We are NOT eating enough beans in this country. And yeah, I know, everyone has already harangued you about buying dried beans instead of the canned variety. “They’re so much more economical!” “They have so much more flavor!” “You don’t know what you’re missing!”

My mother hates anything that isn’t chocolate (a story I’ve told here again and again). So we never really had Rice Krispie treats in the house when we were growing up. “Vanilla?” she’d ask. “What’s the point in that?” Well here’s the point: those treats are the perfect canvas for other flavors. I pulverized lots of freeze dried fruit and baked up many colorful batches of these and I can’t pick a favorite! I guess you’ll just have to weigh in ;)

If I’m being honest, I always thought people who ordered everything bagels were lame. I mean, pick a flavor and go with it, ok? Personally, I have always been partial to the breath-terrorizing onion bagel, toasted to death, and spread liberally with cream cheese and lox. But then these peanuts happened and I get the everything bagel people now.

I’ve been hunting for a good gluten free tart crust for ages, so I decided to just develop the recipe myself! This one is quick and easy to make, and can be used for any kind of tart or bar (including cheesecake, or caramel bars, etc.). I love using fresh berries in this tart, and you’ll see here that I baked with raspberries recently, but you can use any fresh fruit you like here.

I’m not gonna say these are healthy peanut butter cups, but I will double down on this: these peanut butter and jelly cups are 10x better than store-bought Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It’s a great recipe to work on with kids since there’s really no cooking involved and the chocolate sets up quickly!

is this shame that I feel right now? Is that what happens when I delve into the cutesy territory too often? Yeah. That’s it. But you know what? I’m an equal opportunity recipe developer. I know that these are just going to tickle some of you pink. And I love you for that ;)

Braising is one of those fundamental techniques we should all be comfortable with. It’s terribly easy, and unbelievably practical. Just remember: you don’t want to completely submerge your meat ;) Keep the temp. low and slow (I’m a fan of oven-braising, come @ me you stovetop braisers), and you’ll find success without too much effort.

I. DON’T. DO. CUTE. I don’t even like cooking in specific shapes. But every once in a while I gird my loins and cook like BuzzFeed and Tasty want me to ;) Look: if you don’t want to make hearts out of these, DON’T. I won’t be upset. Just roll these like regular cinnamon buns and shove them into a pan.

Isn’t it marvelous that we, as a collective generation, were able to convince our parents that Kudos were some sort of granola bar (a healthy option, natch) when in actuality we were just unwrapping candy everyday after school? I, for one, am impressed at the wool pulled over so many eyes.

I’m usually a quick-seared-crispy-skin kind of guy when it comes to fish, but this preparation is so easy and the flavors are fantastic so I’ll make an exception ;)

These bars have proven to be so popular that I’ve baked them up for all sorts of different crowds. My latest batch? Gluten free and dairy free, totally vegan, and unbearably tasty. Just like the first batch, these are studded with candied ginger, though this time I opted to use dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate.

Ginger and butter are secret best friends. Like, we all know ginger hangs out with cardamom, and coconut, and yeah, garlic, but ginger’s got this secret side-bestie. Butter. Just straight up butter. These blondies are the public realization of their friendship and I couldn’t love them any more for it.

Pop a cork and celebrate, because we’re getting into the fine print with the history of Champagne in one map!

Santa’s snacks get all the attention this time of year. Cookies and milk, cookies and milk, it’s all we care about! But I think you should put out some naughty nibbles for the elves who worked to hard building toys all year long!

Somewhere there’s a forest made of cakes and candies, and from that fair copse we can harvest gorgeous yule logs year-round. But until we find that magical wonderland, we’ll have to make the damn cakes ourselves!

If my rabid collecting of vintage recipes and cookbooks has taught me anything, it is this: SHAPES MATTER. I don’t usually go in for sculpted food, but this cheese ball is so much fun to make (and easy, quick, simple, at that) that I can’t help but smile at its presence on my table.

I only ever think to make granola as a gift for houseguests and friends, which is absurd because I love it. In fact, I nibble away so defiantly at my own gift-batches, that I have to make an entire second batch to give. I’m trying to remedy that habit this year with regular Sunday granola baking this year.

I am aggressively resisting the cultural expectation to use gendered language with these cookies. Will it cost me in SEO ranking? SURE. Do I care more about crushing the patriarchy than my page rank on Google? DUH.

We’re barreling toward Thanksgiving, so I thought it only appropriate to start mapping some of our seasonally favorite foods! Check out the CRAZY path potatoes have taken around the globe to reach your dinner table.

Thanksgiving is a time for great propriety, family gathered at the table, our best manners observed (for as long as we can stand it). But the day after Thanksgiving? Screw propriety. I want to eat a heaping plate of leftovers while sitting on the couch in my sweatpants.

Turkey? India? Seriously, what’s the deal with this bird? Does it even HAVE a name? Well, of course it does, but it’s going to take some digging to find it…

I know you know this is totally not me, but accept it: I’ve made something cute. I don’t usually care for the adorable side of the baking equation, I’m far too practical to paint faces on my desserts. Until now. I was pondering the crisp autumnal air and started imagining a forest scene: hedgehogs, owls, and squirrels partying together amidst burnished leaves on the woodland floor. And once the image took hold in my head, I thought it might be fun to make a cookie inspired by that fever dream.

Though I have ALWAYS disliked cranberry sauce from a can, I’m beginning to love the tart accompaniment of a nice cranberry gastrique alongside my Thanksgiving turkey. Of course, I always say “the more you know the better it tastes,” and that adage has CERTAINLY played a part in my newfound cranberry love.

Since I’m such a voracious snacker, I often have to bargain with myself: “I’ll let you eat in between meals,” I say to myself, “if you eat something healthy. Ish. Healthy-ish.” And this peanut butter dip definitely fits the bill.

I’m like a magpie sometimes, my eyes caught on anything bright and shiny. A candied apple will always turn my head and this Fall I’m making batch after batch to serve guests at my home (who doesn’t squeal in delight at the shiny shell?).

I’m not normally the sort of person who thinks an apple needs much adornment. But every once in a while, I do love an apple dipped in buttery caramel. And this caramel is the best. It’s thick and luscious, it’ll coat the apple without pulling out your teeth, and it’s easy to make.

I may loathe the NFL, but I love game-day food and these tots are GIVING ME LIFE. Get ready for the crispy, chewy, salty, sweet flavor-bomb of your dreams!