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Don’t discount them from your afternoon or evening activities too! A table set up with a colorful variety of drink options looks just as good at night as it does late on a Sunday morning. These drinks are FUN, not super boozy, and can be paired with a charcuterie board, Mini Salmon Quiches, vegetable samosas, spiced nuts, a mezze platter or a light summer salad like Caprese Pasta Salad. Hosting a Mimosa bar not only gives guests a fun variety of drink options to choose from, and maybe some they’ve never thought of trying, but having a self-serve bar allows guests to drink at their leisure and frees YOU up from playing bartender at your own party....

I learned how to make caramel sauce this way years ago from my friend Suzanne and now make it any time a recipe calls for caramel sauce. There’s really no reason to buy it when you can so easily make it with just three simple ingredients — sugar, butter, and cream. How to Make Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce To make caramel sauce, first you start by heating white granulated sugar....

It takes a minimum of a month to make homemade extract, so get started now if you want to have this ready for gifting and baking! How to Make DIY Vanilla Extract Vanilla extract is made by steeping vanilla beans in vodka, bourbon, or even brandy. The longer you let the beans infuse, or the more beans you use, the stronger your extract. The recipe below will make a basic extract that can be used in any baking recipe....

Making cranberry sauce in an Instant Pot makes homemade sauce a breeze, without the worry of burning, boiling, or losing precious space on the stovetop. This no-fuss recipe is the perfect way to cross off your to-do list before a big holiday like Thanksgiving. You can make this recipe up to 5 days ahead of time, so you can focus on the rest of your holiday meal instead. Natural or Quick Release?...

Elise’s low-and-slow slow cooker Mexican pulled pork is fantastic, but when I forget to plan ahead or want it to be ready a little more quickly, I make this speedy version in my Instant Pot. The Ingredients for Instant Pot Pulled Pork Elise’s spice rub includes chili powder, salt, brown sugar, and a blend of herbs and spices – this mix is so good that I just left it as is....

It has been practiced in Indonesia for centuries to maintain good health and to treat ailments. While there are hundreds of combinations, this version is made with fresh turmeric, ginger, lime and honey. Where I Learned About Jamu As a visitor to Bali, Indonesia, I experienced Jamu in a number of ways but this bright orange, turmeric-based Jamu seemed to be the most common. I saw it in the markets, at restaurants, and hotels....

Now let’s talk about the salad: the warm spices baked into the pecans pair incredibly well with hearty massaged kale, chewy grains of farro, peppery arugula, and a creamy, zesty dressing. The combination of flavors and textures is so tantalizing that it will have everyone, even self-proclaimed kale haters, coming back for more. This vegan salad needs little accompaniment, so pair it with your favorite plant-based protein for a nourishing weeknight meal....

These meatballs are inspired by kefta, Moroccan meat patties that come in several different shapes including balls, ovals, and logs. They can be skewered and grilled, braised, or pan-fried. Kefta are often spiced with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice mix that can include upwards of 30 different spices. Rather than use ras el hanout, I’ve opted to include a few of my favorite spices from the mix in these meatballs....

These are the nachos without the tower of precariously balanced ingredients—you can pull from anywhere on the pan and know that the whole thing won’t come tumbling down. These are the nachos your kids will be happy to eat because they are basically like deconstructed tacos. These are also the nachos you can put out at a party, right on the pan—just make sure you remind people the pan is hot!...

It’s a simple little item, one that functions exactly like its name implies. You use it to scrape dough out of a bowl. But this simple tool is incredibly useful when baking almost anything. The Best Uses for Flexible Dough Scraper Though large spatulas have their place in my kitchen, when I work with a slightly stiffer bread dough, or one that is sticky, nothing beats a flexible dough scraper....

Quilted squares, silicone sleeves, suede mitts - one by one, they’ve all made their way to the bottom of a drawer somewhere, or thrown out altogether. Some were too unwieldy, or fell apart in the wash, or (the biggest offense!) didn’t work at keeping heat away from my hands, even for the short amount of time it takes to pull a baking dish out of the oven and set it on the stovetop....

Like my beloved fish spatula, I consider tongs an essential multipurpose kitchen tool, because you can use them for so many things. Grab roasted vegetables off a sheet pan. Flip a piece of chicken in a skillet. Pull blanched greens out of a big pot of boiling water. Toss a salad! I only have one pair of tongs, and that honor goes to this 9-inch stainless steel pair from OXO ($13)....

Of course they were too hot to eat, but that didn’t stop us. Tender, buttery rolls with a hint of sweetness shaped like puffy half-moons—who can wait? They looked like Pac-Man, and they were delicious! Video: How to Make Parker House Rolls What Are Parker House Rolls? The Parker House in Boston (now called Omni Parker House) was a grand old hotel built in the mid-19th century. Many politicians and famous people stayed there, and legend has it that John F....

Add chorizo? Sure. Make the cheese smoky? Absolutely. Would you like some chicken? Or veggies? Even better. What about pesto? And veggies? Double yes! But sometimes taking a chance on a recipe can be a little risky if you’re feeding someone other than an adult—i.e, someone who may or may not politely articulate how he or she feels about the food—and who therefore may or may not eat said food....

Stay with me here. Corned beef hash is salty, savory, and, if you prepare it correctly, the tiny potatoes get a little crispy as well. Wrapped in soft eggs with a little Parmesan cheese — it’s a seriously special omelet. Give this one a shot if you are a corned beef fan! Corned Beef Hash Is Omelet Perfection I like hearty omelet fillings, and nothing is heartier than corned beef hash!...

How To Make Quinoa Bowls Building bowls is kind of like combining leftovers to create a whole new meal. You take small amounts of many things and mix them together. For this recipe you will roast sweet potatoes, sauté spinach, cook quinoa, and toast seeds. This may seem like a lot, but every component is cooked in the same two pans, which saves time on clean up. Better still is that bowls are a great make-ahead meal....

Red velvet cake has historically been covered in ermine frosting, but tangy cream cheese frosting is the new favorite. This recipe takes that one step further by adding a layer of luscious cheesecake in between the two layers of red velvet cake, and it’s still covered with your favorite rich cream cheese frosting. Sure, there are a few different components involved in making this baking project, but the outcome is an indulgent, striking dessert that’ll be the talk of the party....

Rhubarb is incredibly sour when raw. It seriously makes you pucker. My parents grow rhubarb in their yard, and every spring when I was little, my dad and I would take a bite from a fresh stalk and compete to see who could recover enough to whistle first after such a tart bite. But don’t worry; behind its sour bite is a distinctive citrusy and fruity flavor when cooked and tamed with sugar....

Have you ever baked on a grill? When the hot weather settles in we avoid using the oven; the AC is working hard enough as it is. Now that I have baked on the grill a couple of times, it’s not so hard. Just make sure that what you are baking is not directly over the coals or flame or the bottom will get burnt. Instructions for baking both on the grill and in an oven are included....