In just 35 minutes, you can serve your family this incredibly delicious and good-for-you seafood supper. When it comes to busy weeknight dinners, quick and easy is the name of the game; and this tangy salmon with savory roasted vegetables is both full of flavor and hearty enough to satisfy the whole family. Make sure to cut the vegetables in similar sized pieces so they cook in the same amount of time. Couscous or quick cooking farro are both delicious and healthy substitutes for brown rice, and can be prepared while the rest of the meal is cooking. The tangy glaze is a great match for salmon, but it also pairs well with chicken and shrimp. Avoid buying thin fish fillets because they will finish cooking before the vegetables.
2 medium-size yellow bell peppers, cut into 1⁄2-inch-thick wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-oz.) skin-on salmon fillets
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (8.8-oz.) packages precooked microwavable brown rice
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
4 lime wedges (optional)
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine soy sauce, molasses, ginger, vinegar, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium. Cook, stirring often, until mixture simmers and reduces to about 1⁄2 cup, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 2
Thinly slice green parts of scallions; reserve. Cut white parts of scallions into 1-inch pieces, and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add sugar snap peas and bell peppers. Drizzle vegetables with oil, and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer.
Step 3
Place salmon fillets, skin side down, nestled in vegetable mixture; spoon about 1 tablespoon molasses mixture over each fillet. Reserve remaining molasses mixture. Sprinkle salmon and vegetables evenly with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven, and bake until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, salmon is cooked to medium, and glaze is golden, 16 to 18 minutes.
Step 4
Prepare rice according to package directions; divide evenly among serving plates. Place salmon and vegetables on plates; sprinkle with scallion slices and sesame seeds. Serve with remaining molasses mixture and, if desired, lime wedges.
This Pecan Crunch Tart is our newest take on classic pecan pie, a Southern staple. The most essential difference is that this recipe is made with phyllo dough for a flaky, buttery, crunchy, and completely delicious crust. This tart would pair incredibly with a little whipped cream and a hot cup of coffee. When preparing the phyllo dough remember these three things: defrost overnight, work quickly, and use a light hand.
Ingredients
10 (14- x 9-inch) frozen phyllo pastry sheets (from 1 [1-lb.] pkg.), thawed (such as Athens)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped toasted pecans
Whipped cream
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place phyllo on a work surface; cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent from drying out. Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. Microwave 1⁄4 cup of the butter in a small microwavable bowl on HIGH until butter melts, about 20 seconds. Brush 1 phyllo sheet lightly but completely with melted butter, and place, buttered side up, in prepared tart pan, pressing pastry into edges of pan. Brush another phyllo sheet with butter in the same way, and press pastry into pan, buttered side up, at a 45° angle to the first sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining 8 phyllo sheets, covering the bottom and sides of pan with a uniformly thick layer of phyllo. Trim overhanging pastry, leaving 1⁄2 inch of phyllo over the edges of the pan. Fold overhanging phyllo to inside, and press to adhere.
Step 2
Microwave remaining 1⁄4 cup butter in a small microwavable bowl on HIGH until butter melts, about 20 seconds. Combine melted butter, light corn syrup, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well. Stir in chopped toasted pecans. Pour mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until browned and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and place on a serving plate. Serve tart warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
This gorgeous chicken dish is one of those regional classics that many natives either grew up eating all the time or have never heard of before—but no one should miss out. It originated in the Lowcountry, that sunny area around Charleston and Savannah known for deep ports, salt marshes, and excellent cuisine. Country Captain Chicken has been a staple of Junior League cookbooks in the Southeast since at least the 1950s and is found in various forms in cookbooks from as far back as the 19th century. Chicken pieces are browned in butter or bacon fat and then braised in tomato sauce redolent with aromatic spices such as curry powder, nutmeg, and plenty of pepper. Lowcountry cooking often makes brilliant use of the spices that arrived aboard ships that sailed into the local harbors, perhaps with a country captain at the helm. This recipe was originally prepared with drumsticks, but we prefer using chicken thighs. The key to creating a depth of flavor in this dish is to use high-quality curry powder. It should be so fresh that opening the jar perfumes the kitchen.
Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 2 medium onions)
3 cups chopped green pepper (about 3 medium peppers)
2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp.)
