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There’s nothing I love better in the summer than salads. Produce is at its most fresh and you don’t have to heat up the oven, so without a lot of effort or know how you can have a lovely meal on the table.  I made this salad this past weekend for a cookout. It made a good addition to the side dish options. Because there’s no lettuce it’s pretty sturdy if it has to sit on the potluck table for a bit. And I am always looking for a way to use up zucchini – summer’s most plentiful vegetable!

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I bought some capers to add to this salad, but forgot to include them. I still think they’d be a welcome addition. I also find that this salad gets better with a little age – a couple hours or even overnight really helps the flavors to meld. If you’ve got some of the salad leftover, it makes a great topping for homemade pizza.

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Chopped Ratatouille Salad

Serves 8 – 10 as a side dish

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3  small zucchini

1 eggplant

2 red peppers

1 red onion

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

8oz  kalamata olives – pitted and chopped

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup mint, finely shopped

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

olive oil

1/2 cup vinaigrette (homemade or my old standby)

sal & pepper

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Chop the zucchini, eggplant, red peppers and onion into large bite sized pieces.

Sauté the chopped vegetables individually in a small amount of olive oil on medium high heat in a large skillet.

Cook the vegetables until they are tender but still firm. Don’t overcook them. No mushy zucchini!

After each vegetable is finished cooking add it to a large serving bowl.

Turn the heat on the skillet up to high. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until tender. Again, avoid the mush.

Add the garlic to the tomatoes for the last 30 seconds of cooking.

Mix the cooked vegetables with the olives, parsley, mint, feta and vinaigrette.

Sample the salad and add salt, pepper and more vinaigrette to taste.

Serve at room temperature.

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French fries have got to be my very favorite style of potatoes – and I’m not sure I’ve met a potato I didn’t like. I was a little spoiled when we lived in Brooklyn. Homemade french fries were de rigueur. It’s hard to find a hand cut french fry where I live now – it’s mostly prepackaged frozen fries that are dumped into the fryer. So I’ve been considering making fries at home for awhile, but wasn’t looking forward to dealing with the mess and laborious process.

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Last week the stars aligned. It was my hubbies birthday so a special dinner was in order, my oven was broken, and I’d recently been reminded of an America’s Test Kitchen recipe for easier french fries. Moules frites was clearly the dinner to make.

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The mussels were delicious, but it was the french fries that were perfect. Crunchy on the outside. Creamy in the middle. Not greasy or soggy at all. Seriously folks. So good. And the best news? The recipe is beyond simple.

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The Easiest French Fries

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

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4 large Russet Potatoes – scrubbed well and sliced into 1/4″ x 1/4″ french fries

8 c. Peanut Oil

Kosher salt

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Combine the prepared potatoes and oil in a large Dutch oven. (yes, put the potatoes in the cold oil!)

Cook over high heat until the oil begins to boil.

Once the oil is boiling, cook for 15 minutes – do not stir.

After the 15 minutes, gently stir the potatoes.

Continue to cook until the potatoes are golden and crisp – about 15 more minutes.

Remove fries from oil with tongs and drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

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A few notes about this recipe :

This is a big vat of boiling oil you are dealing with – do not leave it unattended on the stove!

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The folks at America’s Test Kitchen are genius and spend hours perfecting their recipes. I’d urge you to resist substitutions of any kind. I know peanut oil is pricey and Yukon Golds are not the least expensive potatoes on the shelf, but I saw lots of sad french fries online that resulted from substitutions in this recipe. And finally, ATK offers a really interesting explanation about why these fries absorb 40% less oil that the usual doubly fry method. Check out their website for more info.

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When I lived in Brooklyn, for a short time there was a very small restaurant around the corner from my apartment called Chickory. The lunch and dinner options never really turned me on, but breakfast was another story all together. The egg sandwiches were perfection. The right amount of grease to soothe the pains of one too many French martinis the night before, but not overly soaked in oil. And they were served on fresh English muffins. Oh, they were so good. But perhaps the thing I missed most when Chicory closed its doors were the scones.

