For maximum heat, leave the seeds and membranes in the pepper; habanero will be much hotter than serrano. Ever touched your lips or eyes after chopping hot peppers? Avoid those burns by wearing gloves to prevent the pepper's heat from penetrating your skin.
Yes, you can always use instant. But food editor Margo True swears by steel-cut: "I love it because it has a chewier texture than instant or ordinary rolled oats and a deep, nutty flavor." It also freezes well (add the fruit after defrosting), so make a big batch on the weekend.
Every year for his birthday, Tim Hollingsworth's mother makes him cheesecake with canned cherries on top. In his clever version, he substitutes goat cheese for the cream cheese and glazed cranberries for the cherries.
Chef Way Austin's The Mighty Cone food trailer has become famous for its Hot-and-Crunchy Cones: fried chicken coated in an ingenious mix of cornflakes, slivered almonds and sesame seeds, then wrapped in a tortilla with a mango-jalapeño slaw and a spicy ancho "paint."
Using the cilantro stems for the base of the sauce (instead of throwing them in the trash) is a flavorful way to stretch a buck or two. If you can't find skin-on boneless chicken thighs, purchase bone-in and bone them yourself or have the butcher do so.
Roll up bites of this spicy Thai turkey salad in crunchy cabbage leaves for a super-flavorful light meal or appetizer. Increase the sambal oelek to 2 teaspoons if you like a little more heat.
Despite "breakfast" being in the title, this makes an ideal breakfast, lunch or dinner meal. Grated potatoes are added to the vegetables and beans to give some "grip" to the dish, and more grated p...