It’s my birthday. Let’s talk about food.

I made Ina Garten’s Roasted Eggplant Parmesan while my stepmother was visiting. She is gluten-free, so I was simply going to omit the basil breadcrumbs for her batch, but my dad requested we find a workaround. So I used up coarsely-ground Marcona almonds in the place of bread. It ended up creating this crunchy, amazing topping that mimicked the nutty flavors from the Parmesan. I’ve considered using this place of the bread, it was so good.

When I make soups, stews and braises, I never chop garlic for them. I simply use the Milk Street trick: I cut the top off of a head of garlic and pop it into the pot. When the food is ready to serve, I used a pair of tongs to squeeze the cloves (which are silky-soft now) out. Delicious, mellow, sweet garlic goodness and no smelly fingers.

What are you favorite food-related tips/tricks/tools/happy discoveries?