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Sesame oil is extracted from sesame seeds. The seeds can either be toasted, yielding a brown oil that’s nutty in flavor with a strong roast-y aroma, or raw, which results in a lighter color oil that is more neutral in flavor. Raw, untoasted sesame oil is most often used for cooking due to its higher smoke point. Untoasted (Regular) vs Toasted (Dark) Sesame Oil Regular sesame oil vs dark sesame oil is the biggest point of confusion when it comes to this ingredient....

The downside of the air fryer, as always, is depending on the size of your air fryer, you can only make a few of these burgers at once so it’s not exactly right for a huge BBQ. But the plus side is that it’s very fast, cooks the burgers evenly without flipping them, and you’ve never had cheese as melty as air-fryer melted cheese. So, let’s dig in and make some delicious air fryer burgers!...

Note that, in spite of gender stereotypes, my he-man father is the main baker in our family, and I am in charge of anything to do with the grill. (My mother avoids both grilling and baking.) So, when my father says he wants to make bacon wrapped hot dogs “on the grill,” he means that he wants me to do the cooking, while he’ll do the prepping, which is more than fine by me....

You can add any kind of berry you would like to this Banana smoothie. A ripe banana adds most of the naturally occurring sugars you need, and it always seems you have a lonely remaining banana, making it a great candidate for a banana smoothie. Personally, I’m a blueberry banana smoothie or strawberry smoothie fan. Actually, I can’t remember ever meeting a smoothie I didn’t like (have great plans for the papaya ripening on the counter)....

For this recipe, I wanted to extend the reach of those beautiful tomatoes and cheese without overcomplicating a recipe where the beauty lies partially in its ease to assemble. To keep things simple, I only added pasta, minced raw garlic, salt, and pepper. We love garlic in our family, so I like this with five cloves, but feel free to add as much or as little as you’d like!...

I used a box of store-bought stock, a little garlic, and a generous amount of ginger. (Secret’s out, oops.) You can also make your own stock. Shredded cooked chicken flavored with the sweet and spicy fermented chili paste, gochujang, put this soup over the top and also made the bowls of soup look pretty and appealing. Even with the short-cuts, when I brought this to a friend’s house for dinner, everyone marveled at how flavorful the broth was....

After several misfires over the last few years, I’ve given up with going out that night, and instead focus on lovely dishes we can make at home. Here is a classic date night meal—filet mignon in a red wine reduction. What Is Filet Mignon? Filet mignon is a steak cut from the tenderloin, a missile shaped muscle which lays beneath the ribs, right along the backbone. The tenderloin muscle is called “tenderloin” because it is just that, tender....

I hope so, because that’s exactly what is happening with these ginger scones. My brother’s girlfriend Shelley brought a batch by the other day and I couldn’t stop eating them. She had fallen in love with ginger scones at a local bakery and balked at paying $5 a piece for them, so came up with her own terrific recipe. These scones are dotted with sweet bits of candied ginger, and there is some lemon zest for a little lemony kick as well....

Grilled Balsamic Chicken This Grilled Balsamic Chicken is a favorite at our house! The simple marinade gives ordinary chicken a tangy, rich flavor that tastes super fancy even though it could not be easier to make. Echo made this for us years ago and we all fell in love. She served it over a bed of arugula with a mouthwatering chilled bruschetta topping. All those healthy, vibrant flavors tasted fresh and oh so delicious!...

Homemade Steak Marinade for Grilling Steak Grilling season is in full swing and more often than not, you’ll find our family out in the backyard with smells of sizzling seasoned sirloin permeating the air. This super easy homemade steak marinade recipe is bold and zesty without being overpowering, and flavors hearty beef or steak up beautifully. We use this exact same recipe to flavor flank steaks for fajitas, beef for salads, or a thick, juicy t-bone on the grill....

Now I am a brown rice master. What changed? I became patient. You can’t rush good rice. Soon, you too, will be on the road to brown rice success! Brown vs. White Rice Brown rice is a whole grain. The outer hull is still on there (that’s what makes it brown). It’s got the germ and bran, as well. These things give it more fiber, a slightly nutty flavor, and a chewy texture....

Making homemade corn tortillas is actually almost ridiculously easy, once you get the hang of it. All you need is masa harina corn flour, water, a tortilla press (You can use a rolling pin, but a tortilla press is helpful.), and a hot griddle surface. What Is Masa Harina? You’ll need a special corn flour called masa harina for making the tortillas. Masa harina is corn flour that has been treated with calcium hydroxide or “lime” which makes it more nutritious and easier to digest by releasing the niacin in the corn....

The tangy cream cheese cuts the sweetness of the pumpkin, brown sugar, and warming spices, and the graham cracker and pecan crust has just enough salt to make all of the flavors pop. A pecan-speckled crust, not-too-sweet pumpkin filling, and boozy whipped-cream topping made this cheesecake the favorite dessert at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner last year! I’ll be making it every year now, in my Instant Pot, while the rest of the kitchen is in serious holiday mode....

Kneaders French Toast and Caramel Syrup I can barely even call this “our” version of Kneaders French Toast. I just simplified the process and added a little vanilla to the syrup. However, I had to post it because it has become an all time favorite breakfast around here. If you don’t have a Kneaders nearby you have to try this recipe! What is So Special About this French Toast? If you haven’t had Kneaders French Toast, you haven’t really had french toast!...

A “discussion” then ensued between the rental units for at least half an hour along the lines of “What do you mean this is a favorite recipe? You always told me you didn’t like salmon.” “What are you talking about? I used to make this all the time.” “You’ve never made it in this house!…” and so on and so on. Turns out my mother’s preferred method of cooking any fish is to pan-fry it, coated with cornmeal....

This recipe with pasta, butternut squash, and bacon is easy enough that you could likely pull it off during the week, but it feels fancy enough—thanks to the brown butter—that you could serve it for guests, too. Recipes like this are so versatile! You can serve them in a lot of different contexts—weeknight meals or fancy dinner parties—and because of that, they’re more likely to make repeat appearances at my house....

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Video: How to Make Potato Leek Soup To make this soup, cook chopped leeks in a little butter, then add diced potatoes, stock, and herbs. Bring it all to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are done, about 20 minutes. Purée the soup using a blender to get a creamy consistency. What Kind of Potatoes Do You Use for Potato Leek Soup? You can use either Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for this soup....

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Perfect, yes, as long as your notion of a romantic meal includes eating with your hands and gnawing on bones as if you were in King Henry VIII’s court! Unless you are as skillful with dinner knife as a surgeon is with a scalpel, the easiest way to eat a small bird such as a quail is with your fingers. It is a messy affair, unless you can get your quail already “tunnel boned” in which the main body bones have already been removed....