Trista Smith, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Trista Smith has tested.

A plate with parchment paper filed with squares of vegan walnut fig bars.

Vegan Walnut Fig Bars

A quick, healthy, vegan, fruit and nut-filled snack. Not too sweet but still good when you’re craving something less granola and more like dessert.

A person mashing avocado into a bowl of easy guacamole on a table with salt, avocado, cilantro, lime, and chiles.

Easy Guacamole

Easy as heck, this guacamole takes a minimalistic approach that keeps ingredients to the essentials yet doesn’t disappoint. Sorta tricky to come by that these days. And yet here we are.

A fancy Bundt Kentucky bourbon cake on a silver platter.

Kentucky Bourbon Cake

This Southern classic is like a pound cake given its decadent amount of butter and its tender crumb. But oh, baby, wait’ll you taste the bourbon glaze.

A loaf of paleo banana bread on a round metal trivet with one slice cut from it.

Paleo Banana Bread

This is gluten-free and paleo-friendly, for those keeping track of such things. But it’s also awesome enough for anyone to fall for it.

A saucepan filled with green soup, with a swirl of cashew cream in the center.

Green Soup

A quick and easy way to inject some broccoli, peas, spinach, and other greens into your weekday routine. And it doesn’t taste as hippy as it looks.

A teapot, a collection of glasses, three partially filled with mint tea, and a vase of flowers on a silver tray.

Mint Tea

Learn firsthand the virtues of tea made from fresh mint versus a teabag—and yes, said virtues include ease and simplicity.

A person holding a glass mug of cinnamon tea on a white plate.

Cinnamon Tea

Sorta amazing what loveliness can be wrought from just a stick of cinnamon and some hot water. So simple. So soothing.

Homemade hostess cupcakes on white plates.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Unequivocally better than those preservative-laden cake imposters you grew up on. Swear. And you can customize whatever you want to write on top, whether the name of your team or a sweet little something.

A large bowl filled with grilled panzanella, with cherry tomatoes, torn bread, and basil leaves.

Grilled Panzanella Salad

This brashly untraditional panzanella grills the bread so you can dispense with waiting for stale bread. Still frugal. Still stunning. Still more than the sum of its parts.

A stack of squares of birthday cake fudge on a white marble platter.

Birthday Cake Fudge

No-bake cake doesn’t get any easier than this funfetti fudge that’s complete with a semisweet chocolate “cake” layer, a white chocolate “frosting” layer, and sprinkles galore.

A piece of pan-seared pork chop on a white oval platter with a fork and spoon resting in butter sauce on the platter.

Pan-Seared Pork Chops

Perfection. That’s what we think of this simple yet exquisite melding of pork, butter, salt, and pepper from chef Gabrielle Hamilton.

A round of farmers cheese resting on a piece of cheesecloth in a bowl.

Farmer Cheese

This homemade farmer cheese is rich, creamy, lovely, and crazy easy to make. Sorta like a poor man’s (or shall we say, lazy man’s) homemade ricotta. Here’s how to make it.

An oval dish filled with roasted plums, topped with star anise.

Roasted Plums

Scented with star anise, not overly sweet, and just 25 minutes from start to finish. Talk about our sorta summer dessert.

A mustard-glazed ham on a wooden cutting board.

Mustard-Glazed Ham

Going rogue this Thanksgiving? Consider this simple glazed ham has got a sweet and spicy thing going on that’s simultaneously subtle and super impressive. And let’s face it, leftovers are reason enough to make it.

A blue bowl of cauliflower purée on a wooden table.

Cauliflower Purée

Mashed potatoes this is not, although it does have a uniquely and really quite charming caulifloweriness all its own that we quite like.

Two heads of roasted garlic--one in foil, one unwrapped--drizzled with oil on a cutting board.

Roasted Garlic

Is there anything better than roasted garlic? We think not. Three ingredients. Almost no effort. And yet what results is both complex and versatile and knee-wobblingly lovely.

A jar of refrigerator pickles on a white napkin with a fork resting against the jar.

Refrigerator Pickles

These kaleidoscopic little lovelies don’t require the typical processing and patience that classic pickles demand. Woohoo!