I feel pretty guilty it’s taken me so long to get back to posting recipes. Please tell me you didn’t lose faith I would be back. And I really hope you haven’t stopped relying on my recipes and wandered off somewhere else looking for dinner inspiration. I guess I wouldn’t blame you. Because I’m definitely [...]

My good news is that I am co-authoring a cookbook. The downside is that right now and for several weeks I am in a crunch phase with final recipe testing, writing and editing and so my weekly blog posts are not very weekly. Here’s the scoop on the book. Jamie Callison, The Executive Chef of [...]

Tasting beef brisket eluded me most of my life. I am not sure how this happened, considering my Mom grew up on a farm and my childhood was graced with the typical American beef recipes like pot roast and beef stew. So when I tasted it for the first time several years ago at my girlfriend’s [...]

When I initially began writing my blog, someone asked me if I was going to continue with it after the first year. And I thought to myself, why would she ask me that? She went on to explain how the name “A Year at The Table” had implied to her one year. It made sense [...]

For some, cooking is simply about getting food on the table and the faster the better. For many it’s a consuming passion without regard to a time element. And there’s the huge swath of people who fall somewhere in between. That’s where I put myself. But for me and for most of you who follow [...]

I’m sharing my obsession with two different vegetable preparations – Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Roasted Kale Chips. I’ve hesitated to post them because in my commitment to give you a main dish recipe, I hate to take a weekly post with a side dish. The other reason is that cauliflower is supposed to be this [...]

Recipes that use just one pan for cooking intrigue me, especially if they combine the protein, vegetable and carbohydrate all together. But only if they rely on the flavors of the central ingredients and not a can of creamed soup or a package of dry seasoning like the casseroles a generation of us were raised [...]

I am aiming for healthy and easy without sacrificing taste as my recipe priority for the month of January, especially after a December of lengthy meal preparation and consuming copious amounts of sugar, fat and alcohol. So, I’ll start fresh with seafood and hope you will join me with this Picatta style recipe. I have [...]

Christmas seemed to depart as quickly as it arrived this year. I found I hadn’t really done as much preparation as I have in past years and I was left to ask myself why? Having no other definitive reason than both of our kids were living at home this fall after having flown the coop [...]

This week’s recipe for Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce is my gift to you for a less stressful holiday dinner. Okay – from the cooking end at least… There are no difficult techniques and parts of it can be made ahead. It also uses one of my favorite combinations of fresh rosemary, fennel [...]

My quest for the all in one dinner continues… this time with a spin on a vegetable that for many never quite makes it to their mouth – brussels sprouts. Most likely because the old school way of cooking them whole is not well received by many. I think it’s because a mouthful of a [...]

This year I’m throwing out the traditional way to use Thanksgiving leftover turkey and giving you one you might not normally think of. My recipe slips cooked, shredded turkey into the beloved Thai Tom Kha Gai soup (coconut chicken soup). It’s an exotic way to use your turkey and will only take you about 30 [...]

First posted March 2011 Quite often I come across people who are not familiar with Petrale Sole. Awareness of this fish is similar to how it behaves at the bottom of the ocean. Shaped like an oval platter with one side of its skin olive brown and the other creamy white, it eludes predators, swimming [...]

In my humble experience as a Mom, I have found there are windows of opportunity for introducing new foods to kids. When they are very young a lot of kids want plain foods that don’t touch each other on the plate. Gradually as they get older you can introduce them to more exotic flavors and [...]

Many years ago I cut out a recipe for Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce by Pierre Franey, the “60-Minute Gourmet” from the New York Times food section. I was drawn to the recipe because of the ingredients, as well as the fact that it went together quickly. My rule is to always follow someone else’s [...]

I’ve decided to do some reposting to jog the memory of those followers who have been with me from the beginning and to inspire those who have recently joined. From 2011 I think slow cookers are magical as they cook food for you while you are away from the kitchen. In the morning the ingredients [...]

