The only thing better than eating sea salted summer tomatoes out of hand is roasting them till they’re burst, sweet and saucy. That was a lot of S’s. Our farmers’ market tables are beginning to burst with tomatoes the size of my eight-month-old’s head. Make the most of the season’s …
Orecchiette with Sausage & Baby Broccoli
Traditionally, you’ll find this dish made with bitter broccoli rabe—though it’s tough (if impossible) to come by in Roanoke. A local farmer told me it likes cooler, Northern weather. I prefer baby broccoli, a sweeter and more accessible substitute. Use spicy Italian sausage, if you like—though you’ll want to tone …
Handmade Semolina Pasta: Orecchiette and Cavatelli
If the thought of making pasta from scratch scares you, you’re not alone. Despite how it sounds, the good news is that you can be rolling, shaping, cooking (and eating!) handmade pasta in less than an hour. And the best part? You already have all the tools you need. If …
5 Simple Ways to Salad & Dress Your Greens
How do you dress your greens? If you hear the word “salad” and immediately think boring, skimpy and limp—we’re here to up the ante. Repeat: no more salads that leave you wanting more. Lately, I need nothing more than a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to bring …
Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Fire Roasted Tomato & Peach Salsa
Before we dive into these succulent grilled shrimp tacos (and fire roasted tomato and peach salsa!) I have to set the stage for you on my experience with Ball Canning Mason jars. You know the ones—you have them, you Pin them, you love them—for uses even outside of canning. Flower vase? Iced coffee …
Nettle Fettuccine
Never heard of stinging nettle? You’re not alone. In fact, the first time I learned about it was in my former life as an interior designer. A company named Camira Fabrics created a textile made of a wool/nettle blend. In the same way other natural fibers are used to create textiles, …
Spicy Salmon Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Yogurt
There’s something magical about a good, balanced fish taco. Here to help demonstrate is the vast line up of quality seafood available at ALDI—more specifically, their wild caught salmon. Thank you, ALDI USA, for sponsoring today’s taco talk! When you bite into a perfect taco you get the snap of cool toppings, the audible crunch of crispy fish and the smokiness that only comes …
Hand Rolled Rigatoni with Pork Ragu
Maybe, like me, you’ve found yourself in this situation once or twice: mindlessly, you scroll through your Instagram discover feed only to stumble upon a video of tubular dough pressing through a die-cut pasta machine in a seemingly infinite stream. Rigatoni! Mesmerized, you can’t tear your eyes away. You wonder: …
Coconut Milk Braised Collard Greens with Butternut Squash
Drool-worthy greens on your holiday table? It’s possible. Believe it or not, we’re just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving Day and less than two months from Christmas and all of the holidays December brings. Wild, isn’t it? It feels as though we were just ringing in 2019—and here we …
Agnolotti with Sweet Corn and Three Cheeses
Before you dive head-first into all things pumpkin and knee-high boots, let’s take a moment to relish in peak season tomatoes and corn, shall we? It’s Labor Day and I hope you relaxed accordingly. Lest we forget, tomatoes and corn are at their ultimate right now. On deck for this …