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.
Recipes
Classic Bananas Foster
Our method for lighting this retro New Orleans dessert on fire delivers maximum drama with none of the danger.
Cooking
This One Addition Makes French Toast Way More Flavorful
Jam in your French toast > jam on your French toast.
Recipes
Mustardy Sausage and Halloumi Stir-Fry
This meaty, cheesy one-skillet dinner boasts big beer hall energy.
Recipes
Raspberry-Tahini Thumbprint Cookies
Like PB&J if you made it a cookie and replaced the PB with T.
Recipes
Skillet Cheesesteak With Broccoli Rabe
Is there a better way to eat steak than under a melty layer of pepper Jack with lemony broccoli rabe? We think not!
Recipes
Spiced Chicken and Dates With Endive
Is this a salad you can eat with your hands? Or lettuce cups you can eat with a fork and knife? Either way this easy dinner is packed with flavor and ready in 30 minutes flat.
Recipes
Green Chile Shrimp Scampi With Spaghetti
All the buttery, garlicky pleasure of shrimp scampi with a sizzle of chile heat.
Recipes
Baked Eggs and Greens in Harissa Tomato Sauce
Saucy, spicy baked eggs you can eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Cooking
The Supremely Lazy-But-Resourceful Way to Make Crispy Rice
On my table, it’s crispy rice or no rice at all.
Cooking
Your Freezer Isn’t Complete Without an XL Bag of Tteok
Delightfully, incomparably chewy, Korean rice cakes deserve a permanent spot in your kitchen.
Recipes
Turmeric Caramel Cod
If you’ve ever found whitefish too plain or bland, this sticky savory-sweet turmeric-packed caramel is your new best friend.
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Cooking
Got Two Zip-Top Bags? You Can Make Ice Cream
Babysitters and elementary school science teachers know.
Cooking
Making Snack Mix is Easy. But Making Great Snack Mix? That's Art
How to make snack mix that never gets boring.
Recipes
Pastitsio
This hearty Greek pasta bake is packed with impressive-looking layers of chewy giant noodles, spiced meat, and a creamy, cheesy béchamel to top it all off.
Recipes
Ham and Cheese Hand Pies With Honey Mustard
These savory hand pies are flaky, melty, and, thanks to a package of frozen puff pastry and sliced deli ham and cheese, really simple to assemble.
Recipes
Shrimp and Crispy Rice With Citrus
The combination of juicy mixed citrus with sliced avocado and sautéed shrimp is striking and, yes, delicious—but we all know that the bed of crispy rice is why you’re here.
Recipes
Candy Cane Ice Cream in a Bag
Make ice cream without an ice cream machine using this zip-top bag and rock salt trick. Peppermint flavoring and candy canes are festive, but you can flavor your ice cream any way you like.
Recipes
Cranberry Rum Punch
This rum punch is very simple to throw together, but cranberry-studded ice makes it feel deceptively fancy, doubling as a festive garnish and temperature control.
Recipes
Spatter Paint Sugar Cookies
These tender, buttery sugar cookies use cold butter (no waiting around for yours to soften!) and come together in a food processor, so you can go from zero to dough in minutes.
Recipes
Tiny Potatoes with Sour Cream and Onions
These extra creamy (and extra cute) tiny potatoes are reminiscent of sour cream-slathered potato pierogi, which is a very good thing.