Chris Smith

Skillet Peach Crisp

Peak summer peaches under a buttery oat topping, baked in the skillet you cooked them in. Twenty minutes of work, and it's better than pie.

Desserts 1 hr 15 min

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

The extra ten minutes of browning butter is the difference between a good cookie and one people ask about. Crisp edges, soft middle, deep toffee flavor.

Sheet pan of honey mustard salmon with roasted potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, and red onion

Seasonal Picks 35 min

Sheet-Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Summer Vegetables

One pan, thirty minutes, and the kind of light dinner that still feels like a real meal at the end of a hot day.

Summer pasta with cherry tomatoes, charred corn, mozzarella, and fresh basil in a ceramic bowl

Seasonal Picks 30 min

Summer Corn, Tomato, and Basil Pasta

No cooked sauce, no simmering — the tomatoes break down in the residual heat of the pasta. Peak-August cooking with the stove on for twelve minutes.

Chickpeas in spiced tomato sauce with spinach in a skillet, topped with yogurt and olive oil

Quick Dinners 25 min

Spicy Chickpea and Spinach Skillet

Pantry to plate in 25 minutes, entirely meatless, and filling enough that nobody asks where the meat is.

Salmon fillets in a glossy honey soy glaze topped with scallions and sesame seeds

Quick Dinners 20 min

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon

Twenty minutes, four ingredients in the glaze, and a piece of fish that looks like you tried much harder than you did.

Foil-wrapped breakfast burritos with one cut open showing egg, potato, sausage, and melted cheese

Breakfast & Brunch 50 min

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

One Sunday afternoon buys you three weeks of hot breakfasts at about a dollar each. Wrap, freeze, microwave, leave the house.

Bowl of beef chili topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and scallions

Comfort Food 1 hr 10 min

Weeknight Beef Chili

An hour on the stove, one pot, and a pot of chili that tastes like it took three. Makes enough for dinner plus lunches.

Budget Cooking 50 min

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Entirely meatless, under $10 for the whole pot, and hearty enough that nobody notices there's no beef in it.

Chicken parmesan meatballs in marinara topped with melted mozzarella and basil

Family Meals 45 min

Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

All the flavor of chicken parm without pounding cutlets or standing over a frying pan. Baked, sauced, and topped with melted mozzarella.

Crispy chicken thighs and charred broccoli on a sheet pan with lemon halves

Quick Dinners 35 min

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Charred Broccoli

One sheet pan, two components, thirty minutes. The broccoli roasts in chicken fat, which is the entire reason people who claim to hate broccoli eat this.

Sesame ground beef over white rice in a bowl with scallions, sesame seeds, and cucumber