In A Nutshell

If it weren't for the bacon, this salad could allllllmost be construed as healthy.... and I suppose you could leave it out but that would be so sad because bacon just tastes too good, and it elevates this potato salad into something magnificent. Is there a food in existence that isn't improved by the addition of bacon? This is adapted from Bon Appétit magazine. For the dressing : 3 T malt vinegar 1 T Dijon mustard 1 1/2 T honey 9 T extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper Mix all the dressing ingredients together with a small whisk and taste the dressing to see if it's vinegary enough for you- you can always add another tablespoon of vinegar if you like it more tart. For the salad : 2 1/2 to 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (about 1" cubes so they hold their shape) 6 slices of bacon about 4 cups of chopped or torn mustard greens (I've also used baby kale leaves from Costco; you could really use any greens that you li

I realize this is a little boring... but it is so delicious; it's a nice counterpoint to red meat, can be mixed in with pasta (which is how it's served in the original recipe in Bon Appétit magazine) or served with fish or chicken. I like to cut the leaves away from those thick portions of the stems but I also sometimes buy kale that is already chopped in the bag if I'm pressed for time and endure the stems. 2 large bunches (about 1 lb) Tuscan kale or regular kale 4 cloves garlic, sliced 2 anchovies packed in oil hearty pinch of dried, crushed red pepper 3 T EVOO 1 T butter In a large pot of salted, boiling water cook the kale for 4 minutes. Drain and let cool; when it is cool, squeeze out the excess water. Heat the 3 T of oil in a skillet and 1 T of butter and add the sliced garlic, anchovies and crushed red pepper.  Cook until garlic is fragrant and anchovies are broken down, mashing them a bit with a wooden spoon. Add the kale and sautee for about 4 minutes u

This tart is adapted from Fine Cooking magazine; it is a good way to use up zucchini. I cut this into wedges and packed it up for a picnic recently-- it was sooooooooooooo delicious! For the crust : 1 1/4 cup flour 10 T cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes 3/4 t kosher salt 4 T ice water Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour until it resembles coarse sand; with a fork, lightly stir in the water and form into a dough. Pat it into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. For the topping : 4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/4 pound or so) 1- 5.2 oz container Boursin cheese (the herb and garlic flavor), softened 4 oz. plain goat cheese, softened (or cream cheese) extra-virgin olive oil for brushing Slice the zucchini into 1/8" thick rounds (this is easiest using a mandoline) and set the slices in a colander. Sprinkle them with 2 tsp kosher salt and toss so that they all get coated. Let this drain for 30 minutes. Pat them dry-ish with a pape

I got the idea for these desserts from Delicieux . I served them in fancy, smaller-sized martini glasses one night and the next day made them in these small canning jars to take on a picnic.  The cake recipe is completely unchanged (other than the choice of baking sheet) from Smitten Kitchen ; it is not possible to improve this recipe-- its chocolatey-goodness is indescribable! The cherries and cheese mixture I improvised. For the cake : 2 cups flour 2 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cups Dutch process cocoa powder (I love Valrhona) 2 t baking soda 1 t salt 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup sour cream 1 1/2 cups water 2 T white vinegar 1 t vanilla 2 eggs Sift together all dry ingredients (don't skip this or else you will have undissolved cocoa nuggets in your cake). I deviate from her recipe by (from sheer laziness) just throwing all the moist ingredients except the vinegar into the dry at once and whisking this until combined well. Add the vinegar last. The cake batter will be ver

Another great way to enjoy the cherry season while using up leftover grilled chicken and day-old bread. I recommend using a thick straw to pit the cherries. For the dressing : 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 T almond oil 1 T cherry preserves 1/2 t Dijon mustard 1/4 t salt freshly ground pepper 1 small clove of garlic, pressed 1 T finely chopped red onion Whisk all ingredients together. For the salad : spring lettuce (I used that Artisan Lettuce found at Costco) fresh bing cherries, pitted crumbled ricotta salata  slivered, toasted almonds thinly sliced radish (don't leave out the much maligned radish - it adds a nice crunch and flavor) leftover grilled chicken (optional- turns the salad into a substantial meal) day-old bread extra-virgin olive oil Cut the stale bread into cubes and put into a hot frying pan. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt (or Maldon salt) and fry until golden bro

