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There’s just one problem: making individual sandwiches can be a hassle when you’re cooking for a big family or a gathering of friends. By the time you’ve handed out the last sandwich, the first ones will be soggy with tomato juice. I found a solution to my problem—marry pasta with all the components in a BLT! This hearty, summery meal has all the flavors of a classic BLT: The pasta is mixed with crunchy bacon and flavorful tomatoes (plus some fresh mozzarella for a touch of creamy goodness), and a tangle of arugula on the top adds the lettuce component while also giving the whole dish a bright, peppery lift....

Nutrition justification! (Hah, works every time) Who doesn’t love a freshly baked blueberry muffin? One bite into a tender muffin with pockets of juicy blueberries—heaven. There are three things I have a hard time resisting—my dad’s tapioca pudding, dark chocolate, and freshly baked blueberry muffins. Easy Blueberry Muffins Muffins are not as easy to get right as one might think. Too dry, too dense, too sugary—these are all problems that one can encounter when trying to bake the perfect muffin....

The not-so-well-kept secret to brioche dough is butter, and plenty of it. Its origin is French (mais, oui!), probably in Normandy where butter rules, and dating as far back as the 17th century. While it is most often made into a savory bread or roll, it also answers the call of the sweet tooth, filled with custard, cream or jam. Brioche is a very versatile dough, and in practical terms, because of its richness, it keeps well, and despite its softness, is sturdy enough to stand up to a juicy burger — especially when slathered with butter and toasted it....

Here is a simple butternut squash side that you can easily do on the stove. The trick to this dish is browning the butter before adding the squash, so that the squash absorbs some of the complex and wonderful brown butter flavors, before it too is browned. More Butternut Squash Recipes to Love Butternut Squash Soup Harvest Salad with Miso-Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake Butternut Squash and Black Bean Skillet Dinner Pasta with Butternut Squash Parmesan Sauce...

Remember when your biology teacher told you that your skin would turn orange if you ate a lot of carrots? He was right! Video: How to Make Carrot Ginger Soup When I went in for my physical my doctor looked at me with alarm; she thought I was jaundiced. Fortunately, it was just all that beta carotene from the carrots. No harm, no foul. Sometimes the most nourishing foods are also the most simple and easy to make....

Cooking on a cedar plank is hardly new. It’s a method that has been used by several Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Salmon is a central theme throughout their lives—they are known as The Salmon People. When I lit my first grill almost 30 years ago, “planking” was around, but it wasn’t mainstream. Today, grilling planks are sold at most grocery and big-box stores. You can even buy salmon pre-loaded on a plank....

Although quinoa looks like a grain, it’s actually a seed, native of South America, gluten-free and high in protein. It loves dairy. Milk, farmers cheese, cheddar cheese—all go well with quinoa. This is a rather simple dish, not that many ingredients, and is flexible in the ingredients. You can use poblano chiles instead of bell peppers for a spicy version. Or add some cooked Mexican chorizo to the stuffing for a meatier take....

Years ago, when my mother was a young housewife with a husband and six rambunctious kids to feed, she taught herself how to cook from various cookbooks that were popular at the time. One of her favorite books was Elena’s secrets of Mexican cooking, now long out of print, by Elena Zelayeta, published in 1958. This recipe is adapted from a recipe for Pollo con Jocoqui (Chicken with Sour Cream) in that book....

I like making burgers and hot dogs as much as the next person, but for me, this chili garlic chicken has become my favorite reason to light the grill. Make a Spicy Marinade With Chili Garlic Sauce The marinade for this chicken uses chili garlic sauce (I like Huy Fong), which you can find in almost any supermarket these days. Look for it near the Asian ingredients or the other condiments....

Chocolate Lava Cake is the perfect, romantic dessert for Valentine’s Day or for when you’re trying to impress. It calls for just seven pantry ingredients and comes together in under 25 minutes, making it an easy, last-minute treat to make when indulgence is what you’re after. No Ramekin? No Problem! The molten lava cakes are baked in six-ounce ramekins. If you don’t have any, bake them in a muffin tin....

Root vegetables have a lot of natural sugars in them that caramelize when roasted at a high enough temperature. They’re also packed with vitamins and beta carotene. So, starchy they may be, but they are also good for you too. (As if I need any encouragement, you can’t keep me away from them!) The one thing about those sweet vegetables, so perfect for caramelizing, is that they love a little acidity to sharpen their flavor....

But then the heat wave of summer 2022 arrived, and I couldn’t fathom turning on my oven. Suddenly, the lightbulb went off. Hadn’t everyone been describing the air fryer as a small, powerful convection oven? I threw everything into it with shockingly successful results—my favorite of which is store-bought frozen dinner rolls. Air fryers cook food quickly and require very little time to preheat (if at all), so the frozen rolls cook in the air fryer in a flash....

The mustard! I couldn’t get over how good the mustard was, and so many varieties. There was Dijon with herbes de provence, Dijon with tarragon, smooth Dijon, whole grain Dijon. For a girl raised on the bright yellow hot dog mustard, I was in heaven. These days I always have at least a couple jars on hand in the fridge, perfect for this Dijon chicken recipe. A Quick and Easy Weeknight Meal This is a true weeknight meal, ready in just over a half an hour from start to finish....

If they’re fairly dry and clean, then a damp paper towel will do the job. But if, as you say, they are really dirty, then YES! You can definitely wash them. Here’s what to do: Put the mushrooms in a strainer or colander in your sink and rinse them with water. You can pick them up and rub any stubborn bits off with your hands. Once you’re done, lay the mushrooms out on a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry before cooking....

This recipe calls for a butter sauce with garlic, lemon juice, and honey which adds sweetness and brightness to the side of salmon. The baked salmon gets topped with chopped chives, basil, and parsley, adding a touch of freshness at the end. If you don’t have these on hand you can use any fresh soft herb of your choice like tarragon or cilantro. This east-to-make yet flavorful combination is sure to be a crowd pleaser and once you get the method down, the flavor variations are endless....

As a matter of fact, I do! My friend Bill gave me this recipe years ago, a favorite from his Brazilian wife Silvia. I’ve made it several times, each time with different cheeses. Talk about addictive! I’ve cut Bill’s original recipe down to just a third, because if I actually made a full batch (48) I could conceivably eat them all. Video: How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread There are several ways to make Pão de Queijo....

The two things to keep in mind when cooking eggplant, especially firm globe eggplants, is that not only do eggplants hold onto moisture, they also absorb oil like a sponge. So if you’re not careful you can end up with something mushy and oily. For Easy Eggplant Parmesan, Salt and Bake Your Eggplant To deal with the oil absorption issue, instead of frying the breaded eggplant slices, we bake them in the oven, before assembling the casserole to be baked again....

Of course, the Irish alone can’t lay claim to a good stew. Cultures across the globe boast their own spin on these belly-filling braises. Consider, for example, the curries of India, tagines of Morocco, and cassoulets of France. What’s universal in all these dishes, no matter the origin, is that they’re cooked low and slow to develop deep flavor and a rich base, all punctuated by vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood, or some combination thereof....