I am in a constant flow state of buying dried beans and cooking dried beans. I made beans for an 80 person wedding, I make them for everyone that comes over in the chilly months, and my freezer is full of past beans for quick dinners. If you have arrived here with legume judgement, spare me the hate and give these a try.

A few months ago I was talking about how growing up we’d get Thai in an outdoor strip mall and I would order too salty garlic shrimp and too sugary Thai iced tea. I would down multiple milky orange delights before the meal even began, until my mom realized the caffeine levels and cut me off. Here it is in a still sweet (but less sweet) and still caffeinated (this would be a top notch tea Affogato…) treat.

Bagged popcorn is too mainstream these days. It’s convenient to buy marked up and popped-a-while-ago stuff when you’re craving a warm, movie theatre esque snack. That is, all bagged popcorn except Bjorn Qorn which I love and accept wholeheartedly. BUT if you have 15 minutes and the foresight to buy some kernels, making your own stovetop popcorn is really living.

I wrote a version of this recipe long ago for Plated, and it’s one I come back to often. Layers of toasted pita, crunchy vegetables, herbs, spiced chickpeas and a feta yogurt sauce.

The simple pleasure of massaging a chicken with butter. If for nothing else, make this recipe for the feeling you’ll have when everyone (or no one) watches as you pull a perfectly roasted bird out of the oven and everything around you smells heavenly.

A marriage of smoked gouda, roasted red peppers, pickles and sriracha that’s best served with salty, thick-cut potato chips.

I slather this on everything. Keep it in the refrigerator and the butter will stay perfectly swipe-able for toast, apples, celery, you name it.