This bright and creamy pasta is a weeknight go-to that can be embellished with seared scallops, shrimp or mushrooms to make it something special. Grated garlic, lemon zest and black pepper sizzle and bloom in melted butter to which starchy pasta water is added to create a thick sauce. A hit of lemon juice at the very end keeps it punchy. Linguine, which is not as thin as spaghetti or as thick as fettuccine, works well here, but if you have another pasta shape on-hand, feel free to swap it in.

Serve this creamy chicken dish with buttered pasta, white rice, potatoes, or crusty bread and a simple steamed vegetable.

Popular in Rome, pizza al taglio is a rectangular pizza that’s sold by the slice and is often eaten on the go as a salty, savory snack. The dough tends to be crisp-edged and light rather than chewy, and the toppings, which can vary widely, are often seasonal. This quick, untraditional version can be made on a sheet pan in less than three hours. It has a puffy, no-knead crust that’s imbued with olive oil (like focaccia) and extremely easy to make. Feel free to play with the toppings. Cooked vegetables (thinly sliced potatoes, artichokes, roasted peppers), sliced prosciutto or mortadella, olives, other cheeses, or tinned fish like anchovies or tuna can all be added after the pizza is baked.

TECHNIQUE TIPS: Shrimp patty mixture can be made in a food processor, but I like the hand-chop the shrimp for texture. Be sure to toast the buns on medium-low heat to avoid burning. Use the softest buns you can find. SWAP OPTION: Lime juice for the lemon juice (and vice versa). Shallots for the scallions. Any type of grated cheese for the cheddar cheese. Potato buns for the brioche buns.

The original dressing served in the 1950s at Hidden Valley Ranch, a guest ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif., was made mostly from dry herbs and aromatics. To recreate that taste, this recipe, from the “Ranch” cookbook (Dovetail, 2018) by Abby Reisner, with recipes by Eleanore Park, is made with garlic powder instead of garlic, dried parsley instead of fresh, and so on. It makes enough seasoning mix for about 4 cups dressing; you can mix it, store it, then add dairy as needed. If you don’t like the zip of mustard, try hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce instead — or simply omit for a milder taste. To make a thick dip instead of a pourable dressing, reduce the amount of buttermilk to ¼ cup. —Julia Moskin Wings: Buffalo Chicken Wings

Americans are a wing-loving people. The Buffalo variety, by most accounts “invented” at the Anchor Bar in, yes, Buffalo, is the official food of our most sacred event of the year: the Super Bowl. These can be made on the grill or in the oven. Ranch Dressing: Classic Ranch Dressing

Baba ghanouj is a signature grilled eggplant purée found across the Middle East, enriched with tahini and seasoned with lemon juice and lots of garlic. The dish has a smoky, pungent flavor. Don’t forget to pierce the eggplant before you put it on the grill or over a gas flame on the stove. If you can, for the best consistency, use a sesame tahini that's slightly runny. Also, as tahini sits, the oil separates, so the mixture should be stirred before it’s used.

Swordfish, with its firm, lean flesh, is an ideal candidate for grilling. It's not as forgiving as some fatty fish, like tuna and black sea bass, so proceed with caution. If you remove the fish from the fire when the center is still slightly pink, by the time it gets to the table it should be cooked through. A quick marinade of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, rosemary, garlic, coriander and cumin pairs beautifully with the meatiness of the fish, but do not marinate for more than 10 to 15 minutes, or the acid will break down the flesh and leave it mushy (or the flavor will overpower the fish). If you don't have a grill, this works equally well in a broiler. Serve this alongside a colorful pile of Pierre Franey’s green bean and tomato salad. It's a meal you'll never forget. Why You Should Trust This Recipe The celebrated French chef Pierre Franey first created this recipe

Mushrooms are at their best when cooked over high, unrelenting heat, which makes them ideal for grilling. So that they crisp instead of shrivel, toss them with more oil than you think is required and salt them only after they are cooked. As the mushrooms’ moisture disappears, their earthy umami concentrates and their outsides brown. They can be eaten on their own, added to any dish that you like mushrooms in, or tossed with a sauce that their spongelike texture will soak up. Here, that’s a spicy and silky classic Buffalo sauce. Top with parsley and blue cheese for crunch and coolness, then eat with your fingers or in buns. This method here works with most mushrooms, but avoid larger ones like portobellos, which, over such high heat, will burn before they’re cooked through.

