Cynthia 
The best halloween snack mix recipes combine crunchy cereal and pretzels with a melted white chocolate coating, then finish with candy corn and M&Ms for a sweet and salty bowl that actually gets eaten to the bottom. That’s the whole idea behind candy corn chex mix, sometimes called monster munch. You get a salty, crunchy
Cranberry brie bites are mini muffin-tin appetizers made by pressing squares of puff pastry into the cups, tucking in a cube of brie and a spoonful of cranberry sauce, then baking at 375°F for 15 to 18 minutes until the pastry puffs golden and the cheese turns soft and melty. That’s the whole idea, and
The best marinated shrimp appetizers use shrimp that’s already cooked, tossed cold in a lemon garlic marinade and chilled for at least two hours, because raw shrimp left sitting in lemon juice starts to “cook” from the acid and turns rubbery. I used to think marinating meant dumping raw shrimp into a bowl of lemon
Prosciutto wrapped asparagus is roasted asparagus spears wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto at 425°F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the prosciutto turns crisp and the asparagus is tender but still has a bite. I make this one so often that I don’t really measure anymore, but the first dozen times I did,
Black-eyed peas are eaten on New Year’s Day because they’re believed to bring luck and money for the year ahead, a tradition that traces back to West African cooking and enslaved communities in the American South, usually served with collard greens for cash and cornbread for gold. I grew up thinking this was just something
Garlic cauliflower mash is a low-carb mashed potato swap made by steaming cauliflower until fork-tender, draining and drying it thoroughly, then blending it with roasted garlic, butter, and a little cream cheese until smooth. I used to roll my eyes at cauliflower mash. My first attempt came out of the food processor looking more like
Maple roasted sweet potatoes are cubed sweet potatoes tossed with maple syrup, olive oil or butter, and salt, then roasted at high heat until the edges caramelize and the inside turns soft, usually 25 to 30 minutes at 425°F. I make these more than almost anything else in my fall and winter rotation. They taste
Green beans with crispy shallots means blanching fresh green beans until they’re bright and just tender, then topping them with thin shallot slices fried low and slow until deeply golden, no canned soup or tinned onions required. I grew up on the version with the cream of mushroom soup and the crunchy things from a
The best budget Christmas dinner idea is building your whole menu around brown sugar pork tenderloin instead of prime rib or ham, since it costs a fraction as much per serving but still looks like a restaurant plate when you slice it at the table. I used to think a fancy Christmas dinner meant a
The best Amazon Christmas gifts for the home cook in your life are the ones that upgrade something they already do every week, not another single-use gadget headed for the back of a drawer. I have bought a lot of bad kitchen gifts in my life before I figured this out. A pineapple corer sounded
Cornbread dressing is crumbled, deliberately staled cornbread mixed with sautéed onion and celery, broth, eggs, and sage, then baked separately in its own dish rather than stuffed inside the turkey. Dressing and stuffing get used interchangeably by a lot of people, but they’re not the same thing. One goes inside the bird. One doesn’t. And
Turkey gravy is made by separating the fat from your turkey’s pan drippings, building a roux with that fat and flour, then whisking in the drippings and stock until thickened, with a make-ahead version possible using roasted turkey wings for the base. Gravy is the one part of Thanksgiving that has to happen in the
Sweet potato casserole is a smooth, mashed sweet potato base baked until set, then topped with either mini marshmallows or a pecan streusel and browned in the oven, a distinctly different dish from candied yams, which keeps the sweet potato in whole sliced pieces. I used to think candied yams and sweet potato casserole were
Au gratin potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes layered with cream and cheese, usually gruyere or sharp cheddar, then baked until the potatoes are tender and the top is browned and bubbling, distinct from scalloped potatoes, which traditionally skip the cheese entirely. Most people use these two names interchangeably, and honestly, most recipes online do too.
Costco’s best Thanksgiving dinner buys this year are the Kirkland Signature turkey dinner kit for a stress-free main, the loaded mashed potatoes for the single best pre-made side, and the $5.99 pumpkin pie for dessert, while the full $199.99 complete dinner package is worth it only if you’re feeding a crowd and truly don’t want