Merlyn Cafaro

A handful of cheap ingredients. The exact perfect temperature and timing. And a little patience, please, while spuds are elevated from simple to stellar.

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.

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.

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.

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?

A refreshing finish to dinner, or just to cleanse your palate, this sparkling sorbet is easy and utterly delish.

Grilled lobster tails are the summertime treat that you didn't know you needed. Quick and easy, you'll be surprised you didn't think to do this before.

A terrifically easy (and, yes, slightly healthy) pizza that'll satisfy your craving in no time, whether on a hectic weeknight or a lazy weekend.

Tuna fish sandwiches can be made with so many variations that there's a version for everyone. Hank Shaw walks you through a few of his faves.

Craving chewy chocolate brownies? America's Test Kitchen has a splendid version that's got some seriously amped-up flavor.

An uber-quick and less traditional approach to chicken enchiladas gets you a tasty dinner, weeknight or not. The secret? Your toaster oven.

Just like what you'd find at your local diner. Swear. Just simple ingredients cooked slow and patiently until they're crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and tempting through and through.