How To Make Slow Cooker General Tso's Chicken — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

The craving: General Tso's chicken from your favorite Chinese takeout spot. The problem: You've got different diners eating at different times. The best solution: General Tso's chicken from your slow cooker. Yes, you'll be investing a little more time than dialing for takeout, but you'll make the best General Tso's you can at home without stir-frying and you can feed your family in shifts as they stagger in the door tired and hungry.

This slow cooker General Tso's chicken hits all the high points of your Chinese takeout favorite — crisp golden chicken with a tender interior, coated in a glossy, spicy sweet sauce. Ready your rice and your slow cooker for this better-than-takeout slow cooker General Tso's chicken.

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Recipe: Vegan Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup — Recipes from the Kitchn

A simple puréed soup is something I turn to often. Lately, I've been relying on a lightly spiced cauliflower soup to tide be over between the richness of the holidays.

The nice thing about this recipe is that it takes very little time to pull together. You simply cook down the onions and garlic with cauliflower, broth, and warm spices and ready your favorite toppings (I like crispy parsley, toasty cashews, and spicy red pepper flakes — all with a dash of olive oil).

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SPONSORED POST: Recipe: Mulled Cider & Oatmeal Cut-Out Cookies — Sponsored by REAL® Butter

When you're looking out a frost-covered window, watching the holiday decorations blink to life on the street below, is there anything more perfect than wrapping your hands around a warm mug of mulled cider? Um, yeah, there is: it's standing at that same window, shoving Mulled Cider & Oatmeal Cut-Out Cookies into your mouth, one after another after another.

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Recipe: Itty Bitty Brownie Bites — Recipes from The Kitchn

Itty bitty means you can eat more than a few of these brownie bites and no one will take a second glance. That's exactly the kind of treat we like to feature on our cookie plates and holiday dessert spreads. These are especially awesome because they also happen to be gluten-free, thanks to the exclusive use of almond flour. Almond flour makes treats extra fudgy and moist, like your favorite flourless cake, but in perfect two-bite portions.

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Recipe: Pull-Apart Challah Rolls — Recipes from The Kitchn

Rich, tender challah bread is a treat on any day, but the distinctive braiding of the loaf might be something you're not quite ready to tackle. Instead, try these pull-apart challah rolls that are tender, rich with eggs, and baked in a regular baking dish.

Don't be deceived by their pretty appearance; there's actually no braiding involved when forming the rolls. In fact, if you can tie a knot, you can make these soft and pillowy rolls!

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Recipe: Slow-Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon — Recipes from The Kitchn

Boeuf bourguignon is so much more than just another beef stew. This classic French dish, made so popular by a certain Ms. Julia Child, is the kind of stew that moves you from one level of home cooking to the next. The aroma alone — the deeply savory scent of onions, slow-cooked beef, and red wine — is enough to make your eyes roll skyward and your knees go weak. Make boeuf bourguignon once and you'll wonder why anyone ever bothers making anything else.

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How To Make Foolproof Chocolate Truffles: The Easiest, Simplest Method — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Every single homemade chocolate truffle is a masterpiece. That beautiful exterior coated with salty nuts or a dusting of chocolate coating holds within it a moment of bliss in the form of creamy, melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate. Something so sublime should take hours of work to perfect, right? Hardly. The truth is truffles are dead simple to make. You won't even need a stove — just a little cream and some good-quality chocolate will give you fail-proof chocolate truffles at home. Here's how to do it.

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How To Make Slow Cooker Spiced Nuts: The Essential Method — Make More Good

Spiced nuts are a classic holiday gift for coworkers and a handy snack to have on hand when neighbors stop for a nip of nog. Although they can be savory, roasted with herbs and garlic, I love a sweet, vanilla-infused handful of nuts encrusted in a sugary glaze.

For the good stuff, you can spend what feels like half a week's salary on store-bought spiced nuts, repackaging them in the hopes of passing them off as homemade. You could even risk burning them in the oven. Instead, pull out your biggest slow cooker and take a (mostly) hands-off approach without fear of burning, all while perfuming the kitchen with a nutty, sweet fragrance.

