Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

I’ve made plenty of cupcakes over the years, as well as my share of sheet cakes and cookie cakes. But mini cheesecakes just might take the cake as my favorite celebratory sweet. As Valentine’s Day and my birthday are just around the corner, seems like just the right moment to stir up a batch. MyContinue reading “Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes”

All-Butter Pie Crust

  I’ve been working at improving my pie crusts for years. I’ve asked every baker I know for tips. (Flatten the dough slightly before rolling it out. Freeze the dough before working it.) I’ve written stories about pies. I’ve amassed a large body of knowledge about how to make a beautiful, tasty pie crust. I justContinue reading “All-Butter Pie Crust”

Lentil Cornbread Dinner

I came across a version of this recipe when I was first married and looking for easy, one-dish meals that I could put together in the morning and cook when I got home from work. With lentils as the main ingredient, I didn’t count on this being a big hit, but my husband loved it. And so didContinue reading “Lentil Cornbread Dinner”

Chocolate Cherry Granola

I love to make my own granola, using all the best ingredients, eating it straight from the pan warm, mixing and matching nuts and seeds and dried fruit to create exactly what I want at that moment. I’ve shared my granola go-to with you before. But here’s another recipe, sure to cheer those dark, coldContinue reading “Chocolate Cherry Granola”

Pizza Dough Primer

  From-scratch pizza is pretty much a weekly occurrence in our house. It’s beloved by everyone, can be partly made ahead and takes less than 30 minutes from rolling out the dough to sitting down to dinner — all plusses in our busy day-to-day. It’s also a basic framework to eat whatever’s in season. RightContinue reading “Pizza Dough Primer”

Mediterranean Green Beans

  We grow several varieties of green beans in our garden and in a good summer, we harvest more than we can eat. I happily blanch, cool and freeze our garden bounty knowing that come January, I’m going to be thrilled to pull this taste of summer from our deep freeze. The olives and sun-driedContinue reading “Mediterranean Green Beans”

Chicken Wings With Honey Yogurt Sauce

Wings are fun, festive, quick to make and delicious. Perfect as apps before your holiday party or as a simple dinner paired with mashed potatoes and salad. When my family last bought a batch of local chicken, we picked up six fresh whole chickens and cut them into parts before we froze them — ziplockContinue reading “Chicken Wings With Honey Yogurt Sauce”

Mashed Butternut Squash

We grow our own butternuts and often we buy them in bulk, as well. So you’d think we cooked these amazingly nutritious root veggies in all kinds of ways. But in reality, not so much. We do love this Thai Butternut Squash Soup. Occasionally, we’ll stuff and bake them. And they do wind up inContinue reading “Mashed Butternut Squash”

End-of-Season Cilantro Pesto

Like so many of my recipes, this one begins in the garden. First came an incredible stand of cilantro, the best we’ve ever grown, still going strong in October. Predictions of a frost sent me scrambling to snip and save and give away. I just couldn’t let this gorgeous green go to waste. But IContinue reading “End-of-Season Cilantro Pesto”

Crab Cakes with Hot Pepper Aioli

I know, I know. Everybody’s got their own favorite crab cakes, whether from a restaurant or a secret recipe they make at home. It’s like barbecue, right? It just tastes wrong if you mess with those familiar flavors. So I — not so much of a seafood girl myself — am certainly not here toContinue reading “Crab Cakes with Hot Pepper Aioli”