American

It is like the offspring of a potato chip and a hash brown. Terminally crisp, fluffy in the center. Oh my word. That day, I topped it with bacon jam and it was a very good thing. I knew, however, that the potato-tential of the waffle ironed hash browns far exceeded that simple treatment (that was, I repeat, a very good thing.) I thought chili, but I didn’t have all the fixings. Then I thought chorizo.

Here ketchup, bacon, vinegar, brown sugar, and bourbon are mixed with lots of spices for a sweet, tart, smoky barbecue sauce. Play around with the ingredients: Add more bourbon, less vinegar, different spices, or swap out the sugar for agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup. This sauce is great on ribs but as you know, barbecue sauce has endless uses.

No campfire needed, these delicious S'Mores with cinnamon grahams are baked in foil and ready to eat in minutes."

Apples and cheese are a favorite combination that gets even better when tucked into flaky, easy-to-make puff pastry pockets.  They're ready in less than one hour, but they'll disappear much quicker!

Here's a great way to dress up mozzarella sticks...just try this baked version that uses golden puff pastry as the "breading".  You'll find that the melted mozzarella together with the flaky pastry is a delectable combination.

I’ve gotten really good at doctoring up cake mixes to make up for my inability to make scratch cakes. I sometimes add an extra egg or use milk instead of water. I always, always, always add a teaspoon of vanilla, and use melted butter instead of oil. It makes the cake much more homemade-y.

Even the pickiest vegetable eater will be sure to love these crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside bites of zucchini. Coated in a combination of panko crumbs and finely shredded provolone cheese, they develop a nice crunch in the oven, making them a lot healthier (and easier to make) than a fried version.

They only took a few minutes to make and they tasted yummy!  The cookies were soft on the inside with a little crunch on the outside from the cinnamon sugar mixture.  I used a medium cookie scoop and the cookies were huge.  Next time I might use a small cookie scoop, not that anyone complained about the big cookies!

This was my first time shoveling an icebox cake into my mouth, and while I was wary (I mean I think we all know my stance on s’mores, but regular graham crackers can go take a hike) and couldn’t understand just HOW it worked, I was a giant, giant fan. I loved this so much more than I thought that I would. The grahams really do get cakey and soft between the layers of homemade cake batter pudding, fresh whipped cream, and eight billion sprinkles. I wish I could wear this as a hat.1 9X5

It’s hearty and very fall/winter-ish; it would be great on a Thanksgiving table. It involves wild rice, greens, caramelized onions, a nutty cheese and breadcrumbs and it makes a spectacular amount of gratin. When we make it at home, we reheat it for a few nights as a dinner side-dish and everyone inhales it. It’s warm and filling and I hope you will love it too.