Sometimes great recipes happen by accident, like this insta-classic black-eyed pea dip. This past weekend, I was planning on doing laundry and lounging around the house, but my fiancé seemed to have other plans. More

Bread has a bad reputation these days, but that doesn't mean we should overlook one of its most irresistible forms: toast! Whole wheat or brioche, sourdough or seeded, a slice of toasted bread is a base for all kinds of toppings that make a light yet satisfying meal any time of the day. If you're looking for some fresh inspiration, check out these 10 recipes, which top toast with combinations like sweet citrus butter, herbed goat cheese and smoked salmon, Stilton and pickled pears, and more. More

This is how obsessions begin. I had one handful of crunchy, salty giant "quicos" corn nuts, and then I couldn't stop thinking about them. I found this bag of giant dried kernels at a local Mexican grocery and I can't wait to try making quicos at home. If you can't quite grasp the scale of these enormous kernels, check out the picture below. More

If there was ever such a thing as legal crack, I think brown sugar-glazed bacon would be it. Not that I have much of a reference point, but I could.not.stop shoveling these sweet, savory strips of heaven into my mouth. Truth be told, I had to hide it from myself, which left me thinking about it, dreaming about it, until I had some more. More

Q: I'm severely hypoglycemic and have found that the best snacks for me in an emergency are legumes. I like to carry some roasted chickpeas or peanuts with me just in case, but they're getting boring since I eat them so often now. More

Recently, while nosing around in the freezer section of the market, I noticed that frozen fruit mixes labeled "tropical" always contain banana, pineapple and strawberry. I found the same thing in the dried fruit section. Strawberry? Doesn't "tropical" refer to the steamy and fertile band of earth near the equator, between the tropics of Capircorn and Cancer? This is not a place where strawberries thrive.

So I began to ask myself about truly tropical food combinations, and I thought of doctoring up some banana bread. More

Lately, I've gotten into the habit of making my own corn chips, a process that has proved to be deeply satisfying on so many levels. First, and most importantly, the end result is absolutely superior to the commercial brands in both taste and texture. I bake my chips with just the thinnest coating of oil, so the resulting chip bakes up satisfyingly crisp with a very slight chew and not at all greasy. The corn comes through strong and clear, not at all like the salt-lick flavor of most commercial chips. Here's a step-by-step guide to making these lighter, healthier chips at home. More

I spent three days of my holiday break on a quest to make the perfect French onion soup, beginning from scratch with the beef stock. And while it was incredible, it is not very often that I have the time or energy to really put that much effort into dinner. I decided there must be an easier way, and as it turns out, there is! Basically, I seem to prefer my soup in sandwich-form.

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Last spring we took the whole month of April to party, party, party! It was a month of entertaining, with tips on throwing birthday parties, picking out wine, and making tasty appetizers and snacks. Here's a look back at some of the recipes and ideas that emerged that month, from crisp cheesy poufs, to an addictive gluten-free flatbread. There are ideas for little bites on toasts, and one of the best spicy nut mixes we've ever tasted. More

We are a bunch of eaters on the go — not only during the busy holiday travel season, but also during the rest of the year as we rushing off to classes, meetings, and who knows what else. Our schedules don't have to mean resorting to take-out or scarfing handfuls of trail mix every day. Here are all our best recipes from 2012 that can be made ahead, packed up, and eaten on your schedule. More