There isn’t a lot to say about this salsa. It will remind you that sometimes the best things are also the simplest. Chiles, garlic, lime and oil. Apply heat and then a blender. They are transformed into one of the best salsas I have ever eaten. The garlic allows this to emulsify into a surprisingly creamy sauce. Dribbled on tacos or scooped up with chips, (or even spread on a grilled cheese sandwich) –you won’t have any trouble eating it. Period.

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I don’t really know how or when Ina Garten became a cultural icon, but somewhere along the way she became Camp. I guess it was her television show that introduced Garten and her Hamptons world to everyone.  A recent episode of 30 Rock poked fun at her relationship with her husband, Jeffrey, confirming (for me) that she is different than the other celebrity cooks. It is all sort of amusing and confusing to me.

Like many of you, I’ve been cooking with Ina Garten for years. Some of my favorite recipes come from her cookbooks (including my all-time favorite lasagna). She adds to her collection of books this month with the release of How Easy is That? (see!, she even has a catchphrase!). read more+++

Melissa Clark is one of the food writers that I just trust. I have been cooking her recipes for years, and they are always excellent. She co-wrote many of my favorite cookbooks including the The Last Course with Claudia Fleming, which remains one of my all-time favorite books. Her new book, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite (named after her excellent column in the New York Times) is as appealing, fresh and wonderful to read as you might imagine. Clark really excels at recipes that are both familiar and somehow special. These are the recipes that I find myself wanting to cook, and the book is full of them. read more+++

A tiny little post and a final recipe from Bryan’s party. read more+++

The new issue of Saveur features a cover story on the food of Rome. I’ve been experiencing some pretty serious wanderlust in recent weeks and so dreaming about Rome came pretty naturally. Since I have no real hopes of a trip to Italy in the near future, I decided to try a couple of the recipes. I started with the gnocchi and the milk-braised fennel. Luckily, they were both great, relatively easy to make, and perfect for this moment where many of us are anxiously waiting the arrival of warmer days and adventure.

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Today we are hosting our very first Thanksgiving in our new place. I’m not a traditionalist when it comes to this meal. Turkey never impresses me and since I am now in charge— I declared it a turkey-free Thanksgiving! Although this declaration was met with resistance (mostly from Bryan) I am confident that I will be able to convince everyone that we can still give thanks without killing a turkey (instead we will kill a cow). We’ll still have a really lovely meal, just minus the bird. I’ll tell you a little more about the feast once I have cooked it, but for now I wanted to share these delicious little cheese straws that will accompany cocktails and wine at the start of the meal. read more+++

I love this time of year. I know that it portends some seriously bad weather ahead, but for now I don’t care. I like putting on a scarf and walking around our beautiful new neighborhood amazed by the colors that a tree can produce. I am also pretty enamored with the foods available at the market right now: baskets of apples, and squash and especially concord grapes.

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No time for dinner means we have to get creative with what we eat. We still want delicious food, but it needs to be ready in about 15 minutes. A while back I saw a recipe for baked feta, and although I lost the recipe- I remembered the idea. Who could forget feta? read more+++

After my success with the quick refrigerator pickles, I was eager to pickle anything I could get my hands on. I pickled some red onions, which Bryan and I enjoy on everything from salads to quesadillas. Then, I came across this recipe of Molly Wizenberg’s for pickled peppers and immediately went to my farmers market to get some mini bell peppers. read more+++

I decided to make focaccia for dinner at about 7pm on a very hot night in Chicago. Maybe not the best decision I have ever made. Three hours later we were both starving and very hot.  Luckily this focaccia was worth the wait. It is wonderful. We ate almost all of it in one sitting and I was truly sad to see it go.

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