Erin Alexander – FoodWatcher

5 Ways to Give Your Kitchen the Reset it (Probably) Needs

We’ve teamed up with Blue Apron to keep dinner interesting—and stress-free as can be. Whether you’re a weekday vegetarian or all-around omnivore, Blue Apron’s ever-changing menus have recipes for every palate. Bonus: Every meal kit you receive comes with exact amount of ingredients you need plus a handy recipe card with step-by-step photos and even a wine pairing recommendation.

When it comes to New Year's Eve celebrations, I can take them or leave 'em. I'm just as happy to go out and celebrate with a group of friends as I am to spend the evening solo on the couch in my matching pajama set with a good movie and a mini bottle of Champagne (falling asleep before the ball drops, of course). I much prefer New Year's Day, when the resolutions I made the night before are fresh and full of promise.

The Meal Kit That Changed My Weeknight Cooking Routine

We’ve teamed up with Blue Apron to share smart tips, cooking inspiration, and gift ideas to get you through the holidays. A delicious idea: Give the gift of Blue Apron’s top-rated meal kits so your friends and family can get cooking this winter and bey…

We've teamed up with Blue Apron to share smart tips, cooking inspiration, and gift ideas to get you through the holidays. A delicious idea: Give the gift of Blue Apron's top-rated meal kits so your friends and family can get cooking this winter and beyond. Or give it a try for yourself—new customers get $110 off their first four boxes, plus free shipping on the first box.

When my boyfriend and I first moved in together, one of my favorite parts of our Sundays was planning the upcoming week's worth of dinners, carefully plotting out the shopping list and making a trip to the store, always with our trusty rolling cart in tow (because hauling multiple grocery bags 10 blocks and up the stairs was no easy feat). Our menus were a mix of recipes we both already loved—like warming rasam with white rice and ghee, quesadillas loaded with veggies, and an endlessly riffable pantry pasta when ingredients were running low—plus new dishes we'd try out and occasionally work into the rotation (this hearty sweet potato stew was an unexpected hit).

Our Best Goat Cheese Appetizers for One Heck of a Party

We’ve partnered with California cheese maker Cypress Grove to highlight creative ways to incorporate one of our favorite ingredients—goat cheese, like their award-winning Humboldt Fog—into your holiday party spread.
I am a cheese person. Put a plate o…

We've partnered with California cheese maker Cypress Grove to highlight creative ways to incorporate one of our favorite ingredients—goat cheese, like their award-winning Humboldt Fog—into your holiday party spread.

I am a cheese person. Put a plate of gooey macaroni and cheese, a slice of pizza with extra mozzarella, or creamy cheese dip in front of me and I'll choose that over just about anything else. So when the holiday season rolls around, it's only natural that I turn to my most beloved ingredient when planning a party menu. But while all cheeses are equally perfect in my eyes, during the more festive months, one in particular stands above the rest for its versatility: goat cheese.

9 Gift Ideas for the Meal-Prepping Pro in Your Life

I've always wanted to be the type of person who meal preps on a regular basis—batch-cooking grains and vegetables to mix and match throughout the week, freezing soups and casseroles for a heat-and-eat dinner, you get the picture. Though I may not have achieved meal prep superstar status yet, there are people on my holiday shopping list this year who definitely have, and maybe you know some, too.

These 15 Goat Cheese Recipes Are the G.O.A.T.

We’ve teamed up with Vermont Creamery to share our all-time best recipes starring goat cheese. Our top pick for cooking, baking, crumbling, spreading, and more: Vermont Creamery’s award-winning Classic Goat Cheese—with a mild flavor and fresh milk tast…

We've teamed up with Vermont Creamery to share our all-time best recipes starring goat cheese. Our top pick for cooking, baking, crumbling, spreading, and more: Vermont Creamery's award-winning Classic Goat Cheese—with a mild flavor and fresh milk taste, this smooth, gently tangy goat cheese is a must-have for all sorts of dishes, from savory to sweet and everything in between.

Goat cheese isn't one of those wallflower ingredients, to be whisked into a subtle sauce or used as a base for building flavor. With its signature tang, goat cheese makes its presence known at the very first bite—and that's exactly why we love it. Especially one that's fresh and mild, like Vermont Creamery's Classic Goat Cheese, which is versatile enough for both savory dishes and baked goods on the sweeter side.

