Lamb can be a tough sell for many people. Between its reputedly strong flavor and not quite knowing how to cook it, we pass it over for more familiar cuts. But it's worth giving lamb a chance because when it's done right, a plate of tender flavorful lamb is a beautiful thing. When is the last time you had lamb for dinner? More

Duck confit is one of those dishes I figured I would never make at home. Poaching duck legs in fat sounds messy, difficult and expensive — duck fat isn't cheap. But I learned there is an easier, cheaper way to make duck confit, and now I'm tempted to give this classic cooking and preservation technique a try. More

When I moved from Los Angeles back to the South, I begrudgingly left behind a handful favorite restaurants. Not that there isn't amazing food in Atlanta, but some of these places just can't be replicated. Whenever I return to California, I have to check each one off my list so that I can stay fully satisfied until my next visit. Many times friends ask if I want to try somewhere new, and I just look at them like they're crazy. Why would I ever want to do a thing like that? More

My friend Aura is a very good cook. She lives in Florida with her husband, Leo, and two adorable (I do not use that word glibly) children. When I think of Aura's cooking, I think of fruit salads, smoothies, and the freshest dishes from her native Guatemala — light, healthy, and driven by Florida's tropical fruits and vegetables. So I was surprised, one winter evening a few years ago, to sit down at her table and find a big, bubbling casserole of chicken wrapped in bacon. "It's Leo's favorite," she said, with a grin. More

Yesterday Cambria shared a family recipe for African peanut stew, a celebratory dish made with beef, spices, and rich peanut butter. The classic side dish for this meal — and indeed, nearly any meal throughout much of eastern Africa — is sukuma wiki, braised greens with a very apt meaning to their name! Do you know what sukuma wiki means? More

Let's talk about this tagine for a second: it's crazy good. The dish has so much going on—the fragrant and heavily-spiced sauce, the jammy apricots, the crunchy almonds—and yet it totally works. There's good reason why this Moroccan dish is a classic. More

Ain't the slow cooker grand? You can load it up at night or early in the morning with a few ingredients, then come home after work to a hot meal waiting for you. It's almost like having your own private chef. Well — not quite (you still do some of the work!), but it's still pretty great.

But the slow cooker isn't just for supper. You can make terrific breakfast grains, and great make-ahead lunch staples. Read on for 15 of our favorite slow cooker meals, from ginger pork and barbecue chicken that make great lunches, to spiced porridge for breakfast and chickpea stew for supper. More

Shredded meat — beef, pork, or chicken — is one of the most versatile dinner elements you can imagine! Cook up a few pounds of shredded pork and freeze it, then dole it out for weeknight meals. Or make some shredded beef and serve a crowd. Today, let's talk chicken: Simple, inexpensive, and relatively quick, chicken has some advantages over the heavier beef and pork. Here's how to make a batch of tender and delicious pulled chicken in the oven — or your slow cooker! More

As a restaurant employee, let me just say this. Please don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. In fact, please stay home the week before and after. I beg of you. I won't elaborate, but why fight for a reservation when you can cook up a delicious, romantic meal in the privacy of your own home.

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