Garam masala, coriander, ginger, and garlic flavor this creamy, spinach-based saag dish with seared pieces of paneer cheese. The recipe can be adjusted to be served with chicken, if desired. I was introduced to Indian cuisine a few years after I had left home. It was during a college road trip: cars brimming with bodies, the trunk packed with an assortment of duffel bags as none of us even owned proper luggage at that point nor had the desire to use it. There was a drive across the flat, Midwestern... 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

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, and with the weather warming, it’s the perfect time to take out the grill for fish tacos and make yourself a margarita. On our block, we joke with the neighbors that once the snow falls, we don’t see anybody for five months. People park their cars in the garage in an attempt to keep warm and stay dry and only poke their heads outside to get the mail or shovel the walk. Fortunately, every spring we emerge and get reacquainted with our friends... more

This orzo pasta salad is loaded full of spring asparagus and artichokes. A bit of white wine vinegar and lemon juice make this the perfect salad for an early season picnic or a a springy Easter dinner. Easter is less than two weeks away. It seems like it’s been coming forever, though, as it is so late this year. I’m not complaining, though. Too often there is still snow on the ground when Easter rolls around here in Minnesota, and a snow-covered yard does not make for good Easter... 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