February is a short month filled with cozy nights and even cozier dinners. As winter is in full swing, comforting meals remain at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
With this lineup, we’re offering a spread of quick dinners that are pleasing to both kids and adults. Some of these recipes, like our asparagus-stuffed chicken, are made for special occasion nights, while others are made for a simple night-in, like our honey chicken stir-fry. No matter the type of night you’re having or who you’re spending it with, we hope it’s with quality recipes that highlight the fresh produce and flavors of February.
Learn to make quick, easy, and utterly delicious mini meals (without the clean up!) in this collection of muffin tin recipes. Acclaimed chef Matt Kadey proves that the muffin tin is not just for desserts anymore! In the same way it transforms a single cake into a dozen cute cupcakes, your muffin tin is the secret to making tasty and fun mini versions of all your favorite foods. Filled with full-color photos and easy-to-follow recipes, this handy cookbook shows how to whip up pop-in-your-mouth, perfectly portioned dishes. From crowd-pleasing appetizers and enticing side dishes to mouth-watering entrees and delectable desserts, Muffin Tin Chef features 101 creative recipes, including: • Baked Eggs in Prosciutto Cups • Peach-Stuffed French Toast Bowls • Spinach Dip Bowls • Jalapeño Cheese Rolls • Butternut Squash Soufflés • Chicken Italiano Pizza Bites • Lasagna Rolls • Crab Cakes with Corn-Tomato Relish • No-Bake Cheesecakes with Raspberry Sauce
If you’ve got a household of pizza and pasta lovers, this slow-cooker pizza pasta recipe is the perfect mashup of everyone’s favorite foods. This easy, kid-friendly dinner is loaded with tender egg noodles, hearty meat sauce, zippy pepperoni and, of course, plenty of ooey-gooey cheese. Simply boil a package of noodles and brown the ground meat and veggies on the stovetop. Then, layer everything in the slow cooker and let it work its magic for the few hours leading up to dinnertime.
Ingredients for Slow-Cooker Pizza Pasta
Noodles: Tender egg noodles hold up beautifully in the slow cooker without getting mushy. You can use another pasta shape, like rotini or penne, but be sure to slightly undercook them so they finish cooking in the slow cooker.
Ground meat: Use ground beef for rich, meaty flavor, or opt for ground turkey if you prefer a leaner option. You could also use bulk Italian sausage for added savoriness.
Veggies: Saute chopped green bell pepper and onion with the meat for added texture and aromatics. This recipe also calls for jarred mushrooms, but you can use fresh sliced mushrooms for a meatier texture and fresher flavor.
Spaghetti sauce: Classic red sauce adds tanginess and keeps the meat and pasta tender. Use homemade spaghetti sauce to control the seasoning or your favorite store-bought sauce for convenience.
Italian seasoning: This blend of dried herbs adds depth and a fragrant aroma.
Pepperoni: Zesty pepperoni brings a salty, slightly spicy kick and fun pizza-inspired flavor to the dish. Cut each slice in half for even layering and easier mouthfuls.
Shredded cheese: A mix of shredded cheddar and mozzarella creates plenty of ooey-gooey meltiness throughout the dish with both sharp and mild flavors. Feel free to use other melting cheeses, like provolone or Monterey Jack.
There’s nothing I love more than enjoying a fresh salad that celebrates fruits and vegetables at their peak. In summer salads, that might mean bowls filled with sweet corn and peppery arugula or a sun-ripened peach Caprese salad with juicy tomatoes. As the weather cools, it’s all about roasted squash, blue cheese and crunchy pepitas. The best salad ingredients should shift with the seasons, and these winter salad recipes prove there’s zero excuse for sad meals, even in the coldest months.
Winter salads have their own magic. This is the moment for hearty greens like kale, radicchio and escarole that hold up beautifully to thick and creamy or light and zippy homemade salad dressings, as well as craveable add-ins, such as roasted root vegetables, caramelized squash, toasted nuts, warm grains and crumbly cheeses. It’s also peak season for citrus, pomegranates, pears and apples, bringing juicy sweetness, bright acidity and pops of color.
To add more heft and satiety to these leafy creations, top with your favorite protein, such as grilled chicken tenders, sliced flank steak or sauteed shrimp. With that in mind, get ready to bookmark these recipes that hit the sweet spot of seasonal produce, vibrant flavors and weeknight ease. They’re hearty enough for cold days and colorful enough to brighten your table.
Be the MVP of game-day eats with these party-perfect snacks. You can choose wings, dips, nachos, or guac. These recipes are guaranteed to make this your best Super Bowl spread yet.
