I love them grilled, roasted, baked in to a frittata, or made into soup. But if I’m honest with you, the method I use most often to cook asparagus is to shallow boil them on the stovetop. What’s shallow boiling (or shallow poaching)? It’s is sort of a cross between boiling and steaming. You don’t use much water, so it hardly takes any time for the water to heat to a boil....

Why Mince Garlic? Think of chopping garlic as activating it for cooking. Allicin is the compound that gives garlic its aroma and chopping the garlic clove allows this aroma to escape. When a clove is smashed or chopped, this is essentially damaging the clove. When a clove is damaged, an enzyme called alliinase converts an amino acid found in fresh garlic, allin, into the allicin that we smell. The more you damage – or chop – the clove, the more intense the aroma and taste of the garlic....

Here’s how you can pasteurize eggs at home on the stovetop. Why Pasteurize Eggs? You may be wondering: why pasteurize eggs at all? The reason is salmonella. We largely associate salmonella with chicken meat, but raw and partially-cooked chicken eggs can carry salmonella bacteria, too. And lots of absolutely fabulous recipes—mayonnaise, royal icing, hollandaise—call for raw or partially cooked eggs. How big of a risk is salmonella infection via eggs?...

This bold concoction takes the flavors you love from a big ol’ juicy pickle—herbaceous dill, tangy vinegar, sharp garlic, sweet onion, and a punch of salt—broken down sans cucumber into powder form and bottled in a standard glass spice jar with a perforated lid. How To Use TJ’s Pickle Seasoning Use it liberally to coat fish, roasted vegetables, salads, snacks like popcorn and chips, and practically anything that demands a bit more pizzazz and brightness....

This Italian Skillet Chicken dinner is a family favorite. Oregano, basil, and garlic season the chicken while grape tomatoes, onion, and olive oil break down to make a rich and fragrant pan sauce. Pull the whole thing together with a couple of handfuls of spinach and dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes. Video: How to Make Italian Skillet Chicken The Best Chicken for This Recipe Use boneless skinless thinly sliced chicken breasts, tenderloins or tenders (depending on how your supermarket labels them)....

Dreams are made of this combination: crunch of the jicama, creaminess of the avocado, sweetness of the orange, and juiciness of the tomato. Plus, the citrus vinaigrette with mint adds a brightness that brings all of the flavors together. I’m using green leaf lettuce as a bed for this salad, but feel free to use a different lettuce of your choosing or none at all. What Is Jicama? Jicama is a circular, nutrient-rich, starchy root vegetable native to Mexico....

The great thing about quesadillas? They’re so easy to dress up! Whether it’s with chicken and apples, mushrooms, green chiles, or in this case, kimchi—spicy Korean pickled cabbage. A friend of mine mentioned recently that she had had a terrific kimchi quesadilla at a local eatery, and I thought, what a great idea, why not? I found a few references online, including Roy Choi’s version of Kogi BBQ truck fame....

These macarons are sweet, tangy, and bursting with a freshly grated lemon zest flavor. It’s sure to brighten up anyone’s day! Macarons make for a super special treat to give as a gift or share for a special occasion. They look impressive and serve as beautiful dessert centerpieces for any celebration from brunch to afternoon tea. What is a French Macaron? A French macaron is an airy cookie that can be made in a wide variety of flavors and colors, which is one reason they are so popular....

It’s easy to get off track with homemade meals given all the excitement in the air, but I won’t be thwarted! I rely on my menu plans more than ever in the latter part of the year. This week, I’m all about menus whose ingredients can serve double-duty in next week’s holiday meal as well – like chopped onions and even mashed potatoes. They can be prepped for this week, but also used in recipes for Turkey Day....

I can still remember my mother making pots of hot chocolate for us, and even using a Mexican chocolate stirrer to beat up the hot chocolate until it was frothy. What makes Mexican chocolate different from regular chocolate? The cinnamon! Cinnamon is the distinctive flavor in Mexican chocolate. Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream With this Mexican ice cream recipe, you can skip all of the little extras — coffee, vanilla, chili — and as long as you keep the cinnamon, you will have an ice cream that tastes just like Mexican hot chocolate....

In Brazil, they make moqueca (pronounced “mo-KEH-kah”), a stew made with fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and in the northern state of Bahia, coconut milk. Video! How to Make Moqueca My first encounter with moqueca was a salmon version of the stew prepared by Brazilian blogger Fernanda of Chucrute com Salsicha. So good! We love making fish stew, but had never thought to use a base of coconut milk. Since then, every Brazilian I’ve met, when the conversation turns to food (as it invariably does), their eyes light up at the mention of moqueca....

Yep. To this daughter of a midwesterner, beets only come two ways, roasted or boiled and then “pickled” in a vinaigrette. The first time I had raw beets, in a matchstick carrot and beet salad at a local Moroccan restaurant, it was a revelation. They’re just like carrots! But ruby red. Here’s my take on the Moroccan classic, a raw shredded carrot and beet salad seasoned with cinnamon, paprika, and cumin, honey, lemon, and mint....

My NOLA beignet experience has remained a lasting memory. I was lucky enough to be in great company, music played all around us, and as we approached the café, the humid air was thick with the smell of frying dough, sugar, and coffee. It was heaven. While I can’t just jet off to New Orleans for a beignet experience anytime I’d like to, I can recreate something similar at home and share it with all of you!...

Breakfast Cookies for Busy Mornings As a frazzled mother of twin toddlers, I often skipped breakfast out of sheer desperation and plain exhaustion. I’d whip up a bowl of oatmeal for the babies, guzzle a mug of coffee, and call it a morning. Unfortunately, the lack of effort began to show in my overall health. I was cranky in the middle of the day, my energy was kaput, and I was getting sick more often....

Do I need eight spatulas? No. Do I feel better about having backups in case something happens to seven of them? Absolutely. You don’t need to be as passionate about rubber spatulas as I am, but I strongly recommend you invest in at least one good one, and that would be Rubbermaid’s commercial high-heat spatula. Rubber Spatulas vs Silicone Spatulas First of all, let’s clear something up: Rubber spatulas are really silicone spatulas....

In common with every one of these kitchen basics is a dish that can be tweaked and tailored depending on the mood. Most important of all? Roasted vegetables are just plain delicious. Even my veggie-phobic friends more readily embrace vegetables when crispy and golden, hot off a sheet pan, and just salty enough to want more. In our house, Oven Roasted Vegetables are in regular rotation pretty much all year round....

To complement the citrus, thick and creamy yogurt is sweetened with a splash of maple syrup and gets an additional flavor boost from warm spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, and clove. A scattering of green pistachios and ruby red pomegranate seeds adds a bit of crunch and even more color. The Best Yogurt for Parfaits Using a thick-style yogurt that stands up to the juicy citrus is key to the parfaits’ luscious texture....