Toast some good, crusty bread, smear with butter and marmalade or jam—simple and delicious.

Making pancakes in the morning is a breeze if you mix and store dry ingredients in a sealed container in your pantry — I often quadruple the recipe.  Then, come breakfast time just mix 1 cup of the dry mix with 1 cup buttermilk and 2 eggs.  This yields about 10, 4-5″ pancakes with ease.

Princess crepes are our special weekend breakfast treat (and I have it on good authority that princes like them too). To make them extra special, simply melt a handful of chocolate chips and brush into the crepes before rolling.

When Donald Link was here, he taught me this great tip for making the perfect egg. This quick video shows you a couple of tricks to get you to egg perfection.

Homemade granola layered with greek yogurt and fresh berries makes a beautiful parfait.

Photo by Erin Feinblatt

Banana bread, or banana toast is an even easier option that my mom used to make for me when I was little.

Mushroom frittata is an great dish that you can make using only one pan.

Whatever your plans are, if you’re a mom, I hope you feel spoiled all day!

Growing up, this simple, delicious treat was my Mom’s attempt at dessert. She’s a fantastic cook, but not a baker. Raised in Belgium (like most Europeans, even in the tiniest towns), my mom had the luxury of ridiculously good pastry shops just down her street. She never made what she could buy a better version of; at least that was her excuse.

Strawberries are in season and full of juicy flavor. For this dessert, simply put out a bowl of fresh berries, a small bowl of sour cream and a small bowl of brown sugar. If sour cream isn’t your thing, try Greek yogurt. Gather around the bowl (this is family style dining at it’s best) and dip your berry in the cream and then the sugar and just like that— a wonderful, fresh dessert. No measuring, no mixing bowls, and no oven…no wonder it was my mom’s favorite!

This would be a great dessert to serve up on Mother’s Day, when you are at the farmers market picking out flowers for mom, grab a few baskets of strawberries too. You can make this dessert feel extra festive by pulling out your good stuff and using special dishes— think porcelain and silver.

Strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar is a second-generation dessert close to my heart. I have such fond memories of dipping away with my sisters and treasured moments of my girls with strawberry juice on their chins sneaking in a double dip. I hope this little treat brings you some sweet, simple springtime memories with your own family.

This was one of the first recipes I posted on the blog over two years ago and it’s still a favorite. It’s my default lunch and there’s a reason it never falls out of rotation— it’s tasty, crunchy, healthy and fast to pull together in the middle of a busy day.

I always seem to have these ingredients on hand, and this recipe easily lends itself to substitutions. You can switch the cheese type; add some chicken or turkey or change out the greens or herbs. I have used arugula, Swiss chard, spinach…whatever is in my garden and fridge that seems to fit. Be sure to let your tortilla get nice and crispy, that’s what gives the crunch.

It’s not a sandwich, it’s not a quesadilla, it’s not a salad— it’s really a combo of all three.

Crunchy Green Combo

(Serves 1)

1 whole-wheat flour tortilla (I buy Trader Joe’s whole-wheat & corn flour tortillas)

2 slices of jack cheese

1 large handful of arugula (or other greens)

Squeeze of lemon

Drizzle of olive oil

Squirt of Sriracha sauce (Thai hot sauce)

5-6 thyme leaves

Pinch of sea salt

 

Get your grill pan or cast iron skillet on the stove and heat it on medium heat while you gather the rest of your ingredients. Place your whole-wheat tortilla in the dry hot pan and let it toast there until it gets a little crispy. Once it’s nice and brown, flip it to the other side. Place the cheese slices on the now warm side and sprinkle the thyme on top.

 

As the cheese melts, in a small bowl toss the arugula with the oil, lemon and salt. Give a gentle squeeze of Sriracha or salsa on the warm cheese. By the time the cheese melts you are ready for the greens. Put the tortilla on a plate and scoop the dressed greens on top of the spicy melted cheese and fold over.

Take a seat and dig in— totally yummy and satisfying.

We are heading into this season of events and celebrations— Mother’s Day, Baby Showers, Wedding Showers, Teacher Appreciation Luncheons, Graduations, Law School Graduations, Kindergarten Graduations, Doggy Training School Graduations… are you exhausted yet?  So, I thought I would share this wonderful savory tart recipe that Chef Julie Robles made at a recent cooking class.  It’s perfect for all of the above!

