Hanukkah

All fancied up for the holidays, these boast all the perfectly-crisp-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside awesomeness of traditional potato latkes as well as a few surprises.

Sweet and tangy and fall-apart tender. That's what we think of this crowd-pleasing braised brisket that makes us go weak in the knees.

These lotus root chips are vaguely nutty, slightly sweet, and impossible to stop nibbling. An excellent and unexpected party trick for all occasions.

A startlingly spectacular made-from-scratch cheese Danish that is going to forever change your notion of what a cheese Danish ought to be.

This is not the sweet, gooey tzimmes of your childhood. Nope. So don't be surprised when that old familiar flavor pales in comparison.

"Transcendent" is how the author describes these rugelach. We'd like to add "flaky," "tender," and "perfect" to the list of apt adjectives.

We like to think of cheese blintzes as the original breakfast burritos, though truth be told we like them just as well for dessert.

Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and pretty damn indulgent with gooey Cheddar through and through.

Rumor has it that this kasha varnishkes recipe made the late Joan Rivers plotz. After tasting it, we can understand why this would be true.

If you go weak in the knees at the mere thought of crisp skin on a roast hen, your day just got a heck of a lot better.

Shame we didn't have these little lovelies on our plates when we were being admonished by our parents to "eat your veggies!"

These simple yet superlative little cakes are quite mind-blowing in their poundcake-like loveliness. Go on. See for yourself.

These unconventional latkes are gonna rock your world. They're lovely at all times of day and on all occasions.

It's not just about how lovely a turkey imbued with smoke would be. It's also about how lovely more space in the oven on Thanksgiving would be.

Proof that it doesn't take buttermilk or an insufferably long overnight brine to make insanely tender, crazily crisp, gosh darn perfect fried chicken.

These lovely latkes are crisp without, creamy within, and sweet throughout. Entirely appropriate for Hanukkah as well as a random Tuesday night...

This heartachingly tender brisket draws on just four ingredients, including a can of Coca Cola. Tasting is, truly, understanding.

Sweet. Spicy. Earthy. And a touch puckery. When did anything--or anyone--at your table boast such character? Certain to compensate for your duller dinner invitees.

Airy and yet dough at the same time, these iconic, anytime-of-day New Orleans pastries come buried beneath mounds of sweet, sweet confectioners' sugar. All we have to say is, don't wear black.

These doughnuts are certain to conjure memories, real or imagined, of crisp autumns, roadside farmstands, and grease-stained paper bags full of similar piping hot beauties.