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Recipe: Chocolate-Almond Toffee — Recipes from The Kitchn

Toffee is one of the best holiday gifts you can give friends, family, and yourself! It can be made in advance, and one batch makes a lot but you only need a small piece of the crisp, rich, chocolate-y treat to be satisfied. All you have to do is cook butter and sugar together into a buttery caramel, then let it cool with a layer of melted deep, dark chocolate and toasty almonds on top until you can break it into beautiful shards. As someone who grew up buying Almond Roca as a treat, this homemade version is loads better and a welcome addition to a holiday dessert table or cookie plate.

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Recipe: Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup — Recipes from The Kitchn

It might not be the prettiest, but this puréed soup more than makes up for its homely appearance with the deep flavors of roasted broccoli and extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and a creamy yet cream-free texture. Best of all, it all comes together in about 30 minutes, making it a quick and easy weeknight dinner option.

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Recipe: Make-Ahead "Ham and Cheese" Breakfast Casserole — Recipes from The Kitchn

We're heading into prime brunch season, which means that brunch casseroles are about to enjoy their heyday. So I decided to revisit one of our most popular recipes ever, published several years ago, for a breakfast bake with bread, pancetta, Gruyere, and eggs.

I'm afraid I'll sound horribly hyperbolic if I talk about this recipe too long: It's rich, eggy, and unbelievably, incredibly delicious. This is one to memorize, folks, and to pull out for in-laws and overnight guests. It may just be the very best brunch casserole I've ever made.

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Recipe: Sweet and Salty Chocolate Sprinkle Mix — Homemade Gifts

An ice cream adventure in Seattle inspired what I would not very humbly call the greatest Christmas gift you can give to anyone on your list. It was at Molly Moons ice cream that I first experienced salty sprinkles, a topping made from chocolate flakes, crunchy sea salt, and bits of toffee. The idea is so stunningly simple — combine chocolate with some sweet crunch and a little salt, and you have a sprinkle that makes ice cream sing but is also transformative for coffee, buttered toast, or even chili.

This pour-and-stir recipe makes a shelf-stable, shippable gift that will be loved by any recipient. Honestly, I'm worried how I might possibly top this office gift this year.

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Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork and Cider Stew — Recipes from the Kitchn

Like any great stew should, the aroma of this hearty pork and apple stew will seep from the slow cooker and waft through the kitchen and beyond, long before you ladle it into bowls. And the anticipation is well worth it because this family-friendly stew delivers, big time. It tastes even better than that mouthwatering fragrance you've been smelling for hours.

It's deeply savory with a subtle tang, and just the right balance of sweetness from apple cider and chopped apples. Serve it with a generous chunk of bread (even egg noodles or cauliflower rice) — you're going to want something to help you savor every last drop of the sauce.

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Recipe: White Chocolate Cranberry Bar Cookies — Recipes from The Kitchn

The holiday season is approaching — do you have your go-to cookie recipe ready? Spritz cookies involve careful pressing, and Linzer cookies require filling and decorating. These cookies, however — lightly scented with orange zest and studded with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries — are full of holiday flavor and take next to no time to pull together.

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Recipe: Easy Lemon-Ginger Spinach — Recipes from The Kitchn

If you, like me, are plagued by choosing the right side to pair with dinner, this spinach recipe deserves a standing spot in your meal plan rotation. Grab a knob of fresh ginger and a lemon — we're going to make one of my all-time favorite spinach side dishes. Not only is it packed with light, refreshing flavors and ready in minutes, but it also goes with just about everything you're making.

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Recipe: Pan-Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Smoky Tomato Sauce — Recipes from The Kitchn

I've been craving opposites lately. I want pasta, but I don't want it to be heavy. I want fresh flavors, but also something savory and comforting. I want vegetables, but I want a bit of meat, too.

Here, pan-roasted cauliflower and ribbons of prosciutto get folded into a bright but savory tomato sauce with pasta. It's a perfect union of all my conflicting opposites.

