Here you’ll find everything I’m preparing in my kitchen - from veggies, to leftovers and pasta. I eat simply, and I cook for one, but love cooking for others. And no matter what, I always pause to plate pretty.
Most of my meals are often times the result of freestyle recipe free ingredient riffing and a trip to the vegetable market. Produce is my passion, and I hope that you won’t simply come here for a recipe - but that you’ll read, cook and create a new story of your own.
I believe there’s power in a stocked pantry and freezer. From traditional Italian dishes to alternative sweets, vegan and vegetarian swaps - there’s something for everyone.
Let this serve as inspiration and let’s eat!
If you’re looking for a way to add a little more green to your dinner table, look no further than the asparagus! And I’m not talking about steamed asparagus (although, I personally LOVE steamed asparagus with lots of salt, lemon and oil), but oven roasted asparagus takes about 10 minutes to prepare and really enhances the flavor profile of this lean green veggie — especially once you add a pop of lemon, garlic and pecorino romano to them.
Read MoreWhen I was preparing salmon for dinner last week, I wanted to make a side that would have veggies and fiber but wasn’t a typical salad with a lettuce base. I love making creative salads, but I hadn’t made a grain salad in quite some time. I think grain salads are the perfect hearty but light offering to spring eating and, so, my aunt and I agreed on farro. Farro is a wheat based grain that has a nutty texture. It can be substituted with barley in many recipes,
Read MoreSalmon is an easy weeknight meal that provides protein and heart and brain healthy OMEGA-3 fatty acids. It’s a powerful food that bakes in the oven in minutes. It’s one of those “no excuses” meals when it comes to cooking. This super simple salmon is made with a marinade that doubles as a vinaigrette for salads or steamed vegetables.
Read MorePizza Rustica translates to rustic pie. It’s a southern Italian savory Easter pie comprised of mixed cured meats and cheeses that are lovingly encased in buttery pie shell. If there’s anything that takes me back to the Easter Sunday’s of my past, it’s Pizza Rustica.
Read MoreEaster calls preparing lamb and this simple marinade recipe will make your holiday roast sing of spring. Adapted from Ina Garten’s marinade for rack of lamb, this version has the addition of extra virgin olive oil. Rack of lamb typically has much more fat on the meat itself, so the extra addition of oil isn’t necessary. Leg of lamb is a leaner cut and could use a little more fat for cooking and flavor.
Read MoreLast week, as I contemplated what to prepare for dinner, I stared down bell peppers, tomatoes and a package of meat that was in the refrigerator. The weather was cool, alarmingly cold, really, for April, and called for a warming meal. I recalled Susana’s meal, Stamatis stuffed peppers and tomatoes and swiftly got to work on recalling the flavors. I moved slowly, stopping to think about the taste, gathering all of the ingredients, and got to work. This recipe and process is not for the impatient or faint of heart in the kitchen.
Read MoreI’m dedicating a specific post to caramelized onions because, well, I consider them to be essential to so many delicious dishes prepared in the kitchen. From eggs to quiches, burgers and grilled cheeses, chicken dishes and even a salad — caramelized onions can take the flavor profile of any dish and raise it to the next level. I promise. The secret to jammy, thick and rich caramelized onions? Patience and high quality balsamic vinegar, a secret weapon that is used for deglazing the pan and can even speed up cooking time because the acid helps to break down the onions.
Read MoreFew things remind me of childhood, my grandmother’s cooking and when my father used to cook, then a big, piping hot pot of fagioli. Growing up, beans were a staple in our home and they still are. Beans are a hearty, inexpensive, healthy and warming food — a food we ate 1 to 2 times a week no matter the season. I was that kid who looked forward to opening a lunch thermos full of beans and pasta, a bit odd, sure, maybe, but my love of cooking and eating, was born from watching the people I love cook their hearts out in the kitchen.
Read MoreI know, I know. This is the L O N G E S T quiche name ever! BUT it’s worth saying 10 times fast and it’s certainly worth making too. My auntie recently had a hip replacement and, well with my shoulder coming along with healing, I thought it would be a smart idea to have a quiche or two in the house to heat up for easy weeknight meals. So, if you’re looking for a make-ahead meal idea, look no further than the fully loaded, elegant and tasty quiche.
