In my perfect world, all my weeknight dinners would be one-pan friendly and as few ingredients as possible. What’s not to love about having all the components of a complete dinner in one pan, as well as the least preparation possible. You don’t even need…

Fresh spring rolls are actually way easier to make than you might think. Armed with a few fresh ingredients – quite possible already in your refrigerator – the rice wrappers and the 5 ingredients needed for the peanut sauce you are ready to go. My…

Are you among the statistics of cooks who prefer to spend an average of 27 minutes to get dinner on the table? True confessions, I count myself in that group, at least several nights a week. My personal challenge is to produce something that tastes…

Don’t miss out on cooking with lemon grass because you don’t know what to do with it. I’ll admit it can be an intimidating ingredient. The long, woody stalks don’t look like something worthy of eating and their citrusy scent isn’t unleashed until you cut…

The reasons to love meatballs are easy. Little flavor bombs packed with ingredients to make them way more interesting to eat than the meat on its own. For the cook they’re easy to throw together, roll and brown in a bit of oil and difficult…

I consider black beans the little black dress of food. Elegant and simple, they can be dressed up depending on what you put with them. Curry powder, turmeric and cinnamon create a little exoticness in this one pot soup that makes enough to enjoy more…

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…

Our love affair with these wraps began many years ago, but I’ve resisted sharing it with you because even though I’ve tweaked and personalized the recipe my daughter got from one of the families she babysits for, I do not know the original source. I…

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…

My New Year’s challenge is on. To include recipes each month with just six to eight ingredients or less (not including very basic ingredients like olive oil, kosher salt, soy sauce, etc.) My daughter thinks it should be every recipe, but hey I don’t want…

One pan recipes intrigue me. 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 on. My kids don’t want anything…

Things are getting challenging in my kitchen. Gone are the 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”. My kids are typical Gen Y…

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

I tend to forget about using pork tenderloin when making skewers and almost always default to chicken breast. Pork tenderloin is so perfect as the tender meat easily soaks up the marinade ingredients and then it cooks quickly on the grill. Truly, I almost feel…

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…

As much as I feel strongly about keeping my Thanksgiving menu traditional, I like to change it up for Christmas and New Year’s. A recipe that can be partly or fully made ahead is my only requirement so I can enjoy myself too. So this recipe…

  Sometimes after Thanksgiving I need a complete departure from traditional American cooking and from the hours spent in the kitchen. You’ll get just that with this simple and quick recipe for Mongolian Beef. Typically this is ordered in restaurants and not made at home,…

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…

Anyone that likes Mexican food will love this salad of grilled kernels of corn, crunchy tortilla strips, marinated cooked chicken and crisp romaine lettuce all lightly bathed in a cilantro flecked and lime zest vinaigrette. There are a few extra steps to this salad that…

I taught Thai cooking classes for years and this recipe was easily one of the all time favorites. Bursting with the flavors of fresh cilantro and garlic is how everyone describes it. The stems of cilantro have more flavor than the leaves and that is…

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 refuse to eat it at…

This recipe is a little more involved than my last several posts. But believe me, it’s worth it. Make it on the weekend when you have plenty of time, the first time you try it, rather than a weeknight when you’re in a hurry to…