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We have put together a tasty list of recipes for New Years Eve that will keep your parties fun and classy! From drinks like our homemade sparkling cider to dips and appetizers to our easy chocolate truffles and delectable desserts, we have got you covered! Celebrate the end of the year and enjoy one last night of fantastic food before the New Year’s resolutions begin. These particular recipes will be the hit of the party while you count down to the New Year....

But let’s face it, that’s where most of us go when it comes to this fruit, right? This apple snack cake wants to be tucked into lunchbox or sliced up ad hoc by small hands after school. It’s not exceedingly sweet, so it would work with coffee or tea in the afternoon (or, in the morning, let’s be real here). It’s good any time you want to eat it. It is an all-occasion thing—hence, a snack cake....

I first developed a taste for artichoke soup on frequent trips to Pescadero Beach during college. So when I found this recipe in the New York Times, I couldn’t resist. Over the years we’ve changed it up a little bit, mostly reducing the butter and cream. The soup is wonderfully rich, smooth, and creamy. Adapted from an artichoke soup recipe from Ilo Restaurant in The New York Times, Feb 8, 2004....

How to Make the Tastiest, Creamiest Cacio e Pepe Instead of the recommended 4 to 5 quarts of water to cook 1 pound of dry pasta, I use 2 quarts (8 cups) of water. Cooking the pasta in less water gives you starchier pasta water. You’ll use some of it to create the sauce. More starch means the sauce will be creamier.Watch your brown butter closely. It can go from perfectly golden to burnt quickly....

Cherry Vanilla Cookies These Cherry Vanilla Cookies are a scrumptious twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Creamy, smooth white chocolate chips complement tart cherry bits, all wrapped up in a buttery cookie dough that is so yummy! I hate to admit this, but I am a huge cookie snob! I won’t eat any store bought cookies or any cookie that even looks like it was overbaked in the slightest....

It’s also so rich and creamy, no one will ever guess that we’ve actually ditched the dairy. Rather than using heavy cream, the velvety texture of this soup is achieved by blending cooked cauliflower and blanched almonds. Together, these elements deliver a silky smooth consistency that will seduce you with every spoonful. Resist the urge to add more celeriac, lest you blast your bliss with bitterness. This righteous root sings when she’s subtle....

Creamed Peas and Potatoes Creamed Peas and Potatoes was always a favorite side dish growing up. My mother would add fresh peas from our garden along with tender chunks of beautiful red potatoes. It’s a terrific dish to serve with baked chicken, turkey, roasted pork, meat loaf or steak. We have even served this for Easter dinner. On multiple occasions. It’s easy to make, very inexpensive, and always a crowd pleaser!...

Or I should use the plural and say “salsas?” Who doesn’t love having a variety of salsas to choose from, whether dining at a taco truck or full-on restaurant? Often there’s tomatillo salsa verde, red chili salsa, and my favorite, a fresh tomato salsa otherwise known as pico de gallo or salsa fresca. Best Tomatoes for Pico de Gallo Fresh tomato salsa is ideally made with firm, fleshy tomatoes. You can of course make the salsa with any kind of tomato, but the firm ones like Romas or hothouse tomatoes will hold up the best....

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From oven to table, it makes even the humblest casseroles feel luxurious. If you’re new to baking in stoneware, you’re in for a treat. What Is Stoneware? Stoneware is earthenware—clay—fired at a high temperature, which makes it more durable. It’s resistant to chipping and it holds heat beautifully. You’ll find stoneware in all sort of sizes, shapes, and colors. The stoneware used in most modern kitchens is glazed, and that’s what we’re focusing on here....

If super-extra-awesome crispy skin is what you’re after, I absolutely recommend a 24-hour dry-brine in the fridge. This is a technique that our Senior Editor Summer Miller first wrote about when experimenting with crispy skin for Thanksgiving turkeys and then perfected in her method for the Best Dry-Brined Roast Chicken. Definitely go read both of those posts for more details, but here’s a brief summary: The reasoning here is that super dry skin translates into super crispy roast chicken....

For such a simple item, there are a lot of factors to consider when selecting a cutting board. A cutting board seems relatively benign, but improper use can make it one of the most bacteria-laden items in a kitchen. Here’s how to choose a cutting board that makes sense for your budget and lifestyle, and how to keep it safe and sanitary. Things to Consider When Choosing a Cutting Board First of all, relax....

This year I’m all about Turkey Pot Pies. The great thing about these Turkey Pot Pies is that they use many of the ingredients you likely already have on hand from making other Thanksgiving dishes – ingredients like onions, celery, carrots, stock, and pie crust. Plus, the individual serving size works perfectly for little kids. What Turkey to Use for Pot Pies? No need to be picky; just use what you have!...

But sometimes, the recipe development goes awry and the dish just fails. Yes, so bad it would ruin my rep as the kitchen superstar. In those moments, I whip out my never-fail-save-my-dinner-party dish. Of course, I hide all evidence of the earlier recipe disaster in the trash. So, what’s that dish? Well, honestly it’s not even MY recipe, it’s part of a recipe from Heidi’s 101 Cookbooks blog called Otsu....

Fish escabeche is similar to ceviche, but the fish is cooked a bit first. Because of the acidity of the marinade, the dish lends itself to fatty fish, especially mackerel. When I first had this version of escabeche, prepared by Chef Sean Bernal in the Bahamas, it was with a wahoo fish, and all I could think of was how good it would taste with mackerel. Unfortunately for me I haven’t been able to find any fresh mackerel (or herring, or sardines for that matter) in Sacramento....

In this recipe we marinate pork tenderloin in buttermilk with some brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and salt, and then roll it in toasted panko breadcrumbs and bake it until done. The buttermilk infuses the pork with a little tang, and the panko provides a nice crunchy crust to the rounds. We serve the tenderloin with a sauce made with shallots, cream, and Dijon. So elegant! (And easy.) 1 (1 1/4 to 1 1/2) pound pork tenderloin...

Pico de Gallo When it comes to favorite pico recipes, this one is definitely my favorite. Not only does it taste amazing, it has never failed me. It always comes out perfect and I LOVE how fresh it is! This is the pico I use every time I make any of my Cafe Rio/Costa Vida recipes. To see ALL of our Cafe Rio recipes click HERE. Tricks of the Trade Be sure to use a really sharp knife when dicing your tomatoes and onions so you can dice them really small....

When we say this is the BEST cinnamon roll recipe, we don’t say it lightly. This recipe beats Cinnabon (gasp!) any day of the week. These rolls are like little pillows of perfection, with a cream cheese frosting you could eat by the spoon. We can still remember special weekend mornings, waking up to the smell of our mom’s freshly baked cinnamon rolls. They’re easy enough to make on a random morning, but special enough to serve on Christmas morning....

Sonora is a northern Mexican region where tortillas are made with flour instead of corn. TJ’s version is delightfully chewy, tender, pliable, and, when griddled on a skillet or flattop, it’s studded with bronzed blisters similar to those on a Neapolitan-style pizza crust. They puff up like magic in front of your eyes as hot air steams the tortillas from within, making it a snack with a built-in show. They are five inches in diameter and can be made into a snackadilla—a....

Even though spring is officially here, I’m enjoying the last legs of wintery weather, and any excuse to make something hearty and warm such as this Italian tomato and bread soup. Pappa al Pomodoro is this soup’s official name. (Bless the Italians, they make everything sound so much fun.) It’s a rustic soup made with tomatoes, garlic, onions, stock, and of course, bread—preferably a good Italian loaf. Even though it’s a tomato soup, you don’t have to wait until August or September to enjoy it!...