I’ve always looked forward to summer because it means fresh fruit, light drinks, and constant entertaining. After all, no one feels like inviting everyone over in the dead of winter, when you’d rather be bundled up in blankets. Once it’s sunny again, it calls for a celebration — and everyone knows that every celebration needs a signature drink that’s Pinterest perfect and ready for each and every Instagram filter.
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.
In my family, we take two things pretty seriously: Easter brunch and the Easter egg hunt. Not only does Easter get me excited about spring, but also quality family time and a killer meal. For the egg hunt, we do a mixture of plastic and real dyed eggs, and we recently added the very exciting golden egg. My brother-in-law started this tradition with our family. The golden egg is a plastic egg with money in it.
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!
A perfect chicken salad is a thoughtful balance of flavors and textures, with just the right mix of soft and crisp, savory and sweet. This festive cold-weather recipe is the perfect combination of ingredients, with cranberries and apples for pretty color and Grape-Nuts cereal for plenty of whole grain crunch. This stunner is destined to be a showpiece at your next holiday brunch!
The holidays often bring a revolving door of overnight guests and unexpected visitors, and a Southern hostess knows you can never be too prepared. That’s why Sister Schubert’s Sausage Rolls are a mainstay in my entertaining arsenal — they are always ready at a moment’s notice, be it an impromptu party or an early morning arrival. In fact, Christmas isn’t Christmas at the Dozier’s without a basket of these heavenly pigs-in-a-blanket.
Can you believe Thanksgiving is over and we are now officially into the holiday season? We want to know – how was your Thanksgiving celebration? Tell us in the comments! But first I want to share the perfect treat for these chilly December mornings. Or afternoons. Or evenings. When was the last time you made cinnamon toast?!
We tend to get so focused on the big stuff when prepping for Thanksgiving that little things can fall through the cracks. (After all, picking up peppercorns to refill your pepper grinder is easy to forget; a 22-pound turkey, not so much.
We’ve been following artists and designers Corrin and Jake as they plan a casual fall dinner party for friends, with a comforting menu that uses dairy-based solutions to feature milk, yogurt and three different cheeses and still be friendly to lactose-intolerant guests. Today, we’ll reveal how it all came together, from National Dairy Council’s cooking tips to one stellar DIY project.
Every Christmas I come up with one fantastic homemade gift idea to really blow my friends’ minds. One holiday included hand-cut pappardelle with a divine Bolognese recipe attached. Another year I made Nutella from scratch, which unfortunately I loved so much I wasn’t willing to share. This year I think the gift’s in the bag — an infused hazelnut liqueur along with my hazelnut take on a decadent eggnog.
With fall sweeping in, Corrin and Jake were ready for a cozy evening at home with friends, but they didn’t want anything fussy or formal. The best compromise? A warm, relaxed Autumn dinner with lots of homey flavor that — with the help of our sponsor, National Dairy Council — pleased all their guests, including those with lactose-intolerance, without eliminating the delicious dairy foods Corrin and Jake love. Yesterday, we showed off their party plan (and a killer DIY).
We like to think of Autumn as dinner-party season: that time of year when the wind picks up, the light dims and the best way to pass an evening is around a candlelit table full of food and friends. For artists and crafters Corrin and Jake, that means a warm, welcoming gathering in their gorgeous Williamsburg, Brooklyn loft — complete with a delicious, comforting menu and cozy, homey decor. This week, we’ll be showing you how they did it, from planning to prep to the party itself.
Thanksgiving WAS our favorite holiday…until it was time to clean up — the scouring, the plate-scraping, the pre-washing. But then we saw this infographic that blew our minds: We make it harder than it needs to be. Here are some other secrets we learned that have literally changed how we do the dishes. Cascade Platinum and Marie Claire surveyed over 900 people about their dishwashing habits, and they learned some pretty crazy things.
Flaky biscuits and light-as-air yeast rolls have been adorning the Southern table since the beginning of time, served alongside an array of homemade chutneys, relishes, and spreads: simple pleasures that have become as traditional as our saccharine-sweet iced tea. But more and more it seems that hot-from-the-oven baked goods have become relegated to special occasion fare.
We’ve shoved unruly pot lids into drawers enough times to be beyond psyched about this find: the new Casteline Tech collection from Cristel®, France’s best-selling cookware line. (Another secret to the good life from the French, bien sûr.) The design-savvy cookware features flat lids and detachable handles for stackability and easy storage.
Talk about a magazine-ready meal: Food & Wine — the ultimate authority on all things gastronomical — has teamed with the tableware pros at Gorham to create a dinnerware and cookware collection worthy of the glossiest cover photo. Want to up your kitchen game? Choose from two lines of functional, beautiful cookware: stainless steel and a lightweight, enameled cast iron. Looking to serve a gorgeous meal?
When autumn picks up, so do our cravings for meals packed with warm, cheesy comfort. Luckily, Italian cuisine delivers flavorful, wholesome, hearty meals that make it a favorite the world over. If you don’t have a nonna to feed you, we found the next best thing: Bertolli’s new Italian-Style Torta. This fresh twist on a classic recipe is packed with layers of Italian tradition, including premium ricotta, kettle-cooked marinara, and a flaky crust.
