All-Time Favorite Recipes
I am always curious what people actually eat. I have spent so much of my writing career researching restaurants, hotel dining, cities, markets, chefs - but my favorite hobby is cooking and baking at home. I know so many of you are the same - you read cookbooks like novels. If I've had a long day, there is nothing better than disappearing into a well-written, beautifully photographed cookbook.
My favorite lunch is some variation of roasted vegetables (butternut squash in the fall), farro, feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds with an olive oil and white balsamic dressing. I love brown rice, broccoli, and feta with chia seeds sprinkled on top for dinner. I eat Wasa crackers with apples and peanut butter for lunch. But I love, love, love having time to cook a real recipe.
I am a journalist by nature and job - so I'm obsessively curious. This translates to home cooking - while I am nowhere near a professional, I obsess over finding the best recipe and ingredients. And it has to be mostly easy.
I could eat pasta every night, but I'd weigh 50 pounds more. Basically, I try to eat a ton of vegetables, not drink a lot of alcohol, and limit desserts to three bites. But what is life without pasta or sugar? These are the recipes I crave when I am traveling - the ones that are 100%, totally worth making (again and again).
Desserts/Sweet Breads
French-style yogurt cake with lemon
Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Anything from Classic German Baking: butterkekse, sunken apple cake, pfeffernüsse, easter bread with raisins & sugar cubes, apple-almond cake
Breakfast/Brunch
Breakfast "Cookie Dough" Cereal
This quiche formula (which we usually eat for dinner with salad)
Homemade Bagels (a fun weekend project)
Peanut Butter Acai Bowl (best recipe I've tried so far! Add a scoop of protein powder and 1T peanut butter per bowl, not two.)
Snacks
Classic Guacamole (no other guac recipe compares)
Avocado hummus with crispy pita chips
Meat/Chicken
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (freezes so well)
Cashew Chicken (10000x better than take-out)
Turkey Meatloaf with Feta & Sun-dried Tomatoes
Sandwiches
Tuna with black olive pesto panini
Smashed chickpea & avocado salad sandwich
Chicken sandwiches with caramelized onions & special sauce
Other
Roasted tomato quesadillas (Keepers cookbook)
Tart with leeks & bacon
Eggpant & Cauliflower "Meatballs"
Pasta
Orecchiette with Mixed Greens & Goat Cheese
The Best Spaghetti Sauce You'll Ever Have
Charred Eggplant & Walnut Pesto Pasta Salad
Pappardelle with Peas & Parmesan
Orecchiette with Sweet Sausage Bolognese
Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
Pizza-Ish
"Pizza" salad with focaccia croutons
Jim Lahey’s pizza dough (use half the ball for dinner, freeze the other half)
Salads
Kale Salad with Pecorino & Walnuts
Kale & Quinoa salad with Ricotta Salata
Roasted Cauliflower, Feta, & Orzo Salad (Chrissy Teigen!)
Vegetables/Sides
Zucchini with onions & parmesan
Fish
Amazing tuna salad (no mayo)
Roasted salmon with brown sugar glaze
Stewy Shrimp with Tomatoes & White Beans
Rice/Grains
One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes (I make this so much)
Coconut Rice & Brussels Sprouts
Rice & Peas & Broth & Cheese (Also make this so much!)
Spinach Rice Salad w/Italian dressing & crumbled bacon
Soups
Tomato Bread Soup (SUMMER!)
The easiest tortilla soup ever
Broccoli Pasta Soup (Oh, how I love this. Also works with frozen broccoli and it's 90% as good)
Chicken Orzo Soup (Best chicken soup)
Potato, Chile, & Corn Soup w/Avocado