I had a giant craving for a taco salad this week, and got to work on creating the very best version I could dream up. I remember my mom making taco salad when were kids, and she would give us a scoop of tortilla chips that we could crunch up on our plates before adding toppings (which was mostly just cheese and meat as a kid, right?). My version has a little bit of everything, and a whole lot of color — ground beef with black beans and corn, yellow rice and crispy lettuce, tomatoes, olives and scallions, big slices of ripe avocado, and of course some cheese and tortilla crisps. I finished the salad off with a homemade honey lime vinaigrette; it’s easy to make in a small mason jar! Add in all of the ingredients and give it a vigorous shake before dressing your salad — and save the extra in the mason jar for taco salad leftovers for lunch the next day. Get the full recipe below: read more

Sometimes instagram makes me crazy — the always changing algorithms, my slight addiction to checking it — but one thing I currently love about it is that it’s an instant feedback loop for my content. People tend to comment on my blog posts less and less, but more and more I’m having great 1:1 conversations with readers in Instagram messages. Last week I shared a fun summer BBQ menu idea, and right after posting it I got a ton of questions from readers about the pasta dish in the images. I wasn’t planning on sharing the pasta recipe because I didn’t have great photos of it, and the recipe needed some adjustments. But after a few requests I decided to write it up and with some tweaks!   read more

We have been on a non-stop BBQ menu rotation the past few weeks between the Fourth of July celebrations, hosting a friend’s bridal shower, and my husband’s newfound hobby: cooking in his new Kamado-style smoker. There are zero complaints over here, I love all of the outdoor cooking and dining. I have found though, that my usual BBQ-side repertoire was getting a little bit stale. In an effort to mix it up, I decided to give a fresh spin to one of my favorite BBQ side — macaroni salad. I love a classic macaroni salad but have been looking for something a bit more grown-up and a tad bit lighter for these warm weather al fresco dinners. This version has a lemon-herb dressing that I made with tons of fresh herbs from the garden and bright citrus combined with Dijon and mayonnaise. For color and crunch I mixed in red peppers and red onions, and loads of cracked black pepper and peas. I’m definitely going to be adding this one to future BBQ menus! Get the recipe below: read more

I have been working on perfecting this summery side dish the past few weeks as I’ve made it for holiday BBQs, bridal showers, and a weeknight dinner. Each time it got a little bit better, and gobbled up in a near instant as it hit the table. It’s a simple mixture of ingredients that just happen to taste delicious during the peak of summer — bright mixed tomatoes, sweet grilled corn, and flavorful fresh herbs. My favorite part about this dish is that it tastes better the next day after all of the ingredients have marinated together overnight, so it’s easy to make ahead when you’re entertaining! The leftovers (if you have any!) are equally delicious — I tossed them over a bit of warm pasta for lunch the next day — YUM. Get the recipe below:  read more

When I visit my parent’s house in New York, I always offer to do the dinner shopping because of their beautiful local grocery store. My mom laughs because whenever she asks me what I’d like for dinner, my response is always the same — let’s go to the store and get inspired. Looking at the ingredients is the best way for me figure out the answer to that question! On a recent trip, I was eyeing some fresh burrata at the cheese counter and tons of giant, colorful heirloom tomatoes. An idea sparked to mix up the tomatoes into a fresh, juicy panzanella salad with crispy bits of toasted Italian bread and bright herbs. Then I stuffed the panzanella into some of the larger tomatoes for serving and topped it all off with fresh, creamy burrata. It was a perfect dish to serve for lunch, or a side dish with A+ presentation for dinner parties. I even used some of the leftover marinated tomatoes and burrata and tossed them with warm pasta the next day for another delicious meal. Get the full recipe below!  read more

I took a little hiatus from cooking when we were on vacation earlier this month, and struggled to get back in the kitchen groove when we returned. Sometimes when I get in to a “what should I make for dinner?!” panic and need dig into the pantry to get inspired. My friends at Ken’s Foods recently sent me some of the dressings from their line with some new flavors to try! My inspiration hit when I pulled a bottle of Dijon Honey Mustard dressing off the shelf. read more

Remember my little farmer’s market weekly challenge I shared as part of my summer bucket list? Week one was a partial sucess: I didn’t make it to our farmer’s market because I’ve been spending some time at my parent’s house in New York. I did, however pop into their great gourmet grocery store and scoop up a ton of bright, fresh local produce to experiment with for my little challenge. My parents are on a health kick, so they were happy to be my taste-testers for a new veggie based recipe, and I was delighted to get to use their brand stove with a built in griddle burner to cook for them. I charred up sweet summer corn, peeled carrots strands, zucchini slices and a bit of red pepper on the griddle before tossing it with a homemade vinaigrette and fresh green onions. read more

I’m so excited that Memorial Day is coming up soon, because it means that summer activities like beach days and picnics and barbeques aren’t far behind. Those summer cookouts are at the top of my to-do list when the warm weather arrives, because there’s nothing better than a casual backyard gathering with all the tasty BBQ classics. read more

Friday night pizza was always a tradition in my house growing up; a large cheesy New York pizza with the best toppings and usually a few garlic knots or “pizza rolls” made an appearance to close out the week. I wish we had pizza here like we do back home where I grew up in New York, I love living in Massachussetts but pizza, bagels and good delis are all things you just can’t replicate here. Lately, I have been picking up that tradition and making my own pizzas on our pizza stone as a little Friday evening treat. It’s no New York slice, but I experiment a bit each week and have been getting better at making a quality pizza at home. Last week I was scanning the fridge and doing a survey of leftover ingredients to see what I could make for a quick meal, and lots of my pizza toppings were stacked up begging for a little love. read more