It’s the law. Certain migratory birds can be hunted in season, but not sold. We were the lucky recipients of some teal ducks recently from our hunting friends Hank and Holly. I had never eaten, let alone cooked wild duck, and let me tell you, it is an entirely different experience than working with ducks from the grocery store. What follows is a loose recipe and several notes on cooking wild duck, for my own benefit so I remember the next time, as well as for anyone else out there who may have the opportunity to cook wild duck....

Typically pasta alla vodka is made with penne pasta. For this version we are adding in some fresh shrimp, to make the dish more of a main course, and using fettuccine pasta. We’ve also added a touch of lemon zest because it works with so well with shrimp, and along with the vodka helps brighten this creamy sauce. So, why the vodka? According to Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats, quoting Harold McGee, low concentrations of alcohol enhance flavor aromas....

It’s a classic Mexican side dish, made much like Mexican or Spanish rice, but instead of browning rice and cooking it in broth, you brown thin pasta noodles (fideo) and cook them in broth. “Sopa seca” means “dry soup” which describes the result of noodles absorbing all of the stock. It is one of my family’s favorite dishes of all time. Which is why when my friend Garrett popped by one day with a sopa seca de fideo that he had just made with our mutual friend Peg, a version that used tomatillo sauce instead of a tomatoes, and garnished it with goat cheese and chorizo, I couldn’t wait to try it....

Sous vide cooking has a reputation for long, slow cooking – hours and hours of cooking foods at low temperatures before its ready to serve. Many recipes certainly do take this long (and with delicious results!), but you can use your immersion circulator for quick-cooking recipes, too! That’s right – sous vide can definitely be used to make fast, easy weeknight meals! These fish tacos are the perfect example....

Spritz, she called them, and little did I know that this was far more than a pet name she had for the cookie. Spritz Cookies: A Timeless Classic Flash forward 20 years, and here I am, looking to make these cookies again. I asked mum for her recipe and she gave it to me, and I then began researching this cookie. Wow! I had no idea spritz was one of the most popular cookies in all Cookiedom, made in thousands of variations of shape, ingredient and garnish....

Think of figs, arranged on a pretty plate and drizzled with honey. Or perfect peaches macerated in white wine and strewn with lavender. Or fresh-picked, fat asparagus, peeled, steamed, doused with fruity olive oil and topped with finely shaved shards of Parmesan Cheese. This is heady stuff. Food for kings. At its core, Italian food only asks for simple ingredients at the peak of perfection served without fuss. That’s what makes this recipe work so well....

Stromboli, a cousin of the calzone, fits into that category, and when you’re finished, you can feed the neighborhood. What Is Stromboli? Stromboli is a long roll of meat and cheese wrapped in pizza dough, which is then cut into individual slices for serving. It’s an Italian-American invention from the 1950s, apparently named for the film “Stromboli,” which was on the silver screen at the time. There is also a real place called Stromboli; it’s a volcanic island off the north coast of Sicily....

When you sauté yellow summer squash with onions and add a little ricotta and mozzarella, you get a great pasta stuffing that’s a bit lighter than your standard meat-stuffed Italian dish – in other words, perfect for summer. What Kind of Squash to Use I used yellow squash for this recipe, but feel free to substitute another summer squash like zucchini, or butternut or acorn squash in the fall. (Just be sure to roast the butternut or acorn squash first before mixing with the ricotta filling....

Simple, yet bold flavors The sauce for these Szechuan noodles only has five ingredients and they’re nothing fancy. If you have a well stocked Paleo pantry, you’ll likely have everything you need on hand! I suspect that the only ingredient you may not have is rice vinegar, in which case you could substitute white vinegar or coconut vinegar if you have one of those on hand instead. The sauce paired with the veggies is perfect, and you can make it more or less spicy based on the amount of crushed red pepper you use....

I downloaded the PBS app and watched season after season, mostly on sleepless nights. I hadn’t baked much before—aside from the occasional brownies from a box—and the show was a real education, the Technical Challenges especially. In it, baker-contestants must rely on their expertise and intuition to follow a recipe for a baked good they may have never heard of or seen. The instructions are often as vague as, simply, “Bake....

For ages, people have softened their tread in the kitchen with small rugs, natural fiber runners, and the like, but there’s only so much a scrap of fabric on a hard surface can do. Anti-fatigue mats, on the other hand, absorb shock and impact as you walk. Additionally, anti-fatigue mats tend to have textured tops that can help limit flat-footed standing. “Focusing on ergonomics ensures that we prioritize our physical health, minimizing stress on the body and reducing the risk of injury,” says Chad Severson, CEO of Ergotron....

When the weather cools, I dream of tart, crisp apples baked into turnovers, layered into Dutch Apple Pie, coaxed into applesauce, and pressed into cider. If you’re not sure which apple is best for a pie and which is best for a mid-afternoon snack, don’t worry! You’re not alone. There are more than one hundred apple varieties commercially grown in the United States and with so many options, it’s difficult to know what apple is best for which fall baking recipe?...

To me, a sauté pan is the multicooker of pots and pans. With its raised edges, you can use it to make liquids and sauces, but it also has a large diameter suitable for searing and frying. It can even be used for poaching and braising. Most come with a lid to lock in flavor and moisture, as well as a handle for stability while stirring. While I stand behind all the recommendations on this list, the All-Clad D3 Tri-Ply 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan is the crème de la crème of sauté pans....

If you’ve ever felt confused by all the tomato options at a farmers market, you are not alone. You might be wondering which types to use for what purpose, and how to pick a good one. You might see that different farms have different names on their signs for tomatoes you thought were the same. And what’s the deal with heirlooms? If any of the above feels familiar: I’ve got you....

Typically, I buy whatever box catches my eye (a.k.a. what’s on sale). But recently a friend asked for recommendations and I was stumped. I had never paid close attention to brand names, prices, or whether I’d like the baked cake. So I set out to figure out which boxed cake mix reigns supreme. How I Chose the Boxed Cake Mixes As a proper millennial would, I took to Instagram to poll my followers about their favorite brands and flavors of boxed cake mix....

I had never thought to dress tomatoes with soy sauce until I came across a simple tomato wedges with soy sauce recipe in my friend Nancy Hachisu’s Japanese Farm Food cookbook. It’s so easy and good! Tomatoes love salt, and they really love the flavorful saltiness of soy sauce. Nancy’s recipe uses rapeseed (canola) oil and shiso leaves. The salad works just as well with olive oil and sliced basil, which is what I’ve used here....

Not only do you likely have everything you need to make this dish already in your pantry, but the combination of tuna, tomato, and olives? Really really good. More Easy Canned Tuna Recipes Avocado Tuna Salad Asian Tuna Salad Pasta With Tuna and Arugula Tuna Patties Best Ever Tuna Salad Sandwich Prep the ingredients while the pasta water is heating. Break up any chunks of tuna with a fork or wooden spoon....