Welcome back!  Today, we have a miniature version of a classic American dessert: Mini Apple Pie! Sometimes an entire apple pie is too much (but when is it really?), so having the technique to bake some mini pies can certainly come in handy. Plus, you can bake multiple different mini pies at once by taking the filling from any other pie, such as peach or cherry pie. It's a great way to make a delicious pie sampler! Mini Apple Pies Makes four 4" pies Ingredients: 2 9"  pie crusts  (or almond-based pie crusts ) 3 large apples, cubed, such as Granny Smith 100 grams brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground clove 1 tablespoon corn starch Directions: In a bowl, mix the apple chunks with the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Let the spiced apple sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours. This will draw the juices out of the apple. Add the corn starch into the apples and mix to th...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a new twist version of a breakfast staple: Blueberry Muffins with Streusel! This might seem like our Blueberry Muffins , but a quick comparison shows that their differences are not negligible. Besides the streusel, which is clearly a new addition to the recipe, this version of muffin has a simpler procedure (so that you'll have the energy to make the streusel) while still retaining its moist and flavorful goodness. Baking is a science, but you can always use multiple methods to achieve the same goal. Blueberry Muffin With Streusel Makes 12 muffins Ingredients: For the muffin batter: 1/2 cup oil 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups blueberries For the streusel: 1/4 cup flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons sugar 1/8 teaspoon teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons cold butter Directions: In a bowl, mix the oil, eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract together. Sift in the f...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a classic breakfast-dessert dish: Cinnamon Rolls! Cinnamon rolls evoke the feeling of a nice American brunch spread, or a breakfast at a Southern cafe - who market their cinnamon rolls as the gooiest, fluffiest, most cinnamon-y delights you've seen. Well, cinnamon rolls actually find their strongest roots in Scandinavia, with Sweden in particular. In fact, Sweden and Finland originated a National Cinnamon Roll Day, on October 4th, to celebrate their cultural delicacy. The American version really isn't too different save for the use of a cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon Rolls Makes 9 cinnamon rolls Ingredients: 375 grams bread flour 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 40 grams sugar 180 grams milk, slightly warm 40 grams softened butter 4 tablespoons softened butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 4 ounce softened cream cheese 2 tablespoons softened butter 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 9...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another wonderful baked good: Blueberry Yogurt Biscuits! These American-style biscuits - crumbly yet fluffy - are a wonderful treat to incorporate your fresh summer blueberries into. Plus, this recipe substitutes the commonly used buttermilk for a simple yogurt and milk mixture which we find to be more easily accessible. Serve it up with a nice freshly brewed coffee and you'll have the perfectly relaxing breakfast. Blueberry Yogurt Biscuits Makes 8-10 biscuits Ingredients: 1/2 cup yogurt 1/4 cup milk 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar Zest from 1 lemon 6 tablespoons cold butter, diced 1 cup blueberries Turbinado sugar for garnish Directions: In a bowl, mix the yogurt and milk. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or a couple forks, incorporate the diced butter into the dry ingredients. It should still be a little...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a Southern favorite: Peach Cobbler! In fact, peach cobbler is so loved, it's become Texas's official state cobbler, and you can find it at any real barbecue place in the South. Cobblers are an easy way to bake your summer fruits into a warm, delicious dish, whether it be apples, berries, or of course, peaches. You basically throw all your ingredients together and toss it in the oven (a couple of times) and that's your cobbler! Peach Cobbler Ingredients: For the filling: 4 large peaches (about 2 pounds), cut into small chunks Juice from half of a lemon 1/4 cup brown sugar A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon corn starch For the topping: 1 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces 1/4 cup plain yogurt 2 tablespoons milk 1/4 cup turbinado sugar Optionally, you can add some spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, either to the filling or the topping. Directions: In a ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious Cajun-Creole dish: Langoustine Etouffee! Etouffee (or with accents, Étouffée) is a stew-like rice dish featuring shellfish, typically crawfish, in addition to all the typical Cajun or Creole seasonings. Our version uses langoustine, which is another shellfish that is frequently used as a cheaper substitute for lobster. It's still a great ingredient that really gets highlighted in the etouffee. Langoustine Etouffee Ingredients: 1 1/2 pound langoustine 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons flour 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup) 1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup) 3 tomato, diced (about 1 cup) 2 sprigs thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme) 2 bay leaves 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup white wine 3 cups seafood stock Salt and pepper to taste Parsley to garnish Cooked rice Directions: If using frozen langoustine, thaw them in the fridge the n...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for one of the most classic American breakfast dishes: Pancakes! Pancakes come in all shapes and sizes across different cultures, but the American pancake is iconic for its thin-but-slightly-fluffy texture that's conducive to all sorts of variations, including pancake art, and being topped with a small slab of butter and/or maple syrup. Plus, they're a quick and fun dish to make (something that the kids will love!) and you can experiment with all sorts of different fillings. Pancakes Makes about 8 medium-sized pancakes Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 egg 1 1/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional) Directions: Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add in the salt and sugar and mix. Beat an egg and pour it into the dry mixture. Pour in the milk, vanilla extract, and butter (if you want to use it). Mix until the ingr...