red beans and orzo – elegant and comforting

Last week was so crazy (hence the single post). Weeks of going through closets and boxes culminated in a very successful garage sale. Yippee! To celebrate, I got everything I needed for a recipe that I was saving from Saveur. Oooohhh I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone; snapper baked in foil with clams, lemon, smoked sausage, fennel, olives, orange zest, shallots, fingerling potatoes, white wine… sounds amazing, right? It wasn’t. It just wasn’t good. DANGIT. I hate it when that happens!

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favorite spring salmon on peas with lemon brodetto

Does it matter that it’s April and it snowed this week in Atlanta? No. Is that going to keep me from craving the flavors and brightness of Spring? No. I persevere. I pray for warm weather. I eat springy food. Actually, I eat this dish year round because it is so mind-blowingly delicious; however, the flavors are delightfully green and fresh and therefore appropriate for Spring.

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minestrone and crusty garlic bread

Cooking is a an experience that I savor daily, no matter how busy I constantly seem to be. It is one of the few times each day that I am actually living in the moment. Instead of worrying, running through an endless task list, etc., I am simply thinking about what I am doing. Actually, I am also greatly anticipating the meal that I will soon be eating, so I suppose I’m not totally in the moment… Cooking, EATING, preparing a meal for someone – this is truly a pleasure to me. Pairing simple, whole ingredients together to make something gloriously delicious not only sustains my body, but it also sustains me in a holistic way that I can’t completely describe. It just feels good.

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salmon or swordfish with citrus pesto and grilled or roasted asparagus

This is one of the best ways that you will EVER eat fish. This is Giada’s recipe with some of my own modifications, and it is originally supposed to go with swordfish or white fish, but I put it on salmon all the time. I make a batch of the pesto and then divide a few other portions into bags and freeze them for future dinners. We have a great grill pan that goes over two burners; I put the fish on one end and some asparagus or squash and zuchinni on the other. So easy and SO, so good. If you don’t have a grill pan, obviously just use a regular sautee pan for the fish and roast the asparagus. If I can use a meyer lemon and a tangerine in place of a regular lemon and orange, I always do; it really makes all the difference.

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