From Sunglow Kitchen

Fiery from dried chiles, tingling with Sichuan peppercorns and studded with peanuts, this kung pao tofu recipe is a vegetarian take on kung pao chicken, the classic Chinese American restaurant staple. Though variations on this dish abound, this version swaps in tofu for chicken, treating the tofu similarly. Pressing the tofu removes excess moisture, leaving more room for flavor to penetrate and giving it a denser, chewy texture. The cornstarch coating helps the tofu brown, makes it crisp and acts as a sponge for the savory, spicy, tingly sauce.

This Mahi Mahi with Tomato Lemon Sauce is an easy to make one pan dish that takes just 20-minutes to prepare with simple ingredients. The mahi mahi is pan seared until golden in colour and then smothered in a garlic, onion, tomato and lemon sauce. This Mahi Mahi recipe is Whole30, Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.

This recipe, adapted from Samin Nosrat's "Salt Fat Acid Heat," is inspired by the Southern grandma method of marinating chicken overnight in buttermilk before frying it. You're roasting here, but the buttermilk and salt still work like a brine, tenderizing the meat on multiple levels to yield an unbelievably juicy chicken. As an added bonus, the sugars in the buttermilk will caramelize, contributing to an exquisitely browned skin. Be sure to leave 24 hours for marinating the chicken. While the beauty of roast chicken is that you can serve it anytime, anywhere, try serving it alongside panzanella, which plays the role of starch, salad and sauce.

Butter naan is traditional Indian Naan bread brushed with melted butter after cooking. You can add some minced cilantro (coriander) leaves or minced garlic to make garlic butter naan. It is a yeasted dough rolled into flatbreads and cooked traditionally in tandoor clay. My workaround makes it super easy to create that tandoori flavor and look in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. The combination of yeast and yogurt give this recipe a complex, delicious bread flavor similar to sourdough naan without needing a sourdough starter. It puffs up on the pan (or tawa, in India) and those charred spots are irresistible. For an even more dramatic puffing up, see my notes in the recipe for finishing the naan over a direct flame (only works if you have a gas stove).

The Devastatingly Tasty Tequila Cocktail

This recipe for roasted brussels sprouts from Mark Bittman is our most popular version and is perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish. If you haven’t yet figured out a go-to recipe, this simple preparation is the answer. It results in sweet caramelized brussels sprouts that will make a believer out of anyone.

The Pornstar Martini looms large. In the 20 years since it was first created at London’s Townhouse by the late bartender Douglas Ankrah, the drink has become not just a modern classic, but the most searched-for cocktail in the world, with nearly twice as much interest as the Piña Colada. But, until recently, you’d be hard-pressed to find one on a cocktail menu stateside.

This homemade hamburger helper is far better than the boxed mix. With fresh spices, and a hint of tomato, it's beefy, cheesy, savory, and has all the makings of a weeknight family favorite.

These Baked Chicken Meatballs are super juicy and full of flavor! Serve these chicken meatballs for appetizers or for dinner. They can also be used in many different recipes like meatballs subs or chicken and rice bowls! Make a double batch and freeze them for an easy meal!

Marinated in a flavorful mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, and gochujang (Korean chile paste), these chicken thighs are slightly spicy and slightly sweet. Also Zorba Paster did this recipe.

Instead of Panela, other soft white Mexican cheeses — such as Oaxaca, or those used for making quesadillas — work well in this recipe. If none is available, substitute Monterey Jack cheese. The stuffed chilies can be assembled one day before baking. What to drink: A Napa or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (or any dry but fruity white wine).

Eggplant in Spicy Coconut Sauce is rich, creamy, and perfect with steamed rice. It's easy to make and sure to be a family favorite! Not only is this eggplant stew so delicious, but it's also super easy to make. It cooks in one pan and readies in under an hour for the perfect busy weeknight dinner! Eggplant pieces are briefly pan-fried and then simmered with fatty pork belly strips to finish in a slightly spicy coconut sauce. The resulting dish is rich, creamy, and absolutely heaven over heaps of steamed rice.

Creamy mushroom fans: Here is a saucy Indian gravy that uses the power of mushrooms to give you a cozy fall dish in less than an hour. It’s made with a mix of mushrooms (crimini, button, oyster, and beech) but will be great using just one variety as well. Deglazing the fond with water ensures you get those delicious browned bits at the bottom of the pot, and adding heavy cream provides richness while rounding out the spices. Don't forget to sauté the mushrooms in batches; it may seem like an unnecessary step, but it will create caramelized edges, further adding richness to your spiced gravy. Use green beans or snap peas for more texture and an extra helping of vegetables.

