Blog Posts by Food52

- Merrill

We've been saying we were going to do it for a couple of years now, and we finally did it. My husband and I bought a chest freezer. What on earth (you might ask) would possess a young couple living in a cramped New York apartment and expecting their first child to make such an outlandish purchase? After all, it's enough of a challenge to figure out where to store all of the baby gear without adding another large appliance to the mix.

Well, I've got news. The chest freezers of old, those massive, hulking objects reminiscent of Victorian-era steamer trunks, have been joined by a younger, sleeker breed. It was this stainless steel beauty that caught our eye last week and convinced us to finally take the plunge. It's nestled into a back corner of our dining room, where we plan to throw a tablecloth over it and add a vase of flowers or a bowl of fruit to complete the disguise.

Over the past ten days or so, I've been cooking up meals to fill our new freezer. It

Inspiration for tonight's dinner : breakfast! Perhaps the most forgiving meal of the day (it is meant to be prepared in the sleep-fog of early morning after all). Ultra-savory Salt and Pepper French Toast coupled with creamy Soft Scrambled Eggs prove that breakfast staples are no less enticing for the time of day they are served.

We've included a sort of meal-making plan of action, but click on the photos or links to find the fully-fleshed out recipes. A delicious supper in under an hour -- eat up! And if you've got breakfast on the brain after all of that, check out our handy round up of make-ahead breakfasts!

The Menu
Crispy Salt and Pepper French Toast

For the toast : 3 tablespoons of half & half

ketchup

Sriracha (Asian

The new year has passed, and we're now in detox mode. Resolution mode. Let's-be-healthy-and-not-have-five-desserts-a-day mode. Eating more whole grains, happily, falls into these categories. Here are 8 great winter grain recipes -- for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all of your healthy dreams and aspirations.

• Looking to eat healthy this year? Check out our New Year's Detox and our New Year's Resolutions.
• Browse more rice and grain recipes on Food52.
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

My Favorite Granola with Lots of Dried Fruit by ChezSuzanne

My husband and I tried this granola on yogurt and on its own for a 4pm-I-need-a-healthy-munchie-with-some-sugar-it-in-snack. It was perfect with it's mixture of salted roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and dried fruit all mixed in with molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. I'm making a MUCH bigger batch tomorrow.... - ChezSuzanne

Makes about 3 cups

1 1/2 cup

Is there anything more delicious than a perfectly-roasted chicken? We say: no. Here are 7 reasons why -- and 7 healthy, simple meals to boot. You'll be feeling like a winner in no time.

• Make it count: check out 3 ways to stretch your roasted chicken all week long.

• What to do with the leftover bones? Make this chicken broth.

• Browse recipes for winter side dishes to serve with your chicken.

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

Roasted Butterflied Chicken with Cardamom and Yogurt by TasteFood

TasteFood turns the everyday roast chicken on its head, simply by bathing it in an intoxicatingly spiced yogurt marinade, butterflying it, and flattening it into a cast iron skillet to roast. If you only have 3 hours to marinate, that'll do, but in our experience, overnight is well worth the wait. Note that, depending on your oven, you might need to cover the chicken with foil for the last 15 minutes of cooking if it's getting

As we ease back into the weekly grind after many lovely, lazy holiday celebrations, a belly warming dinner is just what the doctor ordered. Inspiration for tonight's dinner: toasty, creamy, rib-sticking classics to thaw that winter chill -- tarted-up grilled cheese and a bacon-kissed potato chowder (recipe below).

We've neatly condensed the recipes below to help you get dinner on the table tonight. Ten minutes at the store, twenty at the stove and that's that. Find more great wintery recipes in this roundup of 16 fabulous soups.

A colorful supper in under an hour -- dinner is served! See more simple, snappy ideas for dinner tonight here.

The Menu

Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon Vinaigrette by OB Cookie

Serves 6

For the soup:

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot diced
1 rib celery diced
3 cloves garlic diced
1 sprig rosemary chopped
1 teaspoon salt
6 medium Russet potatoes (about 2

Butternut squash: winter's darling belle, cold weather's saving grace, a vegetable delicious enough to make us toss our heads back and burst into song (really.). We love it roasted, sauteed, candied, raw -- with meats, with grains, with just about anything. Here are 9 of our recipes -- recipes worth, well, singing about.

Before you tackle the things, don't miss this video on How to Peel & Prep Butternut Squash.

Butternut Squash Salad by amanda

Serves 4

1 small butternut squash, halved, seeded and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
coarse kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
coarsely ground black pepper


1. Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, slice the butternut squash halves crosswise into thin strips (they should be thin enough to bend into a "u" shape). You will need 6 cups.

2. Spread the strips on two baking sheets.

Whether in Italy, Brazil, Germany or even the American South, legumes are a traditional and important part of New Year's celebrations around the world. Their small coin-like shapes are thought to be symbolic of money and represent the promise of financial good fortune and prosperity in the new year. We are strong believers that one can never have too much of a good thing, so here are 9 recipes to bring a little more luck to your table.

• >> RELATED: 9 Soup & Salad Recipes to Detox from the Holidays on Shine

Pasta e Fagioli

2 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small stalk celery
1 small can chicken broth
1 small can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup ditalini
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Grated Parmesan, to taste

1. In a heavy saucepan cook bacon over moderate heat,

A new year: a fresh start. Gone are the roasts, the cookies, those glorious hallmarks of the holiday season. We're going healthy (at least for a little while), and we're loving it.

Here are 10 dishes we'll be making all year long -- dishes so good we'll be raising our glasses (of water) to give a hearty "cheers!" Brought to you from the spirited home cooks' community at FOOD52.

• See more soup recipes on Food52.

• Browse salad recipes from the Food52 community.

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

Butternut Squash and Cider Soup

This is a great soup to have in your everyday arsenal. It's sweet, purely flavored and can be made in a flash. The recipe came from Canyon Ranch, back when the Berkshires spa was little known but expensive. Now it is just the latter. I think it's the perfect thing to serve the week after Thanksgiving, when you still crave the flavors but need a break from the heft. The recipe called for a red Rome