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Homemade Halloween Candy: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
On Halloween you’re more likely to find me melting chocolate until it’s nice and glossy than watching a scary movie. Tending to a dark pool of chocolate, and tasting along the way, is the perfect indulgence for a cozy stay-in Halloween. Since making homemade candy requires a few steps, it’s also a great project if you have some helpers of any age on hand. From stirring the chocolate to spooning the filling and ultimately topping your homemade peanut butter cups, there are plenty of ways to get everyone involved. For the dark chocolate peanut butter cups pictured here, I used colorful toppings from my pantry including matcha powder, naturally colored…
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Parmesan Focaccia with Rosemary and Olives
With a dimpled surface and plenty of air holes, focaccia is the quilted pillow of breads. When I’m in the mood for a freshly baked loaf with flavorful toppings, I want to enjoy it within a few hours, which means making the dough and baking the bread on the same day. Recipes that require letting dough rest in the refrigerator until tomorrow won’t have my kitchen smelling like a bakery or pizza shop today. This Parmesan focaccia with rosemary and olives comes together quickly and yields a bread that’s delicious on its own but also perfect sliced for a sandwich with roasted vegetables, cured meats, and all your favorite fillings.…
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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
Late summer may be the most relaxed cooking time of the year. All it takes to put together a beautiful salad is a basket of heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a bright dressing, in this case my basil blue cheese vinaigrette. Soon we will be slicing squash and roasting pumpkins, but for now, we still have brilliant tomatoes in yellow, purple, and green, with stripes and ridges that make you miss summer just a bit before it even ends. Perfectly ripe summer tomatoes can be enjoyed with a bit of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, but they shine just as much with a scattering of herbs…
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Grilled Nectarine and Arugula Salad with Feta, Pistachios and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
“Talking of Pleasure, this moment I was writing with one hand, and with the other holding to my Mouth a Nectarine — good God how fine.” – John Keats Smoother than a peach, nectarines are an ideal stone fruit for grilling – no peeling required. Juicy and sweet-tart, they become even more flavorful after a brief turn on the grill pan, with char marks signaling where the natural sugars have caramelized. For a summer salad, I top baby arugula with the grilled wedges. Feta adds lightly salted creaminess, and pistachios lend the right amount of crunch. When nectarines are in season, tomatoes are too, right in a summer garden or…
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Herbed Jalapeño Potato Salad
A bright, creamy dressing made with fresh herbs and jalapeño livens up potato salad and gives it freshness. The mild chile pepper lends crisp flavor more than heat, so it brightens meals with grilled meats and pairs equally well with seafood. Since summer meals at my home often include both, I love sides such as this that work whether you opt for slices of steak, a crab cake, or both. For this creamy potato salad, I start with the smallest baby potatoes I can find, then halve them after cooking for the perfect bite size pieces. A mix of gold, red, and blue potatoes lends beautiful color, which makes it…
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