Cooking for a Cinco de Mayo celebration means utilizing different varieties of chilis, from habañeros to jalapeños to serranos. But you know what we've recently realized? It can be confusing to understand the differences between all those peppers, so we're setting the record straight with a primer. Get to know them in one hot minute when you keep clicking.
Chances are, now that it's picnic season, that you're in need of a back-pocket appetizer that doesn't take too much effort but actually looks like you tried. That's where this speedy antipasto comes in. It stars just three ingredients: piquant-sweet peppadew peppers, salami, and provolone cheese. Find out how to pull together this recipe-free dish — no cooking required.
As a California girl by way of New England, I had yet to taste the wonder-inducing substance that is pimento cheese till a few weeks prior. Let's just say that since that first sharp, creamy, and all-around mind-bogglingly delicious bite, I've been making up for lost time and then some. Luckily, I live with a Southern lady who shares a passion for all things culinary related, and — as luck would have it — comes from a family that's involved in the restaurant and catering business. So, when I decided to re-create this revelatory retro treat I knew exactly who to turn to.
Tangy, twangy, sharp but smooth, and studded with chunks of sweet pimento peppers, this classic, no-frills recipe comes courtesy of my roommate's stepmother — who happens to own a catering business — and is pretty darn perfect. If you've yet to become acquainted with this Southern luncheon staple, there's no time like the present — whip up an addictive batch today.
This year's hotter-than-heck Summer makes us crave nothing but more heat — for our palates, that is! There's something pleasantly painful about the slight scorch of a jalapeño-infused dish (and, of course, an ice-cold beer to chase it down). From gyro jalapeño poppers to spicy cucumber and cantaloupe paletas, here are six creative ways we love to turn up the heat on your plates.
 Bacon-wrapped jalapeños |
 Gyro jalapeño poppers |
 Pico de gallo |
 Grilled jack cheese-stuffed jalapeños |
 Jalapeño nacho cheeseburgers |
 Spicy cantaloupe and cucumber paletas |
While I normally roast peppers following the traditional method (in the oven), sometimes I get lazy and simply throw them directly on the gas stove like I'm a Spanish grandma. Here's how you do it:
What's your technique for roasting peppers? Share it with us below in the comments.
Tiring of the Fall soup-and-stew rotation already? Turn to a meal that's worthy of your attention and excitement, especially since it's ideal for everything from an impromptu get-together to a casual night in.
Roast red and yellow peppers, fennel, and Winter or Summer squash of your liking with herbs until fork-tender, then transform them into the center of attention by giving them a balsamic-and-vinegar treatment and a puffy crust.
The final product is cheaper than a galette you'd pick up from a comparable French bakery. For the recipe, read more.
Peppers are in season — a fact that marzbars proves with this stunning photo from the Savory Sights group. Aren't the purple ones beautiful?!
We were walking through Union Square in NYC and found this market, I just had to take a photo.
Do you have pictures of delicious-looking produce? Share them in the YumSugar Community! Your photo could be featured here!
Into pickling? Check out this picture of thehungrytexan's homemade pickled jalapeños.
Easy to make (and festive!) pickled jalapeno peppers. I decided these will make perfect hostess gifts at holiday parties this Christmas! Get the recipe here.
Have you canned some of the season's bounty? Be sure to upload it in the Savory Sights group in the YumSugar Community!
Last weekend when I asked my sister what she wanted for dinner, she said, "something stuffed." I started to throw out options like grilled, ricotta-stuffed chicken and rice-filled, baked tomatoes, but she grabbed the Saveur that was sitting on the coffee table and said excitedly, "let's make these stuffed peppers!" Since they looked absolutely amazing, I happily obliged. 
The recipe is pretty straightforward and simple. The filling is a creamy, tangy, and tart mixture of feta, Greek yogurt, and lemon zest. The ingredient list calls for Fresno or Anaheim chiles, which are more sweet than hot, so you can serve this vegetarian dish to people who don't like spicy foods. It's a wonderfully scrumptious appetizer and I highly recommend you give these feta-stuffed peppers a try; here's the recipe.
On birthdays (and half birthdays), I like to make my favorite foods, thus for my half-birthday housewarming, I plan on serving a spread of delectable Italian bites. The party goes from 7:30-10 p.m., smack in the middle of dinner time, so I'll need to offer a substantial amount of food. I don't want to spend days in the kitchen or prepare anything that requires a plate and utensils; that's why I'll take some help from the grocery store and make four easy appetizers.
From the Italian market I'll purchase charcuterie, an assortment of cheese, marinated olives, grissini, nduja and crusty bread. A quartet of homemade dishes — stuffed marinated hot red cherry peppers, polpette in spicy tomato sauce, roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and arugula and fava-bean crostini — rounds out the menu. To check out the recipes I'll be using, read more
