Kristin Cole, Recipe Tester

You say artichoke. We say carciofi. That’s Italian for “pointy leafy thing that turns meltingly tender when cooked like your nonna knows how.”

We know. You already have an egg salad sandwich recipe. But trust us, it’s nothing like this one, which is whoppingly old school in taste, blissfully healthful in every other way.

This sophisticated chocolate fix draws on just three ingredients, comes together in minutes, and is satiating beyond belief.

An elegant and easy riff on a classic Chinese technique that’s ideal for the fish-averse given that it’s quick and almost effortless.

Whether you have unripe berries, overripe berries, or an abundance of the season’s most fragrant berries, say hello to your sweetly sticky solution.

Yeah, watermelon juice dripping off your elbow is a swell thing. So is this incomparably elegant yet easy salad that melds sweet and heat.

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.

Ooooh baby! Broccoli blanketed with a creamy rich white sauce that takes its oomph from blue cheese and its hint of heat from cayenne.

One taste and you’ll forget all about that butter and brown sugar trick your mom taught you long ago. Promise.

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?