At the class, we were taught how to make our own puff pastry from scratch. Let me tell you, it’s a quite a process, but worth the crispy, golden, delight of the effort.  Plus, it fully makes you feel like a rockstar in your own kitchen — and who doesn’t need that?  However, feel free to use regular puff pastry from the freezer section for this tart. I always make sure to keep some on hand for recipes just like these. Savory tarts are often overlooked, and it’s a shame because they are such delicious showcases for fresh produce.

At first glance, this may look complicated, but it really is a series of simple steps. You can prepare all the components in advance and then just assemble and bake. It’s a great passed appetizer served in neat triangles, a wonderful side dish (we had it alongside slow roasted salmon) or serve it nestled next to a green salad as a plated first course.

Asparagus & Swiss Chard Tart

Adapted from the talented Suzanne Goin

1 sheet puff pastry

2 extra large egg yolks

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup sliced young onions

1/3 cup sliced green garlic

1 large bunch Swiss chard, cleaned and sliced

1 lb. asparagus, sliced on the diagonal and lightly blanched

1 tsp. thyme leaves

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, drained if wet

1/4 cup crème fraiche

3/4 lb. aged goat cheese, coarsely grated

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Roll the puff pastry into a 12 by 6 inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Gently place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score a 1/4 border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking 1 egg yolk with 1/4 tsp. water and brush the egg wash along the border. Place the puff in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

 

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 tablespoons olive oil and add the green garlic, cook just until soft and toss in the young onions and the thyme. Season with about a 1/2 tsp. of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Continue cooking until the onions are just wilted. Transfer to a platter to cool.

 

Wipe out the pan and add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Heat for one minute and add half of the Swiss chard, tossing the chard in the oil until it is just wilted. Add the second half of the chard and season with 1/4 tsp. salt and some black pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the greens are tender. Transfer to a platter to cool. When they are completely cooled, squeeze out the excess water with your hands.

 

Place the ricotta and the remaining egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth and remove to a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the crème fraiche and season with salt and pepper.

 

Remove puff from freezer.

 

Place the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry within the scored border. Place the goat cheese over the ricotta mixture. Arrange the green garlic, onions and Swiss chard on top.

 

Bake the tart for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. At this point, remove the tart from the oven and scatter the asparagus over the top of the tart. Return the tart to the oven and finish cooking until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Lift the crust to make sure that it is completely cooked and golden brown underneath.

 

Cool slightly and cut into triangles.

 

Having a garden full of beautiful vegetables makes for easier dinner planning. I’m always on the hunt for easy protein dishes that complement what’s in season. All I have to do is pair a protein with a trip to my raised beds and I’m done, making dinner quick, delicious and healthy.

This grilled chicken is a family-friendly, fresh and juicy dish that’s always a hit. I simply grill it on my stovetop and serve it up with garden vegetables or over a bed of greens for a main course salad.

The key to this chicken is the prep technique for your chicken breasts prior to grilling. I discovered this technique in the incredible, wonderful Home Cooking with Jean-Georges cookbook and it’s a keeper.

Jean-Georges Thin and Juicy Chicken Method:

To get an even 1/4-inch-thick chicken breast, you don’t simply pound away.

 

Put the chicken breast smooth side down on a work surface. Cut a slit lengthwise straight down the center, stopping 1/4 inch from the bottom.

 

At the base of the slit, turn the knife 90 degrees and cut along one side to parallel to the bottom of the chicken, but don’t cut through the end. Repeat on the other side.

 

Open the two flaps you’ve just created. Gently pound the chicken until nice and flat. Now your chicken is prepped and ready to grill.

 

I often butterfly and pound it out mid-day while the kids are at school and just cover the chicken with a drizzle of olive oil and store on a cookie sheet in my fridge. Then, when dinnertime comes I crank up the grill to medium-high heat, add some salt and pepper and quickly sear it.

 

For grilling: grill two minutes on one side, flip and do two more on the other side. Repeat, doing two more minutes of each side, but this time laying the chicken in the opposite direction. The goal is to make hashtag marks on the meat— for the pre-Twitter era people, that also means to make it look like the pound sign.

 

After the chicken is cooked, place on a platter, drizzle with more olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, a handful of fresh herbs from the garden, sea salt and a pinch of red chili flakes. That’s it!