what does that say about me? no. don’t answer that.

i really just like grilling because it prevents my house from becoming a humid hot mess. yeah, that happens. and then we all complain. there is screaming (yeah, from me) and there is just plain crabbiness.

so when i opened the pantry and saw couscous, opened the fridge and saw zucchini and then saw the herbs sitting in my garden  i knew a salad was in the works.

grilled veggie couscous salad

feed about 4 hungry adults as a side

• 1 cup of uncooked israeli couscous
• 2 small zucchini grilled and diced
• 5 mushroons grilled and chopped
• 3 scallions chopped
• handful of tomatoes grilled or roasted and chopped
• handful or different herbs chopped
• 1 small red pepper chopped
• dressing (see below)

1. cook coucous according to package directions. drain and rinse with cold water.
2. grill the zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes (optional)
3. meanwhile, chop scallions and pepper, mix dressing (see below) add to big bowl
4. when veg is done grilling cool and then chop
5. add everything to a bowl and mix. set aside (in fridge) for at least 30 minutes.

simple vinaigrette

• 1 tsp grey poupon
• 3 tbl cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1.5 tbl lemon juice
• 1 tbl honey
• salt and pepper

add all ingredients to a jar and shake.

really i do…i won’t give you my list.

the terrible thing is that i have been so busy it’s prevented me from doing what i love, cooking and sharing.

i promised myself as soon as school is over, as soon as work calms down, as soon as i can breathe i am going to take some time for me. to cook. to shop at my farmers market. to do me and what i love.

in the meantime my daily meals have been easy to prepare. leftovers and whatever i can grab from the fridge and eat on the run.

this is one of my favorites. i can throw it together fast while the kids are running circles around me. it can sit on the counter while i’m putting them to bed. it’s easy to eat on the couch while i get that rare chance to sit and do nothing (it lasts about 5 minutes).

what is one of your favorite go to meals that’s easy to throw together?

yenta’s special late night pasta

there are different versions of this popular pasta dish everywhere. jamie oliver has one and i have seen a couple on food network.

sometimes for some extra spice i add chili peppers or even just red pepper flakes if i have nothing fresh handy.

• handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half (about 15)
• garlic sliced (about 3-4 small cloves)
• a large handful of fresh bail and parsley chopped
• about 1/2 cup good olive oil (or canola oil if you want to really taste the garlic)
•  a pinch of sea salt and pepper

1. toss everything in a bowl and let it marinate for at least an hour.
2. toss with pasta or couscous. inhale.

who cares…i love spring and i love ramps.

is that a bold statement? whatever…i’m gonna hashtag this… #yum!

you don’t pick them, you forage them…that means like pick’m in the woods.

most of you are probably saying to yourself, this girl picks ramps…what the…

but no, i don’t, i bought them from a farmer selling them out of his back seat. seriously. i won’t go there now.

love them though…and for a few weeks out of the year you can have them too.

so look, those are ramps…and i do stuff with them…

i use them with chicken but i also make pesto and spoon it on top of smashed potatoes.

and then i do this…i pickle them and then i add them to everything i make, especially steak. whoa…

got some ramps…pickle them babies, trust me.

pickled ramps     recipe adapted from saveur magazine

• pinch of sea salt
• 2 lb. ramps, cleaned, green leaves trimmed to 1″ past white and red parts
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 pinch of mustard seed
• a couple of peppercorns
• a pinch of fennel seed
• a pinch of cumin seeds
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1 chili dried pepper

1. in a saucepan bring water to a boil and add ramps. cook for about about 30 seconds. using a slotted spoon, place ramps in an ice bath. drain and place in a glass jar with lid.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan plus 1 cup of water. bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved. takes about 2 minutes. pour mixture over ramps and seal jar.
3. let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.

a tournament.

six of westchester’s best chefs against each other.

over three weeks, they battle.

two at a time.

they prepare, they serve and they inspire all of westchester with their fabulous and intoxicating fare.

winner takes all. the best chef in westchester, it’s genius…

unfortunately i have only been home for 2 of the 3 nights.  but what i saw, what i tasted…jesus. speechless. especially night 3.

chef eric korn from good-life gourmet vs chef sean of peekskill brewery.

fabulous.

one of the best meals i have ever eaten. and i mean that.

both chefs dishes complimented each other. it was perfection. it was like a dance. a taste of this, a taste of that, and then the dessert (you would think the lamb or the trout would if inspired me but no).

simple, not elegant, but out of this world.

yogurt cake perfectly set on top of vanilla honey. a spoonful of fresh fruit on top. a forkful of heaven.

