lamb dish “shepherd’s pie”. Regardless of what you call it, a shepherd’s pie is basically a casserole with a layer of cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked in the oven until the mashed potatoes are well browned. When you dig in you get a spoonful of mashed potatoes, some crispy bits, meat, and vegetables all in one bite....

The approach is simple—quickly boil halved fingerling potatoes and douse them in vinaigrette. But that’s not all. Two simple tricks will enhance this dish to make it company worthy. First, soak thinly sliced red onions in the vinaigrette while the potatoes are cooking. The vinaigrette will “pickle” the onions, taking away some of their oniony edge. Second, sprinkle the potatoes with dry vermouth as soon as they are done cooking, so the potatoes soak up the wonderful flavor of the vermouth....

Ingredients for Pesto Sauce Note that pesto is always made to taste, based on the ingredients at hand. So adjust the ingredients to your taste. Most pesto recipes call for Parmesan cheese; we often use Romano which has a stronger flavor. Basil pesto recipes often call for pine nuts, but you can easily substitute walnuts. Basil is a powerfully aromatic herb and a little goes a long way. You can mellow the pesto out a bit by subbing half of the basil with fresh baby spinach leaves....

Right now, strawberries are in high season. They’re ripe, sweet, and guess what? That sweetness complements the earthy agave flavors in tequila. If your idea of a frozen Strawberry Margarita makes you think electric pink and maybe a headache afterwards, this fresh take, whipped up frozen for those hot, summer months, is a refreshing change. While muddled strawberries would work for an on the rocks margarita, frozen strawberry slices give an intense, strawberry flavor, and super smooth frozen version....

When Are Green Beans in Season? Green beans can generally be found fresh all year long but reach their peak in the warmer months. Between early summer and early fall, bushels of beans will find their way into simple salads, flavorful stir fries, and pickling jars. Varieties: “Green bean” refers to all long, tender beans that are green in color, but they can also be called string beans, snap beans, bush beans, or haricots verts....

How to Tell When Quiche Is Done Cooking The hallmark of a good quiche is that creamy, custardy texture that you get when the quiche is baked just enough without becoming over-baked and rubbery. To achieve this, pull the quiche from the oven when the sides are set, but there’s just a bit of wobble in the middle when you gently shake the pan. The quiche will set completely as it cools, and you’ll be left with a perfectly silky slice....

This is a classic American cocktail that dates back to colonial times, and it’s as much a part of Christmas as eggnog or peppermint hot chocolate. More people need to know how good this cocktail can be! To help spread the word, hot buttered rums have become my standard contribution to holiday parties and potlucks. I just make an extra large batch of spiced butter ahead of time, grab a bottle of dark rum, and off I go....

But the fact remains: Spring is the best time to buy asparagus! If you find domestically-grown asparagus in the spring, snatch it up! Our farmers need your support, and let’s face it: Asparagus just tastes right in spring. How to Choose Asparagus at the Store Once upon time, most of America’s asparagus was grown in California, Washington, and Michigan. Now, the majority of asparagus we buy here is imported from Mexico and Peru....

Don’t stuff your buns in the bin just because it’s overcast or, like, winter. Learn how to make a burger indoors on the stove instead. Here are 5 tips to help you get there! Use a 90/10 Beef Mix for Burgers on the Stove. The best beef mix for burgers on the grill is 80/20, but it’s better to go for a leaner 90/10 mix when you’re cooking burgers on the stove so you don’t get too much fat melting into the skillet....

How one cooks and eats an artichoke is not obvious from its appearance. The artichoke is actually the bud of a thistle—a flower. The leaves (called “bracts”) cover a fuzzy center called the “choke”, which sits on top of a meaty core, called the “heart”. The heart is completely edible (and amazingly delicious). The fuzzy choke is too fibrous to eat in regular artichokes, but edible in baby artichokes. All but the innermost leaves are tough and you have to scrape them with your teeth to eat the tender parts....

So, what’s the best way to cut a watermelon into slices or cubes? You’ll want to keep the fruit stable and minimize the number of cuts. Here’s what to know! How to Pick a Ripe Watermelon Before you cut any watermelon, make sure you have a ripe, sweet fruit so it’s worth your effort. There are several things to evaluate when you are selecting a melon that will indicate it is a good pick....

Thankfully, chicken is also straightforward to grill. Grilling Prep Before we get into the cuts, let’s prep and set up the grill! Always preheat the grill. No matter the type of chicken on the menu, there is one thing your grill needs before it starts the heavy lifting of cooking dinner: the preheat. Run the grill on high for at least 15 minutes. Allow the cooking grates to absorb heat so they will have the needed heat to pass on to the chicken....

Video: How to Make Ghee Ghee in Indian Culture Ghee plays a big role not just in the kitchen but in day-to-day life as well—all credits to the great properties and qualities ghee possess. Considered sacred, ghee is used in religious rituals in a traditional Hindu family. According to Ayurveda, the traditional medicine commonly practiced in India, ghee aids digestion and offers you a clarity of mind. Because of this, Ayurvedic cooking primarily uses ghee....

The idea of making pour over coffee at home might seem like a complicated concept. I’m here to tell you that pour over coffee isn’t difficult and can be extremely satisfying to make, a morning ritual that will deliver you coffee shop quality cup of joe in the comfort of your home, all without having to grow a beard. The biggest drawback of making pour over coffee is the active time involved....