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I happen to love scones. I am completely and unabashedly addicted to tea, and I can think of few things that complete a steaming cup of black tea (with milk, please) like scones do. The problem is finding a scone that doesn’t taste like a hockey puck. They are few and far between. Chicory had the best scones I have ever tasted. Heavenly.

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This recipe doesn’t replicate Chicory exactly, but it comes close. And they are far cry from hockey pucks. There are two tricks to this recipe. First, do not over mix the batter once you add the cream – just until all the ingredients are barely incorporated. In fact, I usually let a little flour remain rather than have tough scones. Second, do not over bake them. If you do, you’re headed towards Stanley Cup territory.

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Lemon Blueberry Scones

adapted from this cup & table recipe

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1 stick butter, unsalted – cut into chunks and kept very cold

1/2 t. finely ground sea salt

1 T baking powder

2 c. flour

1/4 c. + 1 T sugar

1c. fresh blueberries

2 T lemon zest, freshly grated

1 c. + 1 T heavy cream

1 egg

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Preheat the oven to 450.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

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Mix together the salt, baking powder, the flour and 1/4 c. of the sugar in a large bowl.

Add the cold butter.

Incorporate the ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles course sand.

Add the blueberries and lemon zest and mix carefully with a wooden spoon.

Pour in 1 c. of the heavy cream.

Stir very gently just until all the ingredients come together.

Turn the batter out onto the baking sheet.

Mold the batter into a flat disc and then cut the disc into triangles – as you would cut a pizza.

Carefully pull the triangles apart slightly to allow for rising in the oven.

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Crack egg into small bowl.

Whisk in 1T heavy cream.

Brush scones with mixture using a pastry brush.

Sprinkle scones with remaining 1 T sugar.

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Bake for 10 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet.

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What’s better than popping open some bubbly to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

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To help you select a bottle to bring home tonight, I’ve put together a little guide to American sparking wines.

As a side note, Champagne only refers to a sparkling wine that is produced in the Champagne region of France – otherwise it’s sparkling wine (or cava in Spain or prosecco in Italy).

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First, you want to select your grape. American sparkling wines are generally made with two grapes – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

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A Blanc de Blanc, meaning white of whites in French, is made only from Chardonnay grapes. Blanc de Blanc sparkling wines have a reputation for being very light and are usually served as an aperitif.

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A Blanc de Noir, meaning white of blacks, is made entirely of Pinot Noir grapes and is generally more full bodied than a Blanc de Blanc. It’s richness pairs well with poultry or beef.

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Finally, there’s Rose. Most Roses are primarily Pinot Noir grapes but the skins have been left on the grapes just long enough to give the wine a bit of color. For a time, Rose was considered passe, but recently pink wines are back en vogue – and for good reason. They have a rich, full-bodied flavor are are rarely sweet.

A Rose is excellent with beef or rich game like elk.

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Next, you want to select your degree of sweetness. Most sparkling wines have sugar added to them during processing to combat the high levels of acidity, but how that sugar shows up in the finished product varies.

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Brut is the most common. It’s generally bone-dry but can sometime have a hint of sweetness.

Extra Dry is also relatively common, but it is slightly sweeter than brut which can be a little confusing.

Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux are more sugary – mostly considered dessert wines.

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That’s a lot to remember. I know.

And in fact, this is just a basic starting point for American sparkling wines. There’s so much more to learn.

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So what do I do?

I buy Gruet Blanc de Noirs almost exclusively.

It’s usually about $15 per bottle, has great flavor, pairs well with food and is widely available.

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And my favorite pairing?

Potato chips.

I could drink Gruet Blanc de Noirs and eat really good potato chips all day long.

So, so good.

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And I prefer drinking sparkling wine out of a coupe rather than a flute.

I love these adorable pink, vintage glasses from Jerushad Vintage.

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Kale really is the vegetable of the moment. If you’re not adding it to soup, putting it through your vegetable juicer or making it into chips, you just don’t know what’s good for you.

