Sarah Mohamed

As the weather cools off, pumpkin starts showing up in everything, and we're not complaining. Of course, the ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte can't be missed, but have you ever thought of shaking pumpkin into your espresso martini to get the autumnal vibes going? Canned pumpkin adds body, subtle sweetness, and a perfect seasonal flavor profile to this popular cocktail, especially when you make your own pumpkin pie spice to go along with it. It's perfect for everything from Thanksgiving dinner to a Gilmore Girls marathon!

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year (also known as the Day of Judgment), and with it comes all sorts of religious traditions, including eating apples dipped in honey. This gesture symbolizes the wish for a sweet new year. There are other metaphors that strengthen the significance of these foods, including good health. Apples are also likened to Jacob and harken back to Adam and Eve.

In times of necessity, people get crafty. As avocados became more expensive in the 2010s, Mexican taco sellers had to come up with a more affordable, avocado-free, creamy green topping, or at least that is how the story goes. No one really knows the exact place of origin or inventor of that sauce, but it is definitely here to stay. It is often called guacachile — though it also goes by names like falso (fake) guacamole, salsa taquera (taco vendor's salsa), and salsa verde cremosa (creamy green sauce). If you are a fan of Mexican food, you have more than likely sampled it since it is such a popular sauce.

While it's fun to play mixologist at home and come up with unique drinks, you can also easily make a delicious, complex, and elegant option with no fancy syrups, tinctures, tonics, or unusual craft cocktail ingredients, such as the Basil Smash. Interestingly, the Gin Basil Smash (invented by Jörg Meyer) and the Basil Smash (invented by Hariolf Sproll) were both created in 2008 in Germany, but at two different bars in two different cities. It just so happens that, separately, Meyer and Sproll were inspired by Whiskey Smash cocktails — which include bourbon, lemon, and mint — and decided to make gin-based riffs.

When you eat a pork chop, you shouldn't need a razor-sharp knife to cut through it and a tall glass of water to choke down each bite. But more times than not, pan-cooked pork chops end up impossibly tough and disappointingly dry. That is why Food Republic asked Rich Parente, chef and owner of Clocktower Grill in Brewster, New York, about the best ways to cook a pork chop on the stove so that it stays nice and juicy.

Versatile and shelf-stable, evaporated milk is good for so much more than tres leches cake. It is great to have on hand when you need a hit of creamy dairy in sweet and savory recipes, and it can even stand in for regular milk. So the next time you reach into the fridge, only to find your carton of milk has spoiled, head to your pantry instead of back to the grocery store.

Has there ever been a day that wouldn't be made better by some donut holes, especially homemade ones hot out of the fryer? With one shortcut ingredient, you can make crisp and fluffy, sweet and snackable donut holes in a snap whenever the craving strikes. The secret? Canned biscuit dough. It fries up into delicious, fluffy, golden-brown bites with very minimal effort.

Pantry-friendly meals are a lifesaver when it comes to getting dinner on the table with minimal effort. But sometimes, canned foods can really fall flat on their own, and chili in particular might taste like little more than salt and dried spices. This is where another shelf-stable ingredient swoops in to save the day: jarred salsa.

Crisp-tender and ever so slightly browned, oven-roasted asparagus is one of those dishes that makes you ask, "Why don't I eat more vegetables?". The high heat cooking method creates frizzled edges and a roasty-toasty flavor, but things can still go overboard — if you let them go in the oven too long, your stalks will shrivel up and dry out. That is why just about 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect amount of time.

Weeknight stir-fries and rice bowls just got so much simpler. If you are fresh out of your go-to bottle of teriyaki sauce (or don't feel like following a traditional recipe), you can whip up a very good substitute in just a couple of minutes. You need nothing more than brown sugar and soy sauce. Warm roughly equal parts of the two ingredients in a saucepan, stirring until the brown sugar dissolves, and that's it! The sauce is done before you can even think about ordering take-out.