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I'm excited about this one! It's so simple yet so good - I think I've made it like six times this month already. I call it a sunshine smoothie bowl because of the color, but to be more specific, it's a tropical smoothie bowl - mango, pineapple, banana, and anything else you might want to add. It's super easy to make -- just some blended frozen fruit and yogurt -- and it tastes just like mango sorbet.

This recipe actually came about at my sister's request! She was visiting home and telling me about this dish she makes at college: lasagna with butternut squash. When I at first heard that, I was so skeptical -- after all, it seems like something that would get you in trouble with generations of Italian tradition. But she likes it a lot, so I figured that I would give it a try and see if I could improve on it.

Butter mochi is becoming more popular these days, or at least I hear about it more often on the food side of Instagram and on trendy cafe menus. I do think that when cultural dishes like this start being seen as 'trendy,' it's important that people stay respectful to history of the original dish.

This is my favorite mac and cheese recipe. It's got tons of flavor, and it uses shell pasta instead of elbow macaroni because shells are the superior pasta shape (and yes, I will die on this hill). It's extra saucy, because the saucier the better. It's salty, cheesy, and has a bit of a kick; peak comfort food right here.

I had wayyy too many apples in the fridge. Like, maybe 15? Some of them were getting far too old to keep storing, and it was time to find a way to use them up. Usually with apples, I would make apple crisp or apple pie, but with robotics season underway, I didn't really have time. So my solution? Slow cooker applesauce! It's great because you can set it and forget it until it's ready, it tastes great, and it makes the house smell so cozy, which is just what you need in the dreary winter months. (Now the only question is squeezing 10 apples into my slow cooker...)

This might be the best thing I've ever made. And that's saying a lot, but I made this for my family this Thanksgiving, and everyone pretty much agreed with that sentiment, so count that as evidence if you wish. This dish is a take on strata, which is a bit like a savory bread pudding.

Wow, life has been busy recently! I've been sticking to the simple recipes to get by: just a couple of ingredients, not too many dishes dirtied, less prep work. Luckily for me, these vegetarian pigs in a blanket check all of those boxes, and they make a great appetizer or snack any day.

Mooncakes are a symbolic dessert eaten on the Mid Autumn Festival. They are decorated with elaborate stamped designs and characters on top. Traditionally, mooncakes are baked pastries with a rich filling. The pastry layer is akin to a soft cookie, while the filling can be savory or sweet. Traditional fillings include lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk, red bean paste, mixed nutes, and jujube or date paste.

While springform pan cheesecakes are impressive when you do get them right, I prefer to hedge my bets by making cheesecake bars. I actually like them more than traditional springform pan cheesecakes because they have a higher crust to filling ratio, and I think it makes it more texturally enjoyable. And, as a bonus, cheesecake bars are much harder to mess up!

This is more of a guide than a recipe, to be honest, since there isn't any cooking involved. Cheeseboards are the OG girl dinner, in my opinion -- just ingredients laid out to assemble and eat. They're a lot of fun to make and share with family and friends, and if you spend just a little time arranging them, it can make any gathering feel a little bit special. I always used to see all these photos of fancy cheeseboards on Instagram and Pinterest, and I’d wish I could make something similar.

Fritattas are a good weeknight staple: They’re easy to whip up, and they’re great for pretty much any meal. Plus, they’re super customizable, and they're a convenient way to clean leftover produce out of your fridge.

A lot of muffins I find in stores are very sweet and very dry, so I prefer to make my own. Homemade muffins are the best, especially warm out of the oven. They only need a bowl and a whisk, and they’re so easy to adapt upon and make different variations with. This recipe has no refined sugar and uses oats for added fiber and texture.