oat ricotta pancakes

There’s an ongoing joke during mealtimes in my house. Once a plate hits the table my daughter asks “is there ricotta in here mom?”. Eight year olds, or at least the one that shares my gene pool, don’t dream of warm, creamy curds by the spoonful.

crisp thin crust pizza

So much has been said about how to make the best pizza at home. I’m guilty of more than one post about it myself. Much like poetry, though, I don’t think any one recipe can capture what everyone expects. What I do know is that if a crisp crust is what you’re after, it can most definitely be achieved without a ceramic pizza stone, though I do own a few, and you don’t need to start out in a cast-iron skillet and finish it under the broiler.

creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup {vegan}

I must confess, I don’t cook with Jerusalem artichokes—also known as sunchokes, as often as I should. Perhaps it’s the knubby tubular appearance that makes them feel unapproachable. It sounds silly even saying that, but I can see why many people feel perplexed by them. Since 2011 has been about exploring new ingredients, I decided to scoop up a bunch at the farmers’ market last week.

beef bolognese

Purists may want to take a seat. I’ve done a lot of tampering with this seemingly classic Italian dish.

Some of the changes were from necessity, and others pure whim. I’ve made a pork version of this a few times, the sweetness of the marsala wine being a natural compliment to the flavors of the pork from Flying Pigs Farm. Yes, you read correctly—I used marsala wine in this bolognese sauce, casting aside the requisite red wine.