The Recipe Exchange
Readers sometimes wonder how The Connection chooses which recipes to publish, and though the criteria are far from strict, we generally look at a few factors:
First, and most important, do the recipes on these pages guide readers in creating something they will want to eat and serve to friends and family? If the answer is no, you will not see it here.
We also consider the difficulty level of recipes and try to include an even mixture of both simple-to-prepare recipes (some salad and fresh-produce recipes are more about assembly and don’t require cooking or baking at all) and more difficult dishes. It is rare that we include recipes that require preparation spanning several hours or lots of expert know-how, so if we do, our food editor is pretty confident that the time and effort will be worth it.
For the most part, recipes we gravitate toward do not require specialty shopping for tools or ingredients, and nearly everything is fairly budget friendly. Most of the selections you’ll find here are based on either traditional favorites for a particular time of year, or what is growing in the fields and readily available at the supermarket or the farmers market. Much of what we write about are recipes our food editor has made hundreds of times with consistent results. We do experiment with new things too, and if it’s tasty, you’ll probably read about it here.
Finally, we are thrilled to say that this column is interactive, and sometimes readers catch something we’ve missed, give feedback for how a recipe could be improved, or simply contact us to let us know they have particularly enjoyed something they have read here in their own kitchen. Please join in!
We hope you enjoy our collaboration with other cooks, testing their recipes and sharing the enjoyment that results.
Latest From Recipe Exchange
I love the month of May. The weather, while often unpredictable, is generally lovely (random Colorado snowfall notwithstanding). It is also a month of celebrations – Mother’s Day, milestones like graduation, and all things end-of-the-school-year, mean lots of happy reminiscences. And parties. Lots of parties, with lots of delicious springtime treats. I love that May…
Read MoreI love fresh berries. This time of year, I especially love strawberries, and it is common for me to literally eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Berries are sweet and juicy and also a healthy choice, so I have no qualms about eating them in bulk. Strawberries are also fragile – even just a…
Read MoreAnyone who knows me, knows I love dessert. In fact, earlier in my tenure as the writer of this column, one of my children (who was about 7 at the time) told his friends that, “I wrote a story every month for the paper about how much she loves dessert.” Of course, I didn’t write…
Read MoreLove is in the air this month. I know there are people who think Valentine’s Day is a “Hallmark holiday” designed to sell cards, but an occasion to let people know I love them has always seemed a good idea to me. And as usual, one of the first ways I think of expressing love…
Read MoreIt is January. The Monday of the year. Time to get back in the saddle. Sigh. The house is clean and the holidays are behind me, and while I look forward to the quiet of a new year, I always feel a little empty. The idea that I need to eat like a responsible adult…
Read MoreChristmas makes everyone a kid, and what kid doesn’t like new toys? In my memory of childhood Christmas presents, one of my favorites was an Easy-Bake Oven. With just the power of a light bulb and a specially formulated mix, I could make a cake all by myself. I remember mixing the ingredients, popping…
Read MoreI’m way too middle-aged to spend much time on TikTok, but I’m not ashamed to say that in the last few years, most of my cooking inspiration comes from 30-second videos. Shot on phone cameras and created in the well-lit corners of Gen Z apartments (shared with an unholy number of roommates, no doubt), I’ve…
Read MoreThere are a number of television shows about cake. Like, a lot. It almost seems like there are too many, but I think I have binge-watched nearly all of them. I am a big fan of cake, both in real life and on the screen. When I see these shows, I am constantly envious…
Read MoreOne of my children is something of a vegetarian. He’s not opposed to eating meat, but he likes lots of vegetarian dishes, and in a nod to his preferences, I’ve been cooking “meatless on Monday” for a few years now. Most of the time, the dishes are simple (bean and cheese burritos and pasta primavera…
Read MoreHere we are again, the dog days. This is the time of year when I crave all the summer foods – things that are crunchy, creamy and above all cool. In the summer, I love ice cream above all other foods, and if it were healthy, I’d eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Alas,…
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