Get your grill ready for a perfectly grilled steak sitting on a bed of bourbon caramelized onions and topped off with blue cheese butter. This weekend we finished our patio. Well, that’s not entirely true. We finished the main structural pieces that pull the patio space together. There are still plenty of other pieces that need to come together before the project can be signed off on. Still, we have an actual outdoor space to occupy for the first time in the last five years, and it’s... more

Leftover fish and rice find themselves transformed into a cilantro-lime fish cake topped off with a spicy sriracha lime mayonnaise. Do you ever feel like you’re walking around with a sign on your back that says, “Not cool enough?” I suppose it may just say, “kick me,” and the “not cool enough” factor is inferred. It is on my back. I can’t see it all that well. I like to imagine the sign changes with each person who sees it. While one person may look... more

An easy on-the-go lunch or dinner, this ranch chicken salad is a great way to repurpose your leftovers, make lunch grab-and-go, and ensure you’re eating right even when life feels like it’s running a marathon. I roll over, kicking the covers off and lying there in my bed, letting myself adjust to the temperature difference. The cold air washes over me. Slowly, I open my eyes, daylight streaming in through the windows feels far too bright for the time of day. Closing my eyes again, I... more

Large cannellini beans, barley, and arugula mix together to become an easy salad for bringing to the park to enjoy on a warm spring day. April 22nd is Earth Day. Get involved. Have a Picnic for the Planet. The weather has been kind lately. Too kind, almost. Where I live the weather can change quickly, from sunny and warm to cold and snowing overnight (as it did Sunday to Monday this week). The changing seasons and shifting temperatures remind us to take advantage of the good weather while it’s... more

Lemon kisses the crust, but leaves this bar-style cheesecake rich and creamy, then appears again in a sweet sauce that covers the strawberries on this springtime dessert. My grandma would have us over for Sunday dinners often. When my family up and moved away from the city, his brother followed, buying the house two doors down. His parents, my grandparents, would keep a respectable distance of 1/4 mile when they moved, too, so as not to crowd the boys. Only my aunt, with her world-traveling ways,... more

A springtime salad with lemon roasted asparagus, quinoa with lemon vinaigrette and roasted shallots, all atop a fresh spinach bed. Easter is coming. This isn’t a new revelation. It’s just fact, a fact that I’ve been avoiding. I may have even been hiding from it as though it frightens me. The same way I cowered under my covers after viewing a TV special in the ’80s, convinced that a panther lie in wait in my closet. I was paralyzed by fear then, knowing that if I moved even... more

Hard boiled eggs get deviled with capers, fresh tarragon, spicy Dijon, and a bit of crisped ham to finish it all off. An easy way to twist your deviled egg recipe for Easter. The windows are open, and outside in the dark of night a soft rain is falling. It’s that steady pitter-patter that hums in the distance, barely whispering as it blankets the ground with its tears. It reminds me of crying. Not those sad, heavy sobs, but the heartbreaking tears that just pour unwillingly from your eyes... more