Jesse Szewczyk

Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking. Not all internet sensations live up to their hype. Whipped coffee, rainbow bagels, and a questionable concoction called vodka butter are just some of the viral trends I’ve been recently disappointed by. But some recipes go viral for a reason: Because they are genuinely delicious. Baked feta pasta—the delicious combination of (you guessed it) baked feta tossed with…

The Midwestern treat is a staple at sleepovers, potlucks, and everywhere in between.

Classic chicken parm is hardly weeknight-friendly. Between breading the chicken, making a slow-simmered sauce, and assembling it all, it requires many steps yet still doesn’t feel like a complete meal on its own. A near-obligatory side of pasta requires a separate pot of water. This version ditches the breading in favor of a generous dusting of flour that still creates browned and crispy edges, and calls for quick-cooking gnocchi that goes in the same pan as the chicken. The key to making this a…

When developing a recipe for air-fried Buffalo cauliflower, the one thing I knew it needed to be was crispy. But just how crispy could an air fryer make them? Would the florets crunch like popcorn chicken? Could they ever crunch without the intense sizzle of deep-frying? I had a vision, and although I was skeptical, I wanted to challenge myself. Actually crispy air-fryer cauliflower bites, here I come. For my first attempt I called upon breadcrumbs to provide the crunch factor, but this method o…

Buffalo wings are a crowd-pleaser for a reason. There’s something about the spicy, vinegary sauce mellowed out with melted butter that can’t be beat. This recipe uses that winning combination of flavors with cauliflower in place of chicken to create a vegetarian game-day snack that’s a cinch to make. The trick is to dredge the cauliflower florets in a wet batter made with both flour and cornstarch. The latter ingredient helps provide a shatteringly crisp exterior without having to fry anything.…

Having a go-to air fryer green beans recipe means a quick crowd-pleasing vegetable side dish is never far from reach. The beauty of cooking green beans in an air fryer is twofold: For starters, it makes quick work of the beans, allowing you to get them on the table in only 20 minutes without making a mess of your kitchen. There’s no need to preheat a large oven or go to the trouble of bringing a pot of water to a boil to blanch them. Secondly, the air fryer blasts the green beans with hot air, t…

This air fryer cauliflower recipe makes the perfect accompaniment to just about anything, so it’s a great way to change up your dinnertime cauliflower game. Cauliflower’s firm texture means it typically takes a long time to cook, but the air fryer makes quick work of it, tenderizing it in a fraction of the usual time while caramelizing the exterior nicely. You wind up with crisp-tender and deeply browned florets, generously seasoned with smoked paprika and garlic powder, mimicking the flavors of…

The crumbly texture and buttery bite of shortbread can be turned into countless creations—you’ve probably seen it layered into bar cookies (like millionaire’s shortbread) and cut in sweet circles. Here it takes on a bolder flavor thanks to the addition of any sort of coffee or tea, turning the moreish cookie into a caffeinated treat fit for breakfast or dessert. The trick is to blitz whichever tea or coffee you choose with the sugar in a food processor so the tea leaves or coffee grounds break d…

Baking holiday cookies has always been something of a competition for me. It’s not enough for my cookies to taste good; I need them to take home the grand (imaginary) prize of being the most impressive cookie at the cookie swap. To guarantee a win, I’ve leaned on decorative icings, sparkling dragées, and recipes that include multiple doughs in a spectrum of hues. I look for cookies that are bright, colorful, and guaranteed to stand out on a crowded table—like these new tutti-frutti thumbprints.…

Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking. Cooking salmon at home can be intimidating. Most people have a laundry list of proteins that come before it as go-tos in their arsenals, like ground turkey, pork chops, and even tofu. But I am here to tell you that salmon should be a go-to option for weeknight cooking, and that having a reliable recipe in your repertoire will add excitement to a stale dinner routi…

