Ah, glorious fall! It’s the time to cover up the grill and bring out the slow cooker for a cozy season of comfort food. It’s the season where we say we’re going to cook all the pumpkins before realizing, Wait, how the heck do you cook a pumpkin? So, we’ve taken some of fall’s best produce and rounded up our favorite slow cooker recipes that use them. What makes any dish pop is using the right ingredients.
It’s late summer, which means our all-time food faves are at their peak. Peaches, tomatoes, sweet corn, and zucchini are at the height of their season, and there are so many delicious (and pretty) things you can do with them. But it’s a fleeting moment, this peak produce season, so we decided to celebrate and savor it.
Once the hotter months roll around, any side dish that doesn’t require the stove becomes an instant champion of dinner. On those really hot nights, one that’s as cool and quenching as a cucumber salad suddenly sounds like a good choice for a light main course. Cucumbers come into season right on cue, at their peak in most regions from May to July. Here, they meet some early-season tomatoes and get tossed with sweet onion and a quick marinade.
Produce is at its peak when it’s bought locally and in season. Kitchn and Walmart want to help you make simple, tasty meals from what’s fresh at the grocery store right now!
People call New Yorkers opinionated, but we just know what we like — and we’d like what we like as fast as possible, please. If we can also get it without changing out of our sweatpants or pausing Netflix? Even better. Enter FoodKick: Powered by FreshDirect, FoodKick is on a mission to bring New Yorkers fresh food fast — crazy fast.
Clever you, committing to the yearly transition from carefree summer days to the hectic back-to-school schedules — and making it look seamless. But isn’t a little voice in your head still calling for those relaxed, lazy mornings? Answer that call on the weekends; that’s when you can let your inner, relaxed summer-self run free. To help keep the summer vibes going this fall, start with these crazy-simple, outrageously delicious One Bowl Brown Sugar Waffles.
Sometimes you have grand plans for a summer day. And sometimes the weather has different plans. But that’s OK! Think outside the box just a bit, and you’ll find plenty of seasonal fun in any scenario. To prepare you for a summer of unpredictable weather (which is itself the only predictable situation), we used the premium flavors of the Pure Leaf Tea House Collection to elevate the fun, foods, and, of course, iced teas of summer.
There’s a very special anticipation that comes with summer. It’s the still air and languid pace, the smell of peonies and the taste of iced tea. Now that it’s time to unbox summer, we’ve taken inspiration from the boutique flavors of the Pure Leaf Tea House Collection to come up with elevated spins on classic summer days. When it’s sweltering in the city, it’s time to head to the shore, where the breeze off the water tempers even the hottest day.
Fresh herbs make everything more awesome, but it’s a bummer to buy them in bunches, use the few leaves a recipe calls for, and then watch the rest turn brown within a week. The best solution: Grow your own! Even if you have the tiniest of kitchens, it’s doable by taking the herb pots off the counter and onto the wall. Can’t drill holes in your rental walls? No worries. This project uses Command™ Display Ledges and Medium Designer Hooks to make an easy herb garden.
Summer cookouts certainly hold a special place in our heart. Every June, we get giddy thinking about the obscenely awesome amount of time we’ll be spending at parks, in backyards, and by the pool. These special times call for special dishes. With summer on the horizon — and with it being National Dairy Month — we reimagined our favorite easy-to-transport snacks, apps, and desserts starring staples from the dairy aisle.
Egg cartons are so packed with buzz words these days that you’d think the people who write them are paid by the word. The bad news? Most of the time, they’re just that: words. Take the term “cage-free.” Sounds nice. Except, often, hens are crammed floor-to-ceiling into warehouse-like metal enclosures, still living in close confinement and never going outside. Not exactly what a well-meaning, conscientious shopper (that’s you, right?) has in mind.
Win: Exclusive Premier 7-piece set, including the bamboo Slimline block! From: Shun Cutlery Value: $903 At this point we think it’s safe to say that summer is in the air, and it won’t be long until it shows up at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. All that gorgeous, delicious produce has us giddily brainstorming quick-cook dishes for the kitchen (and the grill!) to make the most of this time of year.
A couple of years ago, if you wanted to know exactly where your meats and fish, fruits and vegetables came from, your shopping options were limited to local farmers’ markets or the kind of grocery store that also sells yoga mats and novelty T-shirts about kale. That’s no longer the case.
Embrace the laid-back mood of a Sunday morning meal and your guests will feel it too. Homey, delicious comfort food that can be made mostly in advance is how you, the host, can also enjoy the chill day. All you have to worry about the morning of is putting up a pot of coffee and mixing bubbly drinks. Make-ahead casseroles are a great tool here, like this crazy-good Make-Ahead Lemon Ricotta French Toast Bake.
