Italian Wedding Soup

I can’t lie. It’s been pretty dreary in my world over the past few weeks. Between the rain and the cold and the dark, I really need my hearty soups to keep me from curling up in bed and pulling the covers over my head. This soup is a satisfying meal on its own, butContinue reading “Italian Wedding Soup”

Skillet Chicken Dinner

When it’s busy, there’s nothing better than a one-pan meal that can be whipped up in less than a half-hour. If you dry Roma or cherry or grape tomatoes from your garden, this is a great way to use them. Plant parsley in a pot and move it inside in the winter to have freshContinue reading “Skillet Chicken Dinner”

Herby Orzo

I’ve made my share of risotto and herby pasta over the years, but this winter I fell in love with a new earth-y, broth-y, rice-like pasta dish that has the potential to taste even better as the first fresh herbs of spring shoot up and I’m looking for ways to eat them. I can’t say enough aboutContinue reading “Herby Orzo”

Stromboli Sandwiches

Mid-winter days are when a hearty bowl of soup or tray of comforting lasagna is what my body craves. While I’m trying to hit the Vitamin C and the leafy greens hard, I also think there’s something to be said for a filling meal to stave off the dark and chill. We eat our shareContinue reading “Stromboli Sandwiches”

Linguine with Garden Herbs and Clams

We are seafood fans in our house, but we are also well-aware of how fragile the edible ocean is these days. For more than a decade, I’ve been referring to my Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide to help me find environmentally friendly seafood. In the past several years, as eating local has become my guiding principal,Continue reading “Linguine with Garden Herbs and Clams”

Spinach Artichoke Dip

There’s nothing like a great app — it keeps the dinner hunger at bay, it’s great for a party, heck, sometimes we even make a meal out of a couple apps and some fruit. I’ve made my fair share of artichoke dips over the years but when I started experimenting this time around, I wanted lessContinue reading “Spinach Artichoke Dip”

Super Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Why is it that some of the seemingly simplest sauces are the hardest to make? I have been stirring up my own Alfredo sauce going on 20 years but it was very hit or miss. It all depended on the kind of cream I used or how finely grated the Parmesan was or how muchContinue reading “Super Creamy Alfredo Sauce”

Herby Alfredo Pasta Dinner

  In the spring, I walk around my garden thinking mostly of one thing: How to get all the delicious, thriving herbs and greens from my yard onto my plate. Could a snip of parsley, a handful of spinach, a few strands of oregano, a spring onion and maybe a mushroom or two somehow, magicallyContinue reading “Herby Alfredo Pasta Dinner”

Arugula Salad

This simple salad is a must-make in the spring and fall when our arugula plants get big and we are looking for ways to enjoy their peppery, spicy crunch. Can you mix arugula with lettuce, spinach, chives, parsley, chicory and endive to make a stellar mixed greens salad? Absolutely. But this dish of straight arugula will surprise you. TheContinue reading “Arugula Salad”

Minestrone

  When it’s cold out, there’s nothing that feeds the body and soul so well as a good hearty soup. And I’m not sure any soup fits the bill so well as Minestrone, an ancient Italian soup that includes pasta and beans, onions and tomatoes and whatever you’ve managed to put up from your summerContinue reading “Minestrone”