Crispy Chicken Thighs and Warm Bread Salad and Raw Greenylicious Herb Soup

This meal was a triumph of fresh herbs and not-so-fresh bread. Toasted day-old bread cubes were a crunchy delight in the “Crispy Chicken Thighs & Warm Bread Salad,” from thekitchn.com. I included a beautiful bunch of fresh oregano in my bread salad, rather than arugula. It dazzled us, mild and green.

 

Shrimp and Asparagus with Cheddar Grits

Smooth grits with cheddar cheese are divine (and the world already knows this). Creamy, cheesy, happiness. The “Shrimp and Asparagus with Cheddar Grits,” from the October 2005 issue of Fine Cooking, allowed me to indulge — yet again — in a buttery, mouth-pleasing dinner. Cheers, all around.

 

Corn and Bacon Pie

Pies please people. Present a pie to your dining party and it will always placate and soothe the group. Bacon does this too. I made the “Corn and Bacon Pie,” from Five And Spice, knowing that I would be loved for it.

 

Kung Pao Chicken with Water Chestnuts and Peanuts

Deja vu? Indeed, I made a version of kung pao chicken last year. Yet, here I go again! Now, I’ve made the “Kung Pao Chicken with Water Chestnuts and Peanuts,” from Anja’s Food 4 Thought. Ginger and scallions and peanuts return, but instead of broccoli and peas, I use “tinned” water chestnuts here. To keep my allegiance to green vegetables, I sauteed Swiss chard with ginger and garlic to serve alongside. Success!

 

Strawberry-Lemonade Muffins

Strawberries. Abundant, available, organic, right now. And I will not ignore them. The recipe for  “Strawberry-Lemonade Muffins,” from the April 2012 issue of Southern Living, were moist and rich and oh-so-pleasing, with their crusted sugar tops. Make friends with these muffins and make yourself proud, too.

 

Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs and Roasted Cauliflower with Shallots and Golden Raisins

Take a look at the picture of my rendition of the “Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs,” from the April 2012 issue of Bon Appetit. It looks more like a thick stew, doesn’t it? That’s because my chosen small pasta was fregola, made of toasted semolina that swells into a marvelous chewy nugget. Hearty and crowd-pleasing. We loved this.

 

Egg Foo Yung and Roasted Sunchokes with Buttery Bagna Cuda

What are your expectations for egg foo yung? Chinese-American food is a cuisine held dear by all of us, I dare say. Today’s egg foo yung is simply a pan-fried egg pancake, whose batter is filled with crispy bean sprouts, celery, and scallions. Too easy, right? Serve your pancakes with a soy sauce-based brown sauce, and sandwich some sauteed asparagus between the pancakes, if you like. I adapted this recipe from the one in the April 2012 issue of Cuisine at Home.

 

Black Rice and Squid Salad and Pot-Roasted Celery Root with Olives and Buttermilk

I smiled at the recipe for “Black Rice and Squid Salad,” from the March/April 2012 issue of La Cucina Italiana, when it reminded me of my fantasy food party: a table full of black-and-white foods. Squid is a family favorite, and it’s too easy to prepare (there’s no waste with squid either, since you use the whole thing). And what’s this black rice? It’s chewy and milky, like oatmeal. Read on…

 

Roast Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes, Leeks, and Bacon

Let me say that roasting a chicken is easy and rewarding. And I don’t do it enough. The “Roast Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes, Leeks, and Bacon,” from the March 2012 issue of Fine Cooking, was a triumph of perfectly cooked meat, appealing potatoes, and leeks that melted into the bacony broth, all kissed and perfumed by thyme.

 

Pork and Enoki Mushroom Lettuce Wraps and Spring Onion Pancakes

A perfect meal began, innocently enough, with two darling heads of Boston red-leaf lettuce. I couldn’t resist them, their beauty. The recipe for the “Pork and Enoki Mushroom Lettuce Wraps,” from droolfactor. wordpress.com, also includes minced meat and those incredible enoki mushrooms that my seven-year-old adores. But was I asking my youngster too much, to pick up quaint lettuce packages, taco-style, for dinner? Would I be dismissed, laughed at? Triumphantly, no! In fact, I couldn’t assemble these quickly enough, as they were gobbled with speedy enthusiasm…