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 (14.5-oz.) cans chopped tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup raisins
6 cups hot cooked rice
Toasted slivered almonds
How to Make It
Step 1
Combine flour, paprika, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large ziplock plastic freezer bag. Place chicken thighs, a few at a time, in bag of flour mixture, shaking to coat. When all chicken thighs are coated, discard flour mixture.
Step 2
Heat oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium, stirring until melted. Add 4 to 5 chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until well browned and crisp on 1 side, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer thighs to a plate, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Repeat twice with remaining thighs.
Step 3
Add chopped parsley, onions, bell peppers, garlic, curry powder, black pepper, nutmeg, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon salt to reserved drippings in Dutch oven; cook over medium, stirring often, until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes and raisins.
Step 4
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to medium-low, and return chicken to Dutch oven. Cover and simmer 15 minutes; uncover and cook until a thermometer inserted into chicken thighs registers 165°F, about 15 minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Garnish with almonds and reserved chopped parsley.
The most famous chicken dish in the South is probably fried chicken, but a good case can also be made for chicken and dumplings. Fried chicken celebrates the poultry in abundance, when everyone can get a piece or two. Chicken and dumplings makes the most of chicken in scarcity, when a single bird must feed a multitude. Although it gets top billing, the meat itself isn’t the star of the meal. The dumplings hold sway, and people are particular about how they’re made. Some like small strips of pastry dropped into the bubbling pot, either free-form and puffy or rolled thin and cut like noodles. Others prefer soft drop-biscuit dumplings that float atop the stew. No matter the style, this dish combines essential, resourceful Southern cuisine and the comfort of home cooking, all in one bowl. Mrs. Morton Smith experimented for years with different methods of making the perfect chicken and dumplings. When she submitted this recipe, she told us that buttermilk was the secret to dumplings with a light texture. She also kneaded them on a well-floured surface because the extra flour thickens the broth.
Ingredients
1 (2 1⁄2- to 3-lb.) whole chicken
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 quarts water
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup whole buttermilk
Chopped fresh chives
How to Make It
Step 1
Place chicken, celery, and carrots in a Dutch oven; add water and 2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil over high; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from broth, and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard skin and bone from chicken, and cut meat into bite-size pieces. Bring broth to a boil over high; stir in pepper.
Step 2
Meanwhile, combine flour, baking soda, and remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender (or use your fingers) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
Step 3
Pat dough to 1⁄2-inch thickness. Pinch off dough in 1 1⁄2-inch pieces, and drop into boiling broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency is reached, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in chicken. Garnish servings with chives.
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to share their absolute favorite thing they made this past year. Here’s what they said!
1.Fusilli Lasagna
“I made lasagna with regular pasta instead of the usual lasagna sheets. It turned out amazing, less greasy, and more flavorful. (I used fusilli, but most pasta will work.) You just assemble everything and toss it into the oven. Honestly, pasta lasagna is now my favorite lasagna. You should try it!” —HelenMV
“I made these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this past fall (using a recipe I found in a BuzzFeed post!) and they were amazing. My boyfriend described them as ‘tasting fall.'” —MickeyLaLa
“It was healthy, filling, and super affordable! Since it was just me eating it, I was able to portion it out into freezer containers and get several meals out of it.” —Jackie Demchak, Facebook
“Ina Garten’s summer pasta! It’s so simple. You marinate cherry tomatoes in olive oil for a few hours, cook and drain angel hair pasta, then mix in the olive oil, tomatoes, fresh Parm, and seasoning. It’s pretty much the easiest thing ever — and it’s always a massive hit.” —Ca1Ta
“I made small adjustments for my taste (like adding mushrooms and using potatoes instead of the cauliflower swap in this version), but it was hands down the best thing I’ve eaten all year.” —Halia2
“My in-laws are notorious for eating nothing but super unhealthy stuff on Thanksgiving — but I still brought them a vegetable dish this year. The kicker? They wouldn’t touch it so I had it all to myself, lol. And it was delicious from beginning to end! I tweaked the recipe a bit: Instead of bacon, I used roasted butternut squash. I also used half vodka in the crust recipe, which made it so soft and flaky and yummy. Normally I’d be sad if no one touched something I made, but this time it was just more for me — and I loved it.” —Kadamony
“I made this on a whim once because I wanted an easy Crock-Pot dinner, and now it’s in my regular dinner rotation because it’s so easy and delicious. The leftovers are great too!” —Felicia Gauthier
“To all my fellow basic, autumn-lovin’ ladies who love going apple picking and then immediately regret buying 20 pounds of apples: This apple tart is crazy simple, easier to make than pie, and impossible to mess up. It’s also ‘rustic’ —which basically means it’s allowed to look messy while still being ~chic~.” —Stephanie J.
