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Articles by Megan Hedgpeth
These Dumpling Recipes Are So Good, They Deserve a Party
It’s Dumpling Week, our annual tribute to one of everyone’s favorite foods, with recipes to get you pinching and pleating. Whatever form they take, dumplings make you want to inhale as many as you can, one after another, stopping only to swipe through more sauce or exhale a dragon puff of steam. Eating them feels like tearing open gifts — but better. The wrapping is as amazing as what’s inside, and biting through it delivers a rush of satisfaction at the taste of something new.
How to Host an Unforgettable Dumpling Party
Four expert tips turn prep work into a major part of the fun. At the best dumpling parties, everyone helps out with the cooking and lingers long enough to pitch in on the dishes. So you’ll want to get your guests excited to be in the kitchen. If those coming over aren’t related to you (and even if they are), they should know they’ll be getting their hands dirty and that the dumplings will be ready whenever they’re done helping make them.
These 7 Cookies Will Be the Life of Every Party
This year’s Cookie Week recipes are inspired by the flavors of treats we love, like mint chocolate chip ice cream, Vietnamese coffee and gingery Dark ’n’ Stormy cocktails. Photographs by Rachel Vanni Styled by Samantha Seneviratne and Megan Hedgpeth Vaughn Vreeland is a supervising video producer for NYT Cooking. An avid baker and home cook hailing from North Carolina, Vaughn can be seen making his latest creations on the NYT Cooking YouTube channel, Instagram and TikTok. Published Dec.
Andy Baraghani’s Thanksgiving Menu Is Bright, Colorful and Delicious
Andy Baraghani’s bright, brilliant menu is a feast for the eyes, too. Styled by Rebecca Jurkevich and Megan Hedgpeth Published Nov. 17, 2025Updated Nov. 17, 2025 Every year, I tell myself I’m going to keep Thanksgiving simple, and every year, I fail. Not in the frantic way, but in that way where “simple” quickly turns into “well, maybe just one more dish.” So I’ve stopped fighting it. The cooking part is the best part.
2025 REAL SIMPLE Gift Guide
INITIAL CHARM These gold-plated pendants will add a little sparkle to a loved one’s necklace stack (read: a bunch of chains layered together). Give just the one or spring for all the letters to spell out their name. Multi-Letter Charm, $15 each; ezrasbox.etsy.com $25 OR LESS EGG-CELLENT GIFT Made with soothing eggwhites, this facial soap comes in a few scents. For added yolks and giggles, throw in the yuck-preventing holder.
2024 Christmas Cookies Are Here
Lemony turmeric, gingery cheesecake, boozy almond: This year's Cookie Week has something for everyone. Credit... Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Lemony turmeric, gingery cheesecake, boozy almond: This year's Cookie Week has something for everyone. Credit... Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
2024 REAL SIMPLE Gift Guide
$25 OR LESS TEENY-TINY TOTE The classic L.L.Bean Boat and Tote has been shrunk down. Like, way down—into a 2½-inch key chain! It’s still plenty useful: The zippered interior can hold coins, mints, hair ties, and more. BUZZY SOCKS Warm up someone’s tootsies and protect our pollinators with a pair of bee-utiful socks. With every purchase, $1 is donated to the Pollinator Project, a nonprofit fighting the good fight.
2023 REAL SIMPLE Gift Guide
$25 Or Less BOOKISH KEY CHAIN Carrying house keys attached to this colorful enamel stack of classics will fill bookworms with pride (not prejudice). Get one for everyone in your reading group. Book Club Keychain, $18; riflepaperco.com ZESTY TOWELS Anyone obsessed with color needs a tea towel by Portland, Oregon–based artist Lisa Congdon. Her designs are bold, graphic, and Fun with a capital F.
Just Add Color
MONOCHROMATIC ROOMS Here’s a simple formula for designing with color: Start with your favorite shade, then add more of it. Done! The all-one-color look is big right now, and it couldn’t be easier to pull off. Just mix tones and textures to keep things from feeling flat (e.g., high-gloss paint, a velvety sofa, and flowy curtains). Try it with a small space, like a powder or laundry room, or go full-on in your living room or bedroom.