Garlic bread is the perfect way to finish off a big plate of spaghetti, or a square of lasagna, or even stuffed pasta like chicken cannelloni. We would love a piece of garlic bread with pot roast, too. Which is why it's great that this bread side is very easy to make—and can even be made and frozen for future meals. The good news about this recipe for garlic bread is that you can use any type of bread you want. The flavor is in the garlic-butter spread—and of course how long you toast the bread to get the wedges a bit crispy but still soft and fluffy. So grab a rustic Sourdough, a light and airy Italian loaf, or even a basic white sandwich loaf. They'll all work.

Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer that is easy to make at home. Toasted bread is topped with tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and fresh basil. Use a high-quality balsamic vinegar for best results.

I have no idea what’s on the menu at the (highly recommended should you find yourself in the Algarve) Teodósio O Rei Dos Frangos, we never even read it, but on every table there was a pile of grilled chicken, fried potatoes and a tomato onion salad and I never want piri piri chicken another way. Here’s how I made them at home: For the tomato salad: Cut 2 to 3 large tomatoes into wedges, scattered some thin slices of white onion over and season the plate well with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and some parsley; let it sit for a bit to marinate before digging in. For the potatoes: Peel if you wish about 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch slices. Toss with olive oil and salt and spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet in one layer, roasting them at 400 degrees for 30 minutes on the first side and 10 minutes on the second, until golden all over. From: smittenkitchen.com/2016/09/piri-piri-chicken/

This small batch crusty bread recipe is a mini version of my full sized no-knead dutch oven bread recipe with a few small tweaks. I've written lots more about the science of no-knead breads and crusty breads in that blog post so head over there if you want a lot more detail! The biggest difference between this small batch crusty bread recipe and the full size recipe is the hydration of the dough. My base recipe is an 80% hydration dough. For the small batch recipe, I pushed the hydration as high as I could — 83% — while keeping the dough easy to shape and work with. A 3% increase (a mere 4 grams of water!) might not seem like much, but it did make a significant difference in the size of the final loaf. The higher the hydration, the bigger and airier the crumb (the inside of the loaf) will be. Since this is already a very small loaf, that extra bit of water helps increase the size of the overall loaf. Pushing the hydration any higher, however, results in a dough that's very sticky.

This chicken pot pie with biscuits is easy to make with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken from the supermarket for a cozy, comforting dinner. It's full of fresh vegetables for added flavor but you can use frozen vegetables for even quicker prep. Hearty chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food. From the doughy biscuits down to the creamy chicken filling, pot pie is a family-favorite dinner. When you need a quick pot pie fix that doesn't require an actual pie crust, look to this recipe that uses store-bought shortcuts — like biscuit dough and rotisserie chicken — to make prep even easier.

This Chinese-style braised tofu is an ideal midweek dinner over rice or noodles. Shallow frying the tofu first makes it sturdier and prevents it from breaking apart in the sauce. (You could also deep-fry or use an air fryer.) Cutting the tofu into thicker pieces means that each mouthful is crisp yet plump, with a soft interior. This is an adaptable dish; when adding the bell peppers, you could add more vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, snow peas or whatever you have on hand. Those familiar with restaurant-style braised tofu may expect more sauce, but in this homestyle version, the seasoning sauce delicately coats the tofu and vegetables without drowning them. That said, double the sauce if you prefer.

Anthony Bourdain called this super-garlicky spiced mayonnaise "the magical condiment." Rouille is a thick French sauce spiced with saffron, and often served with bouillabaisse or other French seafood soups. Anthony Bourdain created this version to serve with his Soupe de Poisson, a classic seafood soup from the South of France. You can also use it as a dip for shrimp cocktail, a topping for fried eggs, or as a spread on sandwiches. We especially love using leftover rouille in a grilled cheese sandwich.

When I opened Canal House most recently, I found a recipe I’ve previously overlooked — it’s written start to finish in eight sentences, does not include an ingredient list or a photo, and takes up about an inch and a half of the page. I made it immediately and know it will be the one I make most often this spring both for its simplicity and deliciousness. Here’s what you do: roast asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper. When they’re just beginning to char, transfer them to a platter, shave parmesan over top, drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar, and season generously with freshly cracked black pepper. Devour immediately.