Soup weather has just barely arrived in Seattle. We have enjoyed an extended version of summer with clear blue skies and warm fall temperatures. I am easing into the season with cooking that is a step up from salads and not quite to slow cooked roasts and that kind of cooking. I find soup to [...]

Things are getting challenging in my kitchen.  Gone are the luxurious days when all four of us would eat most kinds of food. Instead I hear things like “I won’t eat that kind of meat” or “no dairy for me”. I am finding this to be typical for many of the Gen Y who are [...]

Four of the loveliest words to hear when you’re trying to get dinner on the table in a hurry are “thirty minutes or less.” So I am happy to say that’s what your timing will be with this week’s recipe for Crispy Cod with Basil Cream Dipping Sauce. This is one of my dependable recipes [...]

I am eating way less beef these days and so traditional meatballs have been off my radar. But my daughter’s boyfriend is a huge fan of turkey meatballs. Particularly the ones pre-made at Trader Joe’s because as a college student athlete who does a lot of his own cooking – easy, healthy and good tasting [...]

For a young Mom yearning for a night out of the house it was an easy thing to leave for the babysitter. I mean anyone can follow those directions and make that – right? And I redeemed myself by leaving instructions for steaming fresh broccoli flowers and where to find the frozen blueberries in the [...]

“Jeunes filles dans la cuisines, jeunes filles dans la cuisines”. Each time he said it his voice would get louder and his head would shake from side to side. I remember it like it was yesterday, particularly his tone and his French accent.  And even though he said it with a look of mischief in [...]

  I am not ready for it to end.  Not even close.  Summer is waning and I am stubbornly and sadly hanging on to what’s left of it. There have not been enough light to dusk days of completely clear blue sky or nights warm enough not to feel a little chill on bare arms [...]

A good salmon recipe should highlight and not overpower the naturally rich flavor and texture of this well loved fish. My philosophy with cooking has always been to keep it simple, but most importantly if you start with a quality fresh ingredient then you do not have to do much to enhance it. This recipe for [...]

I think this is the simplest recipe I’ve posted. Dungeness crab is like that. So good on its own, it needs very little to enhance its sweet flavor and delicate texture. Just a little garlic carefully cooked over low heat to release flavor and marinated briefly with ripe summer tomatoes and fragrant basil. All tossed [...]

My daughter brought home a take out salad a few weeks ago that she said was amazing. Just one bite into it and I agreed. So I set out to emulate it and it wasn’t that difficult to do based on a salad recipe of mine I used for many years while teaching cooking classes [...]

Most people are more familiar with cooking and eating flank steak than they are with skirt steak. These cuts of meat are similar in that they both come from the flank area but they differ in size, tenderness and flavor. Skirt steak, also sometimes called Hanger steak, is from the diaphragm muscle. It is long [...]

Dry rub spices are a fast alternative to marinating. You can rub them on for as little as 30 minutes before grilling to impart flavor. They work especially well for something like boneless, skinless chicken breast that cooks really quickly but needs the extra flavor that the skin and bone naturally impart. Pureed canned Chipotle peppers [...]

Our Fourth of July dinner menu is always centered on barbecue pork back ribs. Just like a roast turkey at Thanksgiving it’s something we never deviate from. Ironically, though, with the exception of this crazy side dish that is full of bacon, sugar and canned beans, our accompaniments to the ribs are up for grabs [...]

I was homesick the first time I went to summer camp. Despite all of the activities, all I could think about was getting through the week so I could return to the comfort of my home. So the first time our daughter went away to camp I was nervous she might feel the same way. [...]

Thai cooking was the most popular class of all the classes I taught over a span of 15 years. The mystique of cooking from this culture which many people hadn’t experienced in person, combined with the exotic nature of the ingredients were my explanation of why. But true to most things popular in cooking, the [...]

Honestly, I don’t think there is a better way to cook fresh salmon than grilling it on a cedar plank. Native Americans had it about as close to how nature intended it when they invented this method of cooking. They called it fire pit planking where they tacked a fish on a cedar plank and held [...]

A few years ago a good friend of mine introduced me to the idea of grilling Romaine lettuce. Up until then I had grilled things you typically wouldn’t think of like fresh peach slices and pizza dough, but it had never occurred to me to grill lettuce. After that evening it pretty much became a [...]

For those of you who limit the amount of beef you eat, if you’re like me it has to be really worth it when you do. Believe me, these ribs are. We used to serve them at our restaurant and they were hugely popular. The recipe was inspired by Azeka’s market on the island of [...]

My inspiration for this week’s recipe was my recent sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands. All I can say is “why did I not travel there sooner?” The warm, tropical temperature, the brilliant turquoise water and the laid back atmosphere of this part of the world are nothing short of amazing. Most of the [...]

With the Northwest wild spot prawn season almost upon us, you may want to try this. It goes together in 30 minutes with the help of using jarred roasted red peppers and is remarkable enough for guests, yet easy for a weeknight meal. If you’re not able to nab some spot prawns, the wild frozen [...]

Fresh cod continues to be my seafood of choice for its firm texture, mild flavor and reasonable price.  And I love this method of cooking it in parchment paper. It’s so easy you almost feel like you’re cheating. The only tricky part is getting the hang of folding the parchment paper edges and crimping them [...]

For those of you who have wanted to make pho at home, but are just not sure how to do it, I have streamlined the technique making it simple enough to make for a family weeknight meal but equally novel for a weekend dinner party for friends. The key to good pho is the broth, [...]

If I have leftover roast leg of lamb I like to use it in this recipe for Shepherd’s Pie.  Although I am going to have to admit that two out of the four of us in my house turn their nose up at leftovers. What’s up with that anyway? But that’s the beauty of this [...]

My best friend’s Mom introduced me to lamb. She was an extraordinary cook, an avid reader of Gourmet magazine who went out of her way with an ingredient or method to enhance her cooking, which was not the mainstream way in the 1970’s. From the flank steak she marinated for days in soy sauce, ginger [...]

I tend to forget how versatile pork tenderloin is. Not to mention it’s affordability compared to similar cuts of beef. Because it comes from a part of the body that does not get exercised, it is naturally tender. So you do not need to use liquid and long cooking times to break down connective tissue [...]

I’m ushering in the spring equinox with one of my favorite salads and keeping my fingers crossed that the warm weather that has been in so many parts of the country this past week is coming our way to Seattle. Cheers to the beginning of spring! Curried Chicken Salad with Coconut Makes 4 servings 4 [...]

Trees are budding and flower stems are poking out of the ground here in Seattle, hinting of warmer weather to come. But for now, warm winter soup will still grace my table. I am a lover of beans and especially when they are in a soup. Ever since I read Mark Bittman’s book Food Matters [...]

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Yaki Soba, it’s a Japanese fried noodle dish typically  made by stir-frying noodles with chicken, shrimp or beef and vegetables with a flavorful sauce. You could say it’s the Japanese equivalent of Chinese chow mein. The beauty of it is that it’s an all in one dish with [...]

Ah, such a simple dish, really.  Bread, ham and cheese. I’m tempted to say the French version of our American grilled cheese, but I think it works the other way around. I so distinctly remember my first croque monsieur in Paris at the very hip “le Pain et le Vin” wine bar just around the [...]

Is it spring already, someone.  No, winter carries on and I am a walking irony as I long for warmer temperatures and longer, light filled days, but my body is still craving warm and hearty type dinners. Go figure. So bring on the beef stroganoff.  Years ago, I used to make this recipe all the [...]

I apologize in advance for not providing you with a dinner recipe this week. But honestly I could not resist featuring this recipe because it is one of my absolute favorites and I love making them for Valentine’s  Day. My Grandma Blanche lived her entire life on a farm in North Dakota. She raised 10 [...]

This is one of my go-to simple favorites for an easy dinner. The best part is that you can use this recipe as a template and change it up by substituting fresh lime or orange for the lemon and cilantro for the parsley. It’s also delicious with fresh basil. About the chicken. I am a huge [...]

Coconut Shrimp tend to be considered “restaurant food”, something that most people do not make at home. The lack of a doable recipe, not enough time or unfamiliarity with buying and handling shrimp are possible reasons why people choose not to make them. The recipe I am arming you with here leaves you with no [...]

It’s in the dead of winter that I start longing for ingredients like juicy, ripe tomatoes and fresh basil to toss with pasta. I find my lack of inspiration with ingredients parallel to the cold, dark landscape that accompanies this time of year. One of my favorite winter pasta dishes is this recipe for Spaghetti [...]

Here’s a twist on a classic winter favorite.  Basmati or jasmine rice replaces the more traditional potatoes. It’s your choice whether to simmer it on the stove or in the oven. Wintery Beef Stew With Curry Makes 4-5 servings 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil 2 pounds beef stew meat kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper [...]

Something a little lighter, yet still in the category of wintery warm and hearty… Start to finish this can be on the table and ready to eat in 30 minutes. Happy New Year! Sauteed Rosemary Chicken on Wilted Spinach Makes 4 servings 4 slices bacon, chopped 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds) 1 tablespoon chopped [...]

Beef tenderloin will be your ally if you’re looking to make your holiday dinner both exceptional and simple. Yes, I know it may be expensive and I know it may be a little intimidating to cook because you’re scared you will ruin it by not cooking it to the right doneness, but honestly I think [...]

For all of you who have asked for a vegetarian dinner recipe, here it is. It’s funny though because I did not begin with the intention of it being this.  I wanted to feature butternut squash (one of my favorite winter vegetables) and it morphed into this recipe. There are several things to take note [...]

I’m looking ahead to what I might serve for family and friends gathering during the holidays. As much as I feel strongly about keeping things real traditional at Thanksgiving, all bets are off for that during Christmas and New Year’s. Of course, the only thing that will pass muster is a recipe that can be [...]

    Most of us need a complete departure from traditional American cooking and long hours spent in the kitchen after Thanksgiving and this simple and quick recipe for Mongolian Beef will give you just that. May people don’t think of making this at home because they either don’t have a recipe or are just used [...]

Some years, planning the preparation of the Thanksgiving meal plays out better than the actual execution of it. So many elements of the meal come down to last minute preparation. Sometimes, it seems all my good intentioned planning goes out the window during the last half hour before the meal goes on the table, especially [...]

I’ve chosen thin cut top loin pork chops for this recipe because they cook quickly, they’re relatively tender and have very little fat. On the downside, they also do not have as much flavor as the thicker bone in rib chops (but I will take quicker on a weeknight when I am working against the [...]

This recipe is a change from the typical chili you may be familiar with because it uses chicken and white beans instead of the more traditional beef and kidney beans. Something else you may have not tried is all the ingredients are simmered with beer. It adds a very subtle but distinct flavor to the [...]

There are very few of us who would turn down the chance to have breakfast for dinner, especially the one doing the cooking because preparation is easy and expectations are low. No one is expecting traditional “dinner” food. Don’t balk at the fact that all the ingredients are mixed together in one dish in this [...]

Nothing short of amazing is how your house will smell while this slow cooked pot roast is simmering away in your oven and the aroma of vegetables, beef, wine and herbs waft through the air. That is one of the wonderful things about making pot roast. The other is that all of the ingredients in [...]

By pounding the chicken breasts in this recipe, they cook more quickly and evenly, making this a recipe you can get on the table in less than an hour. My favorite way to serve it is with cooked brown rice. I love way the hint of tarragon flavor compliments the artichokes and mushrooms. If you [...]

Okay, I know that last Thursday was the final day of summer and that thoughts are turning to cooking for cooler weather. But I just couldn’t resist posting this salad recipe in hopes that we will have a few more warm days in the coming weeks and you still may want something lighter to eat. [...]