16. Skillet Chicken With Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce
“My family loves this recipe! Even my brother (who is so picky when it comes to chicken) loves it. It’s so easy to make, full of flavor, and you can adjust it to your liking when it comes to the spices and acid. And the sauce tastes great with potatoes as well as vegetables.” —Kathryn W.
“My favorite thing was this four-hour bolognese! It’s chef Anne Burrell’s recipe, and my boyfriend said it was the best thing he ever ate.” —Lindsey Gia
In “Ocean’s 8,” Anne Hathaway expands a basic minor part into a career-high performance.
Photograph by Barry Wetcher / Warner Bros.
With the influx of coverage for the twentieth anniversary of “Sex and the City” coinciding with our ongoing grifter season—recently extended by the release of “Ocean’s 8” and the news of an upcoming Netflix series based on Anna Delvey—I’ve found myself wondering not whether I’m a Miranda or a Carrie but rather which role I would play on a team planning a heist.
“Ocean’s 8” re-creates the setup from Steven Soderbergh’s trilogy: Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, who is the sister of George Clooney’s deceased Danny Ocean, and who opens the movie in a parole hearing and leaves jail just like Danny did: in formal wear, with a warmly impassive smile. She heads straight for Lou, her laconic blond sidekick (the Brad Pitt role, played here by Cate Blanchett). Lou balks at Debbie’s plan to steal a diamond necklace at the Met Gala, but Debbie tells Lou they can do it quick, dirty, and cheap. They assemble a jewelry maker (Mindy Kaling), a suburban mom who moonlights as a fence (Sarah Paulson), a skateboarder-pickpocket (Awkwafina), a stoned hacker (the woefully underused Rihanna), a fashion designer with I.R.S. debt (Helena Bonham Carter), and an unwitting actress (Anne Hathaway). When choosing your heist role, there are fewer options here than in the boys’ movies. But it makes sense: if women make seventy-seven cents on the male dollar, “Ocean’s 11” multiplied by the wage gap will give you “Ocean’s 8.”
The Met Gala, overseen by Vogue and Anna Wintour, is an ideal setting, almost a gimme, for an all-female “Ocean’s” movie. I saw “Ocean’s 8” on a Friday night in a movie theatre with a full bar inside it. The diverse audience of white-wine drinkers gasped at a shot of the meticulously arranged Vogue shoe closet; they clapped when the gang descended the steps of the Met in glittering gowns. It’s a pity—perhaps the biggest missed opportunity in the movie—that this remake holds such little visual pleasure aside from these stock-photo moments. It’d be nice if the “all-female reboot” were odder, less straightforward, more beautiful than the male versions—something that felt like the film equivalent of swapping a tux for a surprising Met Ball gown.
Instead, “Ocean’s 8,” directed by Gary Ross, is hypercompetent and artless. Where Soderbergh quieted the slick silliness of the “Ocean’s” movies with a languid, extravagant visual grace, Ross makes everything run like clockwork. The “Ocean’s 11” thieves hung out by the pool at Reuben’s mansion; they capped off their job by watching the Bellagio fountain show in silence as “Clair de Lune” played. The women get few such moments of ease and connection and mystery: the last time they’re all together, they’re riding the M.T.A. Their side conversations double as sponsored content for Subway and Tinder. (Really. A whole scene is set in a Subway, and another one involves Awkwafina teaching Mindy Kaling what Tinder is.) What could be so stupidly grand onscreen—those diamonds and gowns, the Temple of Dendur—is workmanlike instead. Still, “Ocean’s 8” gives the viewer a high-wire, paint-by-numbers heist job, and, at one point, Kelis’s “Bossy” plays over a montage of Cartier necklaces in the sort of salivating closeup normally visited upon models in music videos. Nothing in this movie is trying to be interesting, but everything in it gets the job done.
“There is a thrill about big-con work which no other branch of the grift can duplicate,” David Maurer wrote in “The Big Con,” his 1940 classic about scammers of all kinds. In the book’s first paragraph, Maurer recognizes the con man as the “aristocrat” of grifters: he must use the full extent of his talent and ingenuity, and he plays for extremely high stakes. In one chapter, he notes that there are many notorious female pickpockets, thieves, and gamblers, but almost no women known for the big con. “There are plenty of women today who would make good,” an anonymous con man tells him, “but they haven’t had the chance because they don’t know any good grifters.” Others tell Maurer that conning is too undignified for women, or that women are too impulsive to rely on in the course of a long game.
