That means it’s time to start confirming the guest list, rounding up the recipes you want to make, and dusting off all the servingware you reserve for special occasions such as this. But before I jet off to Chicago to prepare enough food for the small village that is my family, this weekend will be spent celebrating the birthdays of two of my best friends. Their birthdays are two days apart, and even though one of them lives on the opposite coast, it’s tradition that there’s a big bash to celebrate life together in New York City....

While you grab a cup of tea and settle into this new space with us, there are a few things I want to highlight: New Ways to Move Around: Up at the top of each page (or if you tap the top-left corner when you’re on your phone), you’ll see some fun ways to explore Simply Recipes. There are recipes (of course!), as well as places where you can quickly find easy weeknight meal inspiration and special content for upcoming holidays....

This chicken and rice casserole recipe is designed for a slow cooker. You brown onions and chicken thighs, place in a slow cooker with basmati rice, tomatoes, and stock. Two hours later, it’s done! The seasoning we are using is a shade Middle Eastern, with ground cumin and a touch of cinnamon. It’s a truly wonderful combination. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend it. The Trick for Making Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice To make rice in a slow cooker with chicken, you have to drastically reduce the amount of liquid you would normally use to cook rice, otherwise, your rice will be completely mushy....

When I had it for the first time I nearly fell off my chair. Where had this sauce been my whole life? It’s a Spanish sauce, and sort of like pesto, but made with tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, garlic, and nuts. You can serve it over practically anything, from shrimp to chicken to vegetables. I’ve been making it just to eat plain, like a dip with crackers. Or I put a dollop over baby potatoes....

The squash, or syrup, in this drink is made from Seville oranges, which impart a sour and slightly bitter taste. The syrup gives a bittersweet flavor to the drink, making this squash mocktail a lively start to your meal! What Is an Aperitif? An aperitif is a pre-dinner drink, as opposed to a digestif (which is an after-dinner drink), and are thought to stimulate the appetite. Aperitifs are not sweet, nor are they very high in alcohol....

The simple addition of falernum, a rich, spiced liqueur from Barbados with the flavors of allspice, cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, and a hint of almond, transforms the classic cosmo into the kind of sophisticated cocktail you can serve at an autumn dinner party or sip while cozying up to the firepit on a cool night. This Spiced Cosmopolitan is simple to make, but its flavors are deep and complex. Warming spices meet the bold, tart, and sweet cranberry juice for a cocktail that manages to be both refreshing and comforting at the same time....

The recipe is adapted from The Niman Ranch Cookbook, where it is billed as a tagine, a savory Moroccan stew. Lamb shoulder pieces are browned, and then slow cooked in stock and spices such as cumin, paprika, and cardamom. Slow cooking, at a low, even temperature is important for the lamb shoulder to become tender. We cooked this stew on the stove-top, but you could easily make it in a slow-cooker or even a traditional Moroccan tagine....

Asparagus, English peas, little carrots, young radishes, and snap peas are all so sweet and tender, they require very little to make them shine. My first inclination is always the same: turn the produce of early spring into fresh, pretty salads. This easy-to-make vegetable salad is an excellent way to kick off the season. Serve as a simple side or add your favorite protein to make it a complete meal....

The vegetables, bathed in mint pesto, are punctuated with crunchy toasted almonds, feisty feta, and fresh mint leaves. This is definitely going on my lunch menu all season long. To Make This Salad Ahead of Time You can make many components of this salad a day or more in advance. Store the cooked vegetables and mint pesto in the fridge. Put the toasted almonds in an airtight jar (a canning jar would work), and keep it on the counter....

You can make fajitas with steak or chicken, or even make it plain vegetarian. Here’s a quick and easy recipe for steak fajitas. Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems For the fajitas 1 pound flank steak, skirt steak, or carne asada Kosher salt 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced lengthwise 2 to 3 bell peppers of various colors, sliced lengthwise into strips...

