I am a huge, huge fan of boneless skinless chicken thighs. They are inexpensive, tasty, and easy to cook. In fact, I find it difficult to mess up chicken thighs. They are just dark enough to stay tender, but not so dark as to put off people who prefer white meat. In the summer I grill these babies every week, especially when I have a big table of people to feed. Everyone who eats regularly at my house has eaten chicken thighs! But in the winter, when I don't feel like stepping outside to the grill, I bake the meat, and it's easy as 1-2-3. Here's what I do. More

Time seems to speed up this time of year as we near the holidays. In preparation, I like to make and freeze a big batch of Asian dumplings like these tofu and kimchi-filled Korean mandu. They're easy to heat up as a bite to eat between running to events and make a nice appetizer for guests, too. More

When the temperature takes a permanent nosedive and fall is starting to look a lot more like winter, shepherd's pie is one of the first things that I crave. One enormous square of this casserole, with its blanket of mashed potatoes and that savory meat-and-vegetable filling, sends a sigh of contentment through my whole body. One casserole makes more than enough for my household of two, so I can look forward to comfort meals all week long. More

Meat can be one of the biggest expenses when hosting a dinner party, but that doesn't mean you have to cut it out completely if you're trimming your entertaining budget this year. In fact, cheaper cuts of meat are often juicier, more flavorful, and easier to make ahead, which makes them ideal for entertaining. And as the recipes below prove, they can be just as elegant and impressive as their more expensive counterparts. More

Everyone knows that you don't mess with comfort food, especially Southern comfort food. Unless, that is, you happen to be a Southern chef. Chef duo Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing of MiLa restaurant in New Orleans know just how far to push the comfort food envelope and where a little extra brown butter makes all the difference. More

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

The Epciurious website is an absolute goldmine for tried-and-true recipes and new inspiration alike, especially since it draws from both the Bon Appétit and old Gourmet archives. I probably visit the site every day for one reason or another. This new cookbook from Tanya Steel and the Epcurious editors gathers all their "Four-Fork" recipes: those recipes that get the highest ratings from home cooks again and again. If the website is like a goldmine, then this book definitely qualifies as striking it rich. More

The Thanksgiving food magazines have arrived in the mail, and my mom is already calling to see if we've booked our flights. For some reason this year, more than others, things are feeling pretty rushed. My first inclination was to hide the food magazines and save them for a time when I was ready to actually think about what we'd cook this year. Then I figured maybe that was just delaying the inevitable. So now I just stare at them on the coffee table wondering, when is the right time to start thinking about holiday menus? More

My favorite kind of gathering to throw this time of year is a soup party. Hands down. It encourages a very informal mingling that I'm always drawn to far more than stuffy, plated dinner parties and it gives me a chance to flex my soup muscles and try a few new recipes. But I've found that, while casual, a soup party does take a little tending and planning. More

Homemade pizza is always a fun and unfussy choice for a dinner party, but trying to talk to guests while stretching dough, scattering toppings and transferring pizza from peel to oven means my kitchen always ends up looking like a mini pizza tornado blew through it. That's why I'm intrigued by this party-friendly pan pizza recipe from Serious Eats. It's big enough to serve a crowd and, best of all, it rises in the same pan it's baked in — so you can just top it and pop the whole pan in the oven to bake. More