Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dill Dressing
I think it’s important to revisit the flavors from your past—the tastes and textures that bring back happy memories and remind you of the experiences that shaped you growing up. I loved summers as a kid. I would spend hours outside digging in the dirt, making mud pies and picking veggies out of my mom’s garden. We always had a lot of cucumbers and I remember my mom, desperate to find a way to use the never-ending supply, making cucumber salad.
Zucchini Pasta with Arugula Pesto
Happy Fourth everyone! Inspiration struck at the Union Square Farmers’ Market today as I was thinking about what to bring to my family’s holiday barbecue. I’ve been feeling so relaxed and rested lately that my creativity has been on fire. As a creative soul, it’s hard on me when I feel like I’ve got nothin’ to express, or (and maybe worse) when I have tons of ideas but not enough energy to see them through. But today it’s literally pouring out of me, which is just the most amazing feeling. I found myself at the Union Square Green Market with time (and energy) to kill before teaching my Saturday class and, four hours later, I’m here sharing this recipe with you!
Attention Is Love
My entertaining philosophy has always been deeply rooted in my desire to make others feel at h(om)e. I strive to create a warm, inclusive, and thoughtful space that invites my guests to kick back and relax into themselves. For me, the art of entertaining lies in the small gestures that demonstrate how much I care.
Homemade Brownies
This recipe comes straight to you from my journey into the baking unknown. I left the comforts of a trusted recipe and ventured off into the confectionary wilderness. It was a bold move for a gal who tends to shy away from potential failure in favor of a sure thing. Considering how little I know about the science of baking, this recipe is nothing short of a chocolate miracle.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
It’s no secret that I love to cook, and so it’s no surprise that I’m often asked about my favorite food. I think people expect me to say something fancy like roast chicken, or pistachio-encrusted lamb chops, but the truth is, I’m a simple gal at heart. My last meal would be a toss up between tacos and spaghetti. I can find just about any reason in the world to eat tacos, but there’s something about a bowl of homemade spaghetti that makes me feel at h(om)e.
Pecan Crescent Christmas Cookies
This is hands down my favorite Christmas cookie. One bite and I’m transported to my mother’s kitchen where I can still hear Christmas carols playing on my father’s old reel-to-reel. Now the recipe has been passed down from my mother to me. It’s filed in my recipe book under “Best Christmas Cookies in the World!”
Apple Tart
I’m not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year; my sister is hosting at her new home in Connecticut and I’m really excited to be a guest! As much as I love to entertain, it’s nice to be on the other side. Thanksgiving is the ultimate culinary balancing act, and although I always learn something about myself in the process, I’m looking forward to a different vantage point, one that lets me enjoy the rhythm of the day and invites me to go with the flow. I’ll have time to play with my niece and nephew, help my sister bake the pies, and watch the Thanksgiving Day parade!
Sweet Love
Billy will be the first one to tell you that he’s not really a dessert person. He often declares that he could go for the rest of his life without eating dessert, a statement I could get behind if our fridge wasn’t overflowing with Coca-Cola. Billy likes his tea light and sweet, and by sweet I mean three heaping tablespoons of sugar. His favorite cereal is Frosted Flakes. He packs Reese’s Peanut Butter cups for “fuel” on his on 30-mile bike rides. So to be clear, while Billy may not like desserts, he sure as hell loves sweets.
Spring Cheesecake
I’m warning you now – this isn’t one of those “let me just whip up a dessert” desserts. This is a step-by-step, “what have I gotten myself into” kind of dessert. Do not be deterred. The finished product is nothing short of a masterpiece. One bite of this airy cheesecake and you will finally know what clouds taste like. This is Billy’s favorite dessert, which gives me an exorbitant amount of influence over our relationship. Just kidding (no, I’m not).
