Baked Macaroni and Cheese
This perfect, classic macaroni and cheese is all about contrast, with a crunchy, buttery topping and a creamy, cheesy interior.
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Photo: Tara Donne ©
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Good Eats Meatloaf
Alton uses a loaf pan as a mold, and then flips the meatloaf onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for cooking. With this method, your meatloaf will have a sweet and crispy crust on the outside.
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Good Eats Roast Turkey
With thousands of five-star reviews, this has been the most popular recipe on FoodNetwork.com for years! Alton’s foolproof roast turkey recipe is sure to come in handy this Thanksgiving, or for any festive feast.
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Guacamole
Alton’s secret tool for perfect guacamole is a potato masher. You get a chunky mash, instead of a puree or chopped up chunks. Cover the guacamole and let it sit at room temperature for an hour before serving, so all the flavors meld together.
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French Toast
Luckily for nonmorning people, perfect French toast starts in the evening. First you can mix up the custard the night before so the flavors mature (and so you don’t have to do it in the morning). Also, leave your bread out on the counter overnight to dry up — dry bread soaks up more custard and stays sturdy while cooking.
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Sugar Cookies
This versatile cookie dough is perfect for cut-out, decorated cookies. Alton uses powdered sugar instead of flour to dust his countertop before rolling these out — this cuts down on excess gluten, which could make your cookies tough.
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Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Alton follows a simple formula for great dips: a creamy base, plus a few main ingredients and three supporting seasonings. Following this method, Spinach and Artichoke Dip couldn’t be simpler. Serve it warm in a slow cooker for a crowd-pleasing party food.
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Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Simple mashed potatoes don't have to be bland. For extra flavor and creaminess, Alton adds 6 cloves of garlic poached in half-and-half along with grated Parmesan cheese to this creamy side dish.
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Who Loves Ya Baby Back?
You can make these tender, saucy baby back ribs in your oven, no smoker required.
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Creme Brulee
Alton adds an extra dose of vanilla flavor to his creme brulee by using vanilla sugar. This is made by adding leftover, used and washed vanilla bean pods to your sugar container, where the sugar soaks up the aroma and flavor.
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Lentil Soup
This easy, healthy soup is one of Alton’s favorites. Once the lentils are fully cooked, you can either leave them whole or puree them with a stick blender to make the soup thicker.
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Photo: Tara Donne
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Buffalo Wings
Alton’s secret to perfect Buffalo wings is to double-cook them. He steams them first, to render out some of the fat without overcooking or drying them out. Then he cooks them in the oven at high heat to crisp up the skin.
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Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
This staple of Thanksgiving dinners and family suppers has never tasted so good. Alton mixes fresh green beans with homemade, creamy mushroom sauce before topping the mixture with crispy baked onions.
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The Chewy
For chewy chocolate chip cookie fans, Alton uses science and a few simple ingredient swaps to make these the chewiest cookies ever.
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Fried Chicken
Instead of adding seasonings to the breading, Alton liberally covers chicken pieces with a spice rub first and then dredges them in flour. This way, the flour coating keeps the spices from burning.
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Homemade Soft Pretzels
Alton uses a modified version of his bagel recipe to make these classic soft pretzels, boiling them for about 30 seconds before baking at high heat.
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Granola
This simple granola recipe uses maple syrup for sweetness and extra flavor.
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Tres Leche Cake
The three milks in this cake are in the glaze: a mixture of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and half-and-half. This glaze is poured over the baked cake and once it sinks in you're left with a moist, irresistible dessert.
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Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
You can do most of the work for these cinnamon rolls the night before, which makes them the perfect sweet, gooey treat for breakfast celebrations or get-togethers.
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Salsa
For extra flavor and sweetness, Alton roasts a couple jalapeno peppers before adding them to this fresh summer salsa.
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Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese
This quick and easy version of macaroni and cheese is so creamy and flavorful, it’s sure to impress both kids and adults.
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Pumpkin Bread
Alton uses fresh pumpkin and toasted pumpkin seeds to make a fabulous fall treat. Simply use a box grater or the shredding disc on a food processor to shred up the fresh pumpkin before mixing it into the batter.
