I am back with another one pot pasta - this one is full of kale, lemon zest, and pine nuts. If you haven’t already noticed I am a huge fan of pan sauces in pasta dishes because they use kitchen staples to create a complete meal. Plus they work in a pinch when you forget the pasta sauce or are not feeling a heavy pasta dish.
Read MoreWe serve mac-n-cheese at any and all holiday dinners. I know that some might consider that blasphemy but I love it... because it is mac -n-cheese! It is the perfect comfort food and when you make it homemade, it is a total game changer. Looking at the food that I like to eat, especially at the holidays, I tend to skew Southern. I am not sure why, I didn't really grow up in the South but when it comes to food, Southern food is my total comfort food. This mac-n-cheese is no exception.
Read MoreI am back with another one-pot pasta recipe, because one-pot anything seems to be my jam these days. This pasta has butternut squash, sage and walnuts - it is perfect for fall. Couple things to note about the recipe.
Read MoreWay back in the day, I was a lowly prep cook at a Michelin starred Italian restaurant in SF. It was my first "job" out of culinary school and it was intense. Most of my day was spent doing tasks that were tedious and boring (and frankly kind of awful). But on special occasions the man in charge of the pasta station would let me help make the fresh pasta...
Read MoreSince I cook for a living people often ask me if I cook when I am not working. If you have been following along with this blog it is clear that I cook all the time, I am pretty much always cooking. But it surprises some people that I still have the desire to cook on the weekends, when I am not at work. I know it sounds strange but the more I cook, the more I want to cook. I get in this rhythm that just makes it easy and effortless. It is when I don't cook for a long time that I become a total spaz in the kitchen. I can't explain it but so it goes I guess.
Read MoreSorry for my absence around these parts the past couple weeks. This past summer was busy! Great busy but still busy. We just got back from an amazing trip to Italy - more on that trip in a future post once I round-up all my photos. But first the important things, like pasta. I have been dreaming of pasta these days. I proved to myself in Italy I could eat pasta everyday and all day – I can’t help myself. Instead of hearty pasta with meat sauce I have been craving easy one-dish pastas that take advantage of the simple summer season and all of its fresh flavors. And yes I still consider it summertime, especially with the 90 degree heat that is hitting the Bay Area. So until the weather changes, it is still summer! In celebration of summer and all of the produce that is at its peak right now, this summertime pasta is just that – a bowl of pasta goodness that is filled with garlic, tomatoes, basil and of course, Parmesan cheese.
Read MoreOne of my favorite days in cooking school was the day we learned how to make fresh pasta. I love the process of getting your hands dirty with flour, water and egg. I also love that you can create such amazing dishes that all start with these simple everyday ingredients.
Read MoreI was recently reading the latest edition of Bon Appétit, (otherwise known as a food lovers Bible). I flip through their magazine each month looking for recipe inspiration as well as different ways to photograph food and style food. I stumbled upon their idea of back pocket pasta, this idea that pasta can be paired with so much more than your typical tomato sauce. You can pair it with just about any cheese, vegetable and/or meat. Most importantly it is a great way to eat through what it is in your fridge. This lemon and kale spaghetti is the perfect example of back pocket pasta and I bet you have most of the ingredients in your refrigerator right now.
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