Carrie S., Recipe Tester

You haven’t lived until you’ve had chicken karaage, which is Japanese-style chicken that’s marinated in soy and fried twice until crisp and oh so nice.

A classic spring coupling, this melding of rhubarb and strawberries takes the form of sweet tart pie filling burbling beneath ginger-inflected goodness.

An easy, foolproof, ever so slightly sweet corn bread that comes together as quickly as it disappears. Just watch it.

Full of natural ingredients that pack a wallop of intense, true-to-life ginger flavor, this brilliant hack for making real ginger ale will make you a convert.

No mere mash, this creamy potato purée owes its uber velvetiness to truly indecent amounts of butter and cream. And we mean that in the best possible way.

This white cake has an understated elegance thanks to its tender crumb and lovely nuanced taste that everyone is calling unforgettable in the best possible way. Proof that basic doesn’t mean boring.

These subtly spiced, lightly crisped sweet potato wedges will have everyone clamoring for more–and, we dare say, no one guessing they’re healthful.

We find these unabashedly unconventional biscotti bewitching beyond belief. Different form. Same function. Far less fuss.

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.

It ain’t no Champagne. And it ain’t supposed to be. Subtly nuanced and sparkling and with a slightly fancy feel for teetotalers of all ages.