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Cocoa Brownies
These rich and moist brownies are perfect for any occasion. Be careful not to beat them on too high of a speed or for too long, or you’ll end up with too much air in the batter and more of a cake than a brownie.
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Shepherd's Pie
This classic comfort food makes a great one-dish dinner: lamb mixed with veggies and topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
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Eggnog
Homemade eggnog, made with real eggs and cream and spiked with bourbon, is an irresistible holiday indulgence. Alton even includes a cooked version, if you’d rather not drink raw eggs.
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Carrot Cake
Alton uses a food processor to whip up this moist, easy cake, and then tops it with rich cream cheese frosting.
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Angel Food Cake
This fluffy, light cake is made with lots of egg whites, cake flour and sugar, but no fat.
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"Instant" Pancake Mix
Keep a container of premixed dry ingredients for pancakes at the ready in your pantry. When you’re ready to eat, you’ll just need to mix in buttermilk and butter before you start flipping pancakes.
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Serious Vanilla Ice Cream
Alton’s secret to great ice cream is letting the cream and sugar mixture chill overnight, to mellow the flavors and texture.
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Pizza Pizzas
For pizza night, you can’t go wrong with Alton’s basic recipe, featuring fresh dough, a little sauce and any toppings you like. Crank your oven up to 500 degrees F for a nice crunchy crust.
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Peanut Butter Fudge
You can make Alton's fudgelike candy with just a few ingredients and a microwave.
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40 Cloves and a Chicken
Alton's healthy chicken dinner gets great flavor from 10 sprigs of fresh thyme and 40 peeled garlic cloves.
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Hot Cocoa
Skip store-bought cocoa and make Alton's easy version at home. Your homemade mix will keep for about 2 years in the pantry as long as it's sealed tight.
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Buff Smoothie
When it comes to Alton's smoothies, frozen fruit is best. Alton starts with liquids (soy milk and acai juice), then adds frozen bananas, strawberries, blueberries and peaches. Don't turn the blender speed to high at first; let the machine slowly blend everything together instead.
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Crepes
Start with Alton's base recipe for crepes, made with only a handful of ingredients, then tweak it with add-ins like sugar, vanilla or fresh herbs, depending on if you're craving sweet or savory flavors.
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The Baked Potato
Alton's go-to baked potato comes together easily in the oven. Pierce the potato with a fork — this will help moisture escape — then rub it with oil, season it and let it bake in the oven.
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Whipped Cream
If you have sugar and cream, then you're set to make Alton's quick-fix topping. Once it's fluffy, it can be stored for up to 10 hours; just whisk it again before using.
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Royal Icing
Ideal for delicate piping, Alton's speedy icing is made with only three ingredients and, perhaps best of all, can be made a few days in advance.
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Garden Vegetable Soup
Consider Alton's healthy soup the ultimate clean-out-your-refrigerator recipe. He combines a few pieces each of chopped carrots, potatoes, green beans and corn to create a warming, satisfying recipe that will feed a crowd. Just before serving, he brightens up the broth with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Oven-Roasted Broccoli
Toasted panko breadcrumbs add welcome texture to Alton's quick-roasted broccoli, which he finishes with nutty Parmesan cheese for a decadent bite.
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Corned Beef
Not just for St. Paddy's Day entertaining, this corned beef gets its signature juiciness from a whopping 10 days' brine in a sweet, salty mixture of brown sugar, mustard seeds and salt.
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All American Beef Taco
Spruce up your taco night routine with Alton's tried-and-true recipe, featuring his fan-favorite Taco Potion #19, a blend of spices, including chili powder, cumin and hot smoked paprika, which he uses to flavor the ground beef.
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Gazpacho
Juicy ripe tomatoes and a cool cucumber add sweetness to Alton's chilled soup, while a jalapeno and splashes of balsamic and Worcestershire balance out the flavor by adding heat and welcome tang. Once it's chilled, serve the soup with fragrant basil for a fresh finish.
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Ambrosia
A five-star classic destined for potlucks and picnics, Alton's big-batch dessert features a sweet mash-up of clementine oranges, maraschino cherries and marshmallows, while chopped pecans bring texture to the dish. Alton recommends chilling it for a few hours so the flavors have time to marry.
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