With more and more people forgoing traditional china sets in favor of basic everyday dinnerware (only 26 percent of today’s couples register for formal dinnerware — and some grow to regret not registering for it!), it’s still important to know what’s what. After all, how can you make an informed decision if you’re not informed? And while each plate may resemble the next, there are important differences between traditional china and dinnerware.
(Image credit: Jerrelle Guy)
Dahi vadey, which literally translates to yogurt fritters, are fried chickpea-based fritters soaked in a savory yogurt base. The fritters are slightly tangy and a bit sour, thanks to the yogurt. They get their heat from the spices included in the batter and in the tadka, or tempering oil, that’s poured over right before serving. This dish is a classic staple of any Hyderbadi Indian iftar spread, and a requirement on my own family’s table.
This week the European grocery chain Lidl is launching nine new grocery stores in the United States (you can see the full list here). If you’ve been freaking out about the new chain finally coming to the U.S., then you’ll be even more excited to see the company’s leaflet with pricing and specials for the store’s grand opening on June 15.
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably guilty of snapping a few decor inspo pics any time you eat out at a restaurant. And who could blame you? City or suburbs, our favorite spots are often packed with gorgeous tiles, inspiring bar setups, and the coolest furniture out there, so there’s plenty to love.
As the weather warms up, we’re turning our discerning eye outdoors, rounding up some of the hottest al fresco patios that are packed with stylish ideas perfect for your own home this summer.
(Image credit: Christine Han)
Kale, we aren’t done with you yet! In fact, if this salad is any proof, we’re still discovering ways to harness your incredible potential. In this flavorful take on the classic bistro salad — salade Lyonnaise — thin strands of kale and radicchio make up the base with bacon, eggs, and a surprising take on croutons topping it all off.
Even better, we’re showing you how to make this salad on a Sunday so you can enjoy it throughout the week.
If you own a grill, chances are at some point this summer you’re going to make burgers. You’ll probably make hot dogs as well. As far as summer food goes, those two are canon. But if you plan on making regular grilling a part of how you make dinner — including regular ol’ dinner on a Tuesday night — burgers and hot dogs won’t take you very far. Grilled chicken, however, will. So will snappy grilled shrimp that cooks in minutes, lemony, flame-teased asparagus, blistered corn on the cob, and a mahogany-tinged pork tenderloin seasoned with a fast-and-fancy dry rub.
These five foods will feed you, your family, and your friends over and over again this summer, which is why we believe they’re the first batch of recipes you should learn how to grill. Make them often enough and you’ll start changing the recipes to better suit your needs. Maybe you’ll add some heat to the yogurt marinade we use for grilled shrimp, or perhaps you prefer the sweetness of oranges to lemons when grilling the asparagus. The point is, after you learn how to grill chicken you can master it.
Our cooking lessons for grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, grilled pork tenderloin, grilled asparagus, and grilled corn on the cob are designed and tested (and tested again) to work just as they are — and you can count on them to be delicious. But they’re also waiting for you to riff on them. So consider them to be, as Jacques Pepin says, “a point of departure.”
We’re excited to see where you arrive.
(Image credit: Sarah Rae Smith)
I imagine that many of us have sweet memories from days gone by of making lemonade in the kitchen with our parents or grandparents. Even if you grew up in a “from concentrate” or “bottled beverage” family, there’s a good chance you’ve given it a whirl as an adult. But have you ever tried making whole-lemon lemonade? As in, blending a whole lemon, ice, and sugar? We did — here’s how it went.
For weeknight dinners I’m all about super-simple sides. That usually translates to roasted veggies, with broccoli leading the pack. On its own, even the crowd-pleaser roasted broccoli can get a little boring and repetitive, but it certainly doesn’t have to be that way. The easiest way to switch things up? Change the seasoning.
(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)
This is my favorite summer meal prep salad — the kind of thing I crave after a weekend of heavy barbecued foods, cold beers, and rich ice cream. On the tail-end of a quick summer getaway I had an epiphany: This is just the kind of salad to make right after coming home from vacation. The rhythm of preparing everything — from the soothing chop, chop of all the fresh vegetables to the zen whisking of the dressing — gives me my kitchen groove back every time.
If that all sounds a little too frou-frou for you, let me tell it this way: This salad is perfect for meal prepping, as it holds up really well in the fridge. It’s got tons of fresh raw vegetables, making it a crunchy delight of flavors and texture, and it will make you feel ready to face the work week post-vacation.
Open up your favorite grocery delivery app and get ready to order all the ingredients so you can make this as soon as you get home.
A couple weeks ago, and because I admittedly ask my husband to pick up strawberries on his way home far more often than I have an exact “agenda” for them besides, you know, breakfast, lunch, and dinner — I made the strawberry shortcake recipe in the archives. These famed shortcakes — my version is adapted from Claudia Fleming and Russ Parsons, but this same approach was favorite by James Beard and more, I suspect they all hung out together — are unique in that instead of using eggs or just egg yolks, they use the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs. This allows the yolks to do their wonders (golden color, velvety texture) without ostensibly toughening the dough. It’s all very sound. It tastes very good. And it is the reason that I make shortcakes approximately once every four years.
Shortcakes, in the biscuit/scone category of “bakes” (so help me, I’ve fallen into a GBBO rabbit hole and I never want to leave), are quick things, or they should be. They should take 5 minutes to assemble, 15 minutes to bake, and once they’re cool, they should be split and immediately heaped with macerated fresh berries and an unholy amount of whipped cream. This recipe in the archives — requiring that you’ve already made, cooled, and stashed away hard-boiled eggs — begs to differ. Still, a little extra work isn’t always a deal-breaker if the results are otherworldly, but this time, everything bothered me: the taste of baking powder, which isn’t usually an issue, was overwhelming. The cakes weren’t very tall, but quite crumbly. They didn’t have much of an edge or color to them at all, and to top it all off, I’m sorry to any person I’ve left wanting in the past, but half a pound of strawberries is woefully insufficient for kinds of shortcakes I like to eat and share. I like ones that spill, that cannot and will not be limited to the confines of a biscuit half.
