Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with pecans

Spring has finally sprung here in Saint Paul, Minnesota! I spent the weekend doing some spring cleaning and putting away all our winter clothing and gear. The sleds have now given way to bikes and scooters and sidewalk chalk. Ahh- at last! Another sure sign of spring is my dependable chive plant in the back garden, which every year is the first greenery to make its appearance. It smells wonderful! It will grow into a tall beautiful bush by mid summer. I already had some on my cream cheese bagel for lunch today, and I will surely put it to good use in the months ahead.

Rustic fruit salad with walnuts

As promised this is the recipe for my rustic fruit salad. I looked up the definition of rustic and a few adjectives describing something rustic are: unsophisticated, lacking refinement, elegance and polish. That pretty much sums it up! This salad is very simple, made with very simple everyday fruits and nuts. But man, it is so good!

Make-your- own sandwich buffet



When you cook for a relatively large family every day of the week like I do, you have to be creative. I don't always feel like cooking up a storm, but I still want us to have a nice meal together. Last nights dinner is a great example. I had a busy day and since it was our first real spring day, I didn't feel like spending all afternoon in my kitchen (I also had just cleaned it up so nicely, and I just wanted to savour the cleanliness for just a little while.). So, I decided on something simple that required very little preparation, a make-your-own-sandwich buffet.

Vegetarian night, baked Ziti

Nothing says  family meal like Baked Ziti. But when you think of vegetarian food, it is probably not the first dish that comes to mind. I tend to think of vegetarian as some obscure vegetable dish with tofu in it! When I first introduced my family to the idea of having at least one vegetarian meal a week, my son put his head down and cried: " I am going to die!". Well, it has been several weeks now and he is still with us, happy and healthy (he really is a great teenager!). But I do try to make dishes that are familiar and tasty and don't suffer much from the exclusion of the meaty ingredient.

Herb and lemon Orzo

This wonderful side dish paired perfectly with my Greek meatballs. If you are not quite familiar with Orzo it is a rice shaped pasta that lends itself really well to salads and soups.

Greek meatballs with herb and lemon orzo

At the end of last week a regular cool spring weeknight turned into Greek night at our house. I love Greek food! I have been hooked since my first trip to Rhodes in my early teens (in the 80s). We ate Souvlaki (Kebobs) and Gyros every day for two weeks. I could eat Tzatziki sauce on just about anything. And Feta cheese - don't get me started! So when I found this recipe in Americas Test kitchen's 30-minute suppers (spring 2011), I immediately cried out: "I am making that!"

Noodle cake with scallions

Instead of the usual rice that I normally make with stir-fries I loved the idea of this Noodle cake. I actually saw something like this on a cooking show years ago, and always wanted to try it. It was perfect with the peanut-chicken stir-fry. It is a lot easier than I thought too. And even though I am not a fan of using a non-stick pan, this is one instance where one is very useful since the noodle cake has to be turned and browned on both sides. I made 2 of these to feed the six of us.

Noodle cake with scallions

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 (9 ounce) package fresh Chinese noodles

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 scallions, sliced thin

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot

Add salt and noodles and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes

Drain and toss with scallions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add noodles to skillet and press with spatula into an even layer. Cook until crisp, 3-5 minutes.

Place back of a baking sheet over the skillet and invert noodle cake onto sheet. Add a little more oil to skillet and slide noodle cake back in. Cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Place noodle cake on a serving platter. Tent with foil until ready to serve.

Recipe from  America's Test Kitchen, 30-minute Suppers, Spring 2011