Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning!

Put down the knife and fork — here’s your excuse to have a little fun and eat with your hands. This is the quick and easy way to have a utensil-free dinner on your table in next to no time. All you need to do is cook up some frozen tortellini and raid your grocery store’s antipasti bar. Everything from veggies to cheese to meat is up for grabs. From there, dinner is a matter of threading everything on a stick. You can go a step further and finish with drizzle of olive oil and a few cracks of pepper. This is a fun way to turn a regular pasta night into something a little more playful. Make a few extra to bring to work the next day for an even better desk lunch.

READ MORE »

Spinach is an unsung hero of dinner greens. It doesn’t require the long, slow braise that collards and kale need, and it can be served simply with salt and butter or dressed up with cheese or cream.

There are a few basic ways to cook spinach. You can blanch it or steam it, or you can take the fastest route and sauté it in a pan. All you need is spinach, a pan, and a pair of tongs.

READ MORE »

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning!

Here’s a quick and easy trick to improve a box of tomato soup or take your favorite homemade version to the next level: Simply grab some tortellini from the freezer and pour them right in. Tortellini — especially the cheesy kind — are right at home in tomato soup. Add them straight from the freezer and tack on an extra few minutes of simmering to make sure they’re heated through. This clever combo is one of the easiest ways to enjoy a bowl of comfort food on the nights when you don’t have much time to spare.

READ MORE »

There are hundreds of tips and tricks to conquering the 30-minute meal, but you really just need to remember one: Lean on eggs. Keep your fridge stocked with a carton at all times and you can rest easy knowing that a quick and easy dinner is always at your fingertips. Here’s why.

READ MORE »

I grew up in Los Angeles and have a slight touch of Mexican blood in my family, and a neighbor from Guadalajara named Lupe taught me about Mexican cooking. It was her guacamole method that my mom picked up and passed to me through culinary osmosis. As with most dishes that are passed through generations, this one, I believed for years, was the best. Throughout the years, friends and family have supported me in my belief. Then, a few years ago, a neighbor brought her “best” guacamole to a gathering, and like two girls wearing the same prom dress, it got really awkward. Hers might have been better.

That’s when I started thinking a little more openly about guacamole.

READ MORE »

How do you create a food budget that works? I mean, you could just buy what you want and let the chips fall where they may. You could buy only what you need, but sometimes, uh, you really need a gallon of high-end ice cream.

As boring as it sounds, having a food budget — a distinct allowance for grocery shopping — really is important. In fact, it’s key to living within your means and achieving your financial goals. Without a food budget, it’s very easy to let spending get out of control without a lot to show for it. Here is my food budget 101 — start from scratch to achieve a budget that really works for you.

READ MORE »

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning!

Once you’ve made your way through soups, crostini, and salads filled with tender roasted vegetables, give this quick and easy weeknight pasta dish a try. All you do is toss warm roasted veggies — everything from broccoli to cauliflower to sweet potatoes is fair game — with cooked tortellini and a heaping spoonful of pesto.

Serve this meal warm for something a bit more comforting or try it chilled or at room temperature with a green salad on the side. It might just become the reason you start roasting vegetables in the first place.

READ MORE »

If last night’s chicken dinner is already looking sad and slightly spoiled, odds are that you’ve got a refrigerator issue on your hands. But how do you know if you really need to replace your fridge or if it just needs a little TLC? Try looking out for the following tell-tale signs of fridge problems, then have a heart-to-heart chat with yourself about whether it’s really time to let go or not.

READ MORE »

Here we are on Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day), a high holy day for those devoted to pancakes. I’ve got more than four decades of dedication to the griddle under my belt, so I’m sharing my 10 Pancake Commandments to help steer you to some of the best pancakes on the planet.

READ MORE »

Do you strive to get weeknight dinners on the table in 30 minutes or less? I know I do, and I have a hunch I’m not alone. Choosing the best recipes for the job is one step in the right direction, but there’s an even more important tool to achieve this dinner victory: The real key to mastering 30-minute meals is your pantry.

READ MORE »