Dark Days – Winter Panzanella Salad

When we got married, we had the most adorable woman catering our wedding.  She was hilarious and so sweet.  In one of our conversations, she started talking about Tyler Florence, and referred to him as “a little slice of heaven.”  A couple weeks ago, I caught an episode of his, and he made a salad [...]

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Umbrian Flatbread Sandwiches with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I’m cheating a bit here because my husband made the hard part of this. In case you couldn’t tell by my infrequent posts lately, I’ve had a hectic few weeks.  Crazy deadlines at work, trip to Sonoma with friends, more chaos at work, and friends from out of town.   Somewhere in the middle of that, [...]

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Spinach salad with peas and feta

The best thing about spring is that I get to make this salad.  I adore it.  Fresh peas are absolutely amazing, and this salad has lots of them.  Freshly shelled and left raw, they are sweet and crunchy and perfect with the spinach, feta, and lemony dressing. The recipe comes from Jamie Oliver’s Naked Chef [...]

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Pasta with Pancetta, Escarole, and Leeks

I had an insane week, running around to meetings all over the place.  When Friday came, I just wanted some good food and a giant glass of wine.  There wasn’t much in the house, but I had a head of escarole crammed in the back of the fridge that I had forgotten I bought last weekend [...]

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Penne with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Bitter Greens

I don’t really have that much to say about this dish, except that: 1. It’s really good, really easy, and you should make it.  And quickly, because spring is almost here (exhibit A – asparagus at the farmer’s market last week).  2. It makes a ton and reheats relatively well. 3. Between this and the sweet [...]

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Kale Chips

  I was having friends over for pizza, and I wanted something not too cheesy or bread based for an appetizer.  I have seen kale chips popping up in the blogs lately and thought they might be just the right thing.  There’s, s a few different recipes going around, but this one by Dan Barber of Blue [...]

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Dark Days Week 14 – Braised Beef Ribs with Mushrooms and Kale over Pappardelle

A couple weeks ago, I signed up for a meat CSA program through Marin Sun Farms.  Once a month, we’ll get a random assortment of braising and roasting cuts and ground meat from grass fed, pasture raised, humanely treated animals.   Our first shipment arrived February 11 and the meat looked amazing.  We celebrated Valentine’s day by cooking [...]

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Pizza with Broccoli Rabe, Lemon, and Goat Cheese

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a broccoli rabe kick lately.  I have no idea how much longer it’ll be at the farmers market, so I’ve been buying it up like it is going out of style.  This combo really works.  The bitter lemon and broccoli rabe with the tangy goat cheese – mmm, [...]

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Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

, Orecchiette is this cute little ear-shaped pasta that I use in one of my favorite dishes.  My husband got the recipe from an old Italian roommate of his and it was the first meal he cooked for me.  I was also the first time I had ever had broccoli rabe.  I fell in love.  I love it [...]

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Dark Days Week 12 – Pear and Autumn Vegetable Soup

A slightly more sophisticated looking dinner than last week, using very similar ingredients. And, this soup rocked.  Butternut squash, pear, and turnip?  Yes, please.  I already had one standard butternut squash soup recipe, but now it has competition in the rotation.  You can definitely taste the pear in it, though the spicy turnip balances everything [...]

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