Calabrian-chile shrimp with burst cherry tomato and white vermouth sauce.

I’ve had Calabrian chile and shrimp on my mind for a few weeks now, ever since the last dinner we had in Las Vegas back in August. More to come on this, but let’s just say I’ve been thinking about how to improve the entree I had that night, and it has led me to…

Fettuccine with peaches, burst cherry tomatoes, pancetta, and mozzarella di bufala.

While scrolling through Instagram as is my wont, I saw this post on Food52’s feed of a toast with peaches, pancetta, basil, and a smear of tahini. I sent it to Michael as a potential brunch idea and he was into it, so that Sunday I went for it, only I used mascarpone cheese instead…

My windowsill herb garden: a summer 2023 update.

My windowsill herb garden has had some rough years since the pandemic started: the Baltimore Herb Festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021, leaving me to find plants elsewhere with frankly pretty mixed results. Last year marked the triumphant return of the festival and we drug our jet-lagged selves over there, but our travel schedule…

Tagliolini with citrus-herb pesto.

Happy winter solstice! It may seem a little odd, or at least aseasonal, to be sharing a pesto recipe on the first day of winter, but this one is special due to its inclusion of both lemon and orange, both of which taste their best in the colder months. Inspired by a recipe in Giada…

Trenette alla carrettiera with roasted garlic inspired by Made in Sicily.

This pasta dish is kind of a North-meets-South Italy mashup, as the trenette pasta shape originated in Genoa and Liguria, while the pasta sauce is one that is distinctly Sicilian. I went with the trenette for this particular dish because it’s been one of my favorite types to make recently; I received a trenette cutter…

Fettuccine with prosciutto di Parma, Irish butter, and basil inspired by American Sfoglino.

I have to admit–ever since the decision came down two weeks ago (as I write this) about Roe v. Wade, my creative output has stalled. I was so thankful that I had already procured all of our groceries the day before for the week because the idea of having to think about what to make…

Tagliolini with Meyer lemon, basil, pistachios, and Pecorino Romano.

After not making fresh pasta for a month because we were traveling, to say I was eager to get back at it is an understatement. Whether we were actually out of town on a Sunday or we were about to hit the road on a Monday morning, it seemed silly to make a full batch…

Drunken red wine cavatelli with pancetta and basil

While I really don’t have any reason to add any more pasta tools to my collection, I did add one more this past Christmas and I have to say that I really like it: my cavatelli maker. While I’m still getting the hang of it, I wanted to share one of my more successful recipes…

Tagliolini with parsley-basil-garlic scape pesto, just in time for summer.

Two years ago, I shared the pasta I served at my brother-in-law’s rehearsal dinner: tagliolini with pistachio-orange pesto, and it feels right to be talking about pesto once again, because who likes making intense tomato sauces once summer hits? (I do, at least when the really good tomatoes start popping up in the market and…

Fresh mafaldine with herb-pistachio pesto and peppered mascarpone cheese.

Recently we signed up for Discovery+, and let me tell you: it’s a trip. I’ve been able to revisit so many of the shows I used to watch like Barefoot Contessa, Mexican Made Easy, and Everyday Italian, while also being able to check out newer shows while avoiding six-hour marathons of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives…