I’m not sure where to start with this week’s menu, as every last recipe might qualify as a favorite. My farro risotto is perfect for all the spring produce right now (and is easier to make than stovetop risotto). And if you’ve never made the Blender Raspberry Sorbet, it’s incredibly tasty and refreshing. Chopped Salad with Chicken and Lemon Oregano Dressing If you’re looking for something light, bright, and crunchy, this salad is the ticket. It’s tossed with a lemony dressing seasoned with oregano and a little kick of heat. Make more chicken than you need to use for the chicken salad recipe ..read more

With spring produce coming on the scene, hitting my favorite farm stand on Saturday was a weekend highlight. It was brimming with season all-stars, from tender spring onions to bright baskets of fresh strawberries. I brought home more than my fair share and will be putting everything to good use in my time-tested recipes. With that in mind, below you’ll find a line-up of 12 good things to make and eat this spring. Honey Stewed Strawberry Rhubarb Compote Rhubarb season is relatively short, so take advantage of these bright and flavorful stalks. This is relatively quick to make and keeps in the ..read more

I imagine some of you are in the throes of preparing for Easter brunch or lunch or supper, while others are coming and going from spring break. Either way, some ease is in order, so I put together a meal plan with a few Easter-worthy recipes and some lighter, simpler meals. Instant Pot Chicken in Salsa Verde Pull out your Instant Pot and get a batch of this savory chicken going. It’s tasty tucked into blistered corn or flour tortillas with all your favorite taco fixings. This Mexican Street Corn Salad would be terrific as a side dish. Pasta with Asparagus, Peas, Lemon, and Crème F ..read more

Several of this week’s recipes have been around since the early days of the blog, most especially the Lazy Girl’s Enchilada Pie. And if you’ve yet to make the Sticky Pretzel Cereal Bars…it’s a real winner. Enjoy! Spring Vegetable Farro Risotto Asparagus and peas are the stars of this no-stir, no-fuss oven risotto done with farro instead of rice. It’s wholesome, satisfying, and oh so tasty. If you have a few minutes to spare earlier in the day, prep the asparagus and shell the peas ahead of time (or use frozen peas), so it’s easier to pull together at the dinner hour. Crunchy Salad with Chic ..read more

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been so busy roasting vegetables to a glorious crisp in recent years that I forgot how fabulous a simple plate of steamed beauties can be. Case in point is this Tender Steamed Broccoli. It brings me back to the way my mom cooked broccoli, in big batches, always served in the same blue ceramic bowl, with a generous nob butter that would melt into the grooves of each floret. Delish! So, I’m back on the steam train with broccoli, relishing every bite and noticing how it really does bring out the best in one of the planet’s healthiest foods. Nutritional Upsides to ..read more

I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying the lighter, brighter evenings that daylight savings brings. And Tuesday is the official start of spring, so I’m ready to bring all the seasonal recipes to the table. I’ve worked a favorite springy salad into the meal plan to get us started. And for anyone looking to make a few St Patty’s Day favorites, I just posted my grandma’s soda bread on Instagram (and theh scone recipe below is appropriately homey as well). Enjoy! Tomato Soup and Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese If you need something simple and comforting this week, I’ve got you covered with this sou ..read more

Perhaps it’s taking things a bit far to call this cabbage sexy. But I can say it’s a whole lot sexier than the cabbage that came from the kitchens of my Irish ancestors, who did little more than cook it in big pots of boiling water. With St. Patty’s Day approaching, I figured I’d take the opportunity to share a different approach to a vegetable that has sustained generations on the Emerald Isle. These Roasted Cabbage Wedges are hardly traditional, but are so delicious, I imagine my Irish forebears would approve. How to Make Roasted Cabbage Wedges First up is to start with a very hot oven. Whi ..read more

Welcome to the weekend, friends. I’ve got a tasty line-up and have included some ideas for making the most of the meal plan. For example, you can use the pesto you make for the pasta recipe on the mushroom burger as well. And the polenta fries make a terrific side for a few of these recipes. Plus, both the pasta and red lentil soup are great as leftovers for lunch, so consider making more than you need. Basil and Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Chicken The dish serves four, but the portion is on the smaller side, so if you have hearty appetites, you might want to scale up (worse case you have lef ..read more

I recently overheard a woman about my age telling her friend to limit her fruit intake to no more than 1/4 cup per meal. “We all really need to cut WAY back on sugar,” she advised. Sugar? I thought. Is that how we’re referring to fruit these days? To be honest, it didn’t surprise me. Low-carb diets, from ketogenic to Atkins have long warned of the pitfalls of fruit, messages that seem to have seeped into the collective consciousness and been misinterpreted as fact. The truth is that the fruit in this Wild Blueberry Yogurt Parfait is sky-high in good nutrition, not to mention ridiculously delic ..read more

In a perfect world we’d all have heaps of time to plan, shop for, and cook every meal from scratch. Heck, in a perfect world we’d have time to grow our own vegetables, make homemade yogurt, and bake golden loaves of sourdough bread. But, that’s not reality, at least for most of us. Plus, plenty of folks aren’t all that interested in spending time at the stove. This line up of recipes answers the call for meals at home when you don’t have a lot of time or interest. You’ll find 9 easy Trader Joe’s recipes that lean on a combo of fresh ingredients and convenience items. Every recipe calls for few ..read more