For coffee lovers, it’s not all about the coffee: It’s the whole ritual that comes with it. These colorful make-and-bake trivets are a handsome part of that ritual, and they make great DIY gifts for the coffee lover in your life. You can use large 6″ x 6″ tiles to make a trivet for your French press, or craft smaller 4″ x 4″ tiles to make coasters for your mugs. The ingredients? Just a few simple supplies and an oven.
There are three good reasons to make these poached pears. The first is the incredible aroma that will fill your house; the second is the ease with which you can prepare them; and the third — and the most important, of course — is that they’re a thoroughly delicious dessert that works with nearly every menu throughout the holiday season.
In the end, the elements of a memorable party are always the same: the food was great; the room looked nice; the music was on point. Give a party a special twist, though, and it will really stand out on the December dance card. With that in mind, we present our simple party recipe for a Christmas party in black and white. Departing from the traditional Christmas color scheme takes a little extra effort, but the payoff is a seasonal party that sparkles in a blur of red and green.
‘Tis the season! In a time of extra indulgence and gift buying, it’s fun (and easy!) to DIY your own treats. Everybody loves receiving edible gifts, and this pistachio brittle is at the top of our list of homemade candies this year. Made of caramelized sugar and studded with green pistachios, this brittle is a sophisticated, modern twist on the classic peanut brittle. We’ve added a touch of cinnamon for extra spice and festive flair plus a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Problem: The most delicious foods often lack in nutrients. You want to get in more veggies, but turning your back on glorious starches feels like a betrayal of a very good friend. Well worry not! Green Giant® has solved the problem with a new line of veggies that easily swap in for less nutritious favorites, and we think you’ll want to make the flip.
Steam roasting is a little bit of culinary magic. It combines the best of steam cooking, which helps retain foods’ inherent moisture, and roasting, which intensifies flavors and enhances the naturally occurring sugars. The Bosch Steam Convection Oven gives the steam-roasted eggplant and mushrooms in this plant-based Bolognese their appealing meaty texture — which makes this dish hearty and satisfying enough to thrill both vegetarians and omnivores.
We can all agree that the ideal holiday dessert recipe is one that comes together quickly and can be prepared ahead of time and with minimal fuss. This festive nine-layer Pumpkin Spice Trifle fits the bill perfectly, and then some: It also boasts a crowd-pleasing composition of delicious seasonal flavors. Spiced pound cake is layered with silky pumpkin custard, crispy cookie crumbles, and a heavenly whipped cream cheese topping.
Sometimes a single flavorful ingredient can easily change up your everyday cooking. Take butter, for example: Land O Lakes® has a limited-batch Pumpkin Pie Spice Butter Spread in stores this fall, and this tasty blend of butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spices can add unexpected layers of flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. What do we recommend putting it on? Everything. OK fine, we’ll be more specific.
Moist, tender salmon is a beautiful thing. Dry, flavorless fish, on the other hand, only leaves us weeping for what might have been. OK, maybe we won’t actually cry, but a meal that is both delicious and healthful while still easy enough to make on a weeknight is an everyday reward. Ovens like the Bosch Steam Convection Oven ensure we can prepare the clean, satisfying meals we want (and dare say deserve) with speed and ease.
We are scouting NYC-based readers to be part of future sponsored features on Kitchn. We love sharing our readers’ recipes, organizational tips, and cooking challenges and successes with our audience, and we are often in search of participants for branded programs. Would you be interested in being on camera for future projects with Kitchn’s Creative Studio? We make sure working on these programs is a lot of fun for you!
At last month’s Sunday supper club, it came up that we live in New York but we take Broadway for granted. We decided to see a show together before this month’s supper club. Surprisingly, none of us had seen The Lion King. Tickets were bought, and we went. We were expecting it to be a fun night out; we were not expecting it to be as beautiful and thrilling and inspiring as it was.
Many of our recipes have made your kitchen a mess. Why do we keep doing this to your kitchen? Because we all know the messiest dishes are often the best. Smacking your lips after sauce-smothered ribs? Licking your fingers after sticky buns? Sure the molasses and the Nutella make a mess, but they’re so satisfying to eat. With that in mind, The Kitchn editors have gathered some of their sloppiest recipes to prove that they’re worth it.
When I lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn, there was a red-sauce Italian joint whose portion recommendations for its family-style pastas were very flexible: “Feeds four yuppies — or two Italians.” Meaning, they gave you one big bowl of pasta, and what you did with it was up to you. I used this strategy on a week of Blue Apron meals and found that by using the portion guidelines as just that — guidelines — I could get an extra bang for my buck and was none the hungrier.
Join up now – and if you join from this link, your first two meals are on us. 1. Like a good chiropractor or therapist, Blue Apron gives me just the right nudge to move my cooking in a new direction. I consider myself a pretty creative cook, yet certain ingredients like catfish or collard greens never made it to my week day repertoire. There’s a new spark to our dinners on Blue Apron nights. 2. As a new dad, I want to spend more time at home with my infant son.