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I came across this recipe in a recent issue of Whole Living magazine. It is refreshing and satisfying, and it will last in the fridge for a few days. In fact, I think  it might even get a little better with age. I should know. I made a double batch on Monday, and I’ve been eating it for lunch every day this week. The avocado won’t hold, so make sure to add that as you eat it. I made several changes to the original recipe. This is the kind of recipe that can be adjusted easily, so add or delete ingredients as you like.

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Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and Carrots

adapted from Whole Living

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1T olive oil

1T dijon mustard

1T apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 c  shredded kale

1 1/2 c shredded cabbage

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

2T red onion, diced finely

2T sunflower seeds

1 avocado sliced

1 apple, diced

lemon juice

salt and pepper

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1. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, mustard and apple cider vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place kale in a large bowl. Massage a big pinch of salt and a healthy squeeze of lemon juice into the kale.

3. Place diced apple in a small bowl. Sprinkle apple with lemon juice.

4. Add cabbage, carrots, red onion, sunflower seeds and apple to the large bowl with the kale.

5. Dress salad and toss to coat. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

6. Top salad with sliced avocado.

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For me January has been all about getting organized. I’ve been cleaning out my house from top to bottom and readying my home for the busy year ahead. I know that if I am thorough during this month – when the social calendar is pretty light – we’ll be starting off the year clutter free, and I won’t have to think about it again until next January. This week I’m going to be sharing some tips on how you can get your home organized – even if you don’t have time to tackle a full house clean out.

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I’m starting with a little tip that makes a huge difference. Everyone has a least one junk drawer lurking in their house. For me, it’s in the kitchen. There’s a great solution to that clutter – a utensil organizer. You know … that thing you use to keep your forks and spoons separated. It’s a great way to keep any drawer organized.

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Another piece of good news – it is a project that only takes 10 minutes. I worked on my drawer during down time while I was cooking dinner one evening. And now that it is done, it feels great to open that drawer and be able to find what I need without plowing through cell phone cords and broken rubber bands.

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I also added one to a desk drawer in my office. It worked like a charm to separate paper clips, pens, pencils and other office supplies.

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I promise it will be the best $20 you’ve spent in a long time. Who knows … maybe once you tackle your junk drawer you’ll feel motivated to clean out that hall closet you are afraid to open.

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I’ve got a new addiction. Coconut milk.

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It’s serious. I can’t stop. I’ve been putting it in everything.

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It’s thick and creamy with a slight coconut flavor.  The word on the street is that it is packed with potassium and good for you fats. I find coconut milk in the asian foods section of my market, and I go for the unsweetened version. Try it in chai tea, butternut squash soup, or smoothies. I’ve been making breakfast parfaits with it.

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Coconut Milk Fruit Parfait

1 c. mixed fresh berries

2 T coconut milk

1/4 c. sliced almonds

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Place the fresh fruit in a bowl and drizzle with coconut milk.

Sprinkle with almonds.

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What an easy (and dairy free and gluten free and vegan) way to start the day!

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One of the hardest things for me to do when I am trying to eat virtuously is to curb my snacking. In particular, it is quite difficult for me to not have something salty and crunchy to nibble on during family movie time. And while homemade popcorn is a good option – and not all together that bad for you – I think I’ve found something else that satiates my craving and is completely chaste … kale chips.

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Please don’t stop reading. Really, they are good. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.

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I’m not going to lie. They don’t taste like kettle cooked potato chips, but they are SO much better than what you are imagining. Try them. You’ll see.

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Kale Chips

1 bunch kale

1  T olive oil

1 – 2 tsp. sea salt

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Preheat oven to 300.

Break kale into ‘chip’ sized pieces while removing the bitter stem that runs all the way up the back of the leaf.

Don’t make the pieces too small as they shrink considerably during cooking.

Rinse and dry the kale well – I use a salad spinner.

You don’t want the leaves to be wet or they will steam in the oven which does not a crispy chip make.

Distribute the kale on two parchment lined sheet pans.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Please note that the olive oil and salt amounts are approximate – adjust as necessary.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until chips reach desired crispiness – and you do want them crispy!

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I strongly suggest you make a double batch because you’ll be surprised at how fast these disappear.

Never thought I’d say that about a bunch of kale.

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