Roasted butternut squash is one of my favorite fall treats, it’s like an autumnal harvest in every single bite! I’ve wanted to try a stuffed version that turns this sweet and savory squash into an entree and packed to the brim with even more seasonal flavors. This recipe brings together fragrant shallots, crumbled sausage, mushrooms, Swiss chard and quinoa for a hearty addition to the butternut squash. You can also leave out the sausage to make it a meat-free dish, I think this would be a lovely dish for a vegetarian Thanksgiving! Get the full recipe below:
read more
I’ve been experimenting with cocktail shrubs lately and landed on the most delightfully fall-flavored concoction for this cocktail recipe. What exactly is a shrub? It’s a syrup made of a combination of fruits, aromatics, sugar, and vinegar. The version I made here has grated red apples (a nice way to use up all that apple-picking bounty!), apple cider vinegar, sugar, and the loose tea leaves from a chai tea bag. A few cinnamon sticks get added to the mixture for more spice, and then it hangs out in the fridge for a few days to let the flavors combine and become a syrup-y texture. Once the shrub is ready, you strain out the aromatics and combine it with bourbon and Prosecco for a sparkling, autumnal drink! Get the full recipe below:
read more
There is something so exciting about a simple recipe that works, and this one is as simple as it gets: just 5 ingredients and takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. These “homemade” Orange Cinnamon Glazed Donuts are made from store-bought flaky biscuit dough, stamped with a donut cutter, and quickly cooked in the air fryer. When they come out, they get a flavorful, buttery glaze with orange-cinnamon notes. It’s such a quick way to get a special fall-flavored treat on the table for breakfast. Get the easy recipe below: 
read more
A big, one-pot lobster bake is on my summer bucket list every year! This year, I got an awesome opportunity to take my one-pot lobster bake on the road and cook and style it up in Maine with my friend @JackieGreaney for the Vineyard Vines Fall catalog. My lobster bake recipe takes inspiration from the tradition and ingredients of a classic New England clambake, but differs a bit in the execution. Instead of digging a big pit in the sand, I layer all the ingredients in a large lobster pot that heats on a propane-fueled heating element and steams all the ingredients in much less time.
read more
I keep hearing the phrase “back to routine” repeated, as back-to-school season also means a different schedule for many of the grown-ups this fall. Whether you’re going back into an office or shifting your routine with kids back in school, I always find the first few weeks of September to be a re-setting period — it’s my New Years of the fall! With that comes a chance to start fresh and set myself up for success with good habits – like preparing healthy, smart lunches (the bar is low, since most days I’m grabbing a half-eaten PB&J slice of a toddler’s lunch plate!). A big hearty salad with crunchy Little Leaf Farms greens is one of my go-to options, and I thought I’d share a few ways that I keep lunch salads feeling new – a refresh to your salad routine!
read more
Back to School is one of my favorite times of year. Besides being a school supply nerd (give me those freshly sharpened pencils!), I also love being back in a routine. Getting back into that routine can take a little bit of practice though, and I like to set myself up for success by getting prepared for the season ahead. My friends at Christmas Tree Shops and That! recently invited me into their store to check out some of the fall trends, and while I was there I did a major stock up on supplies for back to school lunches. I thought I’d share a few of the things I keep on hand to make lunchbox packing fast, fun, and affordable!
read more
I’ve been documenting the process for my mini kitchen makeover on instagram stories, and am finally sharing the final reveal today! This kitchen nook is small but mighty, and for the past 5+ years I’ve tested 100s of recipes, made more meals than I can count for my family, and wrote a cookbook in it! The space was terribly outdated with old, beat up wood cabinets and a yellowing laminate backsplash. The look of it drove me crazy, but it’s very functional and everything still worked, so I put off making any updates to it until we could do a major kitchen renovation in the future. 
read more
If there could be an official meal of summer 2021, this would be it: Eggplant Caprese! My garden has been producing eggplant like crazy this year, and with tomatoes also at their peak we have been eating this simple dish on repeat. I make crispy breaded eggplant and layer it with sliced juicy tomatoes, loads of fresh basil leaves, and tuck it all around a decadent burrata or fresh mozzarella. Season everything well with salt and pepper, the salt brings out even more flavor in the tomatoes – and give it a light drizzle of olive oil and good balsamic before serving. Summer perfection!
read more
A few weeks ago I shared a festive idea for serving a summery watermelon salad in paper cones with my friends at Little Leaf Farms. The entertaining idea was meant to be served to grown-ups, but 4-year old immediately saw that I was making something fun and asked to try a bite. I’m not one to turn down a toddler asking for a bite of a salad, so I handed her a cone and let her give it a whirl. It was a good reminder that switching up how we present food, and even make it fun, can spark some interest in our kids to try new things. It inspired me to come up with fresh ideas for how to add FUN (and crisp Little Leaf Farms greens!) into our meals.
read more
My garden is peaking right now with so many crunchy veggies and fresh, fragrant herbs. That late summer bounty inspired this tasty green-goddess inspired white bean and herb dip — it’s the perfect way to use up all of the fresh herbs that are spilling over my raised beds, and an ideal way to taste the fresh peppers, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes with a dip into the savory, flavor-packed dip. The assembly is as simple as throwing it all in a food processor! Chill it before you serve it to let the garlic and herb notes deepen and the texture to thicken; serve it alongside crisp veggies and some fluffy pita bread! Get the full recipe below: 
read more