Our Best Super Bowl Snack Ideas
It’s the biggest game of the season and you’re no doubt expecting a houseful of hungry fans. Even if you’ve enlisted the help of your guest and are planning a potluck-style spread of all the classics. These include chili, chicken wings, and fun desserts. You’re going to need to make a few snacks and small bites for your party, too. You’ll find all the recipes you need in this roundup. We’ve got dips, jalapeno poppers, pigs in a blanket and more. A guaranteed winner? This flaky, golden ring of crescent dough, packed with all the flavors of a cheesy, chicken enchilada. It’s portable (so your guests can eat by the television!) and sure to please — making it perfect for parties.
Football Cheese Ball and Charcuterie Board
This fun board will feed the whole team and then some. You can prep the fruit and vegetables earlier in the day. Make the cheeseball in advance, too. Then, all you have to do is put everything together on the board before the big game. If you have one, a large wooden carving board is ideal. Ensure it has a well around the edge that catches carving juices. You can tuck the folded charcuterie in the well. This helps it stand up and create the edge of your “stadium.”
Popcorn chicken is one of those dishes that I simply cannot resist. The bite-sized morsels of chicken are crispy on the outside. They are juicy on the inside. Since they’re boneless, they’re super easy to pop into your mouth. Like picnic-style buttermilk fried chicken, these tiny fried chicken bites are soaked in buttermilk. Then, they are dredged in flour and fried. They’re a perfect game day snack or potluck recipe. They also happen to make a great family meal when served with some sauces and your favorite sides. Your kids will love how savory and bite-sized they are, and you’ll love how easy they are to make.
Popcorn Chicken vs. Chicken Nuggets
While these fried chicken bites are similar, there are some key differences between popcorn chicken and chicken nuggets. Chicken nuggets are made of ground chicken bound into uniform pieces. On the flip side, popcorn chicken uses boneless chicken breasts cut into large chunks and marinated in buttermilk before being fried. The fry coating on each piece of popcorn chicken is a little different, which is part of what makes them so tasty, and they tend to have a thicker coating than chicken nuggets. The most famous nuggets are probably the McDonald’s chicken nuggets, and popcorn chicken originally comes from KFC.
Ingredients for Popcorn Chicken
Chicken breast: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut up into 1-inch cubes.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk tenderizes the chicken, imparts a tangy, delicious flavor, and keeps it moist, so you don’t have to worry about dried-out chicken. If you don’t have it on hand, you can always make buttermilk from scratch.
All-purpose flour: Seasoned all-purpose flour gives the chicken a delicious crispy coating. You can use gluten-free flour for gluten-free popcorn chicken.
Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper make the dredge super flavorful.
Oil: The best oils for frying are neutral in flavor and can stand up to high heat, like canola or grapeseed oils.
A fun twist on the iconic state fair corn dog, this easy corn dog casserole is in and out of the oven in 30 minutes. Best of all, there’s no waiting in line.
A corn dog casserole is a homey way to mimic the flavor of that favorite fair food on a stick, without the fuss. The key ingredients are the same: hot dogs and a cornbread batter. Our corn dog casserole recipe includes a few more ingredients and skips the deep frying (and the stick) to create a family-friendly fare for casual mealtimes. Pair it with a side of roasted carrots and pop them in the oven at the same time.
This dish is also quick to disappear at potlucks. It’s hard to resist the cheesy, fluffy cornbread chunks of juicy hotdogs. Although we love the traditional flavor of all-beef hot dogs, feel free to use your favorite frank or sausage.
Corn Dog Casserole Ingredients
Nicole Perry for Taste of Home
Butter: It does indeed make everything better. This recipe calls for it to be melted to saute the vegetables, adding a rich flavor.
Celery and green onions: The combination, gently cooked in butter until tender, adds a foundation of earthy flavor.
Hot dogs: For the best corn dog flavor, go for a high-quality beef hot dog.
Eggs: Not only do eggs help the batter rise, but they provide structure to keep the baked cornbread from crumbling to pieces.
Milk: The liquid adds moisture to create a thick and fluffy batter. We like 2% milk in this recipe, but nut milk works well, too.
Seasonings: Sage and pepper add boosts of savory flavors.
Cornbread/muffin mix: A corn dog casserole doesn’t taste the same without it! Cornbread/muffin mix is typically made with yellow cornmeal and is an easy-prep base for the batter.
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: If you have a few extra minutes, grate your cheese. Packaged shredded cheese typically contains preservatives that make it a bit more difficult to melt.
