Want more cocktail ideas? The Espresso Martini is on our list of the top 50 Most Popular Cocktails. Why we love this recipe: Alex and I are cocktail experts with over 300 cocktail recipes in our library, and we’re homemade coffee drink enthusiasts. As you might expect, this combination of both is a fast favorite over here. We love mixing up this frothy, cool, bittersweet drink for friends and family—or ourselves, for a fun at-home date night!...

We go through a LOT of bananas in our house. Between smoothies, blondies, and banana bread, we never have the problem of too many brown bananas. Whatever your reason for avoiding flour, whether it’s an allergy or intolerance, there’s no reason you should sacrifice sweets (hence, I’ve also made flourless brownies and breakfast cookies). That’s why I developed an easy gluten-free banana bread recipe perfect for enjoying your morning coffee or sharing with friends....

Kicking off the official baking season with simple yet delicious cake made with fresh pears. Is there a better way to celebrate the most beautiful time of the year? Well, I don’t think so. I really love the idea of baking fresh fruits right into the cake. It keeps the cake super moist, but most of all, it’s the most delicious way to include more fruits in your diet. Yummo!...

What’s better alongside a steaming bowl of curry than warm garlic naan? This Indian skillet flatbread is always a crowd pleaser: it’s soft, supple, warm and garlic-scented. There’s not much better to sop up savory broth! There are all sorts of creative ways to turn naan into dinner too: like naan pizza! It’s easy to find this famous bread at the store, but the very best way to eat it: homemade, right off the skillet....

Alex and I met in college, and at the time our tastes weren’t the most sophisticated. Read: lots of Austin Powers, Zoolander, and dorm McDonalds. One movie, though, fit our college sensibilities and remains a classic to this day: Elf. The classic Christmas movvie starring Will Farrell as Buddy the Elf came out in 2003 during our college careers. What’s made it evergreen today, we don’t know. Whatever the case, we’ve heard people of all ages reciting the lines: “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?...

Here’s a healthy drink that will take you by surprise with its light, refreshing flavor: this Grapefruit Smoothie! The name might sound like a boring health food, but it’s anything but. This lusciously fruity puree tastes a like a combination of sorbet and ice cream: bright and zingy from the grapefruit, tropical from the pineapple and creamy from the banana and yogurt. Our 4 year old could not stop sipping it, if that says anything!...

You’ll find white beans in my Tuscan white bean soup and chana masala, but have you ever considered eating them on their own? With the right flavor boosters, you’d be surprised at how hearty and flavorful they can be! I make this Instant Pot Great Northern Beans recipe when I need a healthy side dish, a protein-packed topping for grain bowls, or an easy potluck recipe. The beans are nutty and the addition of ham in a flavorful broth makes them completely irresistible!...

So you want to grill beets? Here’s how to do it! Grilled beets are an ideal summer side dish for when you’re planning to fire up the grill. These come out sweet and tender, perfectly cooked and even better with a sprinkle of feta cheese. While they take a little longer than most grilled vegetables, they’re worth the wait. Serve them up with a a few other grilled veggies or summer salads, and they make the meal complete....

What’s summer without the smell of charcoal and a big pile of corn on the cob? Here’s a new easy way we’ve discovered to cook corn: grilled corn in foil! Our all-time favorite way is perfect grilled corn, which cooks right on the grill grates and gets just the right char on the outside. But it requires a little babying to get it just perfect. Want a method that’s mostly hands off?...

Meet our friend Gena. Some of you may remember her writing a post on A Couple Cooks a few years ago called 5 Tips for Balanced Eating. It started like this: “My name is Gena. I’m a food blogger, a vegan cookbook author, a nutritionist, and an RD-to-be. I’m also recovering from thirteen years of on-again, off-again anorexia and orthorexia.” Powerful words. In the years since then, Gena Hamshaw has become a dear friend....

As much as I love comfort foods in winter, my mind yearns for chilled smoothies, milkshakes and ice creams in summer. In fact, when the hot summer weather arrives, ice cold drinks become your best friend. Am I right? I totally love the calorie loaded classic milkshakes. But I love them more when converted into healthy zero calorie drinks. There’s no better feeling knowing that you can enjoy your favorite drink without adding more calories to your diet....

Want to make better-than-restaurant fries in the comfort of your own home? Let’s go. These homemade French fries are everything a fry should be: crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside, and salted to perfection. It tastes just like they’ve been deep fried, but we’ve got a secret. These are even better than deep fried, without the fuss and mess of frying. This is our master method for making the best homemade fries in the universe....

Why isn’t it honey colored? Honey varies in color, so the color of the syrup can vary from light yellow to dark brown. For these photos, we used a dark color so the color of the syrup is brown. In addition, honey syrup is a special ingredient in a few well-known cocktails! It adds a depth and nuance to the flavor of a drink, whereas simple syrup has a more straightforward flavor....

Making a cocktail that calls for crushed ice? Oddly enough, it’s a little trickier than you might think. Some methods call for whacking the ice with a rolling pin. While it’s kind of fun to get your aggression out that way, it’s very loud: and it doesn’t result in even pieces of ice! After making 200+ cocktail recipes, we knew we had to get this one right. So we’ve mastered how to crush ice: the easy way!...

Got a big, bright bunch of asparagus and ready to cook with it? Grab your knife and let’s talk about prepping this delicious vegetable. Here’s how to cut asparagus—or how to trim it—so that you can use it in recipes of all kinds. Here’s the most important thing to know about asparagus. The thick bottom part of the spear is white or light purple in color: it’s very tough and not meant to be eaten!...

Of course, you don’t necessarily need to be in such a situation to make your own latte. It’s just perfect for any day. A traditional latte consists of two parts: an espresso base and a frothy milk layer. You can use your coffee machine to make the espresso base. But in this recipe, I’ve made it using Nescafe espresso powder. Apart from the espresso layer, a good latte also needs a very frothy milk layer....

Step 1: Making the Dabeli Masala To begin, let’s prepare the dabeli masala. In a dry skillet over medium heat, roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, dried red chilies, fennel seeds, and peppercorns until fragrant. Allow the spices to cool, then grind them into a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. This aromatic dabeli masala forms the heart of the dabeli’s flavorful filling....

A use for leftover toasted nuts? Make Homemade Nut Butter! Toasted almonds work as a garnish to all sorts of recipes: salads and soups, roasted veggies, a topping for oatmeal, and even desserts! Berries, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of toasted almonds? Perfection. Here’s how to toast almonds using your stove or your oven. Pros: This method is so fast: it takes only 5 minutes! Drawbacks: Toasting nuts on the stovetop can cook unevenly, and it’s harder to toast large quantities....

Wondering how to zest an orange? We’re here to help. You’d think that to make zest…you’d need a zester, right? It’s actually not the best tool for the job. Zesters are hard to use, and are better suited for cocktails, anyway. To get your zest, you’ll need either a microplane or a box grater…and a vegetable peeler will do in a pinch! Here’s how to make a fine zest for using in recipes (not cocktail garnishes)....

In the mood for more Instant Pot recipes? Try my Instant Pot beef brisket, Instant Pot pork tenderloin, or Instant Pot whole chicken next. Friends, if you thought I was Mr. smarts for making air fryer steak, just WAIT until you try it in my pressure cooker. I know what you’re thinking, but just trust me on this. You’re basically searing and steaming the steak at high pressure, which leaves you with tender, fall-apart meat that’s juicy and doesn’t taste of fire or smoke....