9 Clever Kitchen Gifts for the Home Cook Who Has (Almost) Everything

We teamed up with LifeStraw to set you up for holiday success with a few of our favorite gift ideas for the kitchen. On the list: the LifeStraw Home, a sleek reusable water filter pitcher that also gives back—for every product purchased, a child in nee…

The holidays are a stressful season in many ways, but one that tops my list every winter is figuring out what to buy all the people on my list. I tend to go with gifts for the kitchen—most of my friends and family are seasoned home cooks—but over the years I've exhausted my go-tos, like a classic set of kitchen knives or my favorite pair of nonstick skillets.

For the Coziest Dinner Table, Skip the Serving Platters

This season, we’re taking our most treasured cookware from the kitchen to the dinner table, with help from our friends at Le Creuset. Handcrafted in France since 1925, Le Creuset’s enameled cast-iron pieces—from their timeless Dutch Ovens to their trus…

This season, we're taking our most treasured cookware from the kitchen to the dinner table, with help from our friends at Le Creuset. Handcrafted in France since 1925, Le Creuset's enameled cast-iron pieces—from their timeless Dutch Ovens to their trusty Signature Skillets—come in a slew of bright, bold colors and are durable enough to last a lifetime (or two).

If there's one thing that's almost universally true of living in New York City, it's this: Finding an apartment with an open, spacious kitchen is like finding a chocolate croissant at your favorite bakery after the morning rush (extremely unlikely, if not impossible). After six years and three rentals, I've still yet to turn up anything with more than a closed-off, galley-style kitchen—at least within my budget, anyway.

Easy Holiday Party Snacks That Are Ready in a Flash

We’ve partnered with Blue Diamond to highlight clever tips and tricks for pulling off any holiday get-together without breaking a sweat. It’s your party, after all, so you might as well enjoy it!

If you’ve ever attended one of my holiday parties, it…

We've partnered with Blue Diamond to highlight clever tips and tricks for pulling off any holiday get-together without breaking a sweat. It's your party, after all, so you might as well enjoy it!

If you've ever attended one of my holiday parties, it's likely you've walked into one of two scenarios: me running back and forth into the kitchen, sweating, frantically trying to get some sort of appetizer or main course on the table; or else I'm cool as a cucumber, dressed up in a new outfit I definitely bought for the occasion, only there's nary a plate of food in sight—just wine.

2 Thanksgiving-Ready Menus That Pair Perfectly With Wine

We’ve teamed up with Erath Winery—known for their critically acclaimed Oregon wines—to share food-and-wine pairing ideas perfect for the fall season. Thanksgiving’s almost here, so we’ve cooked up two holiday-ready menus, including our favorite wines f…

We've teamed up with Erath Winery—known for their critically acclaimed Oregon wines—to share food-and-wine pairing ideas perfect for the fall season. Thanksgiving's almost here, so we've cooked up two holiday-ready menus, including our favorite wines from Erath Winery to sip alongside 'em.

While I'm always happy to sip whatever wine is being poured at the dinner table—especially if I'm a guest at someone else's house—when it comes down to it, I've definitely got my favorites. During the summer, it's rosé all the way, especially something dry with notes of tart fruit and a fresh acidity. But once the cooler weather rolls in, I say goodbye to rosé for the season and dive in to my favorite red wines.

7 Recipes to See You Through the Changing Seasons

We’ve teamed up with Erath Winery—known for their critically acclaimed Oregon wines—to share cooking inspiration for the changing seasons. On the menu: light yet comforting dishes to ease you into the cooler weather, plus the best wines to pair ’em wit…

We've teamed up with Erath Winery—known for their critically acclaimed Oregon wines—to share cooking inspiration for the changing seasons. On the menu: light yet comforting dishes to ease you into the cooler weather, plus the best wines to pair 'em with.

While most people are sad to see summer go, I welcome its departure every year. (Farewell, 90 percent humidity and sweating through my T-shirt; I will not miss you.) Fall is my season—and my favorite time of year to cook.