Cookthink

No matter how old you get, a PB&J is an always comforting midnight snack. What do you eat yours with? A glass of milk? Half a banana? A handful of old-school potato chips? Potato salad? It doesn't really matter. It's a PB&J. Don't think too hard about it.

Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Balsamic Cherries

This is one of those recipes that looks a lot more complicated on the plate than it is in the pan – be sure to prepare the ingredients first, as the actual cooking process goes very quickly. You can use chops of any thickness; very thick chops will take longer to cook, so reduce the heat to medium after the first minute or so of cooking. Read more about this recipe at hogwash.

Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork In Barbecue Sauce

If you think far enough ahead, this pulled pork recipe is an easy, smoker-free way to get a good dose of barbecue. The sauce is a pretty traditional one—vinegary and mustardy. The addition of sambal oelek gives the whole thing a little kick.

Smoky Mango Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This is one of those recipes that I made by running around the kitchen like a crazy person and trying to use whatever I have on hand. Thankfully I bothered to write down my measurements because I can't wait to make it again. Read more about this recipe at Coconut & Lime.

Herbed Tuna Salad With Feta And Pine Nuts

This tuna salad would be good on bread or in a pita but I’ve discovered that my favorite way to eat this is to scoop it right onto a piece of lettuce, pick it up, and eat it by hand. This came from Nicole of Pinch My Salt and was the featured recipe for Root Source: Chives.

Smothered Skirt Steak

Marbled, robust skirt steak is smothered with fragrant, sautéed onions. It's a glorious combination. Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.

Montreal Steak Sandwiches

In Montreal, a traditional submarine sandwich is a combination of pan-fried onions, skirt steak, spicy cheese, steak spice, and salad topped with Catalina dressing. [Note: that this sandwich tastes best when made with day-old bread.] This recipe is from ketherian Food Journal and was featured in Root Source: Skirt Steak.

Mussels With Tomato, Pastis And Wine

Don't be fooled by how fancy they look -- mussels are the ultimate easy seafood. Clean them, sauté them, steam them up, and presto -- you'll have a dish everyone will "ooooh" over. With the addition of pastis, these have a decidedly Provençal flavor.

Corn And Black Bean Gumbo

Use up leftover barbecued chicken and grilled corn to make a whole new gumbo. Or just use canned roasted corn and a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. This recipe is part of Andrew Schloss's Sunday Dinners.

Steak Sandwiches With Watercress, Fontina And Roasted Red Peppers

Watercress is the star of this sandwich; its peppery bite contrasts with the meaty steak, creamy fontina and sweet peppers. Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard gild the lily.

Lobster Cobb Salad

The original cobb salad was invented in 1937 at Hollywood’s famous celebrity hangout, the Brown Derby. The salad was made with chicken, but Laurent Tourondel likes to use lobster instead. Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.

Grilled Pork Chops With Plum Salsa

The salsa has just enough pungent sage and jalapeño chili pepper to keep it honest. If preparing the salsa more than an hour in advance, hold off adding the lemon juice, because it will break down the fruit. Serve with whipped sweet potatoes and collard greens. Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.