Pin it

Open Slideshow

So you took a gamble on a spaghetti squash — it does have a pretty clever sales hook, after all. But now you’re staring at this canary-yellow gourd wondering how on earth it could ever be transformed into anything resembling pasta. You’re full of doubts and hopes and perhaps a dash of healthy skepticism. I get that.

Well, buckle up, because today we’re pulling some culinary alchemy and transforming squash into tender tangles of spaghetti. No spiralizers or any special gadgets required. Just an oven and a half hour of your time.

READ MORE »

The Easiest Way to Preserve Parsley

Pin it

Sure, you can buy fresh herbs year-round, but right now is when they’re at their freshest. Whether you’re growing them in your garden or buying them by the bundle at the farmers market, fresh herbs flourish in the summer months. But that doesn’t mean you can’t extend their life all year along! Here are five tips for preserving your herb bounty.

READ MORE »

Pin it

Where I grew up, you could always count on a neighbor or relative to share their zucchini or tomato crop. That goes double for rhubarb. In truth, it was less about sharing and more about off-loading, but this is all to your advantage if you play it right.

This group of recipes from my book Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day takes full advantage of ubiquitous summer vegetables, like zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant, corn, and cucumbers. You know, the good ones.

READ MORE »

Pin it

Open Slideshow

There are a few delicious ways to let summer fruit live on year-round, but my favorite is homemade jam and jelly. What’s not to love about this thick, sweet spread, layered over toast or swirled through your yogurt and oats? I’ll tell you: nothing.

Leave the store-bought stuff for another time. Now is the season to load up on ripe summer fruit, and use these 10 recipes to stock your kitchen with homemade preserves.

READ MORE »

Grilled Pineapple Mojito

Pin it

The abundance of gorgeous summer fruit available right now is just begging to be used in as many ways as possible. While you can use it in salads, smoothies, and pies, don’t forget you can also feature it in drinks! Here are five ways to turn fruit into cool, liquid refreshments.

READ MORE »

11 Easy Ways to Fancy Up Your Avocado Toast

Pin it

Over the past few years we’ve developed a tradition: a week of posts at The Kitchn that are written in response to reader requests. Well, it’s that time again! We love hearing all your requests and suggestions (and they fuel us for the whole year, not just this week). Our Reader Request Week will bring you posts that were written in response to a question or request from a reader (we even note on the post who requested it!).

So tell us — what are your requests this year, for 2015? Fire away and we’ll get busy. Coming in September, a week of all reader requests, all the time.

READ MORE »

Pin it

This vegetable-heavy Jambalaya is faster and just as good, in my opinion, as the Southern original. Stick to the list of vegetables I suggest or add the extra summer veggies you have on hand, like summer squash or even corn. To get closer to the original, add seafood or fried sausage to the pot towards the end of the cooking time.

READ MORE »

Pin it

Growing up, my favorite summer lunch was the tomato and mayonnaise sandwich. Nothing could ever beat the combination of fresh, juicy tomatoes and rich, creamy mayo on white bread (with the crusts cut off, please).

That is, until now. Because now there is tomato mayo pie, which combines beautiful heirloom tomatoes with a shiitake mushroom mayo — all inside a buttery, flaky pie crust. Swoon.

READ MORE »