Everyone has a favorite chili recipe. Mine will always be my mother's, complete with ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning. It may not be gourmet, but it's pure comfort food to me. It's also never quite tasted the same when I've tried to make it—there's something about eating it at my parents' home, wrapped up in a blanket while sitting around the fire that just makes it that much better. More

Travel can offer adventures and excitement, but, in the end, it is always good to come back home. Hopefully, though, travel has informed you and your kitchen with new experiences, tastes and culinary treasures to make your cooking even more pleasurable. Here are five culinary souvenirs that will enrich your kitchen — thanks to your temporary escape — each picked from a major city around the country. Take an escape this fall, and bring back a treasure for your kitchen. More

As I've mentioned here before, I am always in search of quick and healthy lunch ideas to get me through the day. I really struggle with afternoon energy crashes, and I need anything and everything I can to keep me on the go. My fiancé swears by smoothies, but to be honest, it's more work than I usually want to deal with. (Does anyone else hate cleaning a blender as much as I do?) Okay, maybe I'm just lazy, but at lunchtime I want something that comes together fast with little to no mess.

Here are three smart ways to turn light and healthy yogurt into a filling, nutritious lunch. More

If you're lucky enough to escape for a weekend this fall, be kind and bring back a little token of your travels for those you left behind. Here are five culinary gifts from cities around the country — salt from Portland, chocolate from Boston, and more. Each one is small — you can fit it into your suitcase, and each will be a small taste of your escape for those back home. More

On a last vacation or trip here at the end of August? Stay cool, stay sweet, and plan to visit at least one of these five ice cream shops from around the country. Each one is a treat of a destination all by itself, with ice cream worth a road trip detour. From a cult favorite in Atlanta, to a jewel of the Midwest in Ohio, to a kids' delight in Austin, Texas, take a peek at five of our favorite scoop shops. Special note: A video from Maxwell on his favorite New York City scoop shop, serving goat milk ice cream! More

Chicken always gets a bad rap: it's either declared boring, bland, or just plain bad. Well not in my book. Granted I don't cook the same few recipes day in and day out, but still, I always enjoy it when I make it. More

When traveling as a family, treats are of utmost importance. There's nothing quite so memorable as a stop into a local bakery or treat-shop, a place that embodies the quirks and character of a neighborhood, and that also has something sweet to offer. Here are five of our favorite bakeries from around the country, each a sweet destination. There's a friendly, sunny sweet shop in the middle of a California farmers' market, a doughnut powerhouse in the Northwest, a bakery known for whole-grain deliciousness, and more. More

Green Goddess dip is one of those famous recipes that appears in every cookbook, both new and old, and not without good reason. Unfortunately for me, I just recently jumped on the cult classic's bandwagon. I'm still kicking myself for the years I lost without this staple. More

We are always looking for ways to save time in the kitchen. There aren't many real shortcuts to great food, but you can save time and take your meals to another level by doubling-up on your time in smart, practical ways. Here are 3 habits that, once developed, will help you create faster, better-tasting meals week in and week out. More

Finding the perfect brownie recipe is as personal as driving a manual versus an automatic, or choosing boxers over briefs. Some people like their brownies gooey, fudgy, and on the cusp of raw. Others like them fluffy, cakelike, and cooked all the way through. But part of the beauty in finding your favorite is not in the actual brownie but in the quest. You've got to kiss a lot of frogs to land the prince; you've got to bake a lot of brownies to find "the one." More