Merlyn Cafaro, Recipe Tester

A traditional Azorean dish that boasts meltingly tender oven-braised beef, potatoes, chouriço, and onions. It’s a rustic, homey, Sunday supper sorta dish from David’s VERY Portuguese mom.

An elegant yet easy approach to roast pork that draws on iconic autumn flavors. And it’s as affordable as it is impressive.

Fresh crab necessitates only Old Bay and very little in way of other ingredients. That’s exactly what you’ll find here.

The hardest part about making these delightful Swedish pastries is choosing which combination of butter filling and sweet glaze you want.

Whether you prefer to dip, dunk, scoop, or smother, one thing is for certain. This is the dip you want to do it with.

There’s no need for takeout when you can make this deep dish skillet pizza that’s laden with blistered tomatoes, pepperoni, and mozzarella.

This simple chicken stew, which is chock-full of vegetables, chicken, and served in a light cream sauce, feels decadent but is surprisingly virtuous.

An indulgent pasta made with toasted walnuts, cream, mascarpone, and gorgonzola. Worthy of a special occasion but on the table in just 25 minutes. Boom.

This hearty meal gets its flavor from an overnight soak in red wine, a slow braise until tender, and the addition of plenty of mushrooms and bacon.

No need to wait all year for your favorite cookies to come around. These sandwich cookies beat anything from a box. Sorry, Girl Scouts.

The holidays incarnate. That’s what these cookies are to us. They’re magnificently and traditionally spiced and are crinkly and chewy. All in the best possible sort of way.

A more exotic take on the traditional thumbprint, the addition of fig jam takes these beauties to an even better place. Sweet, warm, and gorgeous.

Here’s another recipe for those of you that desire a higher crust to filling ratio. Tassies are really just tiny pecan pies, y’all.

Breakfast, snack, dessert–blueberry coffee cake does all that and more. Full of berries and topped with sweet glaze, you’re going to love it.

A tidy package of indulgent loveliness, a calzone is sorta like a slice of pizza with double the crust. Comfort in carbs, anyone?

Elegant yet exceedingly simple, this white wine linguine beguiles with its rich, silken flavor despite the absence of cream and a touch of butter.

Sam Sifton’s recipe for sloppy Joes is quick and, honestly, quite superb. Full of flavor and just as messy as you remember. And just as tasty.

Jumble together pasta, tomatoes, eggplant, ooey gooey mozzarella, and a splash of cream in just 35 minutes. Jamie Oliver’s quick pasta dinner also makes a mean casserole.

Traditional in Turkey, these zucchini fritters, made with feta and dill, put to use the late-summer abundance of zucchini.

A simple, rustic, and flavorful vegetarian dinner that only takes a handful of ingredients and 45 minutes. Also, it tastes really fantastic. What’s not to love?