Ingredients 8 ears fresh sweet yellow corn, husked and silks removed and kernels cut from cob 3 Tbsp butter 5 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces (see note*) 1 medium yellow onion chopped (1 1/2 cups) 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 clove garlic, minced 5 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 bay leaf Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup half and half 1 Tbsp honey 2 - 3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving (optional) Instructions Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened and just starting to brown around edges, about 8 - 10 minutes. Add in the flour and garlic and cook 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in 5 cups water or broth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then stir in corn kernels and potatoes. Add in thyme and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove bay leave then transfer 2 1/2 cups of the chowder to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the pot then stir in half and half and honey. Sprinkle each serving with chives and optional cheddar. Notes If you like crispy bacon then cook it first on it's own separately until crisp. Use rendered bacon fat in the recipe (along with the butter). Reserve the bacon to the side on paper towels to drain until soup is done to add as a topping, otherwise it won't be crisp. Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients 1 lb. 91% lean ground beef* 1 (25 oz) jar marinara sauce, preferably Rao's tomato basil** 1/2 cup vegetable broth 6 uncooked lasagna noodles (not no boil, preferably use Barilla) 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese (whole or part skim) 1 (8 oz) pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese*** 1/2 cup grated or finely shredded parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp Chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional) Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12 by 8-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in beef and cook and break up beef until cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in marinara sauce and vegetable broth (I like to swish the vegetable broth around in the empty jar of marinara sauce to remove any excess, totally optional). To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 of the marinara sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) into bottom of baking dish. Top with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta over the noodles using the back of a spoon. Top evenly with 1/2 of the mozzarella (1 cup) and 1/2 of the parmesan (1/4 cup). Top with another 1/3 of the sauce. Add 3 more uncooked lasagna noodles then spread evenly with with remaining 1/2 of the ricotta. Pour and spread over last 1/3 of the sauce. Top with remaining 1/2 of the mozzarella and parmesan. Cover tightly with foil (you can grease first if the top of the lasagna will be touching the foil so cheese doesn't stick), bake 40 - 45 minutes until pasta is fairly tender. Remove foil then continue to bake uncovered 10 minutes, or until lasagna is just tender (not soggy. There will seem to be a little liquid on the sides still). Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if desired. Notes *A fattier beef will work you'll just need to drain off excess fat after cooking. I've also made this with down to as little as 10 oz. ground beef and it still tastes great it just depend on how meaty you want it (just keep in mind if going that route use about 1 1/3 cups sauce for each layer). **I know Rao's can be expensive (I always wait for it to go on sale for $5 or $6 a bottle and stock up). Another store-bought sauce I love is Classico Four Cheese that's much cheaper and I've tried that here as well but I'd recommend using 1/4 cup less broth since it came out a little runny. ***If you have block mozzarella and parmesan I've also used those and they work great. But if you want to save the prep time go with pre-shredded.

Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs extra-large (21/25) shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 Tbsp butter, melted 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/8 tsp sugar 4 tsp olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced Instructions In a bowl mix together butter, lemon juice and parsley, set aside. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels then sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and the sugar. Heat 2 tsp oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic and half the shrimp to skillet and cook turning once until shrimp is cooked through and opaque, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a piece of foil and wrap to keep warm. Repeat cooking process with remaining shrimp then remove skillet from heat. Return shrimp in foil to pan with other the shrimp. Pour butter mixture over shrimp and toss to coat. Serve warm. Notes Recipe source: inspired by The Best 30-Minute Recipe, by Cook's Illustrated