Salmon Mango Salad — “You ca...

The other night for dinner we had Salmon Mango Salad. Delicious! This is one of those meals we always return to even if we haven’t had it for a while. Oh, you want to try it? “You can’t touch-a the mango!”. Okay, you can. Sorry, Chris Kattan SNL flashback. That mango may be off limits, but this salmon mango salad requires minimum effort to attain. You see, this is precisely why you get married. Never as a single guy would I ever have made something like Salmon Mango Salad. But I was missing out! Hopefully you’ll try this and it will become...

Three Cheese Summer Squash Lasagna and F...

Three Cheese Summer Squash Lasagna Last week, the kids and I headed to the local farmer’s market to pick up our first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share of the season. CSA’s are a great way to support local farmers and to get fresh local produce. It comes with a bit of a risk because you don’t always know what or how much you are getting. But you also benefit when the crop is good and I think the mystery element is fun because it gives you sort of a weekly Top Chef/Next Food Network Star challenge every week. And if you know your local conditions...

Spring Peas and Potatoes

After two plane trips with two small children in two weeks, we were looking for something simple and easy for dinner.  After a midnight arrival home and a full day of work, I also didn’t feel like braving the grocery store with the kids after work.  So, a quick trip to the farm stand and we were set for dinner–usually we add grilled chicken of some sort, but skipped it tonight.  The most time consuming part is shelling the peas, I almost bought the pre-shelled ones.  We didn’t quite get the peas and potatoes cooked by the kids dinner time, but they...

White Bean Enchiladas, the answer to all...

The clock is ticking. The kids are a little grumpy today. Your spouse is even more grumpy today (Hey, it happens).  The grocery bill for the month is shot. There are no leftovers in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s lunch. How can you possibly pull off a home cooked meal that is going to please everyone and not drive you over the edge? Answer: White Bean Enchiladas Question: What meal is going to be low prep and relatively  easy to make? Answer: White Bean Enchiladas Question: What meal is going to be relatively  inexpensive to prepare? Answer: White Bean...

Cream of Asparagus Soup

The week after Easter I stopped in one of the local grocery stores and noticed a table full of asparagus marked down to a ridiculously low price.  It was starting to get a little dry, but perfect for this recipe.  We made a huge batch of this soup (and didn’t have any extra to freeze).  All of the local produce stands and farmers markets seem to be opening up this weekend, so I think we will be looking for asparagus to make another batch.  Or maybe more asparagus risotto.  Or maybe asparagus pasta with truffle oil.  Or maybe just roast it.  Can you tell I like...

Ginger Pork

We’re back! Sorry for the long delay between posts, but, as I’m sure those of you with youngsters can appreciate,  sometimes you lose a week (or two) in there. We do have several posts lined up for this week though, starting with Ginger Pork! This is another recipe of my grandmother’s.  We aren’t usually “meat and potatoes” kind of people, but this is so good it is one of the exceptions for us.  I usually like to cook some sort of potato to go with it, but we were short on time, so I sauteed some fresh swiss chard to go with...

Red Lentil Lasagna (Vegan)

Red Lentil Lasagna (Vegan) I found this recipe at another food blog called Eat this while searching for a gluten free vegan recipe to make ahead for visiting family (followed the recipe except for substituting a tofu mixture for the ricotta). I recently made it again using whole grain lasagna noodles and a tiny bit of mozzarella and parmesan cheese just for the top of the lasagna. The sauce would also make a good sauce for spaghetti or wheel shaped pasta for kids–lots of vegetables. I doubled the sauce part and froze half for future uses (or if I had planned ahead...

Thai Butternut Soup

Thai Butternut Soup This soup became the staple of our winter Friday nights. It pairs perfectly with strawberry daiquiris. It is also a pretty quick meal (a little bit of chopping in the beginning) and freezes well (when you don’t eat it all in 24 hours). I also would make large quantities of jasmine rice and freeze 2-3 cup servings because it defrosts easily in the microwave. We have had really nice weather lately and I was ready to break out some recipes for the grill. Then earlier this week, it started cooling off and raining cats and dogs, so I decided to...

Morelian Gazpacho

About 4 years ago, we went on a trip to Mexico to visit my brother and his girlfriend who were living there and to attend Greg’s cousin’s wedding. We had a wonderful time and would love to go back someday. The highlights were spending time with family, seeing some amazing cities with beautiful cathedrals, seeing the monarch butterfly reserves, and attending a fabulous wedding. I may have to convince Greg to post some of his photos. On the way from Guadalajara to Tepotzlan, we stopped in Morelia for several days. This city is absolutely beautiful. I read in...

Layered Taco Dip and Homemade Taco Seaso...

87J5C6DN5HGC This is a recipe stolen from my stepmother.  It is a variation of the classic 8 layer dip.  I added in a layer of black beans and some taco seasoning to go in the sour cream.  We used to use the taco seasoning that comes in the packet ready to go.  However, I recently looked at the ingredients and was slightly disgusted.  So, now we just mix up our own taco seasoning with spices we have in the cabinet. I’ll include the recipe we’ve been using for that below as well. Layered Taco Dip 3 avocados 4-6 green onions 1 can of black beans 1 cup of...