Pollo a la Brasa (Roasted Chicken)
Perhaps the most well-known Peruvian food in the US due to the many take-out Peruvian chicken rotisserie joints around (see our roundup of DC’s best). A whole chicken is marinated in a powerful combination of garlic, herbs, and spices before roasting on a spit, giving the bronzed, crispy skin an addictively exotic and earthy taste. Perhaps even more beloved than the chicken itself is the green huacatay (Peruvian black mint) sauce served next to it: every chicken comes with it, though the recipe often varies and is a closely-guarded secret. For some it’s a creamy melange of the mint with cilantro, garlic and chili in a mayo base that Peruvians (and everyone else) goes crazy for. If you can’t make it to Peru, this is definitely a classic worth making on your own. Those cubes are often served on skewers with sliced onion or potato, and drizzled with lime, which makes them popular appetizers and even more popular street food throughout the country. Today, cooks make anticuchos out of any cut of beef, and even chicken, but nothing beats the original cardiovascular version.

This recipe uses active dry yeast which needs to be dissolved in a bit of liquid before using – in this case we’ll sprinkle it on to milk. If you have instant yeast, you can use it too, there won’t be much of a difference; your rolls might rise a bit faster, depending how warm your kitchen is.
Milk – I use 2% milk but any milk will work here, even almond or oat milk. Warm the milk up slightly in the microwave (I usually pop it in the microwave in 20 second increments) You want it between 105-115°F, which feels like a warm bath.
Eggs – not all cinnamon bun recipes have eggs in them, but this one does and it adds extra richness and flavor because the cinnamon roll dough is enriched instead of just regular. Make sure you take your eggs out of the fridge and let the come to room temp. If you forget, just pop them into a bowl with hot tap water, which will bring them to room temp faster.

Hello! Let’s talk about something that is charmingly old school and also VERY DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS:

Homemade Oreos.

This is important to say right off the bat: there’s no crunchy cookie and no dry frosting here. We’re just borrowing the concept of all Oreo layering but swapping the dry stuff for a soft, buttery, moist, perfectly dense little chocolate cookie stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Oh my word they’re so good. They’re an easy holiday baking win, giftable, party-able, and a total gift to humanity.

It feels wrong and unholy to say these are better than real Oreos but honestly, these are better than real Oreos.

Give me a soft, moist, cakey-meets-fudgy-meets-cream-cheese-frosting situation over a dry cookie any day. Or every day.
SAY HELLO TO BOXED CAKE MIX (YES)
Okay. Now. Please accept that this is a recipe which uses a boxed cake mix. If you need something more homemade than that, you’ll need to find another version on the internet.

This is old school, and old school means we use the box cake mix like the low-to-moderately ambitious home bakers that we are.

THE BEST CHICKEN TO USE FOR THIS RECIPE
In theory, you can use any chicken to make this dish, but to keep things simple I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breast.

I like to slice mine into about 2-ounce pieces. These make really approachable serving sizes for kids and are easy to stir into the skillet while the rice is simmering.

Burritos, Recipe,cook
Burritos Recipe
Prep time: 20 minutesCook time: 20 minutesYield: Makes 8 large burritos or 32 small burritos
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 lime, juice only
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 red or green peppers, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup salsa verde, store-bought or homemade
16 ounces grated colby jack cheese
8 large 12-inch burrito-sized flour tortillas OR 32 small 8-inch flour tortillas
For the pickled jalapeno guacamole (Dad Add):
2 ripe avocados

Hello! Let’s talk about something that is charmingly old school and also VERY DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS:

Homemade Oreos.

This is important to say right off the bat: there’s no crunchy cookie and no dry frosting here. We’re just borrowing the concept of all Oreo layering but swapping the dry stuff for a soft, buttery, moist, perfectly dense little chocolate cookie stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Oh my word they’re so good. They’re an easy holiday baking win, giftable, party-able, and a total gift to humanity.

It feels wrong and unholy to say these are better than real Oreos but honestly, these are better than real Oreos.

Give me a soft, moist, cakey-meets-fudgy-meets-cream-cheese-frosting situation over a dry cookie any day. Or every day.
SAY HELLO TO BOXED CAKE MIX (YES)
Okay. Now. Please accept that this is a recipe which uses a boxed cake mix. If you need something more homemade than that, you’ll need to find another version on the internet.

This is old school, and old school means we use the box cake mix like the low-to-moderately ambitious home bakers that we are.

This recipe uses active dry yeast which needs to be dissolved in a bit of liquid before using – in this case we’ll sprinkle it on to milk. If you have instant yeast, you can use it too, there won’t be much of a difference; your rolls might rise a bit faster, depending how warm your kitchen is.
Milk – I use 2% milk but any milk will work here, even almond or oat milk. Warm the milk up slightly in the microwave (I usually pop it in the microwave in 20 second increments) You want it between 105-115°F, which feels like a warm bath.
Eggs – not all cinnamon bun recipes have eggs in them, but this one does and it adds extra richness and flavor because the cinnamon roll dough is enriched instead of just regular. Make sure you take your eggs out of the fridge and let the come to room temp. If you forget, just pop them into a bowl with hot tap water, which will bring them to room temp faster.