About a month ago we had dinner with our friends Ruthie and Forrest, and Ruthie made this kale tart. While we were eating it she totally talked it down, saying how it wasn’t as good as it normally was and she had to leave out the cranberries, etc., but I loved it. So much so [...]

The first time I tried to carve a pumpkin, I was shocked by how difficult it was and ended up having to draw the face on with a Sharpie. All those Halloweens I’d watched my dad do it in the backyard, it had looked easy; he, and the job of carving those big pumpkins, suddenly [...]

The span of days between posts is creeping to greater and greater numbers, and I’ve been going back and forth between feeling guilty and defensive, between wanting to explain/justify/apologize for this obvious lapse and wanting to ignore it, pretend it’s not happening, hoping that in the grand scheme of the blog this summer will be [...]

The moment I’d resigned myself to having eggs for dinner, even though I’d had them for lunch, because I’m the worst dinner eater/cooker ever these days, I looked out my window into the backyard and spotted all these bright red ornaments.

There are two things I can count on the husband to say every time we eat a meal together at home: (1) “Did you make a pie?” (this during the last bites of the meal) and (2) “Where’s the appetizer?” (this at the moment he walks in the door and sees that I’m still sweating [...]

If you’re looking for an easy, last-minute pigs in blankets recipe for this Sunday, allow me to redirect you. If something a little more anxiety-inducing and time-consuming was what you had in mind, then you’ve come to the right place.

I wasn’t sure exactly how many beets I’d need for the ice cream, so I overbought, planning to make one of my favorite salads with the extra. There’s nothing revolutionary about pairing beets and goat cheese, I know, but there’s a reason everyone does it. Sweet, earthy, firm beets are simply perfect with slightly tangy, [...]

We had some truly delicious spaghetti squash at a friend’s house the other night. It was simply prepared, mixed with tomato sauce and zucchini and garlic and onions and herbs and maybe peppers (I can’t remember exactly), but it was just so good and perfectly seasoned. I knew that if I attempted to replicate it [...]

Back in the early days of this blog, one of my first loyal readers (what up, Danny!) wrote me an email detailing an experience that had changed his life forever. A longtime fan of sweet potato fries paired with ranch, he was blown away by a new dip he’d been served with them in a [...]

Ooh ahh do I have treats for you today, not just one recipe but four. Okay, so one is hummus, and I know I’ve already given you a hummus recipe, but this here is a different version, so it counts. Having apparently gotten over my aversion to pita and hummus and the like after I was [...]

Oh, hey there! How’s it goin? It feels like it’s been forever. I’ve been thinking about this bruschetta post for days but, um, I’ve been distracted. With changes. Changes in my life. Big deal end of era changes. Huge sigh of relief rebirth kinds of changes. Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic. It doesn’t feel [...]

I’m always surprised when people tell me they’ve never made hummus. It’s such a good candidate for home cooks because the payoff is so great. Homemade hummus takes almost no time at all and is far superior to anything you can buy at the grocery store, not to mention much more economical. Plus, there are so many [...]

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love. A little bit weird, something you’d never think of, maybe something you didn’t even think possible (when I told my mom I was making spelt crackers, her response was, “There’s a recipe for that?”). I love it when recipes surprise me, and I love surprising others [...]

I almost never cook lamb, but when I do it makes my house smell like a street cart, which I kind of love. Mmmm…and this recipe got me thinking that I should make lamb more often. It’s just a nice alternative to…everything, really. Plus, it lends itself well to lots of fun, exotic spices, and ground [...]

When we were in Portugal (waaayyy back in the day, 2004), we ate seafood for pretty much every meal. There were all of these outdoor restaurants lining the streets, and at many of them, they’d have their fresh seafood displayed in a refrigerator case and you could choose exactly which piece of fish you wanted. [...]

We’re getting in gear for the Super Bowl over here! And no, I have not yet attempted to make my own puff pastry or hot dogs…OK, hot dogs will probably never happen, but puff pastry I could see (project!)…so for now, I’m content with introducing you to the hands-down easiest and best pigs in blankets [...]