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious recipe for a Northeastern classic: the Lobster Roll! These sandwiches are a great way to enjoy lobster by putting it in a convenient-to-eat dish that really highlights the flavor of the star ingredient. There are actually two main types of lobster rolls: one from Maine and one from Connecticut, featuring two types of lobster preparation. The Maine variation dresses the lobster in just mayo while the Connecticut one uses melted butter; we, on the other hand, decided to incorporate both into our recipe - and it tastes great! Lobster Roll Makes about 4 lobster rolls Ingredients: 1 pound lobster tails 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup mayo 1/4 cup celery, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon chives, chopped A pinch salt A pinch ground black pepper 4 brioche hot dog buns Directions: In a bowl, mix the mayo, celery, lemon juice, chives, salt, and black pepper. Cook the lobster tails by steaming. You want to cook about one minute per ounce; ea...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another way for you to use your key limes, this time with a cheesecake! It's like any normal cheesecake, just with key lime juice, and once again, we used an almond crust since we thought it fit so well with the key lime pie from before. We really like key limes, so it's good to have another way to use them, though to be honest, this is pretty similar to a traditional key lime pie, just creamier, and with no crust on the edge. Key Lime Cheesecake (with Almond Crust) Makes a 9" or 10" cheesecake Ingredients: One pie crust (we used an almond flour crust, but honestly, anything else will work) 3 8-ounce boxes of cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup sugar (depends on how sour you want it) 1 cup Greek yogurt 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup key lime juice Directions: Prepare your crust. Follow the instructions here , and then put the crust into the pie pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Be sure to poke holes in the crust. Crea...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another recipe for chicken wings, but this time, we're using the air-fry setting on our oven! This one is super easy to prepare, just throw the wings in the oven/air-fryer and cook! Of course, since we're using the air-fryer, we made these wings more like fried chicken wings, less like the ones we made with the Instant Pot . But this is a much healthier alternative to truly fried chicken wings because you don't bathe them in oil. Air-Fried Chicken Wings Ingredients: Chicken wings Salt and pepper Some flour Optional seasonings (Italian seasoning, thyme, garlic powder, paprika, etc.) Directions: Mix the salt and pepper with the flour. If you want to have other seasonings, add them in too. Coat the chicken wings with a thin layer of the flour mixture. Airfry at 375°F for 15 minutes. You could also just bake it at 425°F for the same amount of time. Flip the wings over. You should also change the parchment paper to get rid of the juices. Put it back...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a nice and convenient recipe for homemade buffalo wings! These wings are so soft and juicy because of the Instant Pot, and it really isn't hard to make at all. Plus, the cook time is really quite short: the final boil in the oven is only 6-10 minutes. They're honestly so good that you don't even need any more sauce when you're eating them! Instant Pot Buffalo Wings Ingredients: 3-4 pounds chicken wings Salt and pepper Garlic powder Buffalo sauce (you can even make your own) Directions: Season the wings with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In the Instant Pot, pour in 1 cup of water and put in the trivet. Place the wings in vertically. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then release the pressure. Take the wings out. On a baking pan, put the wings on a piece of parchment paper. Apply buffalo sauce to all sides of the meat. In the oven, boil until golden, about 3-5 minutes on each side. This recipe actually ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious barbecue classic: pulled pork! This is a great recipe that, thanks to the Instant Pot, anyone can conveniently make in their own homes while still enjoying the barbecue taste of the pork. The sauce and seasonings can also be adjusted to fit your own taste; perhaps you could add some liquid smoke to give it a nice, smoky flavor. Instant Pot Pulled Pork Ingredients: 4 pounds pork butt/shoulder 2 tablespoons oil Seasoning Rub: 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1/2 teaspoon cayenne Sauce: 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (optional) 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional) 1 cup barbecue sauce Directions: Cut the pork into strips that are about 2-3 inches thick. Sprinkle the seasonings on the pork and rub all around. Put in the fridge and let sit for 1-2 hours or overnight. In the Instant Pot, sear the pork wi...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a quite unique dish: stuffed bell peppers! This type of culinary concoction is found all over the world, with different cuisines adapting the dish to their own cultures. They vary greatly, but the one we have here is more of a traditional American version. However, you could honestly stuff these peppers with whatever you want; there are plenty interesting ones out there on the Internet, from vegan  to Southwestern filling. Stuffed Bell Peppers Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 2 large sweet bell peppers (any color) 1/2 pound ground beef (pork or turkey also works) 1/2 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 can (7 ounces) diced tomatoes (you can also use fresh tomatoes) 1 cup cooked wild rice 2 teaspoons Worcestshire sauce 1 teaspoon herbs (thyme, oregano, Italian, pepper flakes, etc.) Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup cheese (we used pepper jack) Directions: Cut the bell peppers in half. Scoop out the inside membranes and seeds. Put the bell peppers...