My mom was not a baker. She could barbecue a steak and make a great salad, but when it came to dessert it was Van de Kamp's chocolate chip cookies from the cookie drawer or Baskin Robbins ice cream from the freezer. She once made a pineapple upside down cake from a box; and while I was intrigued with the whole notion of an upside down cake, I ...Read more

This muffin-tin mini cheesecake recipe is an adorable, healthy dessert that's the just the right size. If making two dozen seems like overkill, the recipe can easily be cut in half. If you avoid gluten, use gluten-free graham crackers to make the crust.

Mini Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecakes

Serves 24

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 10...Read more

karyosmond.com

Fresh salsa is always better than salsa you buy in a jar, and the flavor is second to none; especially when tomatoes are in season.

I used to make pails of this fresh salsa at the grocery store kitchen, and it would fly off the shelves. Not only is salsa great on chips, but you can use a ...Read more

TheKitchn.com

The secret to a stress-free brunch party? Finding a foolproof, big-batch, crowd-pleasing recipe you can count on every time. This is mine (and should be yours too).

These fluffy buns are sweet enough to please the pastry-lovers but much less sugary than your average cinnamon roll. Round out...Read more

TheKitchn.com

I'm a huge fan of cooking corn in the Instant Pot -- somehow the high, fast heat makes fresh, in-season corn taste even sweeter. This season I've also fallen hard for butter bath corn. Sometimes called "milk boiled corn," this method involves boiling corn on the cob in a mixture of water, ...Read more

At this point in the summer, my cooking needs refreshing. Good thing the mint bursts its boundaries in the herb garden.

There's a reason most of us enjoy mint in our toothpaste and chewing gum. It cleans the palate in a way no other ingredient can.

There are many varieties of mint -- smooth-leaved, crinkly, variegated, fuzzy, shiny. The square...Read more

CHICAGO -- McDonald's franchisees want the company to focus on making an excellent chicken sandwich as they face a rising threat from fast-growing Chick-fil-A.

The National Owners Association, an independent group representing McDonald's U.S. franchisees, sent a letter to its members Wednesday warning of Chick-fil-A's expansion and said Chicago...Read more

I love chilled vegetable soup purees when the weather turns warm. The key is to know the basic principles: Purees require liquid (usually stock), vegetables and a thickening agent (more vegetables). There's no need for flour, because you can control the thickness of the soup by adding more or less stock.

The other secret to great pureed soup is...Read more

If you have time, let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to make rolling it out easier in this 20-minute healthy pizza recipe. Thawed frozen corn works in place of fresh; just pat it dry before sprinkling it on the pizza.

Grilled Pizza with Prosciutto, Corn & Basil

Serves 4

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes...Read more

karyosmond.com

I've been on a mission ever since we went vegan to find a tofu scramble that my husband would love. And I finally nailed it!

He's British, so trying to sub tofu for eggs has been a challenge. Especially when you can't compare the two; they're not the same. That being said, it doesn't mean...Read more

TheKitchn.com

There's comfort in knowing that as long as there's a box of pasta in the pantry, dinner is never far away. This summer, break away from the usual noodles and sauce and instead serve thick wedges of spaghetti pie, in which strands of spaghetti are bound with creamy ricotta and Italian cheeses...Read more

TheKitchn.com

As a vegetarian, I sort of assumed I'd have to sit the poke bowl trend out. I wanted to participate -- the concept of mix-and-match bowls bursting with color is exactly the way I like to eat -- but the cubes of raw tuna kept me on the sidelines.

That is, until I discovered tofu poke. This ...Read more

My fingers hurt, but at least my house won't burn down.

I spent an unpleasant hour recently cleaning my range hood -- that is, the ventilation system over the stove. It was a bloody chore, literally: I managed to give myself 12 cuts on six fingers. But I'm glad I did it.

I've done it before (including the cuts, unfortunately), and I'll do it ...Read more

This time of year, tender herbs grow like weeds in gardens and come cheap in markets. The only downside is needing to use them up before the plants go to seed or before grocery store bunches go slimy. The most obvious options are pesto and tabbouleh, but meatballs are my favorite way to finish off my herbs.

Not only do leafy herbs add a bright ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Ben Simon takes the gnarled carrots, undersized peaches and scarred peppers, all those grocery-store rejects, and he finds them a home. He wants those fruits and vegetables to become carrot cake, peach pie, stir-fry for a family dinner.

Flawed fruits and vegetables taste the same as the produce found on supermarket shelves, said...Read more