Kendra Vaculin
Associate Food Editor
Originally from the San Francisco East Bay, Kendra has worked in food media (Eater, Food52) and test kitchens (Blue Apron) across New York City since 2014, as a writer, recipe developer, and producer. Since starting at Epi and Bon Appetit, she's started a weekly newsletter about what you should make for dinner tonight, written about cooking with weed, and developed recipes for the kinds of food she loves to eat (weeknight dinners, pantry pasta, party snacks). She likes ice cream more than vegetables, but it's much closer than you'd think.
Skillet Cheesesteak With Broccoli Rabe
Is there a better way to eat steak than under a melty layer of pepper Jack with lemony broccoli rabe? We think not!
Green Chile Shrimp Scampi With Spaghetti
All the buttery, garlicky pleasure of shrimp scampi with a sizzle of chile heat.
Baked Eggs and Greens in Harissa Tomato Sauce
Saucy, spicy baked eggs you can eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Raspberry-Tahini Thumbprint Cookies
Like PB&J if you made it a cookie and replaced the PB with T.
Jarred Peppers and Olives Are My Weeknight Dinner Dream Team
Tossed with pasta or cooked into shrimp and rice, the sweet and briny pair make a killer sauce.
27 Actually Good Gifts to Get the Cook in Your Life This Valentine’s Day
The Love Industrial Complex is telling you to buy a dozen roses. We're telling you to buy mezcal instead.
Baked Rigatoni With Red Peppers and Green Olives
Build a sauce bulked up with jarred red peppers and green olives, then toss it with pasta and lots of mozzarella cheese that goes crisp on top and cheesy-pully in the middle in the oven.
One-Pot Spiced Shrimp and Rice
Truly a one-pot wonder, this dish is homey, comforting, and weeknight-friendly (thanks to the minimal cleanup). Rinse your rice until the water runs clear before adding to keep the grains from going clumpy or gummy in the pot.
Turmeric Caramel Cod
If you’ve ever found whitefish too plain or bland, this sticky savory-sweet turmeric-packed caramel is your new best friend.
Pastitsio
This hearty Greek pasta bake is packed with impressive-looking layers of chewy giant noodles, spiced meat, and a creamy, cheesy béchamel to top it all off.
The Best Low-Effort, High-Reward Dessert Is This Overnight Candied Pumpkin
You can have a little squash, as a treat.
With These Goat Cheese and Salami Stuffed Dates, You Can Sip Your Cocktail While You Snack
These salty, sweet, and meaty one-biters spell cocktail hour success.
Ham and Cheese Hand Pies With Honey Mustard
These savory hand pies are flaky, melty, and, thanks to a package of frozen puff pastry and sliced deli ham and cheese, really simple to assemble.
Spatter Paint Sugar Cookies
These tender, buttery sugar cookies use cold butter (no waiting around for yours to soften!) and come together in a food processor, so you can go from zero to dough in minutes.
Shrimp and Crispy Rice With Citrus
The combination of juicy mixed citrus with sliced avocado and sautéed shrimp is striking and, yes, delicious—but we all know that the bed of crispy rice is why you’re here.
Cranberry Rum Punch
This rum punch is very simple to throw together, but cranberry-studded ice makes it feel deceptively fancy, doubling as a festive garnish and temperature control.
Candy Cane Ice Cream in a Bag
Make ice cream without an ice cream machine using this zip-top bag and rock salt trick. Peppermint flavoring and candy canes are festive, but you can flavor your ice cream any way you like.
Goat Cheese and Salami Stuffed Dates
As a last-minute party snack or an addition to your dinner party table, these one-biters can’t be beat.
Tiny Potatoes with Sour Cream and Onions
These extra creamy (and extra cute) tiny potatoes are reminiscent of sour cream-slathered potato pierogi, which is a very good thing.
Radicchio, Bean, and Feta Salad
The solution to legume doom: This citrusy marinated bean salad with crunchy greens and big chunks of salty feta.