I am laughably bad at building gingerbread houses. In fact, the process is so stressful, several members of my family refuse to partake in this holiday activity with me. Beyond aesthetics, my main issue lies in the fact that my houses are always falling down, and that makes me say ugly words, but I've found some tasty reinforcement in the form of Rice Krispies Treats.

Even if you’ve got a serious sweet tooth, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sugary snacks that get distributed this time of year. If cookie fatigue has set in, there’s a better way: people lose their fucking minds for homemade bread, and it’s so much easier than you’d think.

There are the spices and seasonings you should always have in your pantry, and then are the special bois. These are the blends that smell so good and look so pretty, but maybe seem just a little too precious for everyday use. These are the blends you should give as gifts.

At this very moment, seasonal bakers around the world are bookmarking cookie recipes, tracking down special ingredients, and panicking when they realise they forgot to leave the butter out to soften. Welcome to cookie swap season.

In the case of the hard-boiled egg, the yolk provides all of the flavour. Though it is a reliable and easily accessible source of protein, the white is aggressively bland, and no fun at all without seasoning. Salt (obviously) works well, but if you wish to outright infuse the white of an egg with tons of nutty umami, you should reach for the miso.

I grew up in a family of ice cream enthusiasts. My dad has always been a staunch supporter of Ben & Jerry’s, and a veritable super fan of Chubby Hubby — you know, the one with peanut butter and, more importantly, salty pretzels.

Summertime is, to me, synonymous with spicy peanut noodles, which I've been making every summer since I was allowed to cook pasta by myself. I love them so much that they almost make suffering through vicious, swampy heat and humidity feel worthwhile. Almost.

It's that magical time of year again, temperatures are once again climbing to levels most accurately described as "dangerous" and "oppressive". What a time to be alive.

Last night, as I was watching my stepmother prepare supper, I spied a plate — not a dish nor a bowl — but a plate of melted butter. She then proceeded to dip slices of French bread in the pool of butter, coating them completely from edge to edge before popping them in the toasted oven.

Service journalism is all about writing for other people, but sometimes I use this platform of mine to write 250-to-1000-word jokes to myself. This is one of those times. I don't know if you are up on all the dank memes of 2018, but none have tickled my boobs quite like "They Did Surgery on a Grape."

It's frustrating when a recipe doesn't immediately turn out how I envisioned it, but I always learn something. Just last night, I was working on a meaty situation, though the meat was a little chewy for my liking, both the liquid and the vegetables in the bottom of the insert were delicious. Rather than remove the veggies and reduce the pot liquor, I decided to employ this expert trick from Alex Guarnaschelli, and pureed them directly in the liquid for a thick, rich sauce.

In the world of food media, Samin Nosrat is a palate cleanser. Though she is a fount of cooking knowledge and wisdom, neither her award winning book nor her Netflix show ever feel prescriptive.

Instead, she invites the reader or viewer to learn about, eat and enjoy food, all while radiating joy and warmth. Keeping in that spirit of generosity, she was kind enough to tell us how she takes her coffee, her favourite Trader Joe’s meal, and why eating boiled vegetables can sometimes feel like a vacation. (She also let us look inside her fridge.)

Make-ahead entrées are a godsend during holiday entertaining season, but for some reason, it’s not the default technique for special-occasion meals. It really should be: not only is a day-old hearty braise easier on the host, but it actually tastes better than it does fresh from the oven.

When the weather outside is frightful, nothing is more delightful than a large amount of tomato-y, cheesy, baked pasta. You may think that this requires dirtying many dishes—a pot for boiling, a pot for making sauce, and then a baking dish—but this is untrue. All you need to do is slow roast your pasta (in a single dish) in a bath of milk.

Something about the holidays makes people want to gift sweet, homemade treats to each other. Even the most kitchen-avoidant among us flock to theirs to whip up seasonal confections. If you possess such an impulse but, like me, are quite lazy, I have good news: we have many treats you can DIY, with required effort ranging from “falling off a log” to “wow, I must love this person a good bit.”

One of summer's greatest pleasures is sipping an icy, refreshing beverage in the sunshine -- or the nearest patch of shade. Summery cocktails and punches aplenty are finally ready for their seasonal debut, and just about all of them could do with a bit of salt.

Any day can be Doughnut Day if you try hard enough. Honestly though, I love any opportunity to talk about doughnuts, and would like to use this holiday to bring awareness to my favourite summer dessert: grilled doughnuts.

I don't really do resolutions like "running" or "clean eating," but I do enjoy the "take charge of your life!" energy that each January brings. Instead of harnessing that energy to start a diet, consider making a few resolutions that aim to improve your kitchen and kitchen-related skills.

Tasty, nourishing, work lunches are key for getting you through the workday, and Epicurious has a great idea for getting five a week. It's called a "lunch swap" and it will change your midday meal.