You pasta-lovers out there may have already known that “Orecchiette” translates as “little ears.” But you might not know that the shape is the signature pasta of the humble farmland of Puglia (the ‘heel’ part of Italy’s ‘boot’). Dome-shaped Orechiette is perfect for scooping up fresh Puglian veggies and hearty sauces.
July 4th weekend is coming, and with it grill fatigue — aka what happens after your fifth consecutive backyard cookout. (Symptoms: burger overload, hot-dog boredom.) Luckily, we’ve found a delicious cure: Simply Organic’s Summer Grilling Remix, a compendium of clever recipes, like Garlic Bourbon BBQ-Marinated Grilled Chicken and Teriyaki Tofu Sliders with Grilled Pineapple and Sriracha Aioli, that put a fresh spin on grilling classics.
Update: Thank you to those who submitted! We have already cast this project, but we loved all the submissions. Our readers are what make our site the vibrant, authentic community it is, and we deeply appreciate your participation! Calling all NYC families! Do you cook at home regularly? Are you up for working with The Kitchn and an advertiser partner on a new project to promote a web tool, designed to help make finding and cooking the perfect recipes for you and your family easier and more fun?
A well-stocked kitchen is a happy kitchen. Maybe that’s why we’re such suckers for HomeGoods: With so many essential pieces, global flavors and styles, it’s like a wander through a sublime gourmet market. You can score everything from Italian olive oils to gourmet spices to gleaming copper pots and top-notch cookware, all at great values — not to mention cheery canisters, glamorous barware and ingenious gadgets.
This week, I’ve been sharing the plan and menu for a casual weeknight dinner party I threw with our neighbors and their little kids. Today, we’ll reveal how it all came together, how we kept it comfy and cheerful for the little kids while still making it a special night for us all. We hope it shows you, like it showed me, that dinner parties don’t always have to be elaborately planned affairs, but can simply be a bigger, prettier version of your everyday family meal.
When we began to brainstorm an original recipe to create for our No-Stress Neighborly Nosh Gathering, we knew we wanted a vegetable side dish that even a picky kid would love. A single link of Italian sausage (leftover from a previous pizza night) actually inspired the dish. It wasn’t enough to create a main dish around, but it was just enough to add a little something extra when tossed in with a head of broccoli and a handful of pantry ingredients.
A good home office isn’t just a place to put your laptop: It’s a place where work gets done with style, where high-tech gadgets make everything work a little easier and look a little cooler. Here are a few home offices from House Tours and Tech Tours past that do just that. Find Out What Powers Up These High-Tech Home Offices! 1. Gene & Heidi’s Colorful Art-Filled Home. Built-in cabinets and floating desks—all from Ikea!
You know the routine: every morning you wake up, shower, put on some clothes, then turn on your kettle or coffee maker to help you get going. These small actions might be necessary and even second nature at this point, but they should never be boring or hectic. These three coffee and tea appliances from BELLA make things a little easier, less crazy, and definitely more stylish. Add some style to your kitchen with this seriously chic ceramic kettle.
If there is one must-add to your holiday bar setup this year it’s Amarula. This cream liqueur, made from the Marula fruit, is rich and creamy and delicious in all sorts of holiday inspired cocktails. In Africa, where the Marula fruit trees are plentiful, elephants walk for miles following the sweet scent until they find this sun-ripened fruit to feast upon. Lucky for us there’s no need to trek hundreds of miles to have a sip.
You already know that slow cookers are a time-efficient way to create a delicious meal. And as we head into the season of holiday parties and potlucks, using these kitchen workhorses is essential for stress-free entertaining. BELLA’s slow cookers offer seriously chic and portable options with some unique features that make entertaining fun. For medium-sized gatherings that feature main dishes with veggies, meat, and grains the 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker with Locking Lid is ideal.
We recently gave you three homemade dipping sauces to serve with roasted potato wedges or fries, such as Ore-Ida® Simply Olive Oil and Sea Salt French Fries. The combination of the dipping sauces (hellooo creamy pesto!) and the French fries is perfect for small gatherings or fun parties. Today we’re showing you how to dress up a party table for fries and dips with some printable labels and cute cards. Read on to see more, and to download the labels!
I don’t know about you, but we are unapologetic French fry devotees in my house. From Five Guys to frozen, it doesn’t matter because we love them all! In fact we are willing to try just about any recipe in our attempt to achieve the ultimate fry. But considering how much attention we give to the actual spud, perhaps it was time to come up with a few equally perfect pairings. Three to be exact.
There’s nothing better than an appetizer that’s completely heavenly, but also simple to make. This Blooming Brie Bowl is both and the flavor combination of creamy baked Brie and spices will have your guests going back for more. Delicious cheesy goodness and crispy sourdough bread? This one is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
They say there is no such thing as a new recipe, but I have to strongly disagree. Recipes are constantly evolving as they pass through generations, across cultures, and even amongst family and friends. And with the sprawling reach of the internet, anyone can now access (and change!) the flavors of the world, and all from the comfort of their own kitchen.
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. I especially love breading chicken, whether it’s for chicken Parmesan, Milanese, or my signature Provencal. No matter the variation, the steps are always the same—flour, then egg, then breading. Cook until golden.
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.Many moons ago, when I was just getting my feet wet in the kitchen, I did attempt a Green Goddess recipe.
