Patty Fabian

Truly the epitome of classic rustic Italian cooking. Here's to the simple things in life that taste anything but simple.

Creamy, cheesy, and just like Grandma used to make. That's what we're talking about when it comes to these easy scalloped potatoes.

A yearround charmer, this is sorta like Bundt cake gone to finishing school yet retains all the comforts of home. From the justifiably famous Red Truck Bakery in rural Virginia.

No ordinary chicken pot pie, this one seems to have gone to finishing school but without a lot of fuss. Just a couple of simple yet significant aspects done exceptionally well.

All the delicate loveliness of classic angel food cake but made even better with the addition of pure vanilla and a blizzard of confectioners' sugar.

Little Gem salad. Such an appropriate name. Not only is it made with Little Gem lettuce, but it's truly a little gem of a salad.

You read that correctly. Pork wrapped in bacon. Need we say more?

Just when you thought you were unable to come up with yet another variation on roast chicken that didn’t bore you out of your mind, along comes Dorie Greenspan with this simple yet surprisingly lovely rendition.

Pickle juice-brined pork chops. Yes, you read that correctly. And yes, we know what you're thinking. Why didn't we think of brining pork chops in dill pickle juice? It's easy, ingenious, and, natch, delicious.

Earthy beets. Salty cheese. There’s something stunning about the contrast between the two. Tasting is believing.

Come for the chicken. Stay for the sauce. It's kid and pantry friendly. Gloriously tangy. And wonderfully quick and easy to toss together, even on the most hectic weeknights.

Made for little hands and little mouths, these lovely little tarts are short pastry crusts that are baked and then dolloped with any kind of jam you'd like. Make sure the kids make these with you.

Far Breton is a custardy cake similar to a clafouti gilded with rum-soaked prunes and a specialty of Brittany, France. And you know any dessert lovely enough for the French is gonna be something really quite special.

When it's half past when you'd wanted to eat and you're too exhausted to think, turn to this kid-friendly, adult-approved fix.

This frothy Greek frappe can be shaken together in just a couple minutes from coffee, sugar, and milk. No blender required.

These diminutive queques are flavored with a hint of citrus that's equally welcome at breakfast, tea, or any other hour of the day, quite frankly.

Apples, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey give these croustades, or tarts, their outrageously autumnal flair. The crispy, flaky pastry isn't bad, either.

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

Simple and stunning. That's what we think of this ridiculously easy tart made with a graham cracker crumb crust, a luscious cheesecake-like filling made of cream cheese, cream, and sugar, and a scattering of summer berries.