I have just finished reading [or more accurately, I have been listening-to on Audible while jogging or driving to pick-up my kids from one activity or another] James Beard Award winning, Blood, Bones and Butter: the Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, by Gabrielle Hamilton (Random House.)

And I am obsessed. Truly. I have had goose bumps for five days straight. I have been that crazy person who is in traffic next to you, laughing hysterically in her car even though she is alone... because you can’t see/hear that she is listening to a book on tape. That’s me. I have cried while doing laps on the track listening to this amazing from-the-heart memoir read by the author herself. It is that brilliantly written and compelling.

Hearing it piped directly into my earphones, read in her own deadly dry tone, it is somehow such an intimate experience. I feel like I know her. Like personally. Gabrielle is so completely possessed one can’t help but love her. And she is such an enormously talented writer.

Blood, Bones and Butter has nothing to do with this recipe though. Well, other than the fact...

Sometimes I feel as if the busyness of our lives is directly proportional to the minutes of daylight. I’m not complaining at all though. I am actually having a blast, and I sure do love the extra daylight. Right now, we’re digging up and moving three of my perennial beds, and I am currently working on two food features for two different magazines. How cool is that?!! I’m also squeezing in training for a half marathon, helping my 3 year old with her Suzuki violin practice [you should see the size of her violin, it really is the smallest violin in the world] and my 5 year old’s dance performance preparations… You get the picture. I’m sure most of you are in the same boat in your own lives. So you’re probably like me and need some ideas for easy dinners.

Here is a one-pan recipe I am loving right now. It is inspired by the red and gold thin-skinned potatoes and storing apples we’ve been getting from our spring CSA share. To that I add chicken sausage and a speedy maple mustard glaze. It is sweet and savory, and most importantly doesn’t require much attention from me. Get the recipe...

Mizuna is one of those tender greens you usually only see in a store-bought salad blend. That’s why I was blown away when a large and gorgeous bunch of Mizuna was included in our CSA share at the last pick-up. If you are not familiar with mizuna, you can read more about it and order some seeds for your vegetable garden here at High Mowing Seeds.  If you can’t wait to grow your own, just substitute any tender spring green mix.

The dressing for the salad is so simple to make, but the flavor is really different than a run-of –the-mill vinaigrette. The special ingredient is unrefined peanut oil, which adds a rich nutty flavor. It is available in the health food store or in the natural section of large supermarkets. I like the one by Spectrum. If you can’t find it, substitute 3 tablespoons canola oil and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil. Unrefined peanut oil can also be used to dress-up whole-wheat noodles or in medium-heat sautéing. read more...

This week I am beyond pleased to be doing a guest post for Phil and Lauren Rubin, the dynamic duo behind www.2peasandapot.com. What an honor! I completely admire their writing, photography and innovative recipes!

When they asked me to contribute to a series they are putting together all about seafood, I immediately thought of doing a cedar plank salmon. I have been wanting to share this brilliantly easy technique for a while. It is great because the fish never sticks, and it still gets a nice smoky flavor from the grill. Plus it gets a boost of cedar smokiness from the plank itself. I like that because, as you know, I am kind of a flavor hound. Even though the ingredients here are simple: fish, spice and sugar. The technique of grilling on the plank makes it even more flavorful. Plus the dishes, or lack there of, are a snap.

So please head over to their blog to read more about the technique and get the recipe!

It’s giveaway time again! Rejoice! This time I am so happy to have the opportunity to share with you these amazing organic micro-batch spice blends from Teeny Tiny Spice Company of Vermont. I discovered this company a while back and have been using their blends obsessively since. Recently, I have been lucky enough to do some photography for their website. And now they have given me some blends to share with you! Read how to enter after the flank steak recipe.

First I am going to tell you about this recipe for this succulent flank steak. I used one of their spice blends, Cajun Seasoning to make it.

But you can use any brand you want to do this recipe. Even though I made it with grass-fed beef, which is healthier and more earth friendly than corn-fed beef, the Cajun seasoning does a great job of balancing the strong meaty flavors. And there is this other trick I want to tell you about. I learned this from Sara Moulton at the IACP conference in New York City. She did a thoroughly entertaining demonstration there and mentioned this trick. I have tried it twice since then and it works really well. You take a regular raw steak out of the fridge, sprinkle salt on it. Return it to the fridge for an hour or two. Take it out, pat it dry with paper towels, and then cook it. The results are so surprisingly good...

If it were up to my kids, they would eat Annie's bunny crackers, yogurt and fruit for 100% of their daily calories. Don't get me wrong, they are great eaters. Neither is particularly picky, knock on wood. They just like their sweets and their easy carbs. So I feel like I have to strategize every day to make sure they are also getting vegetables, calcium, healthy fats and protein.

More specifically, I try to make sure I give them some sort of protein at every meal. That's why I am so grateful for the carton of organic local eggs we get in our CSA most weeks. Beyond protein, they are a good source of vitamins A and D.  Not only that, they have Vitamin B, lutein and zeaxanthin. [Those are antioxidants that are good for their little eyes.]

I ran this recipe about a year ago, and suddenly I found myself craving it again. I decided to try it out in my wok this time. I have had my wok since I was sixteen. I have to admit, I probably just wanted a wok because I felt like such a badass cooking for my friends with it. Now, a million years later, it is perfectly seasoned and I love it dearly. If you don't have one, a simple wok setis actually pretty affordable. The trick is knowing how to season it and care for it. This post on culinate is a really good guide for how to season a wok.

I use my wok pretty regularly because it is a great way to cook tofu, seafood, meat and vegetables with high heat, tons of flavor and not a lot of fat. It is a misconception that you need to use a lot of fat to "stir-fry." As long as you have a lid, you can use a small amount of oil. This recipe only uses 1 teaspoon of oil per serving. The trick is getting a sear...