The friends that introduced me to sushi also threw sushi making parties—an easy and economical way to eat sushi. We bought a variety of sashimi-grade fish from a local restaurant and split the cost. We spent the evening making sushi rice, cutting up fish and nori, and making rolls and nigiri to our heart’s content. At these parties, I learned the importance of making good sushi rice. What is Sushi Rice?...

Video: How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving Dinner My immediate family does not share my passion for the sweet spud, so it was only a matter of time (with me consuming the whole casserole by myself for a few years) before I gave up and deleted them from the Thanksgiving menu. But help was on the way. A very darling girl joined our family this past summer and brought her enthusiasm for sweet potatoes with her....

The tahini’s subtle nuttiness balances out the sweetness of the cookie. It also creates a unique texture—the bottoms become crisp while the insides stay moist, gooey. I use salted butter and top the baked cookies with flaky sea salt to bring out more flavor from the tahini and bittersweet chocolate. These are perfect, slightly more “adult” take on the chocolate chip cookies we all know and love. How to Bake the Best Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies Here are some tips, tricks, and “don’t skips” to keep in mind:...

As we grew older and got more interested in cooking, my younger sister and I started helping my mom with the preparation. We rolled the taquitos, washed the toppings, chopped (as our knife skills improved), and made salsa in the blender with dried chile arbols or fresh serrano chilies with garlic and tomatoes blistered on the stove. This is an excellent opportunity to get your family involved in the process, too....

To brew a cold-brew coffee concentrate, combine 1 cup of ground coffee for every 4 cups of cold water. Be patient (most cold-brew coffee makers require 12 to 24 hours) and take a Goldilocks approach to tinkering with the grind of your beans: too coarse and you won’t extract enough flavor; too fine and coffee grounds will leak into the cold-brew, making it gritty. This guide will help with the learning curve....

From pie plates to bundt pans, spatulas to cookie cutters, there are so many gift ideas to buy for the beloved baker in your life. But which are the best? You’ll want to focus on quality, functionality, and durability, but looks matter too in a gift, as does the cost, of course. And sometimes the occasion (like stocking stuffers, to say thank you, weddings, or birthdays) will help determine which item works best....

At their most simple, these stick blenders crush and mix ingredients directly in the pot or bowl, making smooth sauces and pureed soups a breeze. Fancier versions come with attachments, like a whisk or food processor, that turn your hand blender into a multipurpose kitchen accessory. If you’re on the fence about purchasing an immersion blender, Jamie Hunt, a celebrity chef in New York City, recommends one because it “is a convenient way to make smoothies in the morning, which means fewer dishes for busy people on the go....

I’ve made osso buco, an Italian dish of braised veal shanks, several times. I’ve eaten it in fine Italian restaurants but I’ve never really liked it until now. How to Make Italian Osso Buco This is a great recipe that my father pulled from the web a few years ago, which uses pancetta, instead of olive oil, for the browning of the veal and cooking the vegetables. Olive oil is the traditional method, so if you want to skip the pancetta, just substitute several tablespoons of olive oil....

The slightly curved bases and angled edges—a key differentiator from sauté pans, which have tall, straight sides—make it easy to flip your food with a spatula, or even with a flick of the wrist from that extended handle, if you’re feeling confident. A good skillet is a foundational piece of every kitchen. It’s one of the first things we buy when we strike out on our own. In my home, it’s a cooking vessel used so often that it has a permanent spot on the stove, no matter how much room there might miraculously be in the cabinet....

What to do with all these tomatoes? One of my favorite recipes for making use of fresh, ripe, garden tomatoes is this Italian inspired tomato salad with red onions, parsley, oregano, and avocados. My friend Michelle (we’ve known each other since age 13) first introduced me to this salad several years ago. It’s one her favorite salads to bring to summer potlucks and family gatherings. Michelle comes from a large extended Italian American family that truly loves food....