Easy Authentic Recipes Fully Tested
Star Anise and Ginger Braised Chicken
This simple, one-pot stovetop braise melds the intoxicating aromas of soy, citrus, ginger, and star anise. But don’t take our word for it…
40 mins
12 Days of Christmas Cookies
Chocolate Espresso Shortbread Cookies
Everything you love about shortbread, in chocolate form, with a hint of espresso. Essentially, a perfect cookie.
2 hrs 35 mins
Scottish Shortbread
This tender, buttery, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth Scottish shortbread is as authentic as it gets.
1 hr 25 mins
Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
These easy-to-make icebox cookies are bejeweled with cranberries and pistachios to create a standout holiday cookie.
3 hrs 35 mins
3 Ingredient Condensed Milk Cookies
Homemade cookies that require only 3 ingredients and no mixer? You bet. It doesn’t get any easier than this, folks.
45 mins
Homemade Thin Mints
Can’t wait for your boxes of Girl Scout Thin Mints to arrive? No worries. We got you with this trusty gluten free recipe.
1 hr 35 mins
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Crisp at the edges. Chewy within. Peanutty through and through. A classic perfected. Pass the milk, please.
1 hr
Gingerbread Men Cookies
The cutest, sweetest, happiest gingerbread people ever, right? They also happen to be the fastest, cheapest, unfussiest gingerbread cookies we’ve encountered.
1 hr
Pecan Tassies
Here’s another recipe for those of you that desire a higher crust to filling ratio. Tassies are really just tiny pecan pies, y’all.
1 hr 25 mins
Black Pepper Cookies
It’s no surprise that a traditional Scandinavian cookie would be warming. Chalk it up to an inspired melding of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and cocoa.
50 mins
Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies
The classic cookie benefits enormously from a hit of ginger here with these surprise sleeper hits of your Christmas season.
1 hr 15 mins
Lebkuchen
These traditional German Christmas cookies that are subtly reminiscent of gingerbread are typically called lebkuchen, although we tend to refer to them as moments of perfectly spiced deliciousness.
5 hrs
Gingersnap Cookies
True to their name, these little lovelies practically snap when you take a nibble. We love truth in advertising.
1 hr
Hey, I’m David Leite
I’m a three-time James Beard Award-winning food writer, cookbook author, memoirist, podcast host, and publisher. I created this site in 1999 to help you find simple, quick, and wicked flavorful recipes. For the past 24 years, I’ve been cooking, teaching, and writing about all types of food, including those from my Portuguese heritage. Let’s eat! Vamos comer!
Most Beloved Recipes
These are the most popular, most loved, and most made dishes over the past 25 years.
Pasta with Butter and Parmesan
Whether you’re five or fifty-five, sometimes nothing is more satiating than a plate of spaghetti with butter and cheese.
20 mins
Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
Coq au vin, aka chicken soused in wine, is a French classic that exists in countless incarnations. This rich, soulful riff is from Julia Child.
1 hr 30 mins
Coca-Cola Brisket
This heartachingly tender brisket draws on just four ingredients, including a can of Coca Cola. Tasting is, truly, understanding.
3 hrs 25 mins
Applesauce Bread
Comfort finds us in unexpected ways. Thank goodness for that. And thank goodness for this not-too-sweet, subtly apple-y, kid-friendly quick bread.
1 hr 30 mins
Portuguese Recipes
Caçoila ~ Portuguese Stewed Beef
A Portuguese classic made with beef and peppers, caçoila de Pico is a slowly simmered affair that’s well worth the wait.
1 d
Portuguese Salad of Black-Eyed Peas with Tuna
Earthy black-eyed peas, Portuguese tuna, sliced onion, garlic, and parsley are tossed together in a vinegar-y salad dressing for a quick, nutritious salad.
5 hrs
Portuguese Coconut Custard Tarts
Sweet custard flecked with flakes of coconut are what you can expect from pasteis de coco, a dessert classic from Portugal.
45 mins