Thankfully, “Ocean’s 8” mostly skips direct allusions to the particular glass ceiling being broken here. (Of the very few all-female heist movies in existence, none has aimed for this sort of gloss and glamour: they’ve been rougher, like “Set It Off,” or teen camp, like “Sugar & Spice.”) At one point, Lou suggests bringing a man onto the team, and Debbie says, as if delivering the thesis for a different movie, “I don’t want a him! A him gets noticed, a her gets ignored, and, for once, we want to be ignored.” (The movie does not hinge on the women pretending to be wallflowers.) Later, in another clunky, corny statement of purpose, Debbie gives her team a pep talk while speaking, in effect, directly to the audience: “Somewhere out there, there’s an eight-year-old girl in bed dreaming of being a criminal. Do this for her.” This ironic empowerment message is undercut further by Debbie’s true goal, which is to pin the whole crime on her ex-boyfriend, a character so boring that he appears in my head as a large blur.
What will last from “Ocean’s 8” is Anne Hathaway expanding a basic minor part into a career-high performance. In a movie that mostly treats womanhood as something that’s both rigid and incidental, Hathaway, playing the vapid, self-entranced actress Daphne Kluger, delivers a subversive and shockingly funny disquisition on femininity performed to fit. Until a twist that comes late in the movie, Daphne is basically a jellyfish: she appears to have no brain, just a collection of neurons that respond to appropriate stimuli—a mirror, a camera, a younger rival, a handsome man, a compliment, a captive audience, a slight. At a dress fitting, she hyperventilates at the slightest feeling that she might be anything less than magnificently beautiful; as Bonham Carter anxiously reassures her—she has the best neck in the world!—her Bambi features melt back to perfect self-satisfaction. For a few years there, Hathaway’s presence in Hollywood was attached to the narrative that she was trying too hard to be likable, that she was embarrassing herself by showing her work. This performance is a statement—Hathaway understands the game she’s playing—and a heist in itself. She runs away with the show.
Fergie and Josh Duhamel may have split toward the end of 2017, but they still have a strong bond when it comes to parenting their son, Axl. The couple welcomed their now-4-year-old in 2013, and as Fergie revealed to Entertainment Tonight, it’s “all love” between the three of them.
“We love each other,” Fergie said “We’re all cool and just a family.” The 43-year-old singer calls her ex a “good co-parenting partner” and sent a sweet shout-out to Josh on Father’s Day, posting a photo of Axl to her Instagram with the caption “Happy Father’s Day Dad! Love, Axl!”
On the special day, she and Josh had a plan to split the day in half, keeping things balanced for their son. Fergie has shared in the past how her plans with Josh are “forever” since they share Axl, and they’re “doing the best they can. While coparenting can be a challenge, the love these two share for each other and their son is obvious.
If your household is anything like mine, school-year breakfasts are all about getting your kids fed quickly and easily — with a focus on the quick. Cereal, prepackaged yogurts, and cut-up fruit are our standard before-school breakfasts, but once Summer arrives and no one has to be out the door by 7:27, it’s time to spice up the breakfast menu with items that kids will love . . . and moms might love even more. From make-ahead muffins, casseroles, and burritos to jazzed-up classic morning fare like smoothies and yogurt bowls, the following 26 recipes will start your Summer mornings off in the most delicious way possible.
Bacon Cheddar Biscuits
My Baking Addiction’s bacon cheddar biscuits are tender, flaky, and full of flavor. Serve them with scrambled eggs and thick-sliced bacon or turn them into bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches.
Baked Blackberry Ricotta French Toast
Half Baked Harvest’s baked blackberry ricotta french toast is incredibly easy to make and super delicious, filled with blackberry jam, ricotta cheese, and fresh blackberries.
Lemon Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
Who wouldn’t love a slice of She Likes Food’s lemon-raspberry baked oatmeal? Even better, it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator or freezer for an easy grab-and-go breakfast.
Make-Ahead Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Fit Foodie Finds’s make-ahead breakfast burritos are the perfect quick breakfast choice for busy Summer mornings. The burritos are packed with veggies and protein.