While I love making a special meal on Valentine’s Day, my real food love language is snacks. But I don’t mean a handful of baby carrots or a half-stale granola bar. Whether sweet or savory, the little nibbles that carry us through the day until that romantic date-night dinner can be just as thoughtful as the main course. That’s what this collection of Valentine’s Day snacks celebrates.
Here, you will find a mix of sweet and savory festive treats, so you can still enjoy a pink cupcake, a few chocolate-covered tuxedo strawberries or a slice of decadent chocolate cake for Valentine’s Day dessert without feeling as if you’ve gone overboard on sugar all day. For something that you can graze on all afternoon, try a snack board loaded with a combination of cheese, crackers and cured meats.
You can even turn these snacks into a meal by making a variety of dishes. Pair shrimp skewers or crab-stuffed mushrooms with steak bites for surf-and-turf vibes, along with a few different types of bruschetta for color and texture. The best part about these Valentine’s Day snacks is that they’re elegant and delicious yet easy enough to prepare so you still have time to spend with your Valentine.
I think we can all agree that a hot, cheesy pizza is the ultimate party food. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday or gathering around the TV for a big game, nothing beats a fresh slice—except maybe some ooey-gooey pizza-inspired snacks.
This white pizza dip is the perfect shareable appetizer. It’s creamy, loaded with melty mozzarella, and bursting with all the garlic and herby flavor of a sauceless pizza. It comes together in just a few simple steps, and there’s no dough rolling required. Serve it with crispy toasted baguette slices or fresh veggies for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
White Pizza Dip Ingredients
Taste of Home
Sour cream: Tangy sour cream gives the dip a silky, spoonable texture. Full-fat sour cream works best, but reduced-fat can be used if needed—just expect a slightly looser dip.
Ricotta cheese: Mild, milky ricotta adds body and balances the tang of the sour cream. Whole-milk ricotta is our choice for an extra-rich pizza-like dip, but you can use part-skim for a lighter version. If your ricotta is a little watery, drain it first in a fine-mesh sieve before mixing it with the sour cream.
Mozzarella cheese: Shredded mozzarella melts in the oven, giving the dip its classic pizza-style stretch and gooey finish.
Pepperoni: Use your favorite variety to add savory, meaty bites throughout the dip—regular, spicy and turkey pepperoni all work well here. Chop the slices finely for even distribution, or use mini pepperoni for a shortcut.
Soup mix: This recipe calls for a packet of Lipton Savory Herb with Garlic soup mix. It’s a convenient all-in-one seasoning option that includes dried herbs, garlic and onion with no measuring required. If you can’t find it, you can experiment with other varieties or substitute a blend of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.
Baguette: Slice and toast a fresh baguette to create crisp, sturdy dippers for scooping up the warm, cheesy dip. Crackers, crostini, crunchy breadsticks and raw veggies are also great options.
f I had to pick a desert-island food, I would choose beans without a moment’s hesitation (and hopefully remember to bring a can opener). With their plant-based protein and fiber coupled with their unmatched versatility, there isn’t much that beans can’t do. This recipe is one of my favorite bean-y mash-ups. It features all the cozy, melty, cheesy flavors of a classic French onion soup, made even heartier with the inclusion of soft, plump butter beans. Meet: French onion beans.
You may know butter beans as lima beans, but by any name they’re creamy, buttery, and the perfect blank canvas for bold French onion flavors. Here, they pair perfectly with caramelized onions before getting blanketed by crusty chunks of bread (technically optional, but the bread adds a lovely crunchy texture) and a shower of nutty Gruyère cheese.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s got that classic, well-loved flavor. The same savory, slow-cooked flavors you love in French onion soup shine through in this comforting dish.
Equally great as a main or a side dish. Paired with a simple green salad, this is a hearty, filling meal. Or it can be the back-up singer to a roasted chicken or pork chops (although, like all great back-up singers, it will likely steal the show).
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter
Key Ingredients in French Onion Beans
Yellow onions: Caramelized until they’re golden-brown, sweet yellow onions provide the signature French onion flavor in this dish.
Crusty bread (optional): In combination with the melted Gruyère, hunks of bread from a rustic sourdough loaf or baguette provide that quintessential French onion soup topping.
White wine: A splash gives this dish depth by balancing acidity and sweetness.
Beef or vegetable broth: Beef broth will deliver the savory umami flavors of a typical French onion soup, but don’t underestimate a good vegetable broth, which can easily make the dish vegetarian.
Butter beans: The backbone of the dish, providing the necessary heft and heartiness to make this a satisfying dish.
Sherry vinegar: Just a small amount will brighten the other ingredients here, adding a dynamic element that keeps you coming back for more.
Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Eat! 