Alyssa Vaughn

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Alyssa Vaughn

By now, Natalya Baine and her daughter Nasya have their routine down pat. Four days a week, Natalya wakes up, cooks lunch and dinner, then stores the meals in to-go containers as 17-year-old Nasya packs up and gets dressed. They load their belongings into their car — the food, Nasya’s dance shoes and clothes, Natalya’s homework for her master’s program — make a quick stop at BJ’s for gas, call Natalya’s mother to say a prayer, and are on the road by late morning.

1 month ago | americastestkitchen.com | Andrea Geary |Alyssa Vaughn

Behind the RecipesCreamy cheese and whole grains make flapjacks that are both ultrasatisfying and more complex. By and Published Apr. 1, 2025. As soon as I open a diner menu, I home in on one word: “Pancakes.” It promises so much sensory delight: the steam that floats from the top of a towering stack, the way that pillowy loft yields to the fork, the satisfaction of swooping the last bite around the plate to swab up every drop of syrup. And then I order an omelet.

1 month ago | americastestkitchen.com | Annie Petito |Alyssa Vaughn

Behind the RecipesAt last, you can have it all: rosy fillets with deep char and crisp skin that actually come off the grill in one piece. By and Published Apr. 1, 2025. Every bite of a grilled salmon fillet is dynamic. The char of the grill is the perfect foil for the fish’s richness, infusing the moist, flaky flesh and crackly-crisp skin with smoky complexity.

1 month ago | americastestkitchen.com | Andrea Geary |Alyssa Vaughn

Behind the RecipesFor a heartier spin on this classic salad, swap out leafy romaine for the crunch of broccoli. By and Published Apr. 1, 2025. Caesar dressing is scientifically delicious. When glutamate-rich Parmesan cheese meets anchovies, which contain a meaty-tasting nucleotide called inosine monophosphate (IMP), the two ingredients create an intense synergy that delivers maximum umami. Garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard add piquancy, and citrus juice lifts the flavor.

1 month ago | americastestkitchen.com | Steve Dunn |Alyssa Vaughn

Behind the RecipesThis Roman classic’s ingredient list may be simple—but it takes strategy to spin water and cheese into a creamy, silky sauce. By and Published Mar. 31, 2025. Cacio e pepe makes so much of so little. Like Rome’s other great pasta traditions—pastas alla gricia, amatriciana, and carbonara—cacio e pepe is the magnificent sum of few humble parts.