gnocchi and greens

I used store-bought gnocchi in this dish.  I cooked some broccoli in browned butter and added the cooked gnocchi.  The side dish is lemony sauteed kale.  Everything is topped with shaved Pecorino Romano cheese.

shrimp caesar salad

This one has a south-of-the-border riff, with a spicy dressing and tortilla chips as the croutons.

chicken tostadas and refried beans

When I cook a big pot of pinto beans, I make refried beans with the leftovers.  I melt a bit of bacon fat, saute in some onion, garlic, and  a pinch of red chile.  Then I add in the whole beans and cooking liquid to simmer and reduce, while I mash up the beans with a potato masher.  When it is the right consistency I add in shredded cheese and some crema or sour cream.  For dinner one night I served the beans as a side dish to some chicken tostadas - topped with yummy items like avocado.  Breakfast the next morning is a fried corn tortilla, topped with refried beans and an egg.

Date Cake

No, really, a cake that includes diced dates.  The amazing caramel sauce topper on this is provided by one of my new favorites, the salted caramel sauce available at Trader Joe's.

eggs and asparagus for dinner

This is one of our favorite meals, reminds us of a home-cooked dinner we had in Italy while on our honeymoon.  This is so simple and yet just the right combination of flavors.  On this plate I had some leftover lamb sausage patties that I included.  We just cook asparagus (boil it, steam it, roast it, whatever), and top it with a fried egg and some shaved asparagus.  Sometimes I also add strips of sauteed prosciutto.

BBQ Shrimp tacos

The base is shrimp in BBQ sauce, the toppings include some flash pickled red onions, pumpkin seeds, jalapeno and cilantro.

pasta for comfort

Nothing better than a big bowl of penne bolognese.  Make your favorite meat sauce and serve it up on your favorite pasta!