Alexandra M., Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Alexandra M. has tested.

A cast-iron skillet with four cooked chicken apple sausages inside.

Chicken Apple Sausage

Seriously, it’s so easy to make your own sausage. Insanely easy. And holy heck, does it taste phenomenal. No meat grinder required.

A slice of bread topped with egg salad without mayo n a white plate.

Egg Salad Without Mayo

Don’t let those leftover Easter eggs go to waste. This easy egg salad with caramelized onions is so lovely, you won’t even notice that there’s no mayo.

A brown and white pottery bowl filled with bucatini all'Amatriciana, topped with pecorino and parsley.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

All’Amatriciana—go on, roll that “r” like they do in Italy—means a spicy pasta sauce of tomatoes and pancetta or bacon. Prego.

Five irregular shaped cheddar biscuits with golden edges, on a wooden cutting board.

Cheddar Biscuits

“Lovely.” “Perfectly light, fluffy, and irresistibly good.” “Easy peasy!” “Wow. Just wow.” That’s what folks are saying about these biscuits.

White plate with a maple pork chops, carrots, and beets with feta cheese

Maple Pork Chops

Expect a subtle sweetness from this pork chop sensation that comes together from pantry standbys. We suspect that, like us, you’re gonna wanna add it to your weeknight rotation.

A cast-iron skillet filled with a cooked sweet potato cornbread with two pats of butter on top and a dish of butter pats beside it.

Sweet Potato Cornbread

We could blather on and on about this surprising (and stealthy healthy) riff on a Southern classic that everyone is swearing is the best cornbread they’ve ever had.

A white enamel pot filled with turkey meatball soup.

Turkey Meatball Soup

This outrageously healthy—yet still satiating—riff on Italian wedding soup swaps traditional beef and pork meatballs for ones made with turkey. Indulgence with decency.

A tangle of fettuccine with scallops finished with lemon zest and chervil on a brown plate.

Fettuccine with Scallops

Whether you need a no-fail romantic or celebratory dinner for two, here’s how to pull it off with ease and impressiveness.

A bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with a few slices cut from the end and a knife resting beside.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Easy. Economical. On the table in 45 minutes. And essentially pork wrapped in more pork and roasted until crisp outside and juicily tender inside. Comfort food for when you need it.

A jar of homemade dish soap in a bowl with a spoon resting inside it.

How to Make Homemade Dish Soap

This natural alternative to overpriced, chemical-laden liquid dish soap is inexpensive, effective, and gentle on hands. Doesn’t get much more practical than that.

White bowl of dark beef chili with chocolate on a black slab

Easy Cincinnati Chili

Regardless of whether you’re from Cincinnati or have ever experienced Cincinnati chili, you’ve gotta try this recipe. Trust us.

A layer of toasted, spiced pumpkin seeds.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

“Super easy.” “Quite addictive.” “Divine.” That’s what folks are saying about these surprisingly seductive spiced pepitas made from the guts of your carved pumpkin.

A pot of raspberry jam with framboise being added to it.

Raspberry Jam with Framboise

No, making homemade jam doesn’t need to be a big production. Not with the right recipe, anyways. This small batch raspberry preserves shows you how simple it can be.

A bowl of roasted curried cauliflower mixed with onions and topped with cilantro

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

After tasting this richly spiced yet surprisingly nuanced recipe we asked them to try, someone suggested we change our name to “Leite’s Cauliflower.” Hmmm…

A black skillet with figs in Port wine and a spoon on the side.

Figs in Port

Simple. Seasonal. Sophisticated. Sassy. Sublime. All qualities we swoon to in a dessert. All found right here.

A glass of cucumber gimlet with ice and cucumber slices.

Cucumber Gimlet

Made with gin, cucumber, simple syrup, and lime, this is simply a slight riff on a classic cocktail with a twist…or rather, a slice.

Two glasses of rhubarb sour with lemon slices floating in them

Rhubarb Sour

A rhubarb sour made with gin is probably not how your grandma chose to use those sweetly tart spring stalks. Her loss.

Clay pot filled with Vietnamese caramel chicken pieces and cilantro on a wooden table

Vietnamese Caramel Chicken

Vietnamese caramel chicken is an easy weeknight dinner that tastes authentic as heck even if you don’t use a clay pot when you make it. Sorta like dessert for dinner.

A bowl filled with baby greens on a white linen napkin. Part of a goat cheese crostini is on the edge of the bowl and the other part on the napkin

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Baguette slathered with goat cheese and baked to toasty perfection with a can’t-mess-it-up vinaigrette and salad. Easy peasy.