Bacon Ranch Party Potato Casserole

This Bacon Ranch Party Potato Casserole is truly a crowd pleaser. It takes the classic Midwestern cheesy hashbrown funeral potatoes and gives them a punchy, modern upgrade by swapping out the traditional cream of chicken soup for tangy sour cream and zesty ranch seasoning, all topped with smoky bacon.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 1 hr
  • Yields: 12 Servings

Bang Bang Shrimp

Instead of dealing with a messy stovetop deep-fry, this Bang Bang Shrimp is made for the oven. The shrimp is incredibly crunchy by using a smart fat-incorporation trick: mixing extra-virgin olive oil directly into the dry panko crumbs before breading. It’s served with this delicious Bang Bang Sauce. Most copycat recipes rely strictly on a heavy mayo base. This recipe cuts the mayo down significantly and introduces fresh lime juice and honey. This creates a much lighter, glaze-like sauce that yields a vibrant, tangy kick without weighing down the baked panko crust.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Yields: 4 Servings

Hog Pogs

Hog Pogs are a brilliantly simple, wildly comforting vintage appetizer that hits all the best flavor notes: savory, creamy, salty, and warm. This four-ingredient appetizer is an open-faced cocktail toast. It’s raw ground Italian sausage, softened cream cheese, finely grated Parmesan, slathered on a slice of baguette and baked until golden. It can’t get any easier!

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 25 mins
  • Yields: 12 Servings

Pollo in Guajillo

Pollo in Guajillo is a traditional Mexican dish featuring chicken thighs that are marinated in a rich, savory sauce made from dried guajillo chiles. Guajillo chiles are known for their smoky, earthy flavor and mild heat making them a popular choice for stews and sauces.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 40 mins
  • Cook: 50 mins
  • Yields: 4 Servings

Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

Ready overnight with zero canning required, these quick-pickled whole cherry tomatoes are a total flavor bomb. Steeped in a sweet, garlicky rice vinegar brine, they deliver a tangy, savory burst in every single bite. They are great for snacking, salads, charcuterie boards, and sandwiches.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 15 mins

Easy Cheese Soufflé

Don't let the name fool you—while this is called a cheese soufflé, it’s technically a strata, though it does incorporate whipped egg whites, which helps the soufflé to puff up. It begins with rustic Italian Bread and uses fontina, Gruyère, and Parmesan cheeses. Like a strata, you refrigerate it overnight and bake it the next day, which is my kind of recipe! If you are apprehensive about making a traditional cheese soufflé, this is a good alternative.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 1 hr 5 mins
  • Yields: 10 Servings

Broccoli Salad with Miso Paste

This Broccoli Salad with Miso Paste is a brilliant, deeply savory twist on the classic potluck staple. While traditional broccoli salads rely on a heavy, sweet-and-tangy mayonnaise dressing, this recipe incorporates miso paste, bringing a rich, umami complexity.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 5 mins
  • Yields: 4 Servings

Japanese Potatoes with Soy Sauce

I made these Japanese Potatoes with Soy Sauce and my daughter raved about them. I was meant to buy regular mini potatoes, but I could only find fingerlings. The potatoes are simmered in soy sauce, sugar, salt and water. It's so simple and really delcious.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yields: 4 Servings

Honey-Gochujang Roast Chicken

This Honey-Gochujang Roast Chicken achieves a perfect harmony of spicy-sweet complexity and savory depth, boasting very crisp skin and succulent, tender meat. Gochujang is a thick, crimson-red fermented chili paste that is a cornerstone of Korean cuisine. It isn’t just a "hot sauce"—it’s a complex, concentrated ingredient that brings a balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors to a dish.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 20 mins
  • Cook: 50 mins
  • Yields: 4 - 6 Servings

Chickpea Veggie Salad

I made this Chickpea Veggie Salad for my lunches last week. I know many people would scoff, but those people are missing out; it is really good. The beauty of this is that you can add any or all the ingredients you like. Instead of adding pickles, I added Persian cucumbers. You could swap out the mayo for Greek yogurt. You do you. This can be served on lettuce, as a sandwich, in a wrap, or served with crackers.

By Leslie Blythe

  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Yields: 4 Servings