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This is what they do in Memphis, Tennessee, and it’s why Memphis-style ribs are some of the best in the world. Ingredients in Memphis Rib Rub What goes into a Memphis rib rub is up to you, but most recipes rely on paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne, garlic and onion powder. All sorts of other ingredients find their way into everyone’s “secret recipe,” but the most common are cumin, dry mustard, celery salt or celery seed, dried oregano or rosemary, chili powder, ginger, allspice or even white pepper....

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But unlike a soft custardy pie, these cookies are what good biscotti should be—crispy and crunchy. They’re great for dipping into coffee, or eating on their own. You can make these biscotti plain, or adorn them with sweetened dried cranberries and pecans or walnuts. Both work, though the plain version will be a bit crispier. A Few Helpful Tips About Making Biscotti Don’t attempt to make biscotti on a humid day; the cookies will absorb too much of the air’s moisture and won’t be crispy....

Roasted Potatoes with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Roasted Potatoes are one of the easiest, tastiest side dishes to complement any meal. Add crispy Brussels sprouts and bacon and you have a real show stopper that everyone will go crazy for! Before you turn up your nose at Brussels sprouts, try roasting them. I promise they will become regular rotation vegetables in your family. If they’re prepared correctly, even kids will gobble them up!...

I’m not much of a yeast-bread baker, but I’ve been curious about this Italian bread for years. We use it often for sandwiches; it’s filled with the flavor of olive oil, soft and sturdy at the same time, and dimpled all over. Well, if you too have been curious about making focaccia, I’m here to strongly suggest that you try it! Hank taught me how to make it and believe me, this bread is seriously good....

You have to try this sausage pasta bake! It is a quick and easy meal that your family will love. With just five simple ingredients, you can have this bubbling in the oven in no time! It’s really easy to make and can be frozen ahead of time, so it’s the perfect quick meal for those busy evenings. This is a family favorite recipe that is in constant rotation at our house!...

The problem was that he just couldn’t get them right. He had a hard time getting them browned, and more often than not, they were overcooked. So when the-man-who-knows-more-about-seafood-than-I-ever-hope-to Hank Shaw was here the other day cooking scallops, both dad and I circled Hank like hawks, watching to see how he did it. Here’s what we learned. Sear Scallops in a Hot Pan You need a screaming hot pan! Scallops have a lot of moisture in them, which means you have to get the pan really hot to dry the outer edge of that moist scallop so that it can actually get hot enough to brown....

The pizzas take just minutes to assemble and cook, and you don’t even have to turn on the oven. They’re a great option for pizza night when you don’t want to make dough yourself or order take-out. Pitas come in many sizes, from 8 to 12 inches across. Any size will work as long as it fits in your skillet. You’ll need at least one pita for each person. Use kitchen shears to open the pitas and then cut them in half to make two rounds....

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The sloppy joes of my youth tended to be either from a can or from a cafeteria, and neither were particularly special. The good news is that we can easily improve on them. The even better news is that kids still love sloppy joes! For this version, I use ground turkey—a riff on classic sloppy joes made with beef. I like turkey because it’s lean, and it also lets the other ingredients (like all those delicious veggies) shine....

Holiday gatherings will most likely be smaller this year, and our tried and true traditions may look different … yet no less memorable. We’re thankful to toast with our close family (and FaceTime with those not so close), enjoy our favorite meals, and celebrate with familiar–and new–traditions alike. So this season, let’s not just muddle through: let’s elevate the holidays at home. From trying new flavors and recipes to closing our eyes and momentarily escaping to exotic locales, join us as we cook, share, imbibe and toast to the good things ahead....

I had never heard of bluefish, which are indeed blue, both outside and in. They’re an east coast fish, we don’t have them on the west coast. Their season is short and they spoil very quickly, so you have to get them fresh and eat them right away. Bluefish are considered sport fishing fish because they are so aggressive. Oddly to me, the fish isn’t that popular to eat. Perhaps because if it’s good it’s great, and if it’s off, it’s really rank....

I spent much of my life thinking that black-eyed peas were a Southern thing, and then I worked in an Ethiopian restaurant, where the African clientele told me that black-eyed peas actually come from Africa. Years later, I began cooking Greek food—imagine my surprise to find all sorts of dishes using black-eyed peas! I have no idea how they became so popular in Greece, but there you go. This black-eyed pea salad a Greek-inspired side dish I’ve done in various forms over the years....

Sandwiches with Leftover Sliced Steak I came up with these yummy steak sandwiches for something different to do with our leftover delicious New York Steaks. These tasted amazing! How can you go wrong with balsamic sautéed red peppers, gorgonzola cheese crumbles, and creamy pesto mayo? The only thing I feel bad about now is that I only had enough leftover steak to make one! We are going to have to have steaks again and make extra so I can have more of these steak sandwiches....

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Homemade root beer is easy to make! The predominate flavor comes from the roots of sassafras, which one boils with spices and molasses to make a sweet syrup. Sassafras grows wild all over the eastern United States and Canada and traditionally was the main root used for what we call root beer here. Root beer can be fermented, but my favorite method is what follows—kid-friendly, non-fermented, and non-alcoholic. Credit for the root beer goes to Hank Shaw who taught me all about how to make root beer from sassafras on one of his return trips from the east coast....

Honey Whole Wheat Bread Honey Whole Wheat Bread is my absolute favorite homemade bread, because it is so moist and really holds its shape. You know how some breads break apart when you cut them? This one never does. Not to mention the flavor! It’s slightly sweet, warm and hearty, just like homemade bread should be. My friend used to make this bread when we were going to school in Idaho and it always filled our apartment with that homey scent that just made me feel comforted and cozy....

Avocados are a climacteric fruit like bananas, meaning they finish ripening after they’ve been picked. That’s why you’ll often find them rock-hard at the grocery store and they tend to take a number of days to soften up. Getting the timing right so that you have ripe avocado ready to go on your timeline can be tricky. We’ll explore how to tell when an avocado has reached its peak and different methods for speeding up the ripening time....

So, the Hummingbird Cake perplexes me, because, well, I can’t stop eating it. What Is Hummingbird Cake? If you’re not familiar, hummingbird cake is a spiced pineapple-banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans. Maybe it’s the pecans that lure me in, or the way the taste fools me into thinking I might just be eating a fancy piece of banana bread with a little cream cheese. Good for you, right?...

Edamame can be substituted for the fava beans if you can’t find them fresh. If you like to take your lunch to work, doubling the recipe will not only serve as an entree for tonight’s meal, but will give you helping to take the next day. Related Video