For me, it’s not about wanting the most expensive, trendy or what matches my kitchen decor. It’s foremost about what will last, what’s practical, what has multiple uses and of course what lets me cook/chop/stir faster (mostly because I’m always in a rush – every spare second counts!!) So you will find almost nothing “cool” on this list, not even anything cute and pretty! That might disappoint some of you looking for gift ideas....

Now, imagine those chickens roasting over a baking dish filled with pasta: All those juices from the bird would drip into the pasta and give it an unbelievably delicious roasty flavor. Roasting Chicken On Top of Other Ingredients: An Ancient Technique This idea of roasting meat on top of other ingredients is actually an ancient technique from when individual families didn’t have their own ovens, and cooks brought pans of meat or poultry and whatever went with it to the local baker to roast in the baker’s big oven....

Flavor Variations: Roasted pumpkin seeds are a delicious snack, and we love to mix up the seasonings for new flavors! As written, this recipe provides simple, salted, roasted pumpkin seeds, but we also recommend experimenting with the following seasonings: Cinnamon Sugar Cajun seasoningPumpkin spice mix Garam MasalaGarlic ParmesanChili LimeCurry Are pumpkin seeds safe to eat? Yes! Not only are pumpkin seeds safe to eat, they are also good for you too!...

Serve as a side dish to Thanksgiving turkey, roasted leg of lamb, Christmas roast chicken, and many more. Roasted rainbow carrots recipe Have you come across rainbow carrots in the store before and wondered what to do with them? Look no further! This recipe for honey roasted rainbow carrots is easy and so delicious. It is basically the other colored variation of the orange-colored carrots you know. They are fun to look at and make for a great colorful side dish....

A cute little pastry treat to feed your loved one on Valentines day! I’ve got to say (and I’ve probably mentioned it before on the blog), that Chris and I don’t really do anything for Valentines day. Is that bad? Married nearly 10 years and sounds like we’ve lost the romance, but it’s not true!! We also don’t buy each other Easter gifts or anniversary gifts, and I think we’re on the verge of not bothering with Christmas cards for each other too (we just about managed to get each other a card on Christmas eve this last Christmas)....

Salmon coconut milk curry recipe This is a salmon curry recipe you should keep in your repertoire. It is creamy, delicious, and packed full of flavor. This is great comfort food you can eat any time of the year. A quick 15 minutes dinner is perfect for any weeknight including date night. This is your go-to recipe plug if you love Thai food. You don’t even have to do much with this recipe as the Thai curry paste is store-bought....

This version is a variation on traditional Italian Salsa Verde, made with basil, parsley and mint, giving a lovely balance where no one herb dominates. Sharing this as an extra recipe today – as the sauce for Lamb Racks! Salsa Verde recipe Salsa Verde literally means “green sauce”. Different versions are found around Europe (Latin America also has its own kind of salsa verde). This herby, savoury sauce bound with olive oil is used as a fresh and tangy condiment most often served with meats or seafood....

Growing up, the object of my lust was my grandmother’s recheio com chouriço—a kicky bread stuffing studded with piquant chunks of my aunt’s homemade sausage; it was one of the few Portuguese dishes I would eat. Fending off cousins on both sides of my twisted family tree (there were so many of us we could’ve started our own touring Christmas chorale) wasn’t easy. But I did it, and I have the pictures of me as a corpulent fourth-grader with a self-satisfied grin to prove it....

“OMG! That Lentil Salad!”, my friend exclaimed as we stood shivering in the cold, fully covered head to toe in waterproof gear, throwing toys into the water for our dogs. Prancing out of the way of the spray of ice cold water when they shook right next to us (where else would they do it?), yelling at them if they dared to leap up and touch us. I realise it’s completely ironic to be talking about a lentil salad when I’m describing a freezing cold winter day at the dog beach, but I think that’s a testament as to how good this salad is – that my friend got so excited about it even though we’re in the height of winter and it should be all about soups and stews....

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu. The opinions and text are all mine. Δ Δ

They are so good, and one of the best things about them is that leftovers are excellent too, so feel free to double the recipe - I often do. I adore meatballs. They are one of the best and easiest ways to utilize ground beef, which is so very convenient and affordable. I always have a vacuum-sealed package or two of ground beef in the fridge or in the freezer, and shaping it into meatballs is a sure way to get the kids to eat it, happily....

But do our picks stand up to those criteria? We sent our top picks to writer and product tester Prerna Singh to put them to the test in her home kitchen. She used each board to prep various kinds of vegetables and raw meat in her day to day cooking. We had Prerna look at whether the boards were spacious enough for convenient food prep, the stability of the board and its ability to stand up to regular knife use, whether it was also suited to cutting raw meat and catching juices, ease of cleaning, and more....

“As with any style of cooking, when first starting out on a flat-top grill, keep it simple. I recommend burgers as the first cook—they are fast and their higher fat content helps with seasoning the cooking surface,” says Daniel P. Craig, chef and founder of Kitchen Deets. “Flat-top grills are perfect for cooking breakfast and since you can do the whole meal on one surface it is a great way to learn temperature control and use multiple cooking zones....

Electric burners are nifty devices that allow you to take your cooking virtually anywhere with an electrical outlet. This makes them perfect for spaces with limited kitchen equipment. Those who travel frequently or create recipes for a living may also benefit from a portable cooktop. “A hot plate is the perfect space-saving solution for dorm rooms, small kitchens, tiny studios, or any environment with minimal counter space,” says Mila Furman, a private chef in Chicago....

The traditional homemade version is made with luscious cheese sauce scattered with buttery breadcrumbs and baked until crisp and bubbling. Milk is gradually whisked into a roux of melted butter and flour to make the smooth and creamy béchamel sauce. Melt in some grated cheese, and now you have a velvety cheese sauce called mornay. But you don’t always have to make a cream sauce. What I love about these simple and classic recipes is that they’re so easy to modify....

This is the low carb version of Chickpea Potato Curry that I’ve previously shared which is a long time reader favourite. Vegetable Curry Curries have a reputation for being difficult to make, unless you have a helping hand from a jar of curry paste. So the nice thing about this one is that it’s “real” curry recipe that’s made using spices that are available at my local grocery store. The sauce for this curry is the same as used in the Chickpea Potato Curry (Channa Aloo Curry) my It’s a Caribbean curry from Trinidad, but it tastes very similar to Indian curries....

It’s a vegetarian extravaganza for special gatherings. Yes, it takes some time to put together, but it’s not daunting to pull off! Once you break it down you will see it is not overwhelming and you won’t have a sink full of pots and pans. How to Make Vegetarian Moussaka Moussaka is the ultimate Greek comfort food, and that’s true for both the vegetarian version and this more traditional version made with beef or lamb....

Growing up in Lagos Nigeria, fried chicken was a Sunday staple in my home. It was the cherry on top of our elaborate Sunday meal filled with jollof rice, fried rice, fried plantains, and coleslaw. We made the chicken by slow-cooking it in a slew of spices before deep frying. I knew I wanted my first “home cooked” meal away from home to bring back memories of summers spent cooking ‘concussions’ with my cousins—a term my mother used to refer to our cooking experiments....