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How To Make Stuffed Chicken Breast with Spinach & Cheese — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Chicken breasts are such a supper staple that it's often hard to think of them as anything special, but let me tell you this: Splitting chicken breasts and filling them with your favorite flavors makes them anything but ordinary. Here spinach, two kinds of cheese, and garlic come together to stuff golden chicken breasts with a flavorful, cheesy filling.

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Recipe: Blackberry Croissant Breakfast Bake — Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes

When you start your day off with something sweet, like this breakfast bake, it's pretty much a guarantee that it's going to be a good one. This bake does the impossible: It improves on flaky, buttery croissants by soaking them in a rich, custardy liquid and baking them with a slew of juicy blackberries. The result is pure decadence for breakfast — something we all need every once in a while.

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How To Reheat Mashed Potatoes: The Best, Simplest Method — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Mashed potatoes are the singular dish that makes me love the holidays, and I always insist that there be more than enough for leftovers to eat reheated or to become everything from breakfast bowls to pancakes. Reheating mashed potatoes is relatively easy, but there are two ingredients you can add to help avoid gluey potatoes and make the leftovers taste more like freshly made ones. Here's how to do it.

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Recipe: Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Broccoli Bowls — Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinners

Sitting down to a comforting meal, especially one made in the slow cooker, is the savior of busy weekends when you have lots of things to do around the house but not a lot of time for cooking. This Italian-inspired rice casserole has tender brown rice cooked with Parmesan, chicken broth, onions, and oregano, and it's layered with reliably juicy boneless chicken thighs, fresh broccoli florets, and a can of cannellini beans.

Scoop into bowls and enjoy this all-in-one meal that has protein, veggies, and starch — perfect for pairing with a glass of crisp white wine.

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Recipe: Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Vegetable Soup — Recipes from The Kitchn

While Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday of the year, there is one thing I look forward to even more than our family feast: the day-after turkey soup. Whether I was the one cooking or was sent home with a generous pile of meat, a hearty pot of turkey and vegetable soup has been my tradition for nearly all of my adult life. It's the sort of light (yet still comforting) fare that's always nice to tuck into the day after a big meal.

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How To Make Thanksgiving Leftovers Lasagna — Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinners

When you've had your fill of turkey sandwiches and turkey soup, but there are still leftovers waiting to be eaten in the fridge, choose greatness. And by greatness we mean a towering lasagna filled with layers of roasted Brussel sprouts, creamy sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving stuffing, and of course, the turkey. One might even argue that this next-day meal is even better than the main event itself.

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Recipe: Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes — Thanksgiving Sides

Mashed potatoes make any meal a little better. And let's be honest — it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them. Sadly, I come from a long line of mashed potato forgetters. A familiar cry heard each Thanksgiving was, "The mashed potatoes!" This could mean one of three things: Either someone forgot to start them, someone forgot they were cooking (so the potatoes turned to a watery-potato mush), or someone forgot them in the kitchen and the mashed potatoes were cold by the time they hit the table.

This always bummed me out. I mean, we're talking mashed potatoes here. Miracle mashed potatoes. So I set out to change my family's mashed potato legacy. Thankfully, it was pretty easy.

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How To Make Honey-Glazed Ham in the Slow Cooker — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

My father in-law is not a big fan of turkey and makes his love of ham at the holidays well-known. Honestly, I can relate. After spending much of the summer and fall testing turkey recipes, I'm ready for something different come November. So we started adding a ham to the family Thanksgiving menu about five years ago, but as the host (and cook), I ran into a problem: How can I season and heat a ham while the turkey is hogging all the oven time? Slow cooker ham is the solution!

Since most holiday hams come fully baked, all I have to do is load it into the slow cooker in the morning to have ham in time for lunch. As another bonus? The slow cooker can be set to warm, so the ham stays moist while we wait for that one sister-in-law who is always late.

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How To Cook a Frozen Turkey — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Yes, you really can cook a frozen turkey. Yes, it sounds completely improbable — even slightly alarming. But against all odds, yes, it works. If you find yourself staring down a turkey that's still frozen solid on Thanksgiving morning and you're wondering how in the world you're going to get dinner on the table in a few hours, there's hope. Here's how to go from frozen to golden without skipping a beat.

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