Last month I received my first pressure cooker and it has been a revelation. I am able to cook everything I want, except now in half the time. No joke! I plan to share more and more about it as I continue my experiments, but today I want to share my favorite thing to cook in it: artichokes. As you know, I have a longstanding love for artichokes. This comes from my mother who cooked them nightly when they were in season. I try to do the same, the problem is time. They take so long to cook! But not anymore…
It’s been a busy month of end-of-school picnics, holiday weekends, and soccer tournaments. That means that I’ve been employing a lot of my favorite weeknight shortcuts like cooking double of what I need and repurposing leftovers. It takes a little strategizing, but it is worth the effort if it means solid meals to grab when rushing about. Here are three of my favorite spring meal tips for the “busy season” and a few favorite salad technique!:
1. Double Up on the Grill: We love grilled chicken, steak, and vegetables all summer long. Not only is it great right off the grill, but it is just as tasty served cold the next day. On Sunday nights I’ve taken to preparing twice as much meat to grill so we can eat half for dinner and have a whole extra portion for the next day or two. I use cold grill meat for tacos, enchiladas, serving over salads, or even making in wraps to take on-the-go.
2. Cold Dinner Season is here: We like to make paninis in the winter, and in the summer I am all about sandwiches and wraps. In fact, sometimes I am just about a vegetable, cheese, and meat board with some crackers for an evening meal. It is easy to stick to cooking hot dishes for dinners, but don’t forget that it is the season for cool and refreshing food. In fact, when you start to see those ripe, local tomatoes in the market start making gazpacho!
3. Salads Don’t Need Recipes: There are many amazing salad recipes out there. But, I have to be honest, I prefer the salads that are thrown together at the last minute. They always yield the most interesting flavors and textures and are unfailingly satisfying. Here is my newest favorite salad technique: add a grain! Last night I made a salad with arugula, dried cranberries, toasted pine nuts, feta, and wild rice. The warm rice was a delightful chewy addition to the salad. Over it I served, of course, grilled chicken made fresh the night before!
Stacie has been one of my blogging friends from the very beginning. Waayyyy back in 2009, when all these blog shenanigans began, we met for lunch in New York and totally hit it off. It was one of those lunches were we could’ve chatted all day long and well into the evening, except there were babies to tend to so we didn’t. Fast forward a few years, and a few more babies, and Stacie has written is first book: Make It Easy: 120 Mix-and-Match Recipes to Cook from Scratch — with Smart Store-Bought Shortcuts When You Need Them. I am SO proud and happy for her. This has been a long time coming and now it is here and the time is right. Brava, Stacie!
The premise of this genius tome is family-friendly food you can make for easily and using a few store-bought shortcuts if needed. Yes! (Because, honestly, we don’t always want to make enchilada sauce from scratch and if you can find a perfectly good jar at Trader Joe’s sometimes it is just worth buying in order to save time. Right? Right.) The book features dozens of new and accessible meal ideas for the family. I flagged several pages right off the bat for summer. Stacie’s writing style is clear and relatable, just like she is in person, and this book will give anyone the confidence they need to get in the kitchen. Today I am so thrilled to share a chat I had with Stacie about her new book and offer one lucky reader the chance to win a copy!
My parents visited us last weekend and I wanted to make us as a little breakfast treat for Sunday morning. I didn’t have a lot of time to pull together anything complicated so I pulled out one of my old favorites and made some batter for scones. There is no easier make-ahead breakfast treat, in my opinion, since the dough takes all of five minutes to come together in a single bowl.
I have embraced the zoodles trend wholeheartedly and am never letting go. I love zucchini, I grow it in the garden, and could basically eat it for every meal. Last summer I purchased a very simple zoodle maker and got to work. Now I make zoodles with green and yellow squash and serve it with all kinds of sauces and toppings. Last week I made a very summery version of our favorite dish to celebrate the beginning (return?) of spring.
I’ve known Amie of The Healthy Apple since we lived in NYC several years ago. We’d bump into each other time and again at blogger events but I really didn’t get a chance to speak to her in earnest until last fall. After following her medical events on her blog I was so pleased to see that she looked like a million bucks when we met in person. And now I know why: her diet! Amie has been thrown more health challenges than most and she has done an incredible job healing herself through her diet. Her unusual genetic situation makes her body more susceptible to processed food than the average person and it has wreaked havoc on her life. But once we she realized how to handle it through eating she began to do just that. These days she is a private Chef and incredibly talented writer and she recently chronicled her whole journey in this amazing book: Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body. I am thrilled for her success and am excited to chat with her today!:
‘Tis the season for rosé so I thought I’d write a little bit about it for my wine love column today. Rosé has experienced a surge of popularity in recent years. It is hard to say why since “blush” or White Zinfandel has been around for decades and was always popular with grandmothers the world over. However, marketing has played a key part in its rise and, frankly, it’s delicious! Rosé hits all the right notes for summer with mild, sweet berry and tropical flavors, and a refreshingly high acidity. It pairs well with nearly all lighter summer fare like fish, gazpacho, and salads. Plus, it always looks pretty on a summer table. Here are a few of my favorite rosés and gear to go with it:
DMZ Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé: I wrote about this two years ago as it is still one of my favorite rosés. With a medium body and flavors of ripe berry and watermelon it is weighty enough to drink with a grilled burger or sausage. However, it isn’t so heavy that it can’t be sipped along with a light salad or summer soup. It is a well-balanced wine with a firm presence that doesn’t overwhelm.
Encantado: We picked up this gem in Napa and I am so glad we did. It is a delicious example of rosé that is lighter than DMZ, but still exhibits personality. The ripe citrus and red berry flavors make it a delightful summer sipper even on the hottest days. The residual sugar is just enough to make it ideal for pairing with dessert as well as dinner.
Sparkling Rosé: When we were at Mumm last year in Napa Valley I met my match: sparkling rosé. If there ever were a more refreshing, delicious rosé style in this world I have yet to find it.(Full disclosure: sparkling wine and champagne are my absolute favorites.) It is not the least expensive bottle in the wine shop, but it is definitely worth the splurge. Sparkling rosé will appeal to anyone and everyone who likes rosé or champagne, or both.
Gear: While the #yeswayrosé hashtag is a little overdone I don’t care. In fact, I care so little that I am happy to sport the bag whilst traipsing around the farmer’s market.
1. Double Up on the Grill: We love 
