Kendra Vaculin
Contributor
Originally from the San Francisco East Bay, Kendra has worked in food media (Epicurious, Eater, Food52) and test kitchens (Blue Apron) across New York City since 2014, as a writer, recipe developer, food stylist, and producer. She was Bon Appétit's Test Kitchen Editor until 2025, where she thought a lot about what you should make for dinner, developing recipes for her monthly column Speedy Does It and overseeing the Dinner Is Served section of the print magazine. Outside of weeknight cooking, she loves back-pocket desserts, produce-centric picnic food, and stuff to make for a party. She likes ice cream more than vegetables, but it's much closer than you'd think.
Cod With Lemon Butter Sauce
A flurry of fresh tarragon makes this speedy weeknight dish of seared cod and luscious, sun-colored pan sauce feel restaurant worthy.
Butternut Squash Orzo With Fried Sage
Canned butternut squash purée (find it by the canned pumpkin!) makes this cozy, cold-weather recipe come together in a snap.
Cranberry-Wine Swirl Cookies
These pinwheel-style swirls pair classic sugar cookie dough with cranberry and red wine jam. They’re equally at home on a cheese plate and served as dessert.
If You Like Baked Brie, You’ll Love This Brie Galette
It requires just five ingredients and five minutes to prep.
Upside-Down Martinis for a Crowd
Invert the ratio of gin to vermouth for a party-friendly and slightly lighter drinking experience.
Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Creamy and bright with just a subtle bit of heat, this five-ingredient, make-ahead dip is ready for company—just add crudités.
Swedish-Style Turkey Meatballs
These tender turkey meatballs swimming in gravy are ready to be served up with mashed potatoes and sweet-tart cranberry jam.
Asian Pear Salad With Crispy Shallots
Subtly sweet and extra crunchy Asian pears star in this bright salad you’ll want alongside every rich and meaty dish you’re serving this holiday season.
Rosemary and Dried Cherry Pork Chops
Rehydrating dried cherries in hot water turns them plump and juicy—exactly what you want scattered throughout a rosemary-scented pan sauce for pork chops.
Paper Fleet (Paper Planes for a Crowd)
One classic Paper Plane—great. Enough of that same classic cocktail to serve a crowd? Sign us up, we’ll bring the bourbon.
Jammy Brie Galette
This Brie galette is party food at its finest—and easiest! A 5-ingredient sweet-salty appetizer that takes just five minutes to prep.
Green Bean Salad
Crisp-tender green beans meet a punchy Parmesan dressing in this easy, make-ahead fresh green bean salad that’s perfect for dinner parties or holidays.
Brussels Sprout Pasta
This brussels sprout pasta recipe taps nutty brown butter, crunchy pecans, and hot Italian sausage to create an easy dinner bursting with fall flavors.
Weeknight Pumpkin Chili
A can of pumpkin puree adds richness, body, and an autumnal hue to this speedy chili, letting the flavors of the spices, aromatics, and ground beef shine.
Shrimp Salad on Toast
Seasoned with Old Bay and loaded with crunchy celery and red onion, this easy recipe for creamy shrimp salad is ideal heaped on slices of olive oil toast.
Meatball Tagine
Warming harissa and cinnamon, briny olives, and sweet dried fruit make up the flavorful base for this weeknight-friendly take on tagine.
Sheet-Pan Chicken Souvlaki
Tender, juicy chicken skewers are possible in the oven—especially when roasted alongside spiced chickpeas and finished with fresh tomatoes and salty feta.
Green Pasta e Fagioli
This riff on the Italian classic comfort food gets its verdant color from kale two ways: blended into the base, and wilted among the pasta and white beans.
Chocolate-Date Bran Muffins
Not your grandma’s bran muffins, these fiber-rich baked goods are loaded with dates, almonds, and slivers of dark chocolate.
Chicken Breakfast Sausages
Give your favorite breakfast sausage a makeover with ground chicken. A blend of spices (fennel, smoked paprika) and some maple syrup makes these patties shine.