The husband and I both have summer birthdays, one month apart, which means there have been lots of treats and indulgent meals lately. When we’re not in celebration mode, we’ve been opting for healthier fare to help balance things out, and these falafel and hummus bowls have quickly become a new favorite! ...
tomato
Penne with Quick Green Chile Marinara Sauce
This penne with quick green chile marinara sauce is an old recipe, not only because I first posted it several years ago (in my pre-DSLR days) but also because it has been a family favorite for nearly as long as I can remember. In fact, when I asked my dad about the origins of the recipe (and of its obscure name, “penne al boccalone”), all he could tell me was that he found the recipe in a ...
Bacon Cheeseburger Gnocchi
This summer has been remarkably busy so far—how is it already mid-July?!—but I’ve been doing my best to make the most of it, especially since it’s the last one I’ll be spending in Michigan (fingers crossed for completing my dissertation this next year!). ...
Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
A few weeks ago, after passing his defense and going from Mr. Cake Pants to Dr. Cake Pants, the fiancé moved to California to start a new job. One of the biggest changes for both of us (in terms of practical matters, anyway) has been making the transition to meal planning and cooking for one. Since I’m finding myself busier than ever, I’m not terribly keen on the idea of making partial recipes and ...
Italian Tomato Gnocchi Soup
As a kid, I dreaded science fair projects. I liked in-class science experiments just fine, because they always came with carefully articulated directions from start to finish. But coming up with my own idea for an experiment? That was a completely different beast. In seventh grade, I decided to test whether water temperature affected plant growth. ...
Chickpea Couscous Paella
When I was in high school, my Spanish teacher required all of his students to participate in a certain number of designated, off-campus “cultural events” each semester. Unfortunately, Señor (as we called him) completely dropped the ball on scheduling these events, and by the end of the year, he had only offered a fraction of the number we were supposed to attend. ...
Chicken Kapama
Chicken kapama (pronounced kah-pah-MAH) is a tomato-based Greek stew, often flavored with red wine and cinnamon. I first had this dish when I was on an excavation in Greece one summer during college. We were staying in a very small town with only about four hundred residents, and we ate lunch at the same restaurant every day. As you can imagine, eating from the same menu every day for six weeks ...
Feta and Dill Orzo Salad
I first made this feta and dill orzo salad a few weeks after I returned from studying abroad in Greece one summer in college. By the end of my stay, I thought I had eaten enough tomatoes and feta to last me a lifetime, but soon enough I found myself missing the flavors of Greece. This recipe brings back fond memories of leisurely meals at carefree and balmy tavernas, and the best part is that ...
Halloumi Stuffed Peppers
Halloumi, where have you BEEN all of my life?! Besides, you know, Cyprus. Apparently. This was my second time using this glorious Cyprian cheese, and I have a feeling I'll be buying a lot more of it in the coming months. I’ve never been to Cyprus, but given its ties to the Greek world—trade networks between Cyprus and Greece existed even as far back as the fourteenth century BC—and the ...
Sedona Corn Soup
Back in college, one of my favorite dishes in the dining hall was Sedona corn soup.* I think it was meant to be a side dish, but whenever they had it, I’d ladle up a big bowl of it and have that for dinner by itself. When my family was in Arizona several years ago, we took a day trip to Sedona, where I was slightly crestfallen that I didn’t find any corn soup on the menu at the restaurant we ...