Alex Guarnaschelli: My Signature Raspberry Beignet Recipe

Do you have a favorite, trademark recipe? Maybe something, usually super simple, that your family asks you to make time and time again? For me, I always asked my mother for her spaghetti with Marinara sauce and her corn bread. And I would always ask my father to make the famous Guarnaschelli family meatballs loaded with garlic and curly parsley. Well, the same thing happens in a restaurant. You end up with a “signature” dish that never leaves the menu.

Alex Guarnaschelli: No-Cook Salad Recipes to Eat All Summer

It seems like we are always searching for a way to cut down on cooking time on the kitchen. The hope for an express bus to delicious food looms large in the American sensibility, even for chefs like me. As a mom, I get it. When cooking for my daughter, the desire to finish quickly becomes more acute. I would rather spend time hearing about her first grade trials and tribulations.

Alex Guarnaschelli: The Best Thing About Fall, My Mom's Baked Apple Recipe

The Macoun variety is similar to a McIntosh but has a bolder flavor with more tartness and a slightly floral aroma. I love it mixed into a salad with some seasonal “bitter” greens, like dandelion, arugula or escarole, and slices of a creamy blue cheese. The Mutsu is a yellow apple with crisp flesh and a smell that reminds me of a quince. Their crunchy texture also makes it a great eating apple!

Alex Guarnaschelli: The Easiest Way to Fix Winter Vegetables

As soon as I pack up that turkey and the last of the cranberry sauce, I have the same ritual to signal the true end of Thanksgiving: I eat my last slice of pumpkin pie at the kitchen counter. I contemplate what healthy things I am going to cook for the rest of the week to balance out my turkey day food fest. I imagine eating parsley leaves and watercress juice.

Alex Guarnaschelli: The Only Blueberry Muffin Recipe You'll Ever Need

When I cook, I tend to focus on just one fruit. In the summer months, this is easy. I love strawberries. But strawberries are just an amusing interlude before the blueberries arrive. They are my all-time favorite, and these Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins make the perfect July breakfast. My mother is a New England gal, and I always marveled at the way she ate these muffins. While my father and I have been known to eat them as is or piled high with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, my mother would put hers into a bowl and pour some heavy cream on it — almost like a moat around a castle.