Jessica DeStefano, Recipe Tester

Think a recipe for roast asparagus isn’t necessary? We thought so, too…until we tried this. Lovely spears time after time. Not at all mushy. And never tough.

Chewy, buttery, and teeming with toffee flavor, these are a sophisticated take on those made-from-a-box blondies you scarfed down with your carton of milk in the school cafeteria.

Lend a little swanky to everyday spaghetti by gilding it with chunks of sweet, sweet lobster and juuuuust the perfect hit of chile pepper.

Stunning and sophisticated, this cocktail relies on rhubarb for tartness, orange for intrigue, sugar for sweetness, and tequila for an afternoon nap.

Essentially eggs scrambled with chips (or day-old tortillas) and salsa, chilaquiles is equally enticing in the a.m. as the p.m., with a cup of hot joe or a bottle of cold cerveza.

There’s a lot to like here. The caramelized sweetness of sweet potatoes and onions. The salty and tangy creaminess of feta. And the knowing that you’re doing something decent for yourself without it tasting like penance.

Why pay an absurd amount of money for a teensy bag containing a couple shriveled slices when you can instead DIY a slew of slightly sweet and eminently easy snacks?

Rabe. Raab. Rapini. Call it what you will, but it’s never better than when jumbled with sautéed garlic and crisped potatoes.

“Little explosions of flavor” is how the author describes these luscious little orbs of yellow, orange, or red goodness. We don’t disagree. Neither will you.