Nealey Dozier

I love serving a roast tenderloin as an hors d'oeuvre, offering it up as part of a slider station. This allows me to cook a smaller cut and get more bang for my buck.

If you've ever attempted your favorite Mexican restaurant's rice at home and failed, raise your hand. Well, you can put it down now.

The ultimate Kentucky Derby sipper.

It's been passed down for three generations.

Don't wait another minute to make these delectable bites of sausage-studded bliss.

This is so much better than a turkey sandwich.

This cheesy casserole will be a go-to all season long.

Although I get pretty weary of the pumpkin madness that hits the universe come October — I’m looking at you, Starbucks — there are two things I’ll make an exception for: bread pudding and pancakes. And since this post is clearly not about bread pudding, let’s talk about what we like to call “Pum’Cakes” around our house. They’re so good!

Pumpkin-ize them.

We're making those apple cinnamon toaster strudels you loved so much from scratch, so you can keep them in your freezer instead of buying the boxed stuff.

Turn juicy tomatoes into this loaded cheesy tomato tart.

This meatloaf tastes good and has a story to tell.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but we still have a month of entertaining to look forward to. December brings lots of opportunities to feed the people we love, from Christmas cookie baking to formal sit-down dinners, and everything in between. But what about feeding ourselves? Now is the time when I start to get pretty creative in the kitchen, trying out multitudes of new recipes in search of the real keepers.

‘Tis the season for pumpkin! From jack-o’-lanterns on neighbors’ doorsteps to sugar pumpkins at your local grocery store, it’s easy to embrace this ubiquitous orange squash. This week we celebrate the pumpkin with five recipes designed to make the most of them. You start by roasting a couple of pumpkins. Stuff and eat one for Sunday supper, then use the creamy innards of the other all week long for stew, cookies, and one-pot pumpkin pasta.

I cannot leave well enough alone. As soon as I think I’ve found my chocolate chip cookie recipe, another one saunters across my computer screen singing its siren song. It drives my husband crazy, because the only recipe he wants is from his Alpha-Bakery cookbook (circa 1987). But I need more excitement in the baked goods department, which is how these voluptuous pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies found their way into my life.

I have previously shared a recipe for chile verde — a beloved holiday favorite at my house — and while this recipe for pork, poblano, and pumpkin stew is very similar, where the stew really veers off is with its aromatics: tomato paste; San Marzano tomatoes; and a fragrant blend of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and brown sugar. This stew has a more Mediterranean vibe; a far cry from the Southwestern flavors of the original.

A few years ago I featured a recipe inspired by the one-pot pasta craze, but with the chilly weather finally settling in, it seemed appropriate to transition that weeknight family favorite into the fall. All you’ll want to do after making this is cuddle up on the couch in a pair of fuzzy socks. Forget the blanket — this cozy dish is bound to keep you warm!

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always liked my quick breads — be it pumpkin or banana — toasted and slathered with butter and a dollop of cream cheese. This recipe is the best of both worlds, with the cream cheese hiding neatly inside! Autumn is all about hearty baked goods, whether you’re selling cookies at a school bake sale or offering muffins to weekend guests arriving after a long drive.

This stunning savory stuffed pumpkin is bound to be the pièce de résistance at your next party, but don’t fret — while it is definitely a noteworthy centerpiece, it won’t give you nearly as much grief as a turkey dinner for 12 people! This recipe, a mash-up of sausage, bread and cheese, is guaranteed to impress guests when it makes its grand debut at the table.

This is not your greasy taco salad of yesteryear — in fact, there’s no ranch dressing powder or “taco seasoning packets” in sight. Just a few pantry ingredients come together for a flavorful (and fast!) weeknight dinner the whole family is sure to love. It was probably back in middle school when I last experienced the pleasures of taco salad, a gruesome-looking concoction otherwise known as “taco surprise.

My good friend Will landed in Atlanta this weekend for a sold-out concert and a little catching up. It’s been a long time since we spent real quality time together, and I must admit my cooking skills have come a long way since our junk food-fueled college days. He practically begged to witness my kitchen prowess in action (I guess he needed to see to believe), so I handed him an apron and allowed him to experience a day in my food-writing life.

It’s that time of year again, y’all! Football season is upon us, and I’m busy dreaming up new appetizers, dips, chilis, and stews to carry me all the way through the fall. If you’re like me, you have a few go-to appetizers that are simple to throw together and guaranteed to please. I am still always in search of the new best recipe, and holy smokes, I think I just found it!

Cooking for two has its pleasures and its difficulties. One of the great things about my and my husband’s current situation is that we tend to eat whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want. I can try out new recipes on a whim, using flavors and ingredients from around the world, and though I may get the occasional raised brow from my husband, the freedom is exhilarating. Every day is different. But we still have our own challenges, even after all these years.

