Fig leaves can be hard to find, but I sometimes find them at my local florist. Florists also tend to carry Lemon or Galax leaves which are good substitutes!

That's happened to me, too. I've found it's important not to press too hard when you’re packing the crust. I also let the pie defrost for 15-20 minutes before serving, and that seems to do the trick!

For the seasoned dried breadcrumbs, I like brand '"4c" which is available in most grocery stores. For fresh breadcrumbs, I start with a loaf of crusty white or sourdough bread, remove the crust, and chop the bread in a food processor until it's the size of large breadcrumbs. I hope that helps!!

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to make the Roasted Vegetable Frittata in cast-iron skillet, however, I would hesitate to recommend doing so without having tried it myself.

For the most part, I always cook chicken with the skin on. I find it makes the meat much more tender and moist. Even if you're going to remove the skin after cooking, I would recommend you roast the chicken skin-on and then remove the skin.

First, I would use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temperature is accurate. (You can buy them at any hardware store!) Second, you don’t want to roast the chicken in a pan that's too big. The pan should be just big enough to hold the chicken and vegetables snugly, or it’s true, the vegetables will burn. I hope that helps!

I use a box grater because it makes the carrots a lot less wet than grating them in the food processor does. If you use a food processor or other electric appliance instead, I would lay the carrots out on a towel dry them afterwards so you don't end up adding extra moisture to the batter.

I make my oatmeal in my microwave - it's so easy! I put 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats (I like McCann's) in a bowl, add 1 cup of water, then microwave it on high for 4 minutes. I add a pinch of salt, a splash of milk, a little bit of butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup, and stir it all in. My favorite breakfast!

The skillets I use measure 5 inches across on the top, 3½ inches across the bottom, and 1 inch deep. 

I use aluminum sheet pans that you can buy at any cookware store. If any food is baked on after I use them, I put them in the sink with the hottest tap water and soap and let them soak overnight. The next morning they should come out perfectly clean, using a Brillo pad if necessary.

I normally serve Roasted Shrimp Cocktail at room temperature; they don't have to be warm. Of course you can make them in advance, but I find refrigerating the shrimp changes their flavor and texture. I would prep everything in advance, and roast the shrimp up to an hour before you plan to serve them.

Weighing ingredients is the most precise way to measure, but because I know many people do not have kitchen scales, I always use measuring cups to make sure the recipe works without a kitchen scale.

Any freshly baked crusty round bread, sometimes called a 'boule', will work.

While I can't be one hundred percent sure why this is happening, I have a feeling it may have to do with the chicken breasts you're using.  They seem to be getting bigger and bigger and more watery. I like Bell & Evans brand, but whatever brand you use, look for breasts that aren't too huge.

Unfortunately, Hershey's has discontinued the 16-ounce can of chocolate syrup. You can certainly use the squeeze bottle. Because syrup is measured by weight -not volume-16 ounces of chocolate syrup measures as 1 1/3 cups.

Yes it is! Click here to see the index on our website - you can now search for recipes, too.

If shortbread dough doesn't come together, adding a few drops of water usually does the trick. I hope that helps!

While I do make my own vanilla extract, I don't assume that people at home have homemade vanilla on hand, so I use store-bought vanilla in my recipes. I always try to use ingredients that people can find at the grocery store.

I love roasting shrimp! The technique can be found in my recipe for Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. I hope you enjoy it!

I've actually listed all my favorite kitchen equipment, tools, and products on my website to answer that exact question!! Click here to see all my favorites!

Good question! I use a large, flat spatula to transfer the cake to a serving plate. Here is a link to a spatula similar to the one I use. I use it to toss roasted vegetables, remove cookies to a cooling rack, and for so many other things, too!

You can bake the cake up to a few days in advance, wrap it well and refrigerate it, and then add the ganache just before serving. You don’t want to refrigerate the cake once it’s been glazed.

One quintessentially Parisian restaurant is called a classic French bistro called Le Paul Bert. The owners have two restaurants on the same street- the one I love is at 18 Rue Paul Bert.

Wrapped well, shortbread cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to a week, and frozen for up to 6 months.