Making your own pumpkin pie spice is as easy as dumping some spices you probably already have, into a bowl and stirring them together. No need to run to the store. You’re welcome.
Karen Depp, Recipe Tester
A list of all the recipes Karen Depp has tested.
Karen Depp began cooking in the 4th grade, making applesauce with her best friend in the backyard, using a candle, tart tin, and paring knife. She advanced to cakes and cookies by the 6th grade and continued to hone her skills as she grew up. She likes to say that the highlight of her culinary career was being admitted to the hallowed halls of LC Testerville. Alas, her first recipe attempt wasn’t so hallowed and resulted in her setting her oven on fire. (We have it on good authority the conflagration had nothing to do with us; her oven was limping along on its last BTU.) Depp modestly claims that her success in the realm of cooking comes from her relationship to good cooks—her mother, two chef brothers-in-law, and a Culinary Institute of America-trained nephew who’s worked with Emeril Lagasse.
Moroccan-Spiced Roast Chicken
What do we adore most about roast chicken? The fix-it-and-forget-about-it-ness of it. That and the countless ways to fancy it up. Here’s one of our fuss-free favorites.
Pepper Sherry
What could be easier than plopping some hot peppers in a bottle of booze, setting it aside for as long as you can resist, and then drizzling it over everything? Exactly.
Whole Roasted Onions
Plonk unpeeled onions on a baking sheet. Shove in oven. Come back later for achingly sweet, tender, mellow oniony goodness. Accept accolades. See how easy that was?
Maple Roast Chicken
Pancakes are swell, but breakfast doesn’t have an exclusive on maple syrup. Especially not when this maple roast chicken is in the house.
Nach Waxman’s Beef Brisket
Like a chorus line of Rockettes, tender slices of brisket lean on each other in perfect symmetry and perfect doneness. Here’s how to replicate this performance at home.
Cheddar Biscuits
“Lovely.” “Perfectly light, fluffy, and irresistibly good.” “Easy peasy!” “Wow. Just wow.” That’s what folks are saying about these biscuits.
Vinegar Pie Crust
This pie pastry is as easy to make as, well, pie. It’s flaky and rich but simple and plain enough to let any filling shine.
Barbecue Pork Burgers
A weeknight-friendly riff on slow-roasted pulled pork that juxtaposes tangy bbq sauce, succulent pork, and old-fashioned slaw, all in a jiffy.
Crème Fraîche Potato Salad
A British take on potato salad that’s both simple and sublime, this summery staple draws on the tart richness of crème fraîche and the pucker of lemon.