The ingredients are simple—just spaghetti (or another long pasta), and the carbonara is made with pancetta or bacon, eggs, Parmesan, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. The silky carbonara sauce is created when the beaten eggs are tossed with the hot pasta and a little fat from the pancetta or bacon. Did I already mention indulgent? Yes, this is not a make-it-everyday recipe. This is an I’ve-been-eating-my-kale-for-weeks-and-now-I-want-to-splurge recipe. But heck, if you are going to splurge, you may as well do it right with pasta carbonara....

I don’t usually think of avocado when I think of pasta, but it works! Avocados are rich, creamy, and good for you. They take the place that a cheese would have in a dish like this. Tips for Pesto Pasta Success Reserve some of the the starchy cooking water to add back in to make everything more creamy.Dress the pasta with the pesto when the pasta is hot. That way the pasta will absorb the pesto flavors better....

Ingredient Swaps I Recommend Canned or frozen yellow corn can be used for this recipe. I find the hint of sweetness from the yellow corn really compliments the spice and smokiness of the peppers. If you prefer a less sweet tamale, use white corn. Serrano and jalapeño peppers are spicy. If you prefer milder tamales, replace a few of each with more poblano peppers or only use poblano peppers.If Monterey cheese is not available, any melting cheese will work....

We experiment frequently with different ways of preparing pork chops, but the way we have pork chops most regularly is with a simple dry rub and pan frying. My mother has been making chops this way for years! How to Season Pork Chops We use a favorite dry rub recipe of my father’s, which includes cumin, black pepper, coriander, sugar, and salt. It requires some advance preparation — heating the whole spices to release their aromas, and grinding them in a blender or spice grinder....

All You Need to Know About Cooking Pork Tenderloin In fact, the only thing you really have to worry about with pork tenderloin is overcooking it. Because it’s so lean, it can go from tender to dry if you aren’t paying attention. A Pork Tenderloin Recipe Made Even Better This recipe was one of the first recipes I posted on the site so many years ago. We’ve since changed it up a bit, including making a pan gravy from the juices and stock to pour over the sliced tenderloin and apples....

Why Portobello Mushrooms Are the Best for Burgers I grew up seeing these as a vegetarian option in restaurants and cafes. But here’s the thing, for mushroom lovers (that would be me, you too?), portobellos are perfect for burgers, whether you are vegetarian or not. The cap of this ginormous cremini mushroom is the perfect size and shape of a burger. The mushroom is meaty and juicy and umami-y. How To Make Portobello Mushroom Burgers Paint the caps with a little olive oil, put them on the grill for a few minutes on each side, and you have a perfect grilled mushroom to put between two burger buns....

What is Confit? Confit is a cooking method commonly associated with duck. It was a traditional way to preserve poultry and other meats before modern refrigeration. The food is cooked in copious amounts of its own fat, which acts as a barrier to air and spoilage. The most famous confit comes from southwest France—duck confit, which is used to make cassoulet. Potato confit cooks more gently and slowly than roasting, boiling, or braising....

She was right! Good thing Mexican food is so delicioso, because just thinking about dishes like this pozole makes me smile. It’s somewhat of a feast, pozole. I guess you could make smaller batches, but since you have to cook it for several hours, it just makes sense to make a large amount, and then have lots of friends over with whom to enjoy it. Pozole (or posole) is a traditional soup in Mexico, often served Christmas eve, and in many parts of the country on Thursdays and Saturdays all year round....

Have you ever used truffle oil in your cooking? I think I have a new best friend in the kitchen. I don’t want roasted potatoes any other way than tossed with a bit of truffle oil. Yes it is expensive, $12 or more for a little 3 ounce bottle. (Found my bottle at Whole Foods.) But you don’t need much; the amount of truffle oil required for this recipe will cost you anywhere from 25 to 50 cents....

In my garden they snake their way up a loosely put together bamboo trellis and if I’m not paying attention, climb over the fence into my neighbor’s yard. As soon as it really starts to get hot, usually sometime in May, the pea vines dry up, telling me it’s time to plant green beans. And just so we are clear, I don’t cook my garden peas. Why? Because I’m greedy!...

This one-pan meal consists of spiced, roasted cauliflower, bell pepper, and onion along with beans, cheese, and your choice of toppings. I always include avocado or guacamole and salsa, but you can use your favorite nacho accessories. A blanket of citrusy shredded lettuce or finely sliced cabbage adds the requisite nacho-style crunch. While this recipe isn’t exactly like nachos since it doesn’t include tortilla chips, think of it as a low-carb recipe that sits solidly between nachos and fajitas....

I use chermoula, a North African sauce that I love for its variety of herbs, spices, and preserved lemons, as a marinade to impart deep flavor into the chicken. The chicken is cooked with the marinade, so the sauce infuses the meat as it simmers. Additionally, the stew contains a hearty serving of chopped apricots, as dried fruit its common in tagines, recipes made in a cooking vessel of the same name, and Moroccan cooking in general....

Chicken Tacos Made Easy in the Slow Cooker No need to go out for this though, it’s easy to make at home, especially with a slow cooker! Ten minutes prep, slow cook for hours, then shred with a couple of forks. Video: How to Make Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Shredded Chicken Tacos: 3 Tips for Success There are three elements to perfect shredded chicken—the chicken, the rub, and the sweetness....

I want to be outside with the grill going rather than huddled over a deep fryer! These Spicy Buffalo Chicken Burgers allow me have the best of both worlds: Buffalo chicken flavor done on the grill! YUM! What is a Buffalo Chicken Burger? The basics of this burger are simple—it starts off with ground chicken which is very lean. To make sure the burgers don’t dry out, I like to mix in some shredded celery and carrot which complements that classic buffalo sauce flavor combo....

It’s technically spring, but it doesn’t always feel that way. Rather than just endure it, let’s lean in! Why not give yourself a break with some dinners that are colorful, even though the scene outdoors may not match up? A nice, bright salad with shrimp and mango. A meat n’ potatoes night of steak with simple sides. A gussied-up grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and pear. See if someone can tackle dish duty so you can take a little walk and look for crocuses....

They can be used for a multitude of cooking tasks, from chopping herbs to mincing garlic (bonus: The broad side of the knife is good for whacking garlic cloves loose from their skins, too). You can use it to slice delicate summer tomatoes, halve hard autumn squashes, and carve your Christmas ham. Using a knife is a highly personal experience. It all has to do with the weight and feel of a knife in your hands....

An egg cooker is a small countertop appliance that allows you to cook eggs in a multitude of ways, including hard-boiled for salads or deviled eggs, poached for eggs benedict, or scrambled. The best part is that the entire process is hands-free, allowing you to focus on something else in the kitchen. This is extremely helpful for busy parents who want to give themselves and their kids a nutritious breakfast or snack but don’t want to stand over a stove....

A quick trip to the freezer aisle at most grocery stores reveals dozens upon dozens of frozen pizza options to choose from. Which got me thinking: Does one brand have a better crust? Or a well-seasoned sauce? Or is the cheese more delicious on one pie compared to the rest? I decided to find out—but I didn’t want to be the ultimate judge of the pizzas. I wanted my kids to judge too since if they won’t eat the pizza, then the whole point of the pizza is lost....

But, the landscape of Japanese knives can be confusing—should you start with a nakiri or maybe a santoku, should you look for a single or double bevel, can you sharpen at home, are all questions for consideration as you shop. “A knife set starts with a great gyuto (chef’s knife) 210-240mm are the perfect home sizes, or a santoku if you want something a bit smaller,” says Kevin Kent, founder of Knifewear and author of “The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives....