Did I have you at crispy? These tacos are speedy to put together and get their crunch from brushing with olive oil and high oven temperature rather than frying. Move over chimichanga – these are healthier and just as tasty. Get everything ready before…

Roasted cauliflower has long been one of my favorite winter vegetables. Tossed with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, roasting brings out the flavor of this somewhat bland vegetable with the caramelization that occurs when it turns a…

Streamlined recipes are especially appealing right now. We’ve all put a lot of miles around the track cooking at home this past year and it has been exhausting. I get it. On the positive side you have probably been eating healthier and you’ve most likely…

Whew, my (and your) search for the best plant-based cake (burger) is over! You may never have given lentil cakes a thought until now, but I am pretty sure these will become part of your routine once you try them. Maybe you are a solid…

Some things are just more beautiful on the inside, like celery root.  You may have skimmed over it in the produce section thinking what is this unattractive and obscure vegetable, and how would I use it. Also known as celery knob or celeriac, it might…

In these first few days of January, it seems like pretty much everyone is trying to eat healthier. January has become synonymous with “cleansing” after the indulgence of December and as a way to set oneself straight for a new year. I get that. So here…

I like the taste of salmon, but its nutritional benefits are the real reason I try to cook with it at least twice a week. I even break my seasonal ingredient rule, cooking it no matter what month it is. Fortunately the “previously frozen” wild…

Many nights, about 45 minutes seems to be the amount of time I prefer to take to cook a weekday dinner. I guess I am a bit more patient than the average person who spends about 27 minutes according to Michael Pollan in his book…

Two articles I recently read confirmed what I already knew. Eat more vegetables and use the best tasting ingredients possible when cooking. In the first article, The Cheaters Guide to Living to 1oo, it outlines simple secrets to living longer, healthier and happier. One recommendation…

“Love doesn’t make the world go around. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile”                       -Franklin Jones- I say there is always room to give more love in this world. Cooking dinner is one of…

Let’s just say I came into a lot of apples last week. My friend’s trees were loaded with both red and green and I was at the right place at the right time. It goes without saying I loved getting them, but I was also…

It’s not often I hear someone say they don’t like meatballs. I think it’s because they are just fun to eat. Each bite has many flavors and they’re tender from mixing additional ingredients to the ground meat. True, they do take a bit more time…

The stars line up just one time of the year for these four ingredients and lucky for us it’s now. Wild caught salmon, sweet corn on the cob, melt in your mouth cherry tomatoes and peppery fresh arugula leaves. There is nothing like eating whole,…

By now it won’t surprise you I think sausage is a cooking secret weapon. I love that one ingredient can have so much power, unleashing its robust flavor on whatever it comes in contact with. In this case it’s soup and with Spanish style chorizo.…

Salad piled on top of a seared chicken breast and drizzled with dressing is one of my favorite recipe templates. It satisfies the craving for a lighter dinner and yet the chicken makes it substantial enough. Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even…

Those of us who used to pass on Brussels sprouts are giving them a second look. In the past the motivation to eat them might have been more for their nutritional attributes than their flavor qualities. All that has changed. Thinly sliced and quartered, and…

Chicken Parmesan is simple enough for inexperienced cooks to prepare yet worthy for those who aren’t and it fits my resolution to give you a monthly recipe using a short list of ingredients. It could be your answer for an easy Valentine’s dinner. This abbreviated…

My good friend Carol has a special place where she hunts for chanterelle mushrooms. She’s graciously invited me to follow along with her a few times but much to my loss our schedules haven’t lined up for me to be the fortunate beneficiary. So like…

My son has been using A Year At The Table recipes to cook dinner. Having graduated from college he is living in an apartment and facing the often-daunting task of what to cook for dinner. He’s frustrated though with the cooking process. Doing the shopping, organizing the right equipment and doing the actual cooking can be overwhelming, he says. Can’t there be a simpler way?

I promised him I would develop a recipe “template” that he can use over and over, reminding him that like anything, the more you cook the same recipe the better you get at it…

My quest for the all in one dinner continues… this time with pasta and roasted brussels sprouts. What I love is not using a separate pan to cook the pasta and instead do it all together with the other ingredients. One less pan to clean…

Many years ago I came across 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…

“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…

I think this is the simplest recipe I’ve posted. Dungeness crab inspires this. 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 its flavor then marinated…

A few years ago a good friend of mine introduced me to grilled Romaine lettuce. I’d grilled things you typically wouldn’t think of like fresh peach slices and pizza dough, but it hadn’t occurred to me to grill lettuce. After that night it became a…

With the Northwest wild spot prawn season almost upon us, you’ll want to make 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…

Yaki Soba is 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 you get protein, starch and vegetables…

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…

One of my favorite winter pasta dishes is this recipe for Spaghetti Puttanesca. All of the ingredients are available this time of year and many of them in my pantry or on the condiment shelf in my refrigerator. Those that aren’t can be easily found…

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! Rosemary Chicken Wilted Spinach Salad   Print Serves: 4 Ingredients 4 slices bacon, chopped…

Butternut squash may not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of pasta, but it works really well in this vegetarian pasta recipe. Especially when it’s roasted first and all you have to do is toss it with the pasta. If…

I’ve chosen thin cut top loin pork chops for this recipe because they cook quickly, but if you prefer a thicker chop or one with the bone  you can substitute them and increase the cooking time. Why dredge the pork chop in flour? Because it…

When my Mother in law sadly passed away from cancer at too young an age, I was the fortunate recipient of her small index card sized recipe box. Early in my marriage she frequently asked us to Sunday dinner at their house. I always knew…

You can enjoy the last remnants of summer and make this warm sandwich for dinner during Labor Day weekend. It goes together quickly, can be doubled for a large group of people and is the perfect way to enjoy fresh fragrant basil, juicy ripe tomatoes…

Even though summer is 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. And summer cooking does not get any easier than this.…

Summer might be arriving in Seattle. We all know it is long overdue. 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. Fragrant fresh basil and nutty pistachios laced…

Gone are the days of eating halibut several times a week. It’s just too expensive. But I love halibut and one way of getting around the price is to cut the fillet into chunks and simmer it along with other ingredients in a sauce. The number…

If there ever was a dependable weekday recipe then here it is. Consistent and reliable, easy to prepare and happily devoured by anyone who encounters it, this rock star recipe is prepared all in one pan and on the table in less than an hour.…

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…