For the eighth year, students in the ceramics department at Desert Vista High School are on track to make more than 400 ceramic bowls for the Tempe Empty Bowls charity event this week.

At Christmas, you want comfort with a little more. You want a dinner that’s as special as it is comforting.

The turkey may be the centerpiece, but a classic Thanksgiving dinner simply isn’t complete without a bevy of traditional sides. To accompany our cider-brined bird, we went with a gently sweet cranberry sauce cooked with peaches for a delicate texture and fruitiness to balance the tart berries. For the mashed potatoes, we kept it basic — sour cream, butter and chives — but delicious.

When it comes to Thanksgiving stuffing, it’s hard to get a more classic flavor combination than sausage and pecans. The result is a salty, nutty, sweet, crunchy and tender combination of flavors and textures. For simplicity, we bake our stuffing in a side dish, but you could use it to stuff the bird, too. Just be sure to adjust your cooking time and make sure the interior temperature reaches a safe 165 degrees.

Perhaps more than any other holiday, Thanksgiving is associated with big family gatherings. But that doesn’t mean you need a house full of in-laws, uncles and cousins to celebrate in a meaningful way.

Just as summer demands salads, fall calls for casseroles.

The trouble with late summer’s bounty of zucchini isn’t in the volume of the vegetable itself. Rather, it is in the lack of creative recipes for using it.

When the kids are heading back to school, one of the best things you can do is start them off with a healthy breakfast.

Could there be a food more heavily burdened with a dull reputation? Has anyone even eaten cottage cheese since the 1970s?

Unlike winter squash, which can be stored in a cool dark place for many months, summer squash have a shorter shelf life and are harvested when their rinds are still tender and edible. Since summer squash varieties such as zucchini, yellow crookneck and patty pan squash must be eaten quickly, it’s essential to have an arsenal of squash recipes at hand.

Unlike winter squash, which can be stored in a cool dark place for many months, summer squash have a shorter shelf life and are harvested when their rinds are still tender and edible. Since summer squash varieties such as zucchini, yellow crookneck and patty pan squash must be eaten quickly, it’s essential to have an arsenal of squash recipes at hand.

Mother’s Day is, of course, the day you serve the hardworking mother in your life a delicious breakfast in bed. And these baked eggs are a fantastic — and easy — way to do that.

Get your Passover Seder off to a healthy start with a flavorful root vegetable casserole.

Get your Passover Seder off to a healthy start with a flavorful root vegetable casserole.

Foodies probably don’t like to admit it, but nearly everyone loves a good casserole.

Foodies probably don’t like to admit it, but nearly everyone loves a good casserole.

For St. Patrick’s Day partiers, ditch the boring boiled potatoes and run-of-the mill potato salads, and instead whip up this deceptively easy Yukon Gold Custard Potatoes recipe – with only five ingredients! Rich cream gives the potatoes a luscious texture and garlic adds a subtle delicious flavor. Whether serving at a picnic or dinner party, this dish is sure to become an instant favorite and get everyone in the Irish spirit.

For St. Patrick’s Day partiers, ditch the boring boiled potatoes and run-of-the mill potato salads, and instead whip up this deceptively easy Yukon Gold Custard Potatoes recipe – with only five ingredients! Rich cream gives the potatoes a luscious texture and garlic adds a subtle delicious flavor. Whether serving at a picnic or dinner party, this dish is sure to become an instant favorite and get everyone in the Irish spirit.

It's winter. It's cold. You want something hearty. But you're also trying to eat better and don't want to ruin your diet by diving into a cream-laden casserole.