(i would show you a picture but i dove in way to quickly. so here is mine.)

 lemon pound cake with strawberries and vanilla whip cream   the cake recipe is from vegetable litercay by deborah madison

for the cake: 

•  1 stick of unsalted butter at room tempeture
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp or a pinch of sea salt

1. pre-heat your oven to 350.
2. get out your mixer, beat the butter on medium until soft and then add the sugar slowly. continue mixing till light and fluffy. add vanilla, zest and the eggs one at a time. beat to combined. turn off your mixer, scrape down the sides and beat once more adding milk at the last second.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. slowly, with the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients till everything is combined. don’t over mix. 
4. turn off your mixer and scrape down the sides, make sure everything is mixed together.
5. butter or spray a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. spoon mixture into loaf pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cake is golden and cooked on the inside.
6. let the cake cool for 5 minutes and then flip out onto a wire rack letting it cool another 10-20 minutes.

strawberries: 

1. slice a handful or strawberries, about 8, and toss with a 1/2 tbl of sugar and a tsp of vanilla. cover and set aside. 

homemade whip cream: 

1. in a cold bowl add 1 cup of heavy cream, a spoonful of sugar and a touch of vanilla. whisk until thick and creamy. 

to assemble: 

1. slice cake and top with cream and strawberries. 

for more information on the golden knives challenge…click here!

allergies, flowers, blooming trees, petals all over the street…it couldn’t get any better, well, until…well, you know, the farmers market opened.

i was like a little kid getting ready to jump in a bouncy house, you just can’t hold me back.

it’s like a race, the car door opens and we all run.

there is smiling, there is laughing…and pickles, because come on, a pickle on a stick is a kids best friend.

i on the other hand run right to the guy selling greens. beet greens. baby beet greens.

i buy 2 bags.

i have serious issues, but you already new that. we eat a bag on the way home.

and then we whip up something like this…

because beet greens are the best, and when you toss them with pasta and cream, well, come on…

bow tie noodles w/beet greens

• 1 tbl butter + 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 onion sliced thinly
• 4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
• 10 cherry tomatoes halved
• 2 cups chopped beet greens
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or veggie)
• 1/2 cup half and half
• handful of fresh basil

1. in a large sauce pan melt butter with canola oil. add onions and garlic, sauté till onion is translucent. 
2. to the pan add tomatoes and beet greens, toss and sauté till greens are wilted.
3. add chicken stock and cream. mix, cook until sauce becomes creamy and a little thick (as in, coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes).
4. season with salt and pepper, toss with pasta and fresh basil (i like bow ties with this)
5. sit, relax, eat, enjoy.

apparently his mom is the queen of kimchi. i wouldn’t know of course because i’ve never been offered any.

as a matter of fact, i’ve been sitting by my mailbox waiting for ground pepper for weeks now.

maybe this will spark a fire under his…well, this is a family blog, but you know what i’m saying right?

instead of waiting i acted. because i just want to make my own. because i’m incredibly impatient. because, well, i’m a pain in the…

actually, i found a recipe. i’m kind of impulsive.

so i made it…with some substitutions. and it’s awesome.

i’m waiting for that email rob…and my package. see what you make me do?

quick cucumber kimchi    adapted from it’s all good

• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbl red miso
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbl gochujang (red pepper paste)
• 1/2 tbl honey
• 1 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, go with your gut, spicy)
• 1 seedless cucumber (you know the one wrapped up in plastic

1. in a bowl mix the first 6 ingredients together. 
2. slice your cucumber in half, then slice into half moon shapes (see picture above)
3. toss everything together in a bowl.
4. refrigerate for at least 3 hours, 6 is better and overnight is the bomb.
5. eat. snack. enjoy

i. just. can’t.

especially since all my neighbors are girl scouts…

i got hit up again…and not by just like 5 kids…like 12.

i forgot who i ordered from which landed me with about 15 boxes of cookies.

mostly all samoas and tagalongs…

i. just. can’t. help. myself.

and then this happened…

the family has been calling these cookie squared.

good name. i for one just love the combination of carmel, dark chocolate, coconut and cookie dough. sure, a samoas is good on it’s own, but samoas chopped up and added to the most amazing cookie dough. yes. please.

i should just stop…or should i get creative with the tagalongs too?

cookies (squared)

of course this is my go to cookie dough recipe. mainly because it’s east to throw together and everything goes into one bowl (see here for more details)

• 1 stick of butter melted
• 1/2 cup of sugar in the raw
• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 10 samoas chopped
• sea salt

