When I first started hosting dinner parties for friends, I thought it was crucial to make as much of the menu as possible from scratch. As the menus grew more elaborate, however, I found that the preparation started stretching into a full-day event…and then even into the preceding day. Eventually I realized that it’s not about having a 100% from-scratch meal, but rather, it’s about knowing where ...
vegetarian
Chipotle-Peach Three-Bean Salad
Meals right before and right after trips are generally far from ideal. Before a trip, I usually end up stuffing myself silly with various fruits and vegetables in an effort to use up all the fresh produce in the house. A dinner salad with two whole bell peppers, an apple, a crown of broccoli, and three tomatoes? Pretty typical. When I return from a trip, however, the situation is often much ...
Chipotle-Peach Quinoa Salad
We’re gearing up for summer in my household: I’m brainstorming fruity recipes and barbecue menus, the boyfriend is preparing to plant his garden, and Phoebe is busy shedding her winter coat like whoa. Unfortunately, Michigan weather has other plans, because yesterday…it snowed. ...
Roasted Broccoli Couscous
I’ve always admired (and kind of resented) those people who genuinely love eating their greens. I’ll eat my greens, but I’m not exactly enthusiastic about them…unless it’s broccoli. I ate a lot of stir-fried or steamed broccoli as a kid and liked it well enough, but then sometime in the last few years, I “discovered” roasted broccoli and fell head over heels in love with it. There aren’t many ...
Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Vegetables
We really lucked out this past weekend in Michigan, with temperatures in the 70s and low humidity. It was the first truly beautiful weather we’ve had this year—the kind of weather that can (at least temporarily) melt away your stress as soon as you step outside and let the sunshine wash over your skin. The recipe I’m sharing today, creamy pesto gnocchi, is well-suited for spring days like these, ...
Caprese Quinoa Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
This past week, the boyfriend and I have been visiting his family in Arizona, where the temperatures have been akin to what Michigan experiences during the summer, but without the attendant humidity. Even though we had a mercifully moderate winter (after one winter with record-setting amounts of snow and another winter with record-setting cold), I’m already looking forward to warmer weather, and ...
Lemon Snack Cake with Raspberry Frosting
I knew I hit the cake jackpot with this lemon snack cake as soon as I took it out of the pan, when I scraped the crumbs off the parchment paper and ate them. It was love at first bite! This cake is ridiculously moist, full of cheery lemon flavor, and topped with perfectly tart yet sweet raspberry frosting that is so vibrant that it puts artificially colored frostings to shame. ...
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. ...
Cranberry-Apple Smoothie
Try as I might, I cannot bring myself to be excited about drinking a cold green smoothie in the morning for breakfast. Or as an afternoon snack. Or, well, anytime. My excuse is that I live in Michigan. Gut reaction to “winter + smoothies” = noooooo. At least, that was the response the boyfriend gave when, on a recent dog walk, with icy snow blowing in our faces, I asked if he wanted to split ...
Roasted Red Pepper and Hazelnut Pesto
Okay, enough is enough: I’ve been stalling on sharing this recipe with you, because I simply could not describe this roasted red pepper and hazelnut pesto in such a way as to do it justice. I mean, if I just told you, “It’s really good and you should try it,” would you be convinced? Probably not. (If, however, you are convinced by that alone, you are wonderful and I love you for trusting me so ...