Real Food for the Whole Family

SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER

Writing

Homemade Biscuit Tips

RealSimple.com

Photo via Shutterstock

Sustainable Fish Shopping Tips

RealSimple.com

Photo via Shutterstock

Quick and Easy Breakfasts

Parents.com

Photo by Tara Donne

20 Foods to Feed Your Baby Before Age One

Parents.com

Photo via Shutterstock

25 New Ways to Use Sriracha

BonAppetit.com

Photo by Kimberley Hasselbrink

Your Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet

Parents

Photo by Jennifer Causey

Get Creative With Dinner

Parents

Photo by Jonny Valiant

What’s for Dinner? Easy Weeknight Meals

Parents

Photo by Christopher Testani

Follow Jenna Helwig on Instagram

Baking is my jam these days…I’m baking more th

Baking is my jam these days…I’m baking more than I have since those early pandemic weeks. Somehow it gives me an easy sense of satisfaction, of completing a task from start to finish. And then, yes! We get to eat and/or share the results.

Today I made the to-die-for Twist Bread from Baking with Dorie by @doriegreenspan. It’s not much harder than making a loaf of white bread, but there’s extra fun to be had twisting and braiding the dough and extra flavor thanks to cinnamon, sugar, and raisins.

👉Also this week I made brownies, the Pane Bianco from The @kingarthurbaking Baker’s Companion, and some sourdough.

I know I’m not the only one baking. I love seeing everything you post! Stay warm and safe 💕.

Thanks for the inspiration to make this bread @thecookbooknerd!

#baking #bakingwithdorie #kingarthurbaking

If one of your 2022 goals is to cook more at home

A Soiree to Savor from the December issue of @real

A Soiree to Savor from the December issue of @real_simple -- This is one of my favorite stories EVER. I got to channel my love for French bistro food into a swanky, but totally doable, menu that would be perfect for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, or any night that you want a special meal. The recipes:

- Hanger Steak with Worcestershire Butter
- Garlic & Parsley Shoestring Fries (using frozen fries!)
- Tarragon French 75 (with cognac instead of gin)
- Green Salad with Cornichon Vinaigrette (punchy!)
- Many Cheese Cheese Ball (a riff on fromage fort, that brilliant recipe that lets you clean out your cheese drawer)
- Chocolate Ganache Tart (no baking other than 10 minutes for the press-in, Ritz cracker crust)

You can find all the recipes at the link in my bio! And super-big thanks to the photo team @meredithfoodstudios that made this story so divine:

Photo: @protazio
Food styling: @emilynaborshall
Props: @cspollen
🙏
#holidayfood #frenchfood #dessert #steakfrites #chocolate #chocolatetart #frenchfries #newyearseveparty #dinnerparty #dinnerpartyideas #easyentertaining #rsfood #realsimple

Here’s an idea for how to cap off your holiday c

Here’s an idea for how to cap off your holiday celebrations: skip the baking and assemble a dessert board! For the December issue of @real_simple I got smart tips for building a beautiful board from @thebakermama and @pistachiostudionyc. A couple of my favorite tips:

• Choose a theme to help you decide what to shop for. The first board here is a chocolate tasting board. The second is a Candy Land board.
• Go for store-bought. If you want baked goods, but from a bakery and cut into small pieces.
• Value variety. Always include some fruit and something savory.

Photo: @gregdupree
Food: @alibramee
Props: @cspollen

#dessert #dessertboard #easyrecipes #entertainingathome #easyentertaining #chocolate

Cookie season is here and so is the gorgeous Decem

All of the Thanksgiving recipes in the November is

All of the Thanksgiving recipes in the November issue of @real_simple are make-ahead, including the TURKEY! The genius method for storing and reheating a roasted turkey comes from @aimeebourque. She explains in her lovely cookbook Brown Eggs and Jam Jars (truly one of my favorite cookbooks) that she learned this tip from her mother-in-law, Dorothy: Roast and carve the turkey. Line an oven-proof baking dish with iceberg lettuce, and layer the turkey over the lettuce. Drizzle with a little chicken or turkey stock, and top with more lettuce. Cover with foil and refrigerate. To reheat, keep the foil on the dish and bake at 350 degrees until the turkey is heated through, about 20-30 minutes. Discard the lettuce and serve. 🤯

Even if you don’t make your turkey ahead of time, this is a great way to store and reheat leftovers. No more dry turkey! Aimée, thank you for sharing this tip with the Real Simple audience!

