Roasted Eggplant Salad

This is the type of salad I wish was always prepped and waiting for me in the fridge. I love it!  It’s simple and flavorful and you can easily add other items like a grain or fresh mozzarella to make it even heartier. Also, it’s easily made ahead of time so it’s great for entertaining. The recipe is inspired by an Ottolenghi salad that was in Bon Appetit last summer.

This summer I am growing nasturtium flowers in pots for the first time, just for salads, and I’ve found them super easy to grow! And those vines you see are hops. I’m growing them mostly for decorative purposes since they grow super fast and will trail my string of lights in no time!

Happy summer cooking!

Crispy Spiced Purple Cauliflower

Have you ever had purple cauliflower before? Tastes just like the normal kind, but so much prettier! This recipe is an adaptation of the Cinnamon Cauliflower recipe in my cookbook. Just slice a head of purple cauliflower into florets on a baking sheet then sprinkle the whole sheet with a half teaspoon each of the following: cinnamon, smoked paprika, chili powder, sesame seeds and garlic powder. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper, plus 1 T sesame oil and 3 T olive oil. Roast at 425ºF for about 30 minutes or until a bit golden and crispy. Happy cooking!

Cocktail: Peach-Basil Sangria

Hello, summer cocktail! This white wine sangria is super easy and oh-so-tasty.   I included it in a 4th of July Menu for InStyle Magazine last summer and this week I was excited to have Camille Styles feature it.

Cheers!

Spring Gardening

Baby Ezra (he’s almost 9 months now!) helped us put in the garden yesterday evening. I can’t wait for summer squash, green beans, nasturtiums and lots of dahlias! I planted extra flowers to use as photo props, as I am spending all summer shooting my next cookbook, an entertaining focused book with menus for different occasions!

Stuffed Tomatoes

It’s my first Mother’s Day (!) and we are having a celebratory meal with my mom and a bunch of aunts, cousins and relatives up in Sonoma County (where I grew up). I’m bringing these sweet potato stuffed tomatoes from my cookbook- they are a fun, easy, colorful side!

Also, in case you are still in need of an affordable and special Mother’s Day gift or two (plug! plug!), check out my line of stationery/noterie items like these foodie watercolor art prints and paper placemats (above) that I painted and photographed. You can find them at Paper Source (online and in shops) and on Amazon (and lots of other places too!). Here’s a link to see more photos of these and my other paper good items including journals and meal planners.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mammas out there!