The Best Egg Sandwich You'll Ever Have

Confession: I'm a terrible cook. Long recipes freak me out, and I only flip through cookbooks to admire the photos. When everyone else was learning to cook, I was...I don't know what I was doing! Watching TV? But, as a 33-year-old (with a child no less), I would like to be able to whip up a few great classic meals. My plan to try to master--really master--the classic recipes: scrambled eggs, mac n' cheese, tomato soup, chocolate chip cookies, that kind of thing. So, I've asked my favorite food bloggers to reveal how to make basic everyday dishes that knock your socks off, and I'm excited to post one slam-dunk recipe every Wednesday. Hope you enjoy it (and maybe learn something, too!).

First up: Deb from Smitten Kitchen reveals the world's best egg sandwich--or as she put it, "how to, like, win at egg sandwiches"...
Read more »

Grapes wrapped in goat cheese

The other day, I spotted this recipe for grapes wrapped in goat cheese. Intrigued, we made some last night, and, sure enough, they were creamy, sweet and delicious! What a cool little appetizer to serve when friends come over.

(Photos by Robert Thomas for A Daily Something)

Baked potato bar

We recently invited six friends over for dinner, and instead of juggling recipes (we aren't fancy cooks), we did a baked potato bar! Alex baked the potatoes in the oven for an hour, and we put out bowls with tons of toppings. Our list of toppings: butter, black pepper, goat cheese, sautéed spinach, avocados, chicken, brie and cranberry sauce, chili, grated cheddar cheese, sautéed mushrooms, onions and garlic. (I also wanted to do sour cream with caviar--how fabulous would that be? Next time!) It was super easy and delicious. What toppings do you like on baked potatoes? Any weird ones?

P.S. And a staring contest:)

(Graphic design by Jennifer Hagler for Cup of Jo)

Best chocolate mousse of your life

Whoa. The best chocolate mousse of your life uses only two ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes. Would be perfect for dinner parties.

(Photos by Cafe Fernando)

Plane picnics

Plane food is usually rubbery and inedible--and now you have to pay for it!--so do you ever bring your own snacks on board? I love the idea of delicious plane picnics--think: cheese, bread, salami--so I just wrote a post for Conde Nast Traveler about five food writers' go-to picnics. I loved the suggestion to bring a clementine, not only to make you feel healthy but also to make you smell citrusy!

What's your favorite plane picnic?

(Photo by Anna Wolf; also, I'm thrilled to say I'm one of Conde Nast Traveler's new bloggers xoxo)

Trader Joe's chocolate lava cakes

Hope you're having a wonderful holiday! Looking forward to sharing photos of our trip (and hearing about yours), but first up: My dad made dinner on Christmas Eve, and afterward, he busted out individual chocolate lava cakes for everyone. His secret? Trader Joe's! You buy them frozen and then just heat them up in the microwave. They were insanely good.

Have you ever tried them?

P.S. My other favorite Trader Joe's dessert, and an ode to Trader Joe's.

(Photo via)