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake Muffins
Chocolate chip coffee cake muffins from Half Baked Harvest are better than any you’ll find at a bakery thanks to the addition of cinnamon streusel and semisweet chocolate chips.
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Bark
Betsy Life’s frozen yogurt bark is a great make-ahead breakfast or snack swirled with fruit spread and topped with fresh blueberries.
Brown Sugar Peach Puff Pastry Pop Tarts
Forget the store-bought version and fashion your own Pop-Tart with this brown sugar and peach puff-pastry version from Half Baked Harvest.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie Bowls
A childhood favorite turns into a healthy breakfast with Show Me the Yummy’s peanut butter and jelly smoothie bowls, full of frozen strawberries and all-natural peanut butter.
Overnight Waffles With Lemon Cream and Strawberries
Half Baked Harvest’s overnight waffles with lemon cream and strawberries are a game changer. The recipe calls for the batter to sit overnight, which not only makes for a quick breakfast, but also lets the batter develop a richer flavor and fluffy texture.
When I look back on my own childhood, most of the memories I have from the summertime take place outside — riding bikes with friends, jumping into my grandparents’ pool, creating masterpieces with sidewalk chalk on the driveway, washing my dad’s car. If you’re looking for ways to get your toddler (and even older kids) to put down the screens to have a Summer experience that looks like those of your own childhood, it’s high time to get them outside and making memories in the sunshine.
Scroll through for a mix of outdoor activities — most free, but some paid — that your toddler will love and remember for years to come.
Send Them on a Photo Scavenger Hunt
Give them a list of things to photograph outside, like flowers, rocks, and clouds.
Make S’mores
There’s nothing more classic than making s’mores over an open fire in the Summer.
Visit Every Local Playground
Make it a mini bucket list of sorts — hit every local playground, then decide which is the fan favorite to keep returning to!
Teach Them How to Ride a Bike
Whether a balance bike, a bike with training wheels, or the real two-wheel deal, Summer is the perfect time to teach your kids how to ride a bike.
Create Sidewalk Chalk Masterpieces
A little bit of sidewalk chalk goes a long way — play tic-tac-toe, teach them how to write sight words, or encourage them to create a masterpiece.
Eat Meals Outside
Afternoon tea, lunch, breakfast, dinner — you name a meal, it can be eaten outside.
Have an Outdoor Photo Shoot
Dress up your toddler in their favorite outfit and find fun places to take their photo around town — they’ll make for great holiday card photos!
Read a Book in the Fresh Air
Even if they don’t have assigned Summer reading, suggest they curl up in a lawn chair or sprawl out on a picnic blanket to listen to you read them a new book in the fresh air.
Look For Shapes in the Clouds
Set out a blanket on the lawn and look for fun shapes in the clouds together.
Splash in the Puddles After a Rainy Day
Following a Summer storm, pull on their rain boots and some clothes you don’t mind them getting muddy, and let them splash around in the puddles.
Teach Them How to Swim
Not only is learning how to swim an important skill, but it’s also a fun thing to learn! Take your toddler to the pool this Summer to teach them some tips (or sign them up for classes at your local pool, which may not be outdoors but is still a good thing to invest in!).
Eat Homemade Popsicles
Let the kids help you in the kitchen with homemade popsicles, then enjoy them outside once they’re frozen.
If you’re like us, you can walk around your house and point out items from Target’s Threshold, Project 62, Hearth and Hand With Magnolia, and Opalhouse home collections in almost every room. Now, you’ll have yet another Target home brand to welcome into your house. The newly launched Made By Design brand aims to rope in customers looking for well-designed items that solve everyday problems like finding affordable bedding, cookware, and organizational pieces without skimping on quality.
With more than 750 items, the line’s clean, simple, and modern aesthetic is meant to blend seamlessly with the items you already own. With most pieces available for less than $30, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to a popular Scandinavian home retailer offering unbeatable deals. Take a peek at some of the things we’re most excited to purchase (hello, $15 memory foam pillow!), and get ready to shop. These products are perfect for your beach house or summer/winter homes!
Beech Wood and Silicone Cooking Utensils ($2-$9)
Stainless Steel Cookware Collection ($130 for 11 pieces, also sold separately)
Closet Storage Collection ($5-$35)
Beech Wood and Silicone Cooking Utensils ($2-$9)
Stainless Steel Cookware Collection ($130 for 11 pieces, also sold separately)