Oysters with Balsamic
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Sticky Grilled Chicken
Active Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour Ingredients 10 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press or minced 1 Tbsp grated peeled ginger 2 tsp paprika 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander 3/4 tsp ground cumin Rounded 1/4 tsp cayenne 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 2 cups bottled unsweetened pomegranate juice 1 cup apricot jam (12 oz.), forced through a sieve if chunky 2 Tbsp molasses (not robust or blackstrap) 2 whole chickens (about 3 1/2 lb each), cut into 10 serving pieces (see cook’s note...
Baked Tomatoes, Peppers, and Goat Cheese with Crisped Toasts
According to the website: chiliplants.com, piquillo peppers are: PIQUILLO All photos Copyright © Cross Country Nurseries PIQUILLO - mild; 3 to 3.5 inches long by 1.5 to 1.75 inches wide; thick flesh; matures from green to red; upright pods become pendant; green leaves; 24 to 30 inches tall; Mid Season (70-80 days); Uses: Large Stuffing, Roasting; from Spain; C.annuum. I have them in my garden. You can substitute any fresh sweet pepper in this recipe.
Pecan Bourbon Baklava
Active Time 1 hour Total Time 2 1/4 hour (plus one day for standing) Ingredients For Baklava: 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 lb pecans, lightly toasted (see Tips) 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 9 (17 by 12-inch) sheets phyllo dough, thawed if frozen For Syrup: 3/4 cup mild honey (preferably acacia) 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 5 whole cloves 3 (3-inch) strips lemon zest 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp bourbon, divided Accompaniments: vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream, fresh figs and...
Late Summer Tomatoes with Fresh Herbs
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This Creamy Lentil Dal with Chickpeas Deserves Allllll the Toppings
As an extrovert from Southern California, winter poses a real problem: I love seeing my friends, but I hate going outside. I’ve invested in a practical (read: hideous) coat and even considered lacing my morning coffee with tequila for an extra shot of warmth, but now I have a new ploy: stew parties. For the uninitiated, a stew party is, well, exactly what it sounds like. You make a heaping pot of stew and an array of fixings, then invite people over to eat, and eat, and eat.
Oxtail and Red Wine Stew
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Warm-Spiced Saucy Lamb Stew
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Silky Pork and Cumin Stew
Love this stew. I skip the cornmeal and instead add a big can of hominy, which makes it much more hearty. Refrigerating overnight and skimming off all the fat is absolutely essential. The real fun is in the toppings, though. I personally like my avocado fresh, and always add some cilantro and a fresh squirt of lime to liven it up. Made for my dinner club and everyone enjoyed it. Had a lot of flavor. Served it with the charred avacado and sour cream. Thumbs down from me, too.
Curried Chickpea-Lentil Dal Recipe
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook onions and garlic, cut side down, and ginger, stirring onions and ginger occasionally, until onions are translucent and garlic is golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Add curry powder and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas and 5 cups water, stirring to release any bits stuck on bottom of pot; season with several pinches of salt.
Warm-Spiced Saucy Lamb Stew Recipe
Reduce heat to medium; add onions and garlic, cut side down, to the same pot and cook, tossing onions occasionally, until onions are browned in spots and garlic is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon and crushed coriander and cook, stirring constantly, until spices are very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add harissa paste and cook, stirring often and scraping bottom of pot, until vegetables are coated and paste is slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes.
Oxtail and Red Wine Stew Recipe
Reduce heat to medium and cook leeks, celery, and garlic, cut side down, in the same pot, stirring leeks and celery occasionally, until leeks are softened and browned in spots and garlic is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot, until vegetables are coated and paste is slightly darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Gradually add wine, stirring to release any bits stuck on bottom of pot, then add 6 cups water and thyme.
Silky Pork and Cumin Stew Recipe
Reduce heat to medium and cook onions and garlic, cut side down, in the same pot, tossing onions occasionally, until onions are browned in spots and garlic is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add cornmeal, chiles, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until cornmeal is toasty smelling and cumin is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar, stirring to release any bits stuck on bottom of pot, then add 8 cups water. Season generously with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Ham Hock and White Bean Stew Recipe
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook onions and garlic, cut side down, and carrots, turning carrots occasionally, until cut sides of onions and garlic are golden, about 4 minutes. Add wine, stirring to release any bits stuck on bottom of pot, and cook until reduced by two-thirds, about 2 minutes. Add ham hocks, thyme, beans, and 9 cups water. Season with several pinches of salt and lots of pepper and bring to a simmer.
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