One of my great joys during the pandemic has been ordering takeout food. In addition to the fact that it gets me out of the house for a minute, I think I enjoy it so much because restaurant food wasn’t something I brought home often (or really ever) before the world shut down. The whole experience feels like a big luxury for me.
Anyone who’s read About Magazine during my tenure as Test Kitchen writer knows I love a good Christmas cookie. Every year, I make several batches of my favorite recipes and put together trays to take to my family gatherings.
I work year-round, but when summer ends, I always feel as if my life immediately gets busier. And, inevitably, that means the cooking routine I spent the past few months developing flies out the window. Thankfully, I’ve got this roasted sweet potato, avocado and feta salad recipe in my arsenal now.
I love eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I seldom take it to work with me. Whenever I try, the container the oatmeal is in inevitably leaks, or I don’t have time to heat it up before things get busy, and then I spend my morning hungry (and grumpy).
I love coffee more than I love most things, and I rely on it to function each day, so this Test Kitchen is near and dear to my heart. My first taste of coffee was at 13, when my aunt bought me a caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks while we were back-to-school shopping. I was thrilled. I thought it was a great treat, and I’d never felt more grown up.
When the weather is nice, all I want to do is be outside—even for meals. As I write this, I don’t know what life will look like in June. But one thing I’m confident we’ll all be able to do is have a picnic, even if it’s just in our backyards.
This month’s Test Kitchen recipe is the best cake I’ve ever made. I bought a Bundt pan on a whim at HomeGoods last summer, in part because it was $7 and that seemed like a deal, and in part because I figured it was worth having around in case I was struck with an urge to bake a coffee cake. But until now, I’d only used my fancy pan to make monkey bread.
I’m writing about this month’s recipe sitting under a blanket and hoping the winter weather advisory that’s been issued doesn’t end up being as serious as it sounds. In my heart, though, it’s 75 and sunny. And hopefully, by the time you read this, that will be the reality (or closer to the reality. I understand April in Ohio is still a big gamble.)
Test Kitchen is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this month with a carb-heavy comfort food. This Food Network spin on shepherd’s pie served in potato bowls is festive and sure to please the meat-and-potatoes fan in your life.
This month’s Test Kitchen recipe is guaranteed to impress your Valentine’s Day date and require only minimal effort on your part.
