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Confit is a French technique for food preservation, often accomplished by submerging an ingredient in fat at a low cooking temperature. This version of tomato confit, for example, involves slow-cooking cherry tomatoes on the vine in an oil bath until they are sweet and juicy. The benefit of this technique is that the oil penetrates the tomatoes for a deeper, more complex flavor. The oven and stovetop work well for confit, but the former is a straightforward and hands-off method....

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And just like that, it’s over. Dull, watery orbs fill supermarket crates, and honestly, you’re better off skipping the T in BLT altogether than suffering the disappointment. Right? I’ve got good news for all of you tomato lovers out there who can’t help but grieve for the end of the season just as soon as it starts. There are simple yet highly effective ways to improve out-of-season season tomatoes and make them, well, not just edible but worth eating....

Air Fryer Salmon We are always looking for meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less. Some of our favorites are Creamy One Pot Tortellini with Sausage, Easy Chicken Tacos, and Margherita Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. The air fryer is one of my favorite ways to cook salmon. It is quicker than the grill or oven, and it comes out so flavorful and flakey. Whether you are making it for dinner, or making it for meal prep, its a great simple recipe with tons of variations!...

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As a homeschooling mom, I have the privilege of being able to tailor my lesson plans around all things British whenever we reach that point in our school year—like when we hit the Tudor dynasty. Although not as ancient as King Henry VIII (nor as scandalous), Banoffee Pie was a great way to introduce English desserts to my kiddos. What Is Banoffee Pie? The classic banoffee (bananas, toffee, and cream) dessert has a shortbread type crust filled with banana and toffee sauce....

Even better, the recipe is super flexible—you can start cooking the pot roast any time of day, leave it on the “Warm” function once cooking ends, and then complete the last few steps about 20 minutes before you want to eat. Whether you’ve planned ahead or not, whether you’re home during the day or not, you can have a hot, beautiful pot roast on the table for dinner. Pot Roast for Chilly Winter Days When the weather turns chilly, I start craving hearty, braised dishes like pot roast....

Wait! You, in the back. OK, I’ll allow that not everybody grew up eating these. But, hold on, there’s comfort in that can of tuna! Tuna Salad: A Simple Pleasure I have memories as a child sitting atop Mt. Chocorua in New Hampshire with my camp friends after a day’s climb. Lunch was always oranges and tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And for dessert? Well, let’s just say a Hershey bar never tasted so good!...

No matter how much Pat loves winter squash, even she knows that she can’t eat all thirty of them by herself. Yikes! Here’s a lovely risotto we made recently with about half of one butternut squash that Pat brought over. (The other half went into pumpkin bread.) The risotto is so simple, with arborio rice, squash, broth, onions, white wine, and Parmesan; it just takes a bit of attention (stirring) while the rice slowly absorbs the broth....

Celery root, like its close relation celery, is one of those under-appreciated vegetables. It’s actually a variety of celery that is cultivated just for its sturdy, starchy root. I’m guessing celery root lacks for mass popularity because it can be a bit difficult to peel! It’s nobby all over and you can’t easily skin it with the vegetable peeler. Like butternut squash, celery root requires a steady hand and a sharp solid knife to master....

Dirt Cups With Chocolate Pudding: Must-Try Treat! If you’ve yet to make worms in dirt chocolate pudding, it’s super easy. And here, we’re making them extra chocolaty, thanks to a from-scratch pudding made with real chocolate milk. How to Make Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups To assemble, you simply crumble chopped chocolate sandwich cookies (the dirt!) on top of the pudding and place a few gummy worms into the crumbs. Delightfully gross!...

Beware, these caramel pretzel bites are so delicious they may be addicting! With a sweet caramel inside and a crunchy pretzel outside, then wrap it in chocolate, these treats are the very best. These caramel treats are known to be the hit of Christmas. It is always our favorite neighbor and friend gift during the holidays! Caramel pretzel bites taste gourmet, yet they are so simple! You cannot stop with just one of these delicious bites....

Easy Homemade Hummus This is an easy, basic recipe for hummus. Everything blends up smoothly in the blender with very little clean-up. Once you have the basic recipe down, you can flavor the hummus according to your taste. I came up with the idea for this basil parmesan hummus because I found these yummy tomato basil pita chips at Costco and wanted a dip to go with them. It ended up being a great flavor to compliment the chips!...

Bánh Mì: Layer by Layer A bánh mì is a cold sandwich with unique flavors and textures. Here is a layer-by-layer breakdown: Traditionally, a Vietnamese baguette is used. Compared to French baguettes, it has rice flour, and the dough is kneaded with more force and speed, leading to smaller loaves that are lighter on the inside and crispier on the outside. Unless you live near a Vietnamese market or bakery, they may be difficult to find....

Not the wonderfully complex authentic enchiladas from Mexico, but the cheesy American casserole version my mom made for us growing up. Just smelling the tortillas being lightly fried (to soften them so they roll up easily), and my tummy will leap for joy knowing that enchiladas will be ready shortly. We always make enough for leftovers because as my father will happily tell you, there is nothing better than my mom’s enchiladas re-heated for breakfast....

This is just about the easiest sweet bread I know; it takes precious little thought to make, tastes wonderful with sweet butter or cinnamon sugar, and, as an added bonus, this bread keeps for several days. Why I have no idea. A few pointers on making this beer bread: The Guinness must be cold, the self-rising flour must be relatively fresh (like men, its rising power diminishes with age), and the loaf pan needs to be well-greased....

While doing research for this post, I found references to many different ways of making red chile sauce. In Mexico alone, there are as many ways to prepare this sauce as there are varieties of chilies! There are even more when you take into account the regional twists. A Basic Red Chile Sauce The following is a recipe for a basic red chile sauce, made with ancho chiles (also known as pasilla chiles - see notes)....

The metal bench scraper is a large metal sheet with a sharp edge and a grip at one end. I use the OXO’s metal bench scraper because the large bulbous grip feels comfortable in my hand and the metal edge has measurements on it, which allows me to more accurately cut dough. The grip is also rubberized, so if my hands get greasy from working with butter (like in pie dough, biscuits, or scones) I’m not struggling with a slippery handle!...

Now there are countless copycat recipes for Pollo Campero’s fried chicken. These recipes often use a blend of citrus and spices to mimic the popular food chain’s version. The premise for my own copycat recipe is the same as American Southern fried chicken but has a different flavor and spice profile: My recipe uses lime juice instead of buttermilk for the brine and incorporates herbs and spices like oregano, cayenne, sazón, and adobo....

Most stews are braised in plenty of liquid for long slow cooking. This stew is barely “stewed”, and the main reason it comes together so quickly is that you are using top sirloin for the beef, a much more tender cut of beef than chuck, which is what is usually used in stews and requires long slow cooking to become tender. This recipe is updated from one I posted several years ago, with slight modifications to extract more flavor from the ingredients given the short cooking time....