Blog Posts by Food52

Sunshine for dinner, courtesy of everyone's favorite: Mexican food! Well, Tex-Mex, really. Either way, delicious stuff. A luxurious, simple guacamole to serve (in big generous heaps) alongside lastnightsdinner's perfect mess of migas.

If you wanted to go all the way and mix up a pitcher of these, we would think you were a weeknight superstar and we'd like to know when you'd like us to come over.

The Menu

Not Exactly Grandma's Migas by lastnightsdinner

This recipe serves 6

1 tablespoon rendered pork fat, bacon grease, canola or vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
6-8 corn tortillas, cut into pieces, about 2 cups total
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 canned (or homemade) whole pickled green chile, stem removed
6 extra-large eggs
To serve: shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese and your favorite salsa

1. Heat the fat or oil in

As the air gets crisper and we start layering sweaters and wool socks, we can't help but dream about the seasonal goodies we will bake this winter. From those of us already dreaming about pumpkin, ginger, nutmeg, molasses, cinnamon, and the like, these recipes make the ultimate winter wonderland treats. With a kitchen full of coffee cake and mulled wine, being snowed in won't seem like such a drag after all.

• See our 10 favorite apple recipes for fall.

• Make the perfect soup for any season.

• Need kitchen advice? Ask the experts on the Food52 Hotline.

The skies are darkening; the rain is falling. It's you and your pantry. Not to fear! Here are 9 Frankenstorm-worthy recipes with just five ingredients (or less) -- time to feast!

• Check out 10 Recipes for Before, During, and After the Frankenstorm.

• Whip up one of our 7 Autumn Soups to ward off the chill.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

If you thought you needed a candy thermometer to make caramel apples, or that the perfect coating required a long list of ingredients, we've got good news.

Our favorite recipe couldn't be easier to make: No thermometers. No corn syrup. No stress. Just delicious caramel.

This sauce is good on everything -- as a dip for fruit, drizzled on chocolate cake, or poured over vanilla ice cream. But for Halloween, we have only one thing in mind: caramel apples. Here's how we like to make them, and our top 5 tips for success.

>> RELATED: The Best Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze

5 Tips for Foolproof Caramel

1. The best pan for the job: Any deep-sided skillet or saucepan will do the trick. Heavy-bottomed is best for even heating, but just about anything will work.

2. Be prepared: Have your cream and butter on hand -- you don't want to be running around when you've got caramel bubbling on the stove.

3. Hands off: Stir only once or twice as the sugar melts, but mostly leave

There are lots of things about autumn that make us feel good. Warm apple cider. The scent of wood smoke. The crunch of leaves under our feet.

Add a warm bowl of pasta to that list.

Here are 8 ideas for pastas that capture the best of the season, that warm us from the inside out, that, well, make us feel good.

• Cozy up to a warm bowl of one of these 7 Autumn Soups.

• See our 10 favorite apple recipes to use up this season's favorite fruit.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Merrill's baby Clara is finally old enough to eat solid foods. Armed with her greenmarket bag, a wooden spoon and a minimal amount of fuss, Merrill steps into the fray.

This week, it's all about texture.

Texture is a hot topic for the baby feeding crowd. Some believe that until your baby has a full set of teeth, you should only give her the softest of purees. Others say the fear of choking has been blown out of proportion.

>>RELATED: Check out our favorite puree, Carrots Cooked Forever.

Before we started Clara on solids, I saw this fascinating blog post about baby-led weaning, which shows a video of an 8-month-old (also named Clara) cheerfully feeding herself apple slices. We weren't sure about starting out by letting Clara feed herself entirely, but it gave us some ideas.

For the first few weeks, I pressed cottage cheese through a sieve so that she wouldn't struggle with the curds. Pretty soon, though, it was clear that she was developing a sort of

A colorful meal this is not. But what it lacks in hue, it delivers in complexity and comfort -- shades of white mean that the bursts of autumnal flavor hidden within the meal will elude until the very last moment. Then, that very first shocker of a bite and the cat will be out of the bag! Silky sweet and savory all at once, EmilyC's pear-kissed cauliflower soup is a warming comfort alongside mrslarkin's decadent cheese sandwich. Perhaps not so muted after all.

The Menu

Ode to the Caseus Cheese Truck by mrslarkin

This recipe serves one

2 slices sourdough bread
2 ounces shredded or thinly sliced cheese of your choice (soft or semi-hard melty cheese only)
unsalted butter, softened4 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon Parmigiano Reggiano, grated with a microplane grater
cornichons, or regular pickles
whole grain mustard

1. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium/medium-low heat. Spread one side of bread with butter -- don't be shy. Press two sage leaves on the

Halloween: the only night you have a valid excuse with your dentist to stuff yourself with sweet things. If you're entertaining (or imitating) ghouls, zombies, firefighters or superheroes, treats like peanut butter cups, caramels, and, of course, chocolate -- will surely leave your guests believing they've been treated rather than tricked.

• Hungry for more Halloween treats? Check out the submissions for Your Best Halloween Treat.

• If you're craving chocolate, try this chocolate bundt cake.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The FOOD52 Hotline is here to help!

Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.