88 All-Time Best Dinner Recipes

Heartily second the advice to use a good red wine, but that needn't be too expensive. I used to run a wine store and there are numerous California, Chilean, Argentinian, and Australian Cabernets, Merlots, and Malbecs that are inexpensive (these days, $15-20) and highly drinkable. I once red an article by one of the Food Lab (now Serious Eats) editors who wrote that Montepulciano d'Abruzzi was his go-to cooking red wine and this was one I always recommend at the store. Italian wines are good and inexpensive; Italy produces more wine in toto than most other countries do, so much of it sells very reasonably.

chocolate chips?