How To Peel and Chop Sweet Potatoes: 3 Ways — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

If sweet potatoes aren’t regularly found in your pantry, let’s change that today. These tubers are a little more rugged on the outside than their Russet and Yukon Gold friends, but their sweet, amber-hued flesh makes them an easy side dish for nearly anything you’re cooking.

In this cooking lesson, we’re covering the basics of how to peel and chop sweet potatoes three different ways and share some tips on when is best to use each cut.

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What’s the Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes? — Word of Mouth

Do you know the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? Most grocery stores offer two similar-looking tubers — some labeled as yams, and some as sweet potatoes.

Would you be surprised if I told you that all those times you thought you were eating yams, you were likely eating a sweet potato, and that you probably haven’t ever actually had a true yam? And yet yam and sweet potato do mean different things in grocery stores. Here’s the scoop on these tubers, with tips for getting the one you want at the grocery store.

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The 3-Ingredient Sauce That Will Change the Way You Cook — Fall’s Greatest Hits

I make vinaigrettes every day — seriously. I change them up with different vinegars and different oils, and add some sweeteners like honey now and again. Sometimes I replace about half of the vinegar with citrus juice. As a corporate caterer who makes a billion lunches, classic oil-vinegar-salt-and-pepper vinaigrettes sometimes just get boring — trust me. Which is why I reach for this sauce when I want to something new and different to add to salads, pastas, and every cooked meat.

Head to the fridge and grab the butter and a small saucepan, and read on for how to make the sauce that might just change how you cook.

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Next Week’s Meal Plan: 5 Vegetarian Family-Friendly Recipes — Next Week’s Meal Plan

One of my strategies for keeping our budget in check is to have about a 50/50 mix of meaty and meatless dinners each week. But when I’ve busted my budget — say, after moving into a new house and splurging on a new dining table — a week of meatless dinners can save me.

This week’s meal plan is full of new-to-us vegetarian recipes that use inexpensive staples to keep our grocery budget low. Each recipe is hearty enough for cool fall weather and will satisfy both adults and kids alike.

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Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Baked Pasta — Kid-Friendly Recipes

One bite of this saucy, cheesy casserole and I was instantly transported back to junior high and the carb-filled dinners where my basketball team squeezed around a table with paper plates piled high with the requisite homey baked pasta. Only those team dinners never included a meal as good as this!

Reminiscent of classic pepperoni pizza, this weeknight casserole is made with a mess of curly noodles in place of the doughy crust, just the right ratio of sauce to melted cheese, and thin slices of pepperoni that crisp up as they bake. You’ll also love that it comes together in a pinch with just five ingredients.

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This Halloween Menu Is for Chocolate-Lovers — Boozy Budget Halloween

Sometimes the front porch is the best place for a laid-back Halloween celebration. As you gather with friends and neighbors to welcome trick-or-treaters, this easy menu makes the evening even more festive with a cozy red wine hot chocolate perfect for the adults and family-friendly s’mores bars everyone can munch on. Here’s how to make it happen.

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The Best Ways to Clean an Oven, According to Our Readers — Cleaning Tips from Kitchn

A few days ago, we asked Kitchn’s Facebook friends to tell us the best way to clean an oven. Many of you suggested the self-cleaning button, which is an option we’re not always fans of. (See: Why You Should (Almost) Never Use Your Oven’s Self-Cleaning Function.) Even more of you suggested either not using your oven at all or getting someone else to do it for you. But those aren’t super-realistic suggestions because we like to cook and we don’t live at Downton Abbey.

So we combed through the hundreds of comments to find the most helpful ideas. Our takeaway? You guys use a variety of cleaners. Keep reading to see what they are!

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The Best Ways to Make a Carved Halloween Pumpkin Last Longer — Expert Advice

It’s jack-o’-lantern season, and you probably want to preserve your carved pumpkin and keep it fresh as long as you can, right? Pumpkins are organic, so there’s no way to stop the rotting process indefinitely. But there are smart, thrifty ways to keep your carved pumpkin fresh and extend its life through Halloween and beyond!

Here are the five best ways to preserve your carved Halloween pumpkin and keep it looking great.

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