by：These toasts rank among the best things I’ve made in a long time. They’re all about layering and balancing bold flavors, which come together in a ridiculously good way. The bagna cauda dressing is loosely based on the one in Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book. It’s tempting to just whisk together all of the ingredients, but cooking the garlic and anchovy briefly in olive oil and butter tames the anchovies’ fishiness and the garlic’s bite. Tossing the shredded radicchio and arugula with pecorino before applying the dressing – a nod to Toro Bravo’s Radicchio Salad with Manchego Vinaigrette on this site – makes it adhere better. Probably my favorite thing is how the warm dressing slackens the radicchio and arugula and coats the slices of egg and avocado. The shaved celery may seem superfluous, but it's the perfect foil to the richness of the other ingredients. You can get a lot of mileage from this recipe: serve crostini style at a dinner party, call them tartines if you’re feeling fancy for a light lunch or dinner, pile the salad high between two slices of bread for a sandwich, or serve as a plated salad with toast on the side. Whatever you do, just make plenty because you'll find yourself sneaking bites before it ever hits the plate.

by：Before discovering Suzanne Goin's slow-cooked Tuscan kale, I thought I knew nearly every possible way to prepare dark leafy greens: sautéed quickly with garlic and red pepper flakes; raw, sliced thinly, and massaged with dressing; and boiled four ways à la Zuni Cafe. But Goin's recipe, which calls for blanching the kale first, then cooking it slowly with sautéed onions for 30 minutes, was unlike any method I had ever tried. The kale essentially cooks until it turns black and is crispy at the edges, and it has become one of my favorite things to eat. The only trouble with the recipe is that it never makes enough -- I can eat a pound of this kale in one sitting. But when it's beefed up with toasted bread crumbs and crispy pancetta, and when it's topped with a poached egg or served over creamy polenta, it starts becoming a meal. Slow-cooked kale is a nice addition to so many dishes from pastas to grain salads to pizza, but it seems to pair particularly well with eggs -- it is delicious tucked into an omelet with feta cheese. Notes: This is my favorite way to prepare/use slow-cooked Tuscan kale, but know the recipe can be adapted to your liking. You can omit the pancetta and use an additional tablespoon of olive oil. You can use crushed red pepper flakes in place of the chile. You can top it with a fried or soft-boiled egg. I've learned not to skimp on the olive oil and to not rush the kale-cooking process — the key is to not stop cooking until the kale is black.

by：We all need a detox recipe that will give us comfort, not discipline. Hashing combines the best of our favorite brussels sprout techniques -- the loft of a raw shredded salad with the warmth and toasted edges of high-heat roasting or frying. It takes little time or planning to pull off, but gives us a light -- but not too light -- new favorite way to cook brussels sprouts. Recipe from Union Square Café Cookbook (HarperCollins, 1994)

by：This is essentially a "clean out the fridge and pantry" soup, but with the unifying themes of sweet, red, vegetables and lentils, and warm, spicy Moroccan flavors. Very satisfying on a crisp fall day to match the scenery!

by：This recipe was inspired by the following conversation on Hotline about whether or not you can make jam by roasting it in the oven: http://food52.com/hotline/21260-has-anyone-ever-made-preserves-a-dutch-oven-in-the-oven No stirring? No mess on your stove? No worrying about burning the preserves if you walk away from the stove for a few minutes? I had to try it! Roasting jam delivered on its promises -- I layered sliced tomatoes with sugar and spices in a round braising pan, and let the oven do the rest of the work. I checked on the jam a few times but with the even heat of the oven, there was never any worry that the jam would stick to the pan base. And the edges of the tomatoes on top caramelized a bit. What more could I ask for? Next up: peaches!

by：

by：Surf and turf is a Christmas Eve tradition at our house. A couple years ago it was lobster and filet; this year it was king crab and rib eye. It's a serious feast for a food-loving family. To accompany the spread, we whipped up some twice-baked potatoes. To spice it up, we sautéed some kale and mixed it in with the potatoes.

by：The first time I served this stuffing to my (omnivore) family, they were so enchanted that they didn't even know it was vegan. I've made a few tweaks over time, but the core of the recipe--a savory mix of winter squash, brussels sprouts, and good bread--has remained.

by：I'M BAAAAAAACK! I hope that was creepy when you read it in your mind. I've been stuck in this really intense, conservatory style, acting program (super fun, don't get me wrong) with no time for recipe-making, which is sad. I've been quietly making my fellow classmates roasted chicken and strawberry jam sandwiches, but when my sister, arielleclementine, told me that y'all we're doing an avocado contest, I just had to contribute! I make a habit of peeling avocados and eating them like hand fruit while standing alone and pants-less in my kitchen. This salad is vegan -- which is so unlike me, as I also often eat blocks of cheese like hand fruit -- but the bright citrus and tangy-sweet tomatoes are full of flavor, especially when backed by the creamy richness of the avocado. I hope you enjoy my recipe. I promise I wore pants while creating this dish.

by：This is a simple and delicious summertime salad to have up your sleeve. When creating it, I intended to grill the avocado, corn, poblano, and red onion but then turned to my broiler instead. Broiling is a much underappreciated method of cooking in my opinion, and it works beautifully for this salad. Using the broiler versus the grill enables you to easily char the corn off the cob and the avocado, poblano and red onion in small pieces, resulting in more surface area to pick up that delicious charred flavor. It’s also incredibly easy -- all you have to do is preheat your broiler and assemble your ingredients on a sheet pan, with the avocado needing the least amount of time under the broiler. (If grilling, I'd recommend charring the corn on the cob and the red onion, poblano, and avocado in large pieces, then cutting them to size off the grill.) Once they’re done, all you have to do is toss them with halved cherry tomatoes, fresh mint and basil, and lime vinaigrette. You’re left with an incredibly versatile salad that could be served alongside grilled meat or fish, tossed with shrimp or crab, or spooned over tostadas, tacos, or quesadillas.