1. in a pan melt butter on a low flame. when solids start to rise to the top and you start to smell something nutty, turn off the flame. and then proceed to #2.
2. in a large bowl, combine both sugars. add your butter and mix with a wooden spoon (a spatula works too). add 1 egg and 2 tsp of vanilla. mix.
3. add flour and baking powder into wet mixture and carefully mix with your wooden spoon. add chopped samoas. carefully and quickly mix.
4. prepare your baking sheet. I like to cover mine with parchment paper. those slip mat things will work too.
5. using a tablespoon (tbl) drop cookie dough onto baking sheet at least 2 inched apart. sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over each cookie.
6. bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. let cool. enjoy.

ok, so btw, if you are looking for something else to do with your girl scout cookies…look no further (click here)

what what…

yes. almost time. believe it or not.

those sweet pieces of heaven (if you like strawberries that is). the juice drips down the side of your mouth to your chin, you can’t help but smile and imagine the sun shining on the top of your head, the sweat on your upper lip (ok, maybe that’s just me, maybe not, i’m not telling but it sounded good).

i just can’t help to get ahead of myself. 70 degree days are scarce right but it’s almost here, almost time for warm days, almost time for the ice cream man to sing his way down my block.

it’s almost time, and until then, i dream of summer, sunny days barefoot running through the grass, playing with my kids, jumping in to the pool.

we’re almost there…it’s almost time…

strawberry salsa

• 20 strawberries chopped
• 1 small red onion chopped
• handful of cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeño minced
• juice of one lime
• splash of canola oil
• splash of cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar (optional depending on how sweet your strawberries are)
• pinch of salt

1. add all the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss. 
2. taste and adjust seasoning as you see fit. 

it’s finally spring….

in between the sunny days, kids sweaty  heads and long walks through the woods, it’s still april. there’s a chill when it rains…you grab your sweater and daydream about that fireplace you wish you had…you put your warm slippers on and you head to the couch to curl up with the kids, read a book, talk about your day, daydream of a warm homemade meal that will fill you up, comfort you and keep you going till tomorrow when the sun comes out again…

and then your friend sends you this recipe….you’ve seen it before but for some reason this time, with the chill in the air, the need of comfort, you defrost the last of your short ribs and you enjoy the smell, the warmth coming from the oven, the dinner you’ve been craving all day…in front of your fake fireplace.

dinner: a love story…the book now sits on my coffee table. i folded over pages…i’m getting the bug, the cooking bug.

thank you jenny, thank you for bringing warmth and comfort during a long week.

korean short ribs    adapted from dinner: a love story

• 1 tbl canola oil
• 8 bone in beef short ribs
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• ½ cup chicken stock + more if needed
• 1 squirt of sriracha
• 1 tbl grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 red onion sliced
• handful of currants
• salt and pepper

1.  pre-heat oven to 350.
2. season your short ribs with salt and pepper. add oil to pot and brown short ribs. about 5 minutes a side.
3. meanwhile measure out liquid ingredients and slice onion and garlic, gather your currants (you can use raisons).
4. when ribs are browned, add onion, garlic, ginger and currents, pour in liquid ingredients. if the short ribs are not covered at least 3/4 of the way up, add more chicken stock. bring to a boil, cover almost all the way, leaving just a smidge open.
5. carefully place dutch oven in oven and turn down the temperature to 325. cook, occasionally flipping the meat for 3 hours or until meat it falling off the bone.

baseball, ballet recitals, end of the year parties, applications for the pool.

and then yesterday…among the chaos, boston.

i have no words.

it kind of left me speechless and anxiety ridden.

today has been one moment after another.

one of my friends said it so simple “people of earth: let’s try to be good to each other”

there is just to much bad. i’m tired of it.

my plan today: hug my kids, hold my husbands hand, smile more, bake cookies, eat a lot of pasta.

pasta helps. pasta always helps.

be good. be good to each other.

sausage and pepper over pasta

• 3 sweet sausage links
• 2 tbl canola oil
• 2 onions sliced
• 2 peppers sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic sliced
• red pepper flakes
• 1/2 wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• handful of fresh basil

1. turn your oven onto broil and heat up. put your sausage on a cookie tray or broil proof dish. sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper and a tbl spoon of canola oil. broil sausage turning occasionally for about 7 minutes. take out of oven and let rest. 
2. meanwhile, slice onion, peppers and garlic. sauté in a big skillet in 1 tbl canola oil. season with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. mix and let cook until onion starts to turn a golden brown translucent color. 
3. while this is all happening slice sausage.
4. turn the heat up, add sausage, wine and stock and reduce down to a quarter of what you originally started with. 
5. toss in pasta. throw on some basil. eat.