Lemon Chicken with Herbed Rice

Sometimes it's funny to have one of those moments when you look at your sibling and thing "Wow, we really are related." Case in point: this delicious lemon chicken recipe. When I had first rented What Katie Ate from the library in Portland this was the very first recipe I decided to try. And when I was back in Texas and brought it home as part of my birthday loot? I asked Piper which recipe she'd like me to make and she immediately pointed to this one. Maybe it's DNA...or maybe it's the fact that this chicken looks (and tastes) so darn good.

Caleb!

This was a painting project I decided to do for a good friend of the family. She is one of the best people I've ever met and never thinks twice about doing huge favors for others (as in, she mailed my KitchenAid mixer from Massachusetts to Texas, refused compensation, and included a card with $20). Since attempting to pay her back by any conventional means would pretty much be a wash, I decided to say thank you the best way I know how: painting a portrait of her beloved Labrador Caleb.

Pasta in Cream Sauce with Morels, Pancetta and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

You know how sometimes life hands you lemons and then sometimes life pelts the lemons at you and then switches to grapefruit and then finally smashes a large melon over your head before cackling with glee? That's basically what's been going on right now. It's just been one thing after another and I feel like I'm just now beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Without getting too share-y, our apartment was basically out of commission for a while. Everything was packed up and inaccessible and Piper and I were living out of the trunk of our car--this atop health problems and school starting and internships and jobs. The only thing that kept me feeling remotely normal or sane was the ability to cook things in the kitchen. So when the tide finally turned I decided to celebrate by making this dish: a compilation of my very favorite things.

Tea-Poached Salmon Soba Bowls

As Sarah so eloquently puts it in her cookbook, there's nothing wrong with a meal in a bowl, especially one that contains three of my favorite things: noodles, salmon and oven-roasted broccoli, all seasoned and flavored to perfection.

Red Lentil Soup

I'm not usually a lady who really goes in for soups, not unless I already am familiar with them or they've really got something going for them. Which is why I love living with my sister. She'll be brave and go for things I normally wouldn't try, like this lovely, homey lentil soup from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook. I'm usually afraid of making soups for dinner because I feel that sometimes soup isn't substantial enough on its own, but trust me: this one delivers. Plus, it's healthy! Yay!

Chicken and Cardamom Rice

This is why I love cooking. You can think you've got it under control, think you're pretty flavor-savvy, and then boom. One day someone suggests that you mix in a little olive oil with your yogurt to make a sauce and it's like an entirely new world opens up. 

But seriously, guys. You have absolutely GOT to try this recipe. After hearing about its popularity with other fans of the fantastic Jerusalem cookbook, I decided I wanted to try it. And it completely blew my mind. This dish is everything; complex, sensual (yeah, I said it), exciting and deeply satisfying. As my mom said as she dug in, "Every bite gives you a different flavor." Make this and you will feel proud of yourself when it's done.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

My grandparents live in a little mini-Eden, slightly outside Eugene, Oregon. It's situated right on the Mackenzie River at the base of a beautiful forested hillside. My grandparents grow fruit, vegetables, grapes, apples, herbs and have a flock of sassy chickens that deliver some of the best eggs in the Pacific Northwest. After a recent visit, my grandmother sent me home with (among other things) a huge bag full of juicy, completely red strawberries. And what's a girl to do?

Lamb Kofta b'siniyah

Let's face it. Anyone and their great Aunt Sally can grab some Brie, grab a baguette, hack it up, bring it to a party and call it good. And it's as equally true that the guy who brings brie is usually a pretty popular guy (especially in my family). But there are some occasions when the urge arises to go a little above and beyond the cheese-plate call of duty. Here is a recipe for one of those occasions. 

Because everyone loves the meatball guy.