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Most of the internet food world has spent the last six months going gaga over Alison Roman’s salted chocolate chip shortbread cookies, but as a mom of two little kids, I can tell you that a shortbread studded with dark chocolate and sprinkled with flaky salt does not pass as a chocolate chip cookie for anyone under 10 years old.

There are many, many recipes for chocolate chip cookies on the web (Kitchn has about a dozen — here, here, and here), but when you need chocolate chip cookies immediately for a play date or a bake sale or honestly just a rainy Saturday at home, this chocolate chip cookie recipe (that I’m currently obsessed with) saves the day.

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You’ll never catch us saying traditionally prepared risotto is hard, but we’ll certainly be the first to admit it does require some attention. But if you think your cooking routine doesn’t leave much room for this technique-based dish, don’t write it off just yet!

In fact, what if I told you creamy, dreamy restaurant-style risotto with a fraction the effort is still within your reach? Yes! You can have all that without the constant stirring or even the need for a special tool. I’m talking about baked risotto!

Baked risotto, with hardly any stirring at all, delivers a pot of tender rice in a rich and savory sauce. Stir in sweet and nutty basil pesto and a handful of fresh green peas before topping with pancetta and Parmesan, and you can easily add this springy risotto to your weeknight meal plan — no fuss required.

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I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Make-ahead meals are one of the very best gifts you can give to your future self. Whether I get the ball rolling with some prep the night before or make a full recipe or two over the weekend, make-ahead meals are my best secret to getting a home-cooked dinner on the table during the week.

Get some inspiration with our 10 most-saved make-ahead dinner recipes from March.

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There are few things in life more jarring than accidentally getting the wrong milk. “Wrong” is subjective, of course, but if you’re used to a low-fat milk and accidentally wind up with whole, it’s basically like taking a big glug of heavy cream. And if you’re used to the comparatively thick, creamy mouthfeel of whole milk, having to put skim in your morning coffee will ruin your entire day.

It turns out that getting the right milk is usually pretty easy, however, because the dairy aisle generally follows a color code that will get the proper milk into your hands without much thought or even bottle-reading.

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We bet you’d be hard-pressed to find a kitchen where there isn’t at least one kind of rice stocked in the pantry. Rice is inexpensive and easy to make, but more often than not it plays a supporting role come mealtime.

Why not try making rice the star of the show? These 30 recipes will lift rice from its side-dish status and bring it to the center of the plate. We have ideas for everything from brown and wild to basmati and Arborio rice. All you need to do is pick one and get cooking!

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Judging by the killer selection of salad kits, it should come as no surprise that Trader Joe’s has all the goods to help you nail a great dinner salad. With the right selection, you can make a salad that’s filling, delicious, and mixed with cool, quirky ingredients.

Trader Joe’s will also help you check off other important dinner salad criteria, like convenient ingredients for quick assembly and a price tag that won’t kill your weekly food budget.

Here are the things I always pick up at Trader Joe’s for salad night.

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We are always on the lookout for little ways to save money, and regularly share clever tricks and methods to make do with less. All that is well and good, but I keep returning to this one basic way to keep to your budget.

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I am convinced that Ina Garten is teasing us, because she must know her fans well enough by this point to understand that she can’t post a photo of her pantry on Twitter without us zooming in obsessively to pore over every specific product she keeps in stock.

But that’s exactly what she did this afternoon when she posted an innocent photo of her enviably well-stocked pantry during a bit of spring cleaning.

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Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22. And while we’re always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, there’s nothing like a day dedicated to the planet to really give us reason to invest in more eco-friendly home goods. Sure, many of our favorite reusable alternatives do require more of an upfront investment — but they really can save you money in the long run.

Below, you’ll find three of our favorite replacements for disposable plastic and and paper goods that will help save you money down the line.

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A big bowl of risotto always satisfies my need for some creamy goodness. Yet as comforting as it is, it’s not always the most well-rounded choice for dinner, given that it’s basically just white rice and it’s often missing the protein that makes it feel hearty and satisfying.

Luckily, since risotto is really a blank slate for just about any ingredient, it’s easy enough to add something to it to make it more of a complete meal. Here are seven great additions to try.

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