This recipe is a long-standing member of my arsenal of most dependable and favorite dinner recipes. I have been making it for many, many years and to date, my family or friends have never tired of it. It was also a favorite of my students when the subject was easy weekday or entertaining dinner recipes. [...]

Smoky grilled corn and sweet Dungeness crab are the highlights of this chowder. I love making this for an easy September weekday dinner. You can prepare it and have it on the table in less than an hour. Homemade Crostini are my favorite for dipping in the chowder and my recipe follows the chowder recipe [...]

Fresh, fragrant basil leaves and juicy, ripe red tomatoes are quintessential late summer ingredients that are so enjoyable to eat that they help make up for the fact that summer has almost slipped away. You can enjoy the last remnants of summer and make this warm sandwich for dinner during Labor Day weekend. It goes [...]

Summer cooking does not get any easier than with this recipe and with summer winding down, I know everyone is still looking for ways to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible and as much time outside enjoying what remains of the season. I prefer to use fresh wild caught salmon for this [...]

These easy skewers feature the fabulous flavor combination of lemon, oregano and garlic that is so prevalent in Greek cooking. I love them for summer dinners as you can marinate the chicken the night before and throw them on the grill just before you want to eat dinner. The classic Tzatziki sauce with creamy Greek-style [...]

Some of my fondest food memories are from the summer months when the local Dungeness crab season is open.  This began when our kids were toddlers and we lived on San Juan Island. In the beginning I complained about the piles of chicken bait crowding food in the refrigerator, dragging the boat through the mud [...]

As I write this, I think it is safe to say that summer might be arriving in Seattle. It is possible that the long cycle of gray, wet and cold weather is over and we can finally bring out summer clothes and recipes. And nothing says summer quite like fresh basil. Combined with chopped pistachios, [...]

I’m not sure how long you have to do something before it qualifies as a tradition, but this will be our 5th year barbecuing pork back ribs for the 4th of July dinner, so its probably safe to say that it is a tradition for us. Pork back ribs are my favorite because they are [...]

I love cooking and eating halibut. The only downside is its expensive price, making it more a special occasion seafood than one you would cook every week. One way to get around the price issue is by cutting the fillet into chunks and simmering it into a sauce. This method “extends” the servings of halibut [...]

There are a few extra steps to this salad that are worth doing that even I, as a believer in the most simplistic recipes, will do. The first is to make crispy tortilla strips from corn tortillas. Sure, you can buy a high quality corn tortilla chip and use them as a replacement, but I [...]

The refreshing, tangy flavor of the cucumber dill sauce compliments the rich flavor of the Copper River salmon.  The sauce is simple to prepare and is best made a little ahead of serving time to develop flavor.  I like to baste the salmon with this simple mixture of butter, brown sugar, lemon zest and dill. [...]

Whether the weather cooperates or not, Memorial Day weekend just beckons to fire up the grill and cook something wonderful.  And you cannot go wrong with universally loved flank steak. Balsamic vinegar and fresh, fragrant rosemary do the work in this recipe. Marinating the meat overnight insures more in-depth flavor in the grilled meat.  I [...]

Even though I love to cook, I still find myself looking for an easy way out to make a quick dinner during the week.  My favorite recipe is one that does everything in one dish – protein, vegetable and starch. This recipe for Springtime Asparagus and Chicken Pasta does it all, while highlighting the season’s [...]

If you like the exotic flavor of curry and coconut then you will love this recipe. And if you are a fan of marinating to save time and add flavor, then the recipe will win you over even more. Marinating can be your best friend when it comes to putting together a weeknight meal. By [...]

My favorite thing about these tacos is the cilantro and fresh lime flavor. For speed in making them quickly during the week, I cook the fish under the broiler or even in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove. But since I like to grill year round, if I have the time I will [...]

