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.

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!

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.

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!

Black Bean, Corn, and Edamame Salad

This recipe is originally from Central Market, but it is so amazing, I absolutely must feature it! Packed with protein and fiber, this salad is a healthy and delicious alternative to the usual, fatty summer salads that show up at barbeques. Here, I have paired it with my oven-fried chicken which makes a fabulous cold lunch for the next day.

Chicken with Lemon and Lemon-Rice Pilaf

This recipe is impressive yet quite easy with the oven doing most of the work. The savory, buttery sauce is a delicious complement to the pilaf. The pilaf recipe was adapted from a recipe from Central Market.

Penne Alla Vodka

This delicious pasta dish has subtle creamy flavor and richness. In the original recipe by Lidia Bastianich, she uses whole cream, however, a marvelous substitute for cream in sauces such as this is to blend nonfat cottage cheese and a little milk (depending on how thick you want your "cream") in a food processor. When you add the blended cottage cheese to the hot pan, it will separate a bit, but with heat, the cottage cheese should melt into the sauce. This dish is wonderful on its own, but if you wish to make this a complete meal, grill some garlic chicken (recipe to follow) and serve with a side salad.

Holiday Dinner!

Due to the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving, as well as a dose of technical difficulties, I didn't have the opportunity to snap any photographs of my Thanksgiving spread. But as my guests and I can tell you, it was to-die-for good.

Christmas dinner is just a few days away, so I'd like to share with you my menu I used for Thanksgiving.

Main Course:
Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast

Side Dishes:
Brussels Sprouts Casserole
Glazed Carrots
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Trader Joe's Cornbread Stuffing
Chardonnay-Herb Turkey Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Bowl of black olives

Dessert:
Pumpkin Cheesecake

Drinks:
Le Baron Ranch Late Harvest Riesling 2009
Milk / Water

Glazed Carrots

This is a simple glazed carrot recipe perfect as a side to any roast meat. Don't worry, this isn't an overly sweet carrot recipe, I tried to make it as savory as possible while still maintaining the subtle sweet flavor of the carrots.

Holiday Side Special: Cranberry Sauce

It's a really fun experience to make your own cranberry sauce instead of just taking it out of a can. With a basic recipe, the variations are endless. In this recipe, you can bump up the orange taste by adding the zest of an orange, if you like. Another variation you could do is by adding fresh grated ginger (from a two-inch knob) and ½ teaspoon cinnamon for a spicier sauce. For a sugar-free sauce, replace the sugar with an equal amount of Splenda®.

Holiday Side Special: Brussels Sprout Casserole

As you all know, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Currently, I am racking my brain trying to come up with some interesting side dishes for this year's feasting. I came across this recipe in the AHA Cookbook and tried it out last night. I have never cooked a Brussels sprout in my life and this dish turned out beautifully! For a great dinner for one, I cooked some brown rice and served the casserole over top. Serves 8.

Historically, the Brussels sprout has gotten a bum rap for being bitter and mushy. The real culprit is overcooking. Cooked properly, Brussels sprouts have a surprisingly mild flavor in comparison with their other cruciferous brethren. They contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fiber. Not to mention, the cruciferous family of vegetables are believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.

The Best Salsa Ever

This salsa is an absolute winner. It's great for parties served with low-fat tortilla chips (Trader Joe's) or as a topping for tacos.

Easter Dinner

On Easter I hosted a small dinner party for our friends. People wanted to eat, so the pictures aren't as good as usual. On the menu was Herb-Roasted Turkey, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Baked Asparagus, Fresh Cranberry Sauce, Cornbread Stuffing, and Sage Gravy.

An Ethiopian Feast

Ethiopian cuisine is characterized by a few spicy dishes on a large sourdough flatbread (called injeera). The meal is supposed to be eaten with your hands only, but I can't give up my fork. I love Ethiopian cuisine because the base of it is, basically, onions and garlic. Yum. This feast is going to take all four burners to make, be warned.

Turkey-Veggie Meatloaf with Carrot Couscous

I have never really had a taste for meatloaf. I always found it fairly bland and pointless. But I had a taste of a Central Market recipe for meatloaf and found a new love. Of course I have modified it quite a bit from the original, like I do with all my recipes.