This tart will suffer if you have sub-par apricots (which unfortunately is a chronic problem in the Chicago area). I would suggest adding a little more sugar if this is the case and brushing a generous amount of melted apricot jam over the tart when it is done if you don't have access to really delicious apricots. The recipe for the crust is adapted from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen and the filling is adapted from Bon Appétit magazine. For the crust : 2 cups flour 3 T sugar 2 sticks salted butter (or 2 sticks unsalted butter and 1/2 t salt) 1 large egg yolk 3 T ice water Using a pastry blender (or a food processor but it will turn out much better if you do it by hand), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal (it should look kind of like wet sand). Mix egg yolk and ice water and drizzle over the flour mixture; mix lightly with a fork and a gentle touch until dough comes together (adding 1 T more water at a time if it doesn't

My daughter, Leksa, helped me with these- I made the filling (adapted from Epicurius) in advance and she made the crust (the recipe from Smitten Kitchen ) and formed them into cute little pies.  Since it's feast or famine with rhubarb and good strawberries, we are going to make another batch of these and freeze them unbaked so that we can enjoy them later in the summer. Pie Crust From Smitten Kitchen For the filling : 1/2 lb sliced rhubarb (that is, 1/2 lb after slicing) 8 oz. container strawberries, halved 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1/8 cup cornstarch 1/4 t cinnamon Combine ingredients and put in a glass baking dish (8X8 or deep pie dish). Bake at 375 for about 45-50 minutes until it is bubbly, thick and looks like pie filling.  Let the filling cool completely. Roll out dough to about 1/8" and using a bowl or large cutter, cut 5" circles of pie crust. Put about 1 T of filling in the middle of the circle; fold the crust closed over the filling a

For the dressing : 3 T lemon juice 5 T extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 t honey 1/2 t cumin 1/2 t turmeric 1/4 t hot paprika 1/4 t ground coriander 1/2 t salt dash of baharat spice (optional) 2 T Greek yogurt Whisk oil, lemon and spices until combined; whisk in yogurt. For the salad : 3/4 cup quinoa 1 1/2 cups water 2 green onions, chopped 1/2 red onion, finely diced 1/4 cup dried tart cherries 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 golden beets, roasted, peeled and diced leftover Grilled Sumac Chicken, sliced (optional) Combine the quinoa and water; bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add the red and green onions to a bowl and moisten with a couple tablespoons of the dressing while the quinoa is cooking- this takes the bad breath aspect out of the onions by mellowing them. Let the quinoa cool and add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. When the quinoa has cooled a bit, add it to the bowl. Add the dressing and stir; serve at

The chicken is adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe and the cherry salsa from Bon Appétit magazine; I served this with grilled asparagus and the whole thing was a visual delight (as well as a taste delight).  We drank Marius wine with this (although tricky with the asparagus- we sipped it only after a bite of chicken) which to me has cherry flavors matching the salsa(disclaimer:  I am not a trained smelly-ier). Sumac Chicken : 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 large lemon, juiced 5 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed 3 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 t sumac 1/2 t cumin 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t salt freshly ground pepper Mix all marinade ingredients together; poke lots of holes in the chicken with a fork and cover with the marinade, preferably overnight. Take out the chicken 30 minutes before grilling to come to room temperature. Grill over medium-high heat for 6 minutes (or 6 1/2 for larger breasts) per side. Cherry Salsa: 4 oz. pitted fresh bing cherries (I do this w

This recipe comes from Rachel Ray's magazine (which I'll admit is my guilty pleasure...).  I hate eating leftovers so am always looking for ways to transform them into something new and delicious that doesn't taste tired.  This is a great way to use leftover roasted chicken; I often roast 2 chickens at once, save the remaining meat for recipes like this and make chicken stock out of the carcasses. leftover roasted chicken meat or rotisserie chicken meat, shredded into strips 12 oz. egg noodles 3 T canola oil 1 red papper, sliced in strips 6 green onions, slicced 1/2 red onion sliced thin 1 serrano pepper or hot red fresno pepper (or both- I used half of each), minced 5 cloves of garlic, minced 2 inch piece of ginger root (or to taste), peeled and minced 1/2 cup chicken stock 2 brown tomatoes (they seem to have the most flavor from the grocery store), diced 1 T fish sauce 1 T Maggi sauce 2 T reduced-sodium soy or tamari sauce 1/2 bag shredded iceberg