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Cheesy nachos that are sure to get your party started

These nachos are a cinch to make and can turn after-school snack time for a few kids into something of a fiesta. Or double the recipe and use a 13-by-9-inch baking dish, and you'll have enough nachos to really get the party started! If you like your nachos spicy, layer in some drained pickled jalapeno chiles along with the scallions. Monterey Jack cheese melts well and is the classic choice for nachos, but cheddar works too. Follow this recipe with your kids. NACHOS Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 35 minutes Prepare Ingredients: 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans 4 ounces tortilla ...

To cook a center-cut tenderloin, we use a reverse-sear

The center-cut tenderloin — often called chateaubriand — comes from the middle of the whole tenderloin, which sits beneath the spine of the cow and gets no exercise at all, making it the most tender piece of beef you can buy. We knew that a simple preparation would let the exceptional texture shine. Tying the roast at intervals with kitchen twine made it more compact and helped give it an even shape, which promoted even cooking. To up the tenderloin's mild flavor and help it hold on to its juices, we salted the roast before cooking. A smear of softened butter added before cooking ...

Chinese chicken salad offers an enticing variety of tastes

With its juicy oranges, tender chicken and a crunchy topping, Chinese chicken salad offers an enticing variety of tastes and textures. But many versions seem to have lost their way, weighted down with gloppy sauces, lackluster chicken, sugary canned orange segments and watery greens. We saw the potential to recast this salad in a healthier role by incorporating wholesome ingredients. To start, we traded canned oranges for fresh oranges rich in vitamin C and fiber. We cut out segments to top our salad and used the remaining juice as the basis for a bright vinaigrette, which we enlivened ...

This pork butt roast sings with orange juice, tomato paste

In Mexico, the dish known as cochinita pibil is made by rubbing a whole suckling pig with warm spices and juice from bitter oranges, then wrapping it in banana leaves and slowly pit-roasting it until it is succulent and richly flavored. To achieve a similar dish at home, we turned to well-marbled pork butt roast and traded the banana leaves and pit of coals for a Dutch oven, which, when placed in a moderate oven, allowed the pork to braise gently to tenderness. To give the pork its distinctive flavor, usually achieved with hard-to-find ingredients like bitter oranges and annatto, we ...

One-pan chili with maximum flavor starts with toasted rice

Looking to make enough chili for one night's dinner without hauling out a heavy pot, we turned to our trusty skillet. We would use it to make both the chili and the rice, cooking in stages, for a one-pan meal with maximum flavor and minimal fuss. We started by toasting and simmering the rice, flavoring it with lime zest and juice to brighten it up. We then transferred it to individual serving bowls, which we kept warm in a low oven. While the rice cooked, we prepared our ingredients for a quick but flavorful chili. We found that treating ground beef with salt and baking soda ensured ...

Make a stress-free classic chicken pot pie with one pot

The delights of classic chicken pot pie are many—from the burnished, flaky crust to the luscious, savory filling. But putting it together can be a chore: Between making pie dough (which often requires pulling out a food processor), poaching chicken in one pot and building a gravy in another, and then transferring the filling and crust to a pie plate to bake, this comfort food requires a major time commitment, not to mention a battery of pots and pans. We wanted an easier way and found our trusty Dutch oven to be just the ticket to get us there using only one pot. Boneless, ...