Cheese Puffs are a busy cook's dream, an easy, make-ahead appetizer. Just mix and bake beforehand, then pop into the oven just before serving. Better yet, make and bake the Cheese Puffs ahead of time and then rewarm to serve all hot and cheesy! Just before party guests arrive -- goodness, many nights, as supper approaches -- I'm always on the hunt for some quick nibble to stave off hunger before everyone arrives or until the 'real food' reaches the table. So it's time to get serious about building a collection of easy appetizer recipes. You know, the quick bites that look and taste impressive -- but are also easy to make from pantry ingredients, easy to serve with little fuss, easy on the calories too. Plus, given that this is 2008, inexpensive too. That's some tall order, yes? Well, good news, this recipe for Cheese Puffs meets all the requirements and then some. I made a batch with blue cheese for my book club recently – a few days ahead, in fact. T

This eggplant skillet dinner has "meatless weeknight easy" written all over it. Just cut up some eggplant and green beans, toss in some coconut milk seasoned with lime zest and green curry paste. Unfamiliar with green curry paste? Let me tell you all about it! Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Another Quick Supper , a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Hearty & Filling. A Late-Summer Classic. Budget Friendly. Easy Weeknight Supper. One-Pot Meal. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly.

Aiiii, this cake, this cake. It's the one simple, rustic cake I make, year after year, during the short window in late August and early September when Italian plums appear in the markets. It's sturdy, it's fruity, it's a cake to savor bite by bite. Me, I like to top those jammy plums burrowed in cardamon-scented cake with a dollop of Swedish Cream, that's whipped cream made with a touch of sour cream and cardamom. Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for a Late-Summer Sweet Treat. Beautiful Color! A Long-Time Family Favorite. Extra Welcome When "Supper's a Little Skimpy". Fun Picnic Food. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Potluck & Party Friendly.

Looking for a way to use up four egg yolks? It happens, every so often. And since way back, I actually look forward to having leftover egg yolks, knowing that a batch of Golden Coconut Cookies will soon emerge from the oven. They're sweet and crisp, a little chewy in the center. They're cinnamon-y too and in fact, remind me of snickerdoodles. A Simple Cookie, Sweet & Crisp, Bright with Cinnamon. Handy for Using Leftover Egg Yolks.

A classic Mexican breakfast with eggs, corn tortillas and melted cheese. A concept recipe with many variations. To quote my Nana, never one to pussyfoot, "It sure looks like the dog's breakfast." Luckily, chilaquiles [pronounced chee-lah-KEE-lehs] taste better than they look because this is classic comfort food: easy, quick, cheap, nourishing. The 'signature' of chilaquiles is pieces of corn tortilla, fried first and then softened -- but just a bit, some 'chew' is good -- in a milk 'n' cheese sauce. It might have some plant crunch, onion and celery or especially tomatilla, say. Add a fried egg to the top and you've got a hearty breakfast or a quick supper. Did I mention delicious and addictive? That too. Chilaquiles might 'look' like the dog's breakfast but all the humans will be lapping them up, pronto. ALANNA's TIPS Flour tortillas, even whole wheat tortillas, turn out more mealy than crispy. Queso fresco i

Many folks like to work out. Me, I like to work outside. And when my garden is thick with leafy ferns in the spring and tall with lily-scented hostas about now, it’s all worthwhile. But much of the time, a yard with a garden is more about hauling than tending or even weeding. You know. Hauling dirt. Hauling mulch. Hauling plants. Hauling empty containers. Hauling chemicals, cords and clippings. Hauling yard bags. And this time of year, hauling hoses. And all too soon, hauling leaves and gumballs. Awhile back, a man I’ll call ‘Bill’ started passing by my place often and regularly enough to recognize that he walked for exercise and Kirkwood streets were his gym. One fine spring day, I was working on the mulch pile in the driveway when Bill passed by, nodding hello in that certain Midwestern-male way. “Like to help?” I asked, only half joking. Without breaking stride, he shot back, “Just bought a condo,” as if his answer explained all. It sure did, Bill, it sure did. Keep w

The Recipe: A refreshing summer salad, just cantaloupe balls with lime juice, fish sauce (yeah, I know, but you have to try it to believe it) , fresh basil and a touch of jalapeño heat. The Conversation: What's the word for August's food bounty? The last page of the Atlantic is my first read. It's a funny little column called "Word Fugitives" that conjures clever terms for conditions failed by the current lexicon. Example: If a husband is a packrat, what might we call his opposite? Readers suggested "wouldchuck" and "hurl squirrel" and the winning entry, "heave-homemaker". Ha! Me, my missing word would describe the food bounty that August's gardens and farmers markets deliver. It would suggest the satisfied moan that follows the first bite of fresh and simple food that just tastes so – not delicious, someplace past delicious. It conveys that there's simply no bad food right now, that everything that's fresh