I have to admit that the April booklet, 50 Salad Dressings, was a crowd favorite in the Food Network Test Kitchen. As much as we love indulging in chicken wings, macaroni and cheese and all the other delicious dishes we’ve recently covered in our 50 Booklets, it was a welcome change to have tastings that involved salads and vegetables. We love greens in any form and what’s great about these recipes is that they aren’t just for lettuce: They can also be drizzled over steamed asparagus and sauteed broccoli rabe, or used for dipping steamed artichoke leaves. Here is an extra dressing recipe that didn’t make it into the booklet, but is a favorite of mine. It gets a complex, floral flavor from chamomile tea and has a slight sweetness that goes really well on sturdier, slightly bitter greens like frisee and escarole.

Creamy Chamomile: Steep 2 chamomile tea bags in 1/4 cup hot cider vinegar 10 minutes; cool. Blend vinegar with 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 large egg in a blender; gradually add 1/2 cup vegetable oil until creamy.

The chefs in Food Network Kitchens had so many favorite muffins in Food Network Magazine’s 50 Muffins (page 100, December issue) that we couldn’t print them all. Pick up the issue to see the ones that made the cut — then try this extra Mini Rumball Muffin recipe for a new twist on an old cookie classic.

Mini Rumball Muffins
Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup each finely ground vanilla wafer cookies and walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg and fine salt. In another bowl, whisk 3/4 cup each whole milk and vegetable oil, 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Fold the milk-egg mixture into the flour mixture. Divide among 36 to 48 mini muffin liners. Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Heat 1/2 cup each rum and dark brown sugar and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Poke holes in the warm muffins and drizzle with the rum mixture. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

When the Food Network test kitchens first conceived of the “50 Things to Make With Apples” booklet from the October issue of Food Network Magazine (page 160), we thought we would use apple in all its forms, including applesauce and cider.

Ultimately, we decided to only include recipes with fresh apples — but I had already developed this easy recipe for cider-glazed bacon. You’ll be amazed by how much of the cider flavor actually comes through. And if you want to take it over the top, use the bacon to make a BLA — a BLT with sliced apples instead of tomatoes.

Simmer 1 cup apple cider down to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Lay 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon on a rack on sheet tray; brush with half the cider; bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping and brushing again halfway through.

Coming up with 50 of anything for Food Network Magazine’s monthly 50-recipe booklet can be daunting — in the past, the booklet has featured 50 things to make with bacon, 50 brownies and 50 grilled cheeses — but this month, Food Network Kitchens tackled taco night.

The 50 Tacos booklet is full of fun new ideas you can whip up in no time. For instance, tucked into the Chicken Tomatillo recipe (No. 14) is an incredibly easy tomatillo salsa. It’s just 32 words long and as easy as can be, but I promise you it’s a killer salsa that is just as delicious in hot chicken tacos as it is served with tortilla chips.

Puree 1 pound fresh husked tomatillos with 1 jalapeno, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup each chopped onion, cilantro and water.  Fry in 2 tablespoons oil until thick.

And of course it’s not the only one. There are tons of great salsas all throughout these recipes. Explore, find your favorites and mix and match to create your own tacos, nachos and more!