Do you love collards? If not, get out there and acquaint yourself with this amazing green! Collards are very nutritious (high in vitamins K, A, and C, as well as calcium, iron and fiber) and have been linked to lowered cholesterol. They are a hearty green that can grow well into early winter in colder climates and year round in more temperate ones. But more than anything, collards are delicious! More

The flavor of maple syrup is more than simple sweetness, which may be why it works so well in savory recipes, especially the kinds of recipes we start dreaming about at this time of year: crisp-skinned roast chickens glazed with maple and lemon, shredded Brussels sprouts topped with maple-toasted nuts, and roasted root vegetables tossed with maple and sage. More

Parsnips, those pale cousins of the beloved carrot, are filling up farmers market stands here in the Pacific Northwest lately. And while it's commonplace and simple to roast them for a quick side dish, pairing them with something a little sweeter can make a show-stopping addition to the average dinner spread or the more-than-average holiday table. More

This is the time of year when Dutch ovens come into their own. Even if you use your big, heavy Dutch oven year-round, as I do, it still seems to come down off its shelf a little more often in the fall. Today I want to show you my favorite Dutch oven — and a soup to cook in it. This soup is one of those magical recipes with just a few ingredients, and all the usual suspects — carrot, onion, beans, chicken broth — that nevertheless turns out to have such a deep, wonderful flavor you don't mind that it makes enough to feed you for a week. And a Dutch oven is really the best vessel for it, because this soup is cooked just a little differently. More

Now that Halloween is behind us (how the heck did that happen!?), I immediately have to brace myself for the rushing tidal wave that brings in the holiday season. My to-do list immediately grows longer as I begin planning family gatherings, testing new Thanksgiving recipes, and pondering edible gift ideas. It's a chaotic time for sure, but I look forward to every single minute of it.

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Every Halloween I like to cook something warm and pumpkin-y for dinner. This year I'll pair my favorite pumpkin tortilla soup with enchiladas de pipián rojo, a smoky, nutty, spiced (but not too spicy) sauce made with pumpkin seeds, chile peppers, and roasted vegetables. More

Cheese balls have a bad reputation, probably because they often look (and taste) like they belong in the pages of a faded food magazine from the 1970s. But with the right ingredients and some updated styling, these make-ahead party appetizers can be a modern twist on the usual cheese plate. More

This will be the second year my boyfriend and I have shared Halloween together. Last year, he raced out to the co-op to buy sugar-free, gluten-free, everything-free lollipops for the kids and I mourned Kit-Kats something fierce. He insists that since we don't buy high-sugar candy the rest of the year, why would we get it to hand out to kids? He believes it's our chance to keep making a statement about the kind of food we care about. Me? I believe in Kit-Kats. More

You're either a DIY candy person or you're not. I tend to shy away from making my own candy because I've had awful luck with brittles and barks. Generally when there's a candy thermometer involved, I find that things go south pretty quickly. However, when a beloved candy is so easy to recreate at home, like these Tootsie Rolls, I'm sold. More

I love sparkling cider. Love it. It feels just as special now as it did when I was seven and sipping it (carefully...so carefully!) from one of my grandma's best champagne flutes. I always have a spare bottle stashed away this time of year, just in case the need should present itself. Although lately, those bottles have been plain brown swing-tops and they've filled with my homemade version of this bubbly treat. More