Get the recipe for this Smoky Maple Turkey and all the other recipes from the November issue of Real Simple at the link in my bio.

Turkey photo by @protazio; poorly lit lettuce photos by me.

#thanksgiving #realsimple #turkey #cookingtip #rskitchen #cooking #thanksgivingdinner #turkeyday #simplebites

Yesterday was the two-month anniversary of the rel

Yesterday was the two-month anniversary of the release of my cookbook Bare Minimum Dinners, and I just want to say THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who has bought the book and cooked from it, everyone who has left a review on Amazon, everyone who posted a recipe photo, and everyone who has highlighted the book in the media. I’ve done many (10?) TV segments, the book has appeared in @people, @healthmagazine, @parents @sweetjuly, @food52, @thekitchn, @epicurious, @marthastewart, many wonderful Insta accounts, a couple of great podcasts, and of course, @real_simple 💜.

One of my favorite recurring themes is that partners who don’t usually cook AND tweens are cooking from this book. If that doesn’t show you how easy the recipes are, I don’t know what will! 😂 And, I also love to read (most, ha) the reviews on Amazon. My fave gives it five stars and says, “It’s like a capsule wardrobe for dinner.” 👍

Life is busy and dinner doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should be delicious. I’m clearly not the only one who feels that way, and I’m so grateful this book has found a place in your kitchens! 🥰

P.S. Bare Minimum Dinners would make a great holiday gift, just saying. 🎄😍

#cookbooks #easydinners #quickandeasy #easydinnerrecipes #easydinnerideas #familydinner

Now that Halloween is over, we can officially begi

Now that Halloween is over, we can officially begin thinking about Thanksgiving, a.k.a. the most delicious day of the year! For me, planning the meal is more than half the fun (am I the only one?). If you’re starting to think about your menu, may I suggest one or all of the Turkey Day recipes that I developed for the November issue of @real_simple? Not only are they so tasty, they are all make-ahead-able. Yes, even the turkey! (I’ll share more about that specific trick in the coming days.) It’s impossible to choose a favorite, but these Buttery Pull-Apart Rolls are sooo good. It’s a simple yeasted dough that you roll into balls and bake in a Bundt pan. Slathered with more butter and drizzled with honey, they are about to become a Thanksgiving tradition in my house.

Get these, and all of the November Real Simple recipes, at the link in my bio.

Thank you to the talented team that made this story look so gorgeous!

Photographer: @protazio
Food stylist: @emilynaborshall
Prop stylist: @cspollen

And, of course my colleagues @emkehe @lwrncjmsw @deanna_lowe

#thanksgiving #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingfood #makeahead #rsfood #food #cooking #food52grams #recipes #baking #bakingbread

I spilled all my best tips from Bare Minimum Dinne

I spilled all my best tips from Bare Minimum Dinners over on @marthastewart, including my number one way to get ahead on dinner, my favorite supermarket shortcuts (there are many), and my essential kitchen tools (one is a large cutting board). Thank you to @kirsten_nunez and @victoriaspencers for making this happen! Link in my bio!

#bareminimumdinners #easydinners #cookingtips #quickandeasymeals #cooking #food #marthastewart

For the November issue of @real_simple, @ananda_ei

For the November issue of @real_simple, @ananda_eidelstein and I got to choose our favorite cookbooks of the year. (Have I mentioned that I have the BEST job?) I am a cookbook super-fan, so this was such a treat…and a very, very hard task! These were our picks:

• Best for Armchair Travel – Colombiana by @marianavelasquezv
• Best for Baking, With a Side of Stories – Life is What You Bake It by @foodieinnewyork
• Best for Easy Dinner Solutions – Ready, Set, Cook by @dawnkperry
• Best for Breakfast Inspiration – Baking With Dorie by (my all-time fave) @doriegreenspan
• Best for the Vegetarian Curious – The Weekday Vegetarians by @dinneralovestory
• Best for Edible Projects – To Asia, With Love by @hettymckinnon
• Best to Read Like a Novel – Cheese, Wine, and Bread by @qkatie
• Best to Get Your Italian Fix – Sicilia by @ben.tish

You can’t go wrong with any of these books! Buy them for yourself or as a holiday gift (or both).

Photo by @tedandchelsea

#cookbooks