Something New

Even though I’ve barely cooked lately, I’ve held onto a list of delicious recipes from the past year to document here. And rather than quitting the blog, I’m going to try something new. Ultimately this website is a reference for me – I use it constantly in my kitchen – and I don’t want to forget about these dishes. Behold a series of links.

RIGATONI WITH HONEYNUT SQUASH AND CHARD from The Weekday Vegetarians is incredible, and – as I keep reminding Jeff – fall is almost here! Soon it will be time to add this back to the regular rotation. (The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach, p.84)

SPRING MINESTRONE WITH KALE AND PASTA is the perfect transition soup, for when it’s still a little chilly but the market is bursting with greens. I love this recipe. (The New York Times)

Jeff made me Giada’s RADICCHIO, PEAR, AND ARUGULA SALAD a couple of times recently and, wow, do I love it! As simple to prepare as your basic garden salad, but with a special complexity of flavor. Plus, croutons! (The Food Network)

Alongside the above, we’ve grilled PECAN CRUSTED WHITEFISH. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the filet, then top with a mix of crushed pecans, breadcrumbs, and a spice mix of your choosing. To really wow, get your fish from Monahan’s. Eat in your backyard, but pretend you are on the coast of the Leelanau Peninsula.

It seems like you wouldn’t need a recipe for GREEK SALAD, but I trust Jeanne Kelley implicitly, and we’ve been making her version regularly. The book is a dream – 200 pages of dinner salads, plus one dessert recipe, which happens to be chocolate cream pie. Incredible! (Salad for Dinner by Jeanne Kelley, p.52)

We had friends over and grilled something we’d never grilled before, ROSEMARY GARLIC CHICKEN BURGERS. Mayonnaise wins once again. Who knew ground chicken could be so flavorful?! Our homegrown rosemary helped too. It actually reminded me of kafta! (The Giadzy)

Our new go-to summer appetizer / side dish is Ina Garten’s ISRAELI VEGETABLE SALAD. Pro tip, buy your hummus, especially if you find yourself that day in Dearborn, Michigan, where the best of the best is made. Like if you’re taking your baby for a walk around Greenfield Village, then pick up a to-go container from Malek Al-Kabob on your way home. (Barefoot Contessa)

Last Christmas I asked for popsicle molds, because for years I’ve wanted to make WATERMELON POPSICLES. I love the method of making a simple syrup with the ground watermelon. These are great! (Orangette, adapted from David Lebovitz)