The Recipe: Thick, chewy snickerdoodle bars, just like snickerdoodle cookies except with the firm, chewy texture of blondies. The edge pieces are especially good! Texture makes Snickerdoodle Bars special but it’s the cinnamon that makes them stand out. Kids love ‘em, grown-ups too. The Conversation: How to make your house smell cinnamon-good! Are you switching cinnamon to prevent liver damage? We all know that famous realtor trick, right? The one where we’re supposed to bake chocolate chip cookies right before showing our homes to prospective buyers? The idea is to make a house feel homey, a place where another family will feel at home. Well, move along, chocolate chip cookies because there’s a new kid who’s moved to town. Snickerdoodle Bars! Think warm, fragrant cinnamon. The first time I made Snickerdoodle Bars, I accidentally left out the baking powder. It happens, right, especially when you’re churning out a half dozen dishes at once? Without leavening, the bars tu

How to roast easy-to-find and inexpensive Roma tomatoes in the oven, using time and temperature to turn so-so supermarket plum tomatoes into something truly special. Finally, we can roast tomatoes all year long! PS For anyone with a glut of late-summer Roma tomatoes from the garden or farmers market? This is your best tomato-roasting technique too! Real Food, Fresh & Family-Tested. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Easy DIY. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly. Rave Reviews.

Isn't that rice so pretty?! It's a simple summer vegan side dish, just home-cooked rice with a twist. All the credit for that beautiful rich red color goes to juicy summer tomatoes and a North African spice blend called "ras el hanout". (If you have some, great. If not, it's easy to mix with spices you may well already have and if you don't, well, chili powder works really well too.) Even more, this savory rice is almost a loaves 'n' fishes story, rice that blossoms from one cup to six cups, thanks to an intriguing cooking technique – but again, don't worry, it's super-easy and needs no special equipment! An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. Whole Food, Simply Prepared with North African / Moroccan Spices. Real Food, Fresh & Inventive. Beautiful Color! Hearty & Filling. A Summer Classic for Juneteenth Occasions and During Tomato Harvest. Not just easy, Summer Easy . Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Po

A "real" garden salad, made with fresh summer vegetables straight from the garden, crisp barely cooked green beans, ripe tomato, sweet corn kernels, all tossed in a tangy feta salad dressing. Fresh & Summery. Great Crunch. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

The Recipe: What a quick supper! Just cook the beef in the slow cooker (no browning!) with pantry ingredients, then toss together a quick sauté of vegetables and black beans. Add some diced avocado and sour cream. Gorgeous! The Conversation: The lesson I've learned from chefs about pantry ingredients. This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes published every summer since 2009. Watch for new 'summer easy' recipes all summer long. With a free e-mail subscription , you'll never miss a one! As of this month, I’ve written 175 weekly columns for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, wrangling home-cook friendly recipes from restaurants. Column by column, the weeks fly by, the years too. And week after week, I fall in love with a brand-new place, its chef, its food and most especially its story. Every week, that one place is my new favorite. I want to eat there! I want everyone else to eat there too! The