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For many years I used this heavy-duty steel frame dish rack from simplehuman, and if you have the counter space for it, it’s a solid choice - sturdy, good-looking, and able to hold a ton of dishes. But it’s a beast, and I eventually grew tired of giving up precious counter space for it. To replace it I went searching for an in-sink dish rack (I have a double sink) that would hold a lot of dishes and be able to live rust-free in my sink....

Yes, this $13 cookbook stand. I am a big fan. What’s in a cookbook stand, you ask? This one is compact, collapsible, and has little rubber-tipped “hands” that keep pages open and flat; it has five positions, so you can find the best viewing angle for you; it’ll fit any size cookbook (or a phone, an iPad, or even just a recipe printed on a sheet of paper!); and the whole thing is made of sturdy, smooth bamboo....

Of course, you will have classic standbys like ketchup and mustard but why not take your burger game to the next level with toppings like Onion Jam, a sweet and savory jam comprised of soft onions with a little bit of bite, some mild heat from the black pepper, and a depth of sweetness and rich flavor from the balsamic vinegar. It goes really well with Bacon Jam, which both dress up just about any grilled meat or vegetable....

The bright orangey flavors with the slightly citric and nutty, textural pop of poppy seeds make these cookies taste like bursts of sunshine itself! The cookies are easy to put together. They’re light and delicate, yet packed with flavor. Perfect for cookie-loving kids, yet still perfectly suitable for bridal parties, baby showers, or other lighthearted events. Feel free to switch out orange for lemon if you want something a bit more reminiscent of the classic lemon poppy seed muffin....

An extra dose of brown sugar does a few things: it adds a caramel undertone that brings out the peanut flavor, creates a wonderful chew, and provides moisture that keeps the cookies from drying out. A generous amount of salt rounds out the dough, ensuring that the cookie itself is not overly sweet and balances well with its peanut butter cup center. There’s truly no bad time to make these nutty little cookies....

You may associate a piña colada with laid-back poolside vacations, but the piña colada ingredients of rum, coconut, and pineapple is actually a pillar of the tiki drink canon. Video: How to Make Piña Coladas Ingredients for Making Piña Coladas Part of the charm of piña coladas is how easy they are to make: RUM: Rum is the base alcohol. Choose a white rum for this cocktail, rather than the more strongly flavored aged rums....

Made with rum, lime juice, sugar, and a secret ingredient or two, you can combine the ingredients ahead of time. It’s the perfect party drink! What Is Planter’s Punch? First, a little history. In 1878, the Victorian Magazine Fun published this recipe for a Planter’s Punch. Despite the magazine’s faint praise for the concoction, this is not a bad drink (quite the contrary!), although there have been many variations of it over the years....

Almost. When you add North African ingredients such as turmeric, ginger, cumin, and coriander, along with pomegranate juice (for a little sweetness), you end up with something new, flavorful, and altogether fantastic! As the cold weather wears on, we want comforting, cozy meals but we also want to mix things up a bit so we don’t get bored. Here’s a chance to do that. Why Braise Pot Roast? Slow braising, like we’re doing for this pot roast, means cooking foods in a small amount of liquid in a pot at a steady, moderate temperature....

This enchilada recipe is a tasty way to repurpose leftovers and transform them into another delicious meal for the family. How to Make Pulled Pork Enchiladas All you have to do is to prepare an easy enchilada sauce, warm up the filling of your choice, and lightly fry corn tortillas to get ready to fill them up. Wrap the filling and arrange the enchiladas in a baking dish with the sauce poured on top....

Regardless of the season, I tend to add chocolate to whatever I can. What doesn’t improve with the addition of decadent chocolate? If you’ve never had chocolate and pumpkin together, it’s a delicious combination. Sweet pumpkin pairs remarkably well with the slight bitterness of chocolate. Add in pumpkin pie spice and the flavor is reminiscent of spiced Mexican chocolate. These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins combine cozy pumpkin spice with pockets of rich chocolate....

There are three things I can thank for this change: 1) Moving to a part of the country where pho restaurants are as common as pizza joints. 2) Several months of gluten-free eating last year due to a health issue. 3) Meeting and becoming friends with Vietnamese cooking expert Andrea Nguyen. Andrea has now published a new book entirely devoted to – what else?! – pho, and I’d like to share with you her recipe for Quick Chicken Pho....

The key ingredient to this stew is clam juice, which they sell in shelf stable eight-ounce bottles. We usually keep a couple in our pantry. I have prepared the soup for people with shellfish allergies; the thing to do is to substitute the clam juice with white wine, fish stock, or water. It works; it’s just not quite as tasty. The stew works best with a firm white fish, such as halibut or cod....

Macarons look like a tricky and intimidating dessert, but I am confident that with a little practice these delicious bite-sized treats will become your favorite treat. What is a French Macaron? Do not confuse a macaron with a macaroon, which are mound cookies made with shredded coconut. French macarons are delicate, sweet meringue-based sandwich cookies with a crisp shell and a chewy texture. When baked properly, the shells will have little ruffled feet at the base of the cookie....

What Is Remoulade Sauce Made With? All remoulades are based on either oil or mayonnaise, and most Louisiana remoulades also have mustard, garlic, paprika, and Cajun or Creole seasonings. If you do any traveling around Louisiana you’ll find that it seems like almost everyone has their own “secret recipe” for this sauce. It’s served most often with shrimp and crab cakes, po boy sandwiches, and even chicken. It’s also awesome as a substitute for ketchup with french fries....

Video: How to Make Rice Pudding With a little investigation, I found that there are two basic ways to make rice pudding — baking or boiling. Then there is my father’s way, which is take some cold white rice, add some cream, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix and eat. Dad has been making rice pudding this way my whole life, but dad’s method has never appealed to me that much, so boiling or baking it would have to be....

Roast cubes of butternut squash so they get tasty caramelized edges. While roasting the squash, prep the onions and kale and then sauté them with balsamic vinegar, adding the squash, pecans, and cranberries at the end. Simple. Beautiful. Packed with flavor and color. The balsamic vinegar? It’s what makes all the difference. The sweet tartness just intensifies the flavors of the onions, squash and kale. Oh yeah, it’s also vegan....

This is golden eggplant is the dish I make whenever we have company for dinner and there are vegetarians among us or I feel like something a little lighter is in order. Even the carnivores among us like a meatless meal once in a while, and besides, eggplant is such a meaty vegetable! I roast the eggplant halves in a very hot oven until they char, and then serve them topped them with more vegetables and a yogurt-tahini sauce....

In the class we covered many dishes, but my favorite was the Roasted Parsnips with Horseradish-Herb Butter. I love these parsnips! Note to those who run from horseradish – try it anyway. I can’t distinguish the horseradish from the flavors of the parsnips and butter, and neither could my parents until I told them what was in it. The flavors of the ingredients are a perfect complement to each other....

For this recipe, we lean on in-season root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and beets, along with hearty kale, for a twist that fitting to fall. A maple brown butter dressing infused with fresh rosemary ties everything together and a scattering of crumbled goat cheese adds a creamy tang to every forkful. Mix and Match Root Vegetables In the recipe, I intentionally keep the selection of root vegetables up to you....

Conditioned for politeness, sometimes they are just not willing to be as critical as I’d like. (You can’t like everything mom!) Tried again tonight, this time with fresh pineapple and very fresh salmon and as expected the salmon skewers were a thousand times better (mom agreed). The trick to great salmon skewers is high heat (charcoal grill better than gas better than broiler), the freshest salmon available, and watching the grill (or broiler) like a hawk....