It starts with a brothy brew in which you cook vegetables and tortellini just until tender. Ladle it into bowls and top with a dollop of fresh pesto, which brightens the flavor as soon as it hits the hot liquid. Soup With Fresh or Frozen Tortellini The best part is this recipe is endlessly flexible. You can use fresh tortellini, which is available in the refrigerated section of the market where pasta sauces are sold, or frozen....

You can easily make your own herbed cheese with cream cheese and herbs; using something like Boursin saves a step. We are taking chicken breasts, pounding them thin, stuffing them with Boursin, and basil, and rolling them up tightly. Then coating them with breadcrumbs and Parmesan and baking! 2 (1/2-pound) skinless, boneless chicken breasts Fresh basil leaves or other green such as beet green, Swiss chard, spinach, enough to cover each chicken breast 2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted walnuts 2 1/2 ounces Boursin garlic and herb cheese (or 2....

So, we’ve done the work for you. Here’s a list of cookie classics and festive flavors that are sure to delight holiday swappers. Whether you live to bake or you’re in a last-second rush to get something ready for the exchange, we’ve got the cookie recipe for you.

Of course, when mulling over which vacuum sealer best fits your kitchen needs, it might seem difficult to narrow down all the options out there. To help, we put our favorite models and a few other picks through a month of testing in our Lab. We vacuum sealed delicate fruits like strawberries and raspberries, and those that can be crushed under pressure—we’re looking at you, oh-so-delicate pretzels. Since vacuum sealers are also indispensable for both freezing meat long-term and our beloved sous vide cooking, we sealed up a bunch of meat to assess freezer burn, and then dropped a few sealed pork chops into a water bath to see if any water got in....

In addition to the budget, you’ll want to consider how many place settings you need, how much storage space you have, how often you run your dishwasher (or how much handwashing you’re willing to do), as well as design and finish preferences. Most importantly, you need to find cutlery that feels right in your hand. We’ll help you navigate all of these options to find the right set for you....

Apple peelers simplify working with any volume of apples by removing their peel, making coring, slicing, and baking easier and more effective. Many recipes call for no peel because it can be challenging to eat and hinders fruit from cooking evenly. There are many variations of apple peelers, ranging from handheld and electric to models that clamp to your countertop to those that slice as they peel. Most of these gadgets can be used to peel other items, like carrots and potatoes, too....

Yet, for the right home cook, copper cookware, whether you’re looking for a whole set or one pot, can be worth it. Some things you’ll need to consider when buying copper cookware include the percentage of copper in the cookware’s construction, thickness, finish, heat distribution, design, and more. With these factors in mind, the Mauviel Copper Tri-Ply M'3 S 7-Piece Cookware Set is the clear winner. Here, our list of the best copper cookware to consider—and how to use them to your advantage....

Making cotton candy to decorate your favorite vanilla birthday cakes is probably easier than you realize. All you need for most countertop machines is flossing sugar or hard candy and a stick to hold the cotton candy together. Then you can make clouds to string above your gingerbread house or to hold your spooky Halloween cookies. Since these specialty candy makers come in many sizes and shapes with all sorts of different promises and prices, I’ve narrowed it down to just the best models....

A few things are important in choosing the right mixing bowl. First, size: If the bowl isn’t big enough, it’s difficult to work without making a mess. Then, there’s the material it’s made out of. If it’s not a good material, it can stain or crack. The shape also matters. For example, bowls with a lower height are easier to work with ergonomically, while higher bowls prevent splatter when working with mixers....

Most wine aerators are easy to maintain and pretty durable, considering how often they get used. They can come as an insert into a wine bottle, a carafe with an aeration top, and even as a device you put onto the top of a wine glass. I chatted with wine expert Michele Gargiulo, wine director of Fearless Restaurants Group, about the best wine aerators and how to pick the right one....

What Makes Macaroni Pie Special Jamaican, Trinidadian, Bajan, Guyanese and other Caribbean cuisines have slight variations on this recipe, and it varies from cook to cook, but the ingredients and method of cooking is similar. The macaroni, typically bucatini, is seasoned with pimento peppers, garlic, sometimes onions, dried seasonings, and whatever other additions the cook decides. Evaporated milk, ketchup, mustard, and lots of cheese is stirred in, then baked in a casserole until golden and firm....

Are you familiar with tomatillos? They look like small-ish green tomatoes, but surrounded by a papery husk. It’s best to pick tomatillos while they are still green, if you wait too long, they can lose their distinctive tartness. The best thing to make with them is salsa verde, or green salsa. With this weeks bounty we decided to make a Mexican chile verde, but instead of using pork which is traditional, using turkey thighs instead....

Given, I’m a little more passionate about the spice than most (if it wasn’t apparent enough). Heck, I named my blog after the stuff. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes are Every Vanilla Lover’s Dream! I have no less than nine varieties of vanilla beans in my pantry! Not to mention six kinds of vanilla extract — three of them homemade. Vanilla oil, vanilla sugar, chopped up vanilla beans. I even keep a dried bean in the filter of my vacuum so the place smells like vanilla when I clean....

What Is Black Garlic? Black garlic is fresh, white garlic that has been aged by warming the garlic bulbs at about 140˚ to 190˚ F in high humidity for an extended period of time (often a month or more) until the cloves become tender and black in color. Varieties: Multi-clove and solo clove Flavor: Slightly sweet, tangy, with the umami notes of soy sauce Some black garlic is also aged through yeast-fermentation under the same conditions....

No wonder, then, that when I started encountering it in recipes as my cooking matured, I found myself asking the question, “What is Chinese five spice? What is this so-called ‘essential’ flavor profile that I’ve never seen in a jar in my parents’ pantry?” I wondered, “Do we even cook like real Chinese people, then?” After much digging, I found the answer to these questions. Read on, you will, too....

I cannot recall a time in my life when a red flip-top tub of gochujang didn’t sit on the top right corner inside my fridge. Gochujang is essential to many Korean dishes—I’d even say, critical. What is Gochujang? Gochujang is made with Korean red chili peppers that have been ripened on the plant until glossy and cardinal red. The peppers are sun-dried, crushed, and fermented with sugar, salt, soybeans, and glutinous rice (a sticky sweet rice)....

Indo-Caribbeans in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname commonly refer to Holi as Phagwah, a term of the Bhojpuri language which is a dialect of Hindi. It stems from the Hindi word “Phalguna” which corresponds to the months of February and March. Indo-Caribbeans observe Phagwah similarly to the rest of the world, celebrating with family, prayer rituals, and delicious sweets. Growing up in Queens, NY, I spent Phagwah in the kitchen cooking with the many women in my family....

A cross between the classic bread and carrot cake, this loaf is seasoned with warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom), bright orange zest, and dusted with demerara sugar to create a crunchy topping. Feel free to leave the bread unadorned—it’s delicious on its own! —or lean into your sweet tooth and top it with a vanilla nutmeg glaze and toasted coconut. Wring Out Your Zucchini This loaf is packed with grated carrots and zucchini, which not only adds flavor but also quite a bit of moisture....

Here are some reasons why soups are nutritious and delicious, perfect for winter: Quality ingredients: It’s easy to pack good-for-you whole foods into a bowl of soup, from any vegetable on the rainbow-colored spectrum to fiber-rich beans and grains. Even a simple chicken soup typically starts with a healthy base of onions, celery, and carrots. Naturally hydrating: Most soups have a base of broth (or even just water), making each bowl naturally hydrating....