Maggi Butter Fried Egg on Rice

This could easily have been my restaurant option, as I originally ordered it at The Pig & The Lady in Honolulu. But since I tried it there, I’ve made it at home around 100 times. First and foremost, your home kitchen needs a big bottle of Maggi seasoning in general, just buy it and use it on everything. I made a Maggi compound butter and stashed it in the fridge, then sliced off a chunk every time I fried an egg or two. Pop that over rice, add a little hot sauce, and you have the perfect small meal jammed with protein and flavor that’s extremely filling, feels a little like junk food, and enough like real food. -Joe McAdam

Kimchi Jjigae

I bought a Korean earthenware pot called a ttukbaegi for the expressed purpose of making various soups. The beauty of this vessel is that it holds heat for a long time, allowing you to serve dishes boiling hot at the table.  We’ve experimented with various soups, steamed eggs and clay pot rice dishes but our favorite household use for it is kimchi jjigae.

I used this video from the Aaron and Claire YouTube channel for my base recipe.  -Ed Barakauskas 

Claire Saffitz’s Holiday Phyllo Pie

We had some friends over a few weeks ago and I used it as an excuse to try my hand at Claire Saffitz’s Holiday Phyllo Pie, an idiot-proof take on baklava that looks and tastes a lot more complex than it is to make. I used frozen grocery store phyllo dough to envelop a mixture of roasted pistachios, walnuts, almonds, and pecans tossed in syrup made with honey and orange blossom water. The dash of orange blossom water in the syrup is the key to making this dish seem like you have access to some secret culinary wisdom, adding a subtle citrus-y, floral touch to an otherwise super rich, buttery sheet pan pastry. It’s the sort of ingredient that you order online and keep in your pantry for months, maybe years before running out, but every time you use it, you’re glad you have it on hand. -Matt Byrne 

My Mom’s Thanksgiving Turkey

Is this cheating because I technically ate it at my mom’s house? Who cares, because my mom made a turkey for this year’s Thanksgiving that has changed my entire perspective on the holiday poultry. Now, important context here, my mom is a professional chef and I’ve always been impressed with her ability to make turkey delicious, a meat that I often find dry and boring. But this year, oh this year, my mother discovered the art of the brine. No, this is not a new technique and some of you may be laughing at my family. But my god, I’ve never had pieces of turkey so juicy and flavorful that I found myself daydreaming it about after we devoured all the leftovers. I may just buy a turkey in the new year to do it myself. -Mary Beth McAndrews

Taco Tuesday

Taco Tuesday is a staple in the Turnipseed household! Whether it’s ground turkey, shrimp, or veggie tacos, we season it, grill it, wrap it in a tortilla, and take it to go. Perfect for a family like ours that’s always on the move. -Haywood Turnipseed Jr. 

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