Bulgogi is a beloved Korean dish of spicy grilled beef, and one of the first Korean dishes I tried — and loved. My homemade version here is an easy, weeknight riff on the classic dish. It’s become one of my husband’s very favorite, please-make-this-at-least-once-a-week meals. And that’s cool, because it’s a breeze to throw together, especially if you use a couple of my favorite weeknight shortcuts.

I’m not going to pretend this is an authentic, best-in-the-world Philly cheesesteak — I’m from Alabama, for cryin’ out loud! For the real deal, you’ll have to head to Philadelphia; eat your way through a couple hundred hoagie shops, gas stations, and street food stands; and then decide a favorite for yourself.

These homemade meatballs (kefta) make a really fabulous dinner, and are especially great if you find yourself in a weeknight recipe rut and need something a little different. If lamb isn’t a regular on your table, don’t be shy of using it here — it pairs absolutely perfectly with the fresh mint and parsley and smoky spices.

For those of you who don’t know me well, I am a full-fledged pizza junkie. I’m no snob, either — I don’t care whether it’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles or Papa John’s down the street. I’ll eat a slice from a truck stop, no problem, and I keep a secret stash of pepperoni bagel bites in my freezer. It’s okay, I’ve got no shame! But my favorite pies and calzones are always the ones straight from my own oven.

This soup comes with a memory: a bowl of hearty soup served by my mother-in-law one chilly fall afternoon many years ago. I remember the tomatoey broth being so complex yet so comforting, and the cheesy tortellini were a brilliant touch. I asked her for the recipe, but she, being the MacGyver of the kitchen that she is, didn’t have anything to give — it was a one-time-only melting pot of a week’s worth of leftovers. But I didn’t forget it.

This vibrantly hued red pepper and marcona almond dip is a perfect way to start a summer meal. It’s not too heavy, yet it manages to pack a major flavor punch. Spoon it over homemade flatbreads and naan, or dunk roasted potatoes into it. (For those more virtuous than I, it pairs well with an abundance of fresh vegetables.) Any leftovers can be spread onto a sandwich or slathered over grilled meat. The sky is the limit!

“Zoodles” may be a silly name for this dish, but I don’t think zucchini noodles are going anywhere anytime soon. And that’s definitely a good thing, because it’s that time of year when gardens everywhere are overflowing with the green stuff. Zucchini noodles pair perfectly with all of summer’s bounty, especially this zesty pistachio-parsley pesto — you’ll want to put it on anything and everything!

I discovered orzo salad in college while studying in Italy, and variations of it have been a supper staple ever since. In fact, it’s probably one of the most requested recipes from my very picky husband. The formula is always the same — toss some seasonal roasted vegetables with the pasta, along with a rustic vinaigrette. Sometimes I add cheese, sometimes I don’t; sometimes I add nuts, sometimes I don’t.

Peach cobbler bars are a fun, fresh take on the classic Southern dessert. A buttery shortbread crust makes a perfect base for the fresh peach filling, and the drop biscuit topping makes them true to their name. It’s summer dessert perfection! Desserts in bar form are perfect for summer entertaining, not only because they can be eaten without utensils (fewer dishes!) but because they can be eaten at one’s leisure, whether before the meal or late in the evening.

Don’t let the name Pollo alla Diavola, aka Devil’s Chicken, scare you away from this recipe. Sure, there’s plenty of red pepper flakes happening with these skewers, but a zesty sun-dried tomato sauce offers a sweet reprieve. I guarantee you and your friends won’t be able to get enough. Skewering meat and cooking it over open flames has been done for centuries, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly jumped on the bandwagon.

When I was in college, I took a spring break scuba-diving trip off the coast of St. Eustatius, a tiny little island a hop-skip-and-jump away from the better-known St. Martin. It was a carefree week of exploring long-lost shipwrecks, sipping on homemade piña coladas, and nursing a serious sunburn. I was staying in the guest house of a local woman who hosted divers from around the world. Her accommodations were relaxed and hospitable, as if it was your own grandmother’s house.

My sister and brother-in-law are famous (or perhaps infamous?) for their Kentucky Derby parties. What started out as a college excuse to throw a good bash has evolved into a decade-long tradition of epic proportions. They currently live in San Francisco, and “Derby” is still an excuse for old friends to fly in and reminisce about the good old days. The expectations are always high, but they happily rise to the occasion.

Southerners are famous for their quick and easy dips, most of which come together using canned ingredients and a lot of mayo. Judge if you must, but I’ve never seen any of these dips not get devoured within minutes of serving. That being said, since it’s already summer and the produce is rockin’, I decided to nix the usual pantry staples (canned corn and green chiles) and use sweet corn on the cob and spicy jalapeños instead.