The Kitchn Archive: 2016

A warm mug of hot cocoa is the antidote to cold hands after sledding and the afternoon grumps alike. Unlike its intensely rich cousin, hot chocolate, hot cocoa is sweet and lightly cocoa-flavored with a thin, easy-to-drink texture that makes it nearly perfect for sipping all day. The dry mixture for hot cocoa can be made well in advance and stashed in the pantry until you’re ready to mix it up.

If you’re hosting a holiday shindig this year, these bacon and Brussels sprout flatbreads should definitely be on your radar. With one simple shortcut, they’re super easy to throw together, but taste super impressive. Instead of making pizza dough from scratch, or even using pre-made dough, pick up some naan at the grocery store.

When you need to get dinner on the table for your family, but you’ve also got a bunch of other stuff to do (like, say, wrap all those holiday gifts), chicken quesadillas come to the rescue. But not just any quesadillas — these come with a smart, mostly hands-off way to make them happen on busy weeknights. Instead of standing at the stovetop, cooking each individual quesadilla in a pan, this method has you cook them in the oven all at once.

Looking for an easy cocktail to whip up for your holiday party this year? This sangria recipe is your best bet. Not only does it look and taste festive, but it also can be made in a big batch, which means you don’t have to play bartender all night to your guests. Win-win! Seriously, making sangria couldn’t be any simpler.

Every year as the weather grows cold, small red, white, and green plastic tubs suddenly line the shelves of grocery stores in the upper Midwest. Anyone not from the area might read the labels with total confusion: “Tom and Jerry Batter,” they say, often surrounded by drawings of holly leaves and snowy winter scenes. But this batter isn’t for cake, and it has nothing to do with the cartoon cat and mouse — it’s the base for a classic punch.

If you’re hosting brunch this weekend, promise me you’ll stop at your local bakery and pick up some croissants today. Leave them out to get a little stale, and then use them to make the best bread pudding ever. With a sweet berry sauce and rich custard, this bread pudding is sure to impress your brunch guests. While it does take a little work to whip up the aforementioned sauce and custard, buying the croissants instead of making your own saves you major time in the kitchen.

We already know how much of a lifesaver the slow cooker can be for breakfast, dinner, and dessert, but what about lunch? How can this handy appliance help make your midday meal a little easier? Three words: chicken Caesar wraps. The slow cooker does most of the work for you here, cooking the chicken until it’s juicy and tender, but there is still a bit of hands-on work required.