Melissa Maedgen

There's chocolate bark and then there's chocolate bark. This bark is the latter sort, a sort that intrigues and surprises, that both starts and stops conversations, a bark that knows no boundaries.

A richly porky, nicely salted, slightly peppery, pleasantly sweet taste with a lingering maple syrup flavor. That's what you can expect from this crazy easy homemade bacon.

Make veggies less yawn-inducing by stealthily sneaking them into this good-for-you grilled cheese sammie. Eating your veggies never tasted so sinful.

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.

Our go-to approach for slightly-less-than-stellar fruit when we want exponentially-better-than-average results.

This Mexican carnitas recipe is authentic braised and fried pork that makes for conversation-stopping, fall-apart-tender awesomeness.

Our recipe for fabulous ketchup made at home. Oh yes, you can. And it'll have a flavor unlike anything you can find at the store.

Birthday bashes. Cocktail parties. Thanksgiving dinner. Tuesday nights. These are but some occasions we've watched these disappear.

We can certainly understand why street food catapulted into trendiness. Assuming, that is, it all tastes as soulful as these skewers that are hawked on seemingly every street in Thailand.

Roast beets until sweet enough to be considered dirt candy. Plonk on a place with tangy goat cheese, peppery greens, and a generous drizzle of honey. Lunch is done.

Tart rhubarb and sweet peaches collide in this ode to early summer that helps you recall better days even during the doldrums of winter...provided you can make it last that long.

Say the word "bayou," and we conjure romantic notions of swampy marshlands and, natch, Cajun fried shrimp.

Embarrassingly easy. Enticingly aromatic. And unbelievably satisfying in terms of that beguiling umami-ness that defines mushrooms. Curious? You should be.

Got gochujang? If not, you need to make this simple cheater's version that's a quick stand-in for when you don't have time to make the authentic Korean chile paste with a sweet heat and some serious umami.

Yoohoo, you who's trying to eat more healthfully, start cramming carrots in your pieholes with this satisfying little number.

These spring spears, buried beneath a behemoth of Parmesan, is making converts of even the most reticent veggie eaters.

In Nahuatl, pozole means "make a big batch of this on the weekend and reheat during the week after soccer practice." (Not really.)

Jambalaya just doesn't get any more authentic than this deeply flavored, deeply revered rendition from Cajun country.

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.

This isn't quite bulgolgi, the classic Korean barbecue. But this little number is salty, sweet, and quite reminiscent of its longer-marinated inspiration.