Most of us want to live healthier lives. Maybe we want to run a 5k, learn to love kale, sleep more, drink more (water, that is), walk more, improve our nutrition or maybe even lose some weight. It’s 100% possible (and it usually helps) to love home cooking while losing weight. According to recent research, the rewards for cooking at home include better health and fewer calories on average.
When I lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn, there was a red-sauce Italian joint whose portion recommendations for its family-style pastas were very flexible: “Feeds four yuppies — or two Italians.” Meaning, they gave you one big bowl of pasta, and what you did with it was up to you. I used this strategy on a week of Blue Apron meals and found that by using the portion guidelines as just that — guidelines — I could get an extra bang for my buck and was none the hungrier.
In my family, the most special moments always happened in the kitchen. Growing up in Virginia, I spent the days before Thanksgiving underfoot in my grandma’s kitchen, scooping out cupfuls of flour and adding the finishing touch — a dust of powdered sugar — to her famous bourbon chocolate pecan pie. (As a reward, I got to turn the dough scraps into my own tiny pies, also dusted with sugar.) These little moments turned into beautiful memories that stick with me every year.
In my family, the most special moments always happened in the kitchen. Growing up in the South, I spent the days before Thanksgiving underfoot in my grandma’s kitchen, scooping out cupfuls of flour and adding the finishing touch — a dust of powdered sugar — to her famous bourbon chocolate pecan pie. (As a reward, I got to turn the dough scraps into my own tiny pies, also dusted with sugar.) These little moments turned into beautiful memories that stick with me every year.
Prize: 1 Kitchen in a Box Value: $199 From: Premier Kitchen You know that friend who serves amazing dinners from a kitchen so teeny it makes a closet look spacious? We know how she does it: editing. She doesn’t waste space with single-use tools or frivolous gadgets; she sticks to the essentials. So does Kitchen in a Box. If you’re short on square footage, just starting to cook, love camping trips, or have a dorm-dweller in your life — this thing is your new best friend.
Whether you’ve hopped on the KonMarie bandwagon or are just trying to keep your home tidy, you’re probably looking to outfit your kitchen with only the tools you really need. The most efficient home cooks don’t waste space or time on specialized single-use gadgets or cute useless items that only take up space. (Lookin’ at you, strawberry-shaped strawberry cutter.
Each year, the food experts at McCormick scan the globe for the tastiest trends to include in their Flavor Forecast®. Back in the day, they forecasted the chipotle and pumpkin pie-spice boom – so you can bet these people know their flavor trends. This year, McCormick has identified “smoked spices” as an easy, try-this-at-home method for adding delicious, smoky depth to your favorite recipes.
What’s in your sandwich? No, we’re not talking about whether you went for turkey or ham — what actually went into the ingredients you’re eating? Deli meat can be a dicey proposition — the kind of stuff that made us start opting for salads years ago. But Applegate® natural, organic deli meats are a different breed.
Who doesn’t want that “WOW” recipe that is impressive but secretly easy to make? Panna Cotta is one of our favorite desserts – silky smooth and scrumptious, a great base for a variety of toppings, and it totally fits the memorable-yet-easy bill.
Panna cotta, that fancy dessert with an even fancier sounding name, is a recipe that every home cook should have at the top of their all-star roster. Yes it is silky, wonderfully wobbly, and never fails to wow, but what if I told you there was virtually nothing to it! I’m talkin’ nada! The beauty of panna cotta is that you get the soft, creamy mouthfeel of a custard without the hassle. Even better, you can tailor a recipe to suit almost any preference and taste.
‘Tis the season for cozy dinner parties at home. Steak is always a crowd-pleaser, and helps a casual meal feel like a special occasion. Here’s a delicious preparation for flank steak that — with the help of our sponsor, National Dairy Council — will please all your guests, including those with lactose-intolerance. Using Greek yogurt both to tenderize the meat and as the base for two delicious sauces, this is an easy yet impressive main course with a ton of homey flavor.
In the past, the word casserole might have referred to a “let’s raid-the-fridge” recipe, or maybe an “open-mix-and-bake” sort of meal. But casseroles have finally come of age and can be sophisticated on their own accord. There’s a reason casseroles have been reigning supreme, since, well the beginning of time. What’s not to love about a hot and bubbly one-dish meal?!
December offers plenty of reasons to deck the halls, but even the most seasoned party planner can succumb to additional holiday stress. But since no guest ever wants to feel they have imposed, it’s imperative that you, the consummate host, make all the hubbub look effortless and worthwhile. Thankfully a little advance planning and a stocked pantry can have you sipping on champagne (instead of sweating in the kitchen) as soon as the first reveler arrives. Here’s how!
