Zesty Roasted Chickpeas

This a delicious snack food that is easy and economical to make at home. When the chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are roasted for a long period of time, they take on a wonderful crunchy texture. Many different spice mixes can be applied to these. They'd be great with just salt and pepper! However, I am a lover of all things garlicky and oniony so I present these delicious (and addictive) roasted chickpeas. Serves 2 (or 1, really).

Vegetable Lasagna

This is a vegetarian lasagna worth making and eating tonight! The lasagna's step of roasting the vegetables with copious amounts of garlic really brings out everything wonderful about eggplant and summer squash. The original Cook's Illustrated recipe leaves out the traditional layer of creamy ricotta—I put it back in because it just adds so much. This lasagna was supposed to have 3 layers of traditional noodles, however, I ran out of them. I substituted penne in the top layer, and I must say, the crunchy, nutty taste of it was intoxicating—like eating a slice of baked ziti (mmm...baked ziti). This makes 8 slices in a deep lasagna dish.

Blueberry Scones

It's that time of year again when the blueberries are on sale! I got a box for my 4th of July party and had a bunch of leftovers for my favorite scone recipe. These are delicious with a dollop of whipped cream or eaten with cup of hot coffee. Makes 8 "Starbucks-sized" scones.

Dill Potato Salad

For our 4th of July festivities this year I made my new favorite potato salad. Potato salad and I have had a difficult relationship in the past. I do not like pickles (although I love the taste of dill), eggs, or liberal use of yellow mustard in my potato salads—all of which dominate at most family gatherings. This recipe is perfect for those that like the scrumptious flavors of dill and sour cream. Enjoy! This serves 6 to 8 people.

Slow-Cooker Tequila Lime Chili

It's been hot all week and today I finally got smart and remembered my slow cooker. I discovered this amazing, summery chili recipe in America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution. With very little prep in the morning, I had a flavorful and nutritious dinner by the heat of the evening. My husband and I topped our bowls with only some shredded cheese—nothing else necessary! Serves 6.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

Lately, this is my go-to, easy spaghetti sauce. It comes together quickly with minimal effort, but tastes like its been simmering on the stove all day! Oh, and the sauce gets even better the next day. For an extra veggie punch, you can put 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree in the sauce when adding the tomatoes. Serves 8-10 (feel free to freeze 1/2 of the sauce for later!).

Chicken Saute with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

Delicious food in 30 minutes with minimal effort is my goal these days with a seven-month-old baby, so I was pleased to discover this recipe today at Central Market in Poulsbo. This has big flavor with in-season ingredients and was a definite crowd-pleaser in my house this evening. Serves 4.

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

Good Indian food in a slow-cooker? Yep, that's exactly what this is. Also, inexpensive and completely from the pantry? Again, yes, unbelievably. When I want something tasty, inexpensive and done by dinner, this is my new go-to recipe. It's completely hands-free when I make brown rice in my rice cooker. At that point, it's basically take-out because you can eat at any time you'd like. This meal is awesome especially because I've got a new baby in the house!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

First of all, sorry for the lack of a picture. I could take a picture of the empty stockpot, but that would do us no good. Yes, this disappeared as quickly as it was made, if that's any testament to just how good this version of Mexican tortilla soup is. Forget any sorry excuses of this soup you've had in the past—this is where it's at. Serves 6-8

Spaghetti with Bolognese-Style Sauce

The key to this classic dish is "low and slow." Indeed, the sauce takes a whole three hours from start to finish. Is it worth the time? Yes. Yes it is. The flavors are meaty, satisfying, and downright beautiful. With an easy ingredient list, this recipe is great to prepare all-year-round. This recipe was adapted from Mark Bittman and makes about 4 cups of sauce.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast with Red Potatoes and Baby Carrots

This is, amazingly, a 30 minute meal. It hails from America's Test Kitchen Best 30-Minute Recipe cookbook. That book was a wonderful find. We all have those (week)days when we feel uninspired and have no desire to cook, well, this book helped me over that hump.

Harvest Salad

The description is simple: mixed greens topped with roasted beets, diced Gala apple, grilled chicken, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted walnuts served with a rosemary-balsamic vinaigrette. This is an elegant anytime salad, and, without the chicken, could be a wonderful first course salad for Thanksgiving. As is, this recipe serves one.

French Provençal Dinner Menu

Today, I made a meal that transported me to distant, sun-drenched paradises. There is nothing that makes me think of summer more than veggie-filled mediterranean favorites. Everything seems to be at the height of its tastiness, so I urge you to seize the eggplant!

This dinner consists of: Ratatouille, Lemon Risotto with Broccoli, and, because my family needed a protein, grilled chicken. Serves 6 (or 2 with 4 "TV dinners" going into the freezer for later)

Ratatouille

The original French Provençal peasant food that makes me want to say it would not be so bad being a French peasant. Mark Bittman calls this "the original 'what do we have on hand?' recipe" and, indeed, you should go into this with such a mindset. If you'd like to throw in mushrooms or a different kind of squash, please go right ahead. The essentials are zucchini (and/or eggplant) and tomatoes, otherwise it's up to you.

Lemon Risotto With Broccoli

Today is a day for experimenting and one of those dishes I've been meaning to try is risotto. I picked up the basis for this recipe from Central Market a couple months ago. It is an understatement to say this dish was the perfect use for some extra broccoli. It was delicious, fresh, and ethereal! You must try this!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

One of the gifts of spring/early summer is fresh strawberry-rhubarb pie. It's truly magical how the well the orange tang of rhubarb and the mouthwatering sweet of sun-ripened strawberries melt into each other in the heat of the oven. Well, my recipe is based on a recipe from the classic pie bible, Farm Journal's Complete Pie Cookbook. I highly recommend serving with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Jim Lahey's No-Work Bread My Way

This is the now-famous bread recipe of perfectly textured french bread baked in a heated Dutch oven. There are many variations (and opportunities for variation) of this recipe. This loaf was fairly close to the original. Be aware: this recipe takes about 24 hours from start to finish, so please plan ahead.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is a lovely recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen. You'll notice the unusal addition of baking soda to this soup. The baking soda helps break down the broccoli—without it, the brocoli would have to cook for a good hour to be soft enough for our purposes. This hearty soup serves 6 to 8. I think this would also be really good over potatoes—baked or boiled or on grilled chicken.

Chicken Braised in Soy Sauce and Lemon

I've been making this affordable dish since college. Serve the chicken with a little of the sauce over brown rice or rice pilaf.

Every spring when the asparagus is cheap, this recipe seems to be a natural pairing. I make a little asparagus drizzle sauce by shaking together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, and lots of pepper.

Cornbread Muffins

The perfect accompaniment to Turkey Chili, this recipe is a Jessica Seinfeld creation. These usually become desserts to my meals. I warm the muffins, drizzle them with honey, and serve with green Tabasco sauce. Divine!