Sweet potatoes roasted with fresh sage and garlic and tossed with black rice for a comforting winter side dish recipe. My husband and I don’t dumb down our use of language for our children. Instead, we tell them like it is, explaining fully that the little openings in the car seats where the buckles poke through lead to the great abyss from which fallen LEGOS may never return, and then giving a lesson on what the word “abyss” means to a four-year-old. Scientific terminology and... more

A riced-up version of classic German potato salad with whole grain brown rice, crisp bacon pieces, and a honey vinaigrette just for your homemade autumn Oktoberfest (a week late). Yesterday we piled in the car, arms and legs of small bodies, and every ten minutes of our drive to see the in-laws my children asked what town we were in, eagerly looking for the landmarks that indicated we were making progress towards our destination. Cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles waited, and clearly... more

Creamy risotto topped with a good helping of roasted radishes, cipollini onions, fresh beans, and any other seasonal vegetables your heart desires. I’ve been a bit turned around lately, where my head is moving in one direction, but my body just sits there, unresponsive to the wills of my brain. It feels a bit like there is an imp using my heart as a dais, bouncing up and down on his little platform with just enough force to make it feel as though my heart isn’t pumping freely. The... more

This recipe for baked arancini where leftover risotto is stuffed with fresh mozzarella balls, herbs, and bacon, breaded and baked is a meal you’ll be happy to invite your family over to enjoy with you. Sunday dinners worked like clockwork when I was growing up. They were spent at my grandparents’ home, wrestling on the floor with my uncle, eating black olives off our fingers, and for me, silently sitting in the kitchen watching my grandma fuss over the meal. Her hair would be pulled... more

A Mediterranean-style rice bake with marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese is just the thing for those end-of-winter days. Pin It We live in meat-and-potatoes country. My husband grew up on it, and my family is guilty of it as well. Still, despite our upbringing, my husband and I don’t often fall back on the food of our childhood dinner tables. Instead, we choose to round out meals in a more eclectic fashion, often opting for alternative carbohydrates. More often than... more

I’ve shared fried rice before, only that time there was chicken involved, and this time I turned to whatever the farmer’s market would supply me with. I came home with a mesh bag full of sugar snap peas, baby bok choy and beautifully twisted garlic scapes. I’ve always been fascinated by the garlic scapes, shooting up in the spring from what will be garlic bulbs in the fall. I did little jumping jacks in my head when I saw them, and now I have to figure out what to do with the... more

Things have been a little crazy around here. I’ve been juggling one thing after another, starting up this and working on that. It’s exciting, encouraging and hectic. And because of this added component as I try to fit a slice of life into my already jampackedfullwithnoroomtospare schedule, I’ve been cutting some corners on dinner lately and – gasp – planning ahead. A funny thing this planning ahead on how it gets you prepared for the unexpected. I wish I could say I plan... more