I find many people shy away from serving roast rack of lamb because they are nervous they will not prepare it correctly and they think that it is difficult to make. When in fact it is really quite easy to prepare.  Begin with a high quality rack of lamb purchased at your favorite meat department [...]

I taught Thai cooking classes for years and this recipe was easily one of the all time favorites.  “Tremendously flavorful” is how everyone describes it. The stems of cilantro have more flavor than the leaves and that is why they are used in this recipe, along with a hefty amount of garlic. I like to [...]

If there ever was a dependable, go-to weekday recipe, then this is it for me.  It is consistent, easy to prepare and is happily devoured by anyone who encounters it. I like to use Isernios mild Italian chicken sausage, but you can use whatever is your favorite. I am also partial to using a red [...]

I recommend this recipe for a Friday or Saturday evening dinner with friends or family. It is easy and elegant. Marinating the chicken gives it tremendous flavor and makes it easy for you to do the night before. It is important to brown the chicken before you roast it because it looks better and gives [...]

Quite often I come across people who are not familiar with Petrale Sole. Awareness of this fish is similar to how it behaves at the bottom of the ocean. Shaped like an oval platter with one side of its skin olive brown and the other creamy white, it eludes predators, swimming incognito on the bottom [...]

This Chicken Riviera Salad was a favorite at the restaurant we owned many years ago and even though the restaurant is long gone, my family never tires of eating it. I know it seems a little crazy to grill in the winter, but I think it is a welcome change from what we regularly eat [...]

I think slow cookers are magical as they cook food for you while you are away from the kitchen. In the morning the ingredients go in and when you return later in the day they have turned into something fabulous smelling and wonderful tasting. For this reason they are perfect for taco meat. And while [...]

Who doesn’t like chicken noodle soup. It’s the ideal comfort food. I love it for Sunday night dinner or a weeknight meal. I often deliver it to friends who are feeling under the weather. A touch of tarragon adds a unique flavor to the soup. Some recipes have you make your own stock or broth, [...]

This is a Mexican dish originally created to use leftovers. Tortillas, chicken, cheese and chiles are layered to make a casserole style dish. But don’t use the word “casserole” with your family, because if they are anything like mine they will turn up their nose at the sound of this word. I like to prepare [...]

Here is a possibility for your Valentine’s Day dinner. Not only is this recipe quick and easy, it’s a less expensive way to say I love you than a pricey cut of beef or filet of seafood. I guarantee you will find as many recipe versions for Fettucine Carbonara as the number of people you [...]

  Okay – so this recipe is a little more involved than my last several posts. But believe me, it is worth it. I might suggest making it on a weekend the first time you try it, rather than during the week when you are in a hurry to eat. It still is not going [...]

I first learned about Cajun “blackened” seasoning in the 80’s when Paul Prudhomme made his splash on the culinary scene.  Typically, to prepare blackened fish you dip the fish fillet in butter and then coat it with blackened seasoning and sear it over high heat in a cast iron skillet. It is then served with [...]

This is one of my favorite winter dishes. It is easy to make during the week as it can be prepared start to finish in about an hour. Yet, it is special enough to serve to guests on the weekend. You can use either all chicken breast or thighs or a combination of breasts, thigh [...]

Don’t be mislead by the name of this recipe. It’s not a typical Mexican-style tortilla, but instead a classical Spanish egg dish made with potatoes in the circular shape of a tortilla. This is simple home cooking at its best.  All of the ingredients you can easily keep on hand so you put this together [...]

You can literally make and serve this recipe within an hour from start to finish. It is made with “oven-ready” (no boil) lasagna noodles (which are available in the pasta section of most grocery stores) that do not require boiling ahead of assembling the lasagna. I love the fresh mozzarella for the texture and subtle [...]

I used to prepare everything for this salad from scratch. I would slice the cabbage, grate the carrots and make the dressing/marinade. Then in April my daughter and I were visiting a friend who lives in La Quinta, California who has a Trader Joe’s practically in her backyard. We were talking about what to have [...]