Read MoreAt a local Greek restaurant in Astoria, Queens, sitting in their hot steam table, prepared and ready to order, they had an eggplant dish called “Imam.” I would often order the stuffed eggplant when I went to the restaurant and on days where I was too tired to cook and, so, I’d pick it up as take-out fare. Imam is bathed in onions, tomatoes and herbs and, best of all, slick with oil. I’d often approach the steam table at the restaurant intent on ordering something different
Read MoreFor Sunday dinner it’s typically tradition that we eat red sauce with meat and salad, sometimes pesto with ravioli or a roast. Historically, I have loved making my own pasta from scratch, think simple cavatelli or gnocchi, my two staples, but I have had a desire to try my hand at making gnudi. Gnudi is Italian for naked. I know, sassy, right? Gnudi can be likened to a dumpling and, maybe, a 2nd cousin to gnocchi. Gnudi is a lighter and more airy Italian dumpling made from a base of ricotta and spinach, as opposed to gnocchi which is a bit heavier and uses potato and flour for its dumpling meets pasta base. Gnudi is light and billowy, soft and hearty and reminds me of ravioli or tortellini filling
Read MoreAnd just when I would hit my hunger wall, Dad must have hit his too. He would pull into the parking lot at Petrina’s Diner and it was then that I knew, soon enough, that I would be sated. Why? Saturday was split pea soup day at Petrina’s, and I could taste a cup, or a bowl of pea soup the moment we pulled into that parking lot. As my dad effortlessly rolled the Voyager into a diagonal lined parking space, that was it, I began salivating. My mom, dad and myself, would sit - us 3 - at small table in the center of the diner. I wouldn’t have to withstand mean comments about my weight from my grandfather; we simply ate our prized bowls of Petrina’s pea soup in a silence that was peaceful and holy.
Read MoreI eat salmon at least once a week. Personally, I enjoy it baked in the oven with lemon, salt, pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil. Done. But the men in my life are my muses when it comes to thinking a little bit more creatively about salmon preparation. Thank you Uncle Al and Dad, your picky palates and love for sauces, marinades and crusts inspired this weeknight meal. The combined use of a marinade and crumble on the salmon created a sweet, salty and buttery finish to every bite of fish.
Read MoreA few days after Thanksgiving, there was a turkey carcass sitting in a plastic bag, on the bottom shelf of the 2nd refrigerator in my aunt and uncle’s basement. I opened the door and heard it whisper “Use me. I will make you the most tasty and delicious bowl of soup.” And, so it was. And, so it was true. I removed the turkey carcass from the plastic bag, cleaned out her cavity so there were no more stuffing remains, trimming some fat and gelatinous bits.
Read MoreWhen I was growing up there were a few things that my father cooked that were completely unforgettable. Although my mother did the majority of the cooking, when my father participated his signatures were pizza, calzones, stromboli, Sunday sauce, fried eggplant, pasta with beans, incredible ham and cheese omelettes, mind blowing sandwiches and potato pie. Potato pie was often made on a Sunday and served when mom made roast beef or a piece of meat, on the rare occasions that we didn’t have pasta.
Read MoreOn Thursday night, after arriving back at my aunt and uncle’s house from a doctor's appointment, I cooked off some stress. There’s something that is incredibly therapeutic about cutting a stick of butter into tiny little cubes. Moments later I was slippery with love, salt, fat and the promise of a good meal with my loving family. And as I got lost in cubing, I got lost in the thought of shoulder surgery and a 6 month recovery.
Read MoreOver the last few months I’ve been doing my fair share of cooking, but really less than my fair share of writing. Preparing meals for my family has been a joy; playing with ingredients and creating memorable moments too. The gift of time has been a blessing in my life and, truly, not one that I’ve taken for granted. And while time, and how I’ve decided to spend it, is important, I also got to thinking about the gift of food and how we learn to share love. When I close my eyes I can still smell red sauce cooking in my grandmothers basement kitchen, red pepper flakes and heat tickling the inside of my nostrils, as my mouth watered in anticipation of tasting her earthly talents.
Read MoreOn Friday evening, after a trip upstate to do yoga with my friend Julie, I found myself roaming the streets of Astoria with a Dunkin’ Donuts hot cocoa in search of broccolini. Weird, right? My days of roaming the streets on Friday nights, and stumbling into bars, is a long gone memory of the past. Now I wear sweat pants or wide leg jeans, leggings and a sweatshirt if I want to feel “sexy” and troll for fresh produce. I’d like to think of this as a sign of maturity, although it feels more like a sign of giving up or a resoundingly loud and cotton clad resignation to being 44, low estrogen and single.
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