Turkey wings are severely underappreciated: They pack more meat-per-wing than their more popular chicken counterparts, and for a fraction of the per-pound cost. If prepared right, turkey wings strike a balance between tender meat and crisp skin; giving more crunch per bite—and they can be found year-round at most big-box grocery stores. They’re a cut of meat I recommend for anyone hosting an intimate friendsgiving or low-key holiday where roasting an entire bird is not the most practical (or ent…

Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking. November is the month of forgotten weeknight dinners. Sure, Thanksgiving gets the star treatment as the ultimate all-out meal, but what about the other 29 days of the month? Can you name a single memorable weeknight dinner you’ve cooked during November? Who has time for an elaborate homemade dinner when the inlaws are bombarding you with requests for gluten-free o…

Cooking en papillote is a classic French technique in which various ingredients (mainly proteins, largely fish) are cooked inside a parchment paper pouch. This method of cooking creates a sauna for proteins to steam in, infusing them with moisture and flavor simultaneously. While cooking en papillote is not typically used for turkey, this recipe utilizes the technique to make a showstopping bird that can be prepared several days in advance without drying out. The key to a great make-ahead turkey…

A good mushroom lasagna recipe can be the highlight of a simple dinner or a special-occasion feast: it’s easy enough for a cozy family meal but celebratory enough for a festive dinner party. This version keeps things relatively simple so the mushrooms can truly shine. Instead of any tomato-based sauce, a luxurious cream sauce, bolstered with thyme, garlic, and a touch of lemon zest, holds together tender lasagna sheets and savory, meaty mushrooms here. This recipe calls for crimini, but just abo…

Having a good baked turkey wings recipe in your back pocket means an affordable crowd-pleasing dinner is never far from reach. While many people opt for chicken thighs, legs, or wings as their go-to dark meat, turkey wings offer up more meat, are equally as delicious, and often come in at a fraction of the cost. It’s also worth mentioning turkey wings are available all year round, not just during the Thanksgiving holiday. In this recipe turkey wings get tossed in a simple spice rub featuring oni…

As a born-and-raised Midwesterner, I ride or die for a good casserole. There’s just something about a warm-from-the-oven baking dish filled with cheesy, bubbling starches that provides comfort like no other. But when I first began working in the culinary field, the food snob army bombarded me with their anti-casserole rhetoric: low blows about how beige and textureless these one-pan dishes could be. I’ll admit that casseroles do, in fact, often lack texture. Their creamy, fully amalgamated consi…

Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking. Every year, without fail, fall arrives without warning: Suddenly, you walk outside and the hot, humid air has turned nippy, and the cravings for comfort foods, soups, and pumpkin-flavored everything creep in. But the realities of life also change with the season, and the back-to-school bustle combined with the looming stresses of the holidays and shorter days make…

Having a good Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe in your back pocket can free up valuable space on the stovetop. Whether cooking a Thanksgiving feast or simply trying to get dinner on the table during the workweek, utilizing an Instant Pot to make mashed potatoes from start to finish is an easy way to make a crowd-pleasing side dish. The trick is to use the machine’s pressure-cooking function, which cooks potatoes in a fraction of the time it would take to boil them. The entire process (includin…

A good Lyonnaise potatoes recipe, or pommes de terre sautées à la Lyonnaise in French, is a thing of beauty. Humble spuds are sliced, cooked in butter until golden brown, tossed with caramelized onions, and showered with chopped parsley for a dish that is far more than the sum of its parts. The trick for great Lyonnaise potatoes is to cook the potatoes in two stages—boiling, then pan-frying them—to achieve a silky smooth interior that perfectly contrasts the crisp, golden exterior. Boiling the s…

Chocolate chip cookie bars are always a good idea, whether you’re baking them for sleepovers, school lunches, or simply snacking. This version, which comes together quickly without the need for an electric mixer, is a chocolate chip-studded treat that leans into nostalgia. A simple cookie dough, made with both white and brown sugars, is flavored with a generous splash of vanilla extract balanced by a hefty pinch of salt. Baking the bars at a low temperature (325°) ensures they are soft from edge…