The Mom 100

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Radishes are one of the fastest vegetables to prep in the kitchen, which is part of why I love them. You can go from whole radish to perfectly cut in about two minutes. The method you choose — simple rounds or matchsticks — depends on what you’re making, but the matchstick cut is the one worth learning. It’s striking, adds a peppery crunch to all kinds of salads, and it looks kind of fancy.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. The moment sweet corn shows up at the farmers market, I start buying it by the armful. I absolutely love it straight off the cob with a little butter and salt, eaten standing over the kitchen sink like a completely reasonable person. But corn is one of the most versatile vegetables of the summer season — sweet enough to hold its own in salads, hearty enough to anchor a chowder, and smoky-delicious when it hits a hot grill.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. A quesadilla is one of those things that sounds too simple to be a real dinner and then turns out to be exactly what everyone wanted. When my kids were little and I was juggling work and mom-hood, quesadillas made an appearance on the table at least once a week, and everyone was happy to see them. Crispy tortilla, melted cheese, whatever odds and ends you have in the fridge – suddenly there was dinner.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. My jar of molasses sits (stickily) in the back of the pantry for most of the year, and then fall arrives, and it earns its keep. A small amount stirred into cornbread batter does something significant. A few tablespoons in a cookie dough makes the difference between something dry and crisp and something moist and chewy. It’s one of those ingredients that’s easy to overlook and hard to replace once you understand what it does.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Let’s talk about mayo. I have nothing against it; I use it regularly and defend it when needed. But there are moments, usually involving a picnic cooler, a hot car, or a guest with a strong opinion, when a mayo-free salad is exactly what you want. These 11 deliver everything a great summer salad should — creamy, tangy, substantial, and interesting — without a spoonful of mayonnaise in sight.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. How to slice and dice a tomato with step-by-step photos — including knife tips, how to remove the stem cleanly mid-slice, and which cut to use for which dish. Knowing how to cut a tomato properly makes a real difference in how a dish looks and tastes. A clean slice holds together on a sandwich; a proper dice stays neat in a salsa instead of turning into a watery mess.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. You know that moment when you grab a rotisserie chicken “just to have on hand,” and then it stares at you from the fridge like, “So…what’s the plan?” This is the plan. Rotisserie chicken is one of my favorite weeknight shortcuts. It’s already cooked, it’s full of flavor, and it saves you from having to deal with raw chicken when you’re tired, hungry, and maybe a tiny bit cranky.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Vanilla beans are one of those ingredients that feel slightly intimidating until you’ve used one, and then you wonder why you waited so long. They’re neither complicated nor precious. They’re just very, very good…the essence of vanilla. The purest, most delicious vanilla you can get. Once you understand what they do and how to use them, you’ll reach for them more often than you’d expect. Here’s everything you need to know.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Miso is one of those ingredients that earns its place in your fridge about a thousand times over — and yet, somehow, it’s also one of those things that ends up quietly lurking on the back shelf after you’ve used it once. I get it. But here’s the thing: miso is one of the hardest-working, flavor-packed ingredients you can keep on hand.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Miso is one of those ingredients that instantly elevates everything it touches. Salty, savory, and deeply comforting — it’s flavor in concentrated form. The trick is using it the right way, because overcooking can turn this magical paste bitter or flat.