Mastering a few basic knife cuts transforms a navel orange from a messy snack into a versatile ingredient for salads, garnishes, and everyday eating.

Fajitas are grilled strips of skirt steak or chicken with bell peppers and onions, served in warm tortillas with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.

Blend fresh melon flesh with water and sweetener, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and serve over ice for a smooth, pulp-free drink without a juicer.

You can make a spice cake from a white cake mix by adding a blend of ground spices—typically cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger.

Cornmeal is a versatile pantry staple ground from dried field corn, used for crispy fried-food coatings, Southern grits, Italian polenta.

Potatoes originated in the high Andes of southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia, where they were domesticated roughly 8,000 years ago.

Line a bamboo steamer with parchment or cabbage leaves, arrange dumplings without touching.

A standard 1/4-ounce packet of yeast (active dry, instant, or bread machine) contains about 2 1/4 teaspoons, or 7 grams.

Oranges are round citrus fruits with a dimpled bright orange rind and juicy segmented flesh, though the exact shade, size.

Spread pecan halves in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant and slightly darkened.