Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Butter Up, Part II: Dressed Up Tater Tots

Posted on by Leave a comment
Tater tots get dressed up with an easy garlic-Parmesan-date butter.
Tater tots get dressed up with an easy garlic-Parmesan-date butter.

Tater tots. Even the name evokes an immediate smile, not to mention joyful memories of being a child.

That’s more than enough reason to stash a bag in your freezer at all times.

Another?

This recipe for “Tater Tots Tossed in Hot Date! Butter.”

As always, they get baked in the oven until super crunchy all over. Then, the magic happens: They get tossed in a garlicky, herbaceous butter with dried dates to boot.

The recipe is from “Hot Date!” (Chronicle Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Brooklyn-based Rawaan Alkhatib, a cook, writer, and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent. She even illustrated the book with her own exuberant watercolor paintings.

Read more

Butter Up, Part I: Something Fishy — And Delicious

Posted on by Leave a comment
Good-for-you roasted branzino gets a little indulgent when finished with a delicious green anchovy butter.
Good-for-you roasted branzino gets a little indulgent when finished with a delicious green anchovy butter.

Olive oil is a hallmark of Mediterranean cooking.

But creamy, decadent butter has its place, too, adding a disarming voluptuousness to anything it touches.

I’m sure Julia Child would agree.

I know that Daen Lia surely does. Her cookbook may be titled, “Garlic, Olive Oil + Everything Mediterranean” (Simon Element, 2025), but butter definitely plays a role. There’s even an entire chapter devoted to recipes that use butter, including one to make “Homemade Butter.”

That includes her “Whole Roasted Snapper with Green Anchovy Butter,” in which whole fish get roasted in the oven, then finished with a dazzlingly green and herbaceous compound butter.

Lia is an Australian home-cook and creator of the digital brand, Daen’s Kitchen, who counts more than 8 million followers across her social media platforms.

Read more

Easy-Peasy, Spring-Fling Lamb Chops with Tangy Cilantro and Mint Yogurt Dressing

Posted on by 2 comments
Simple and delicious, these lamb loin chops get served with a fresh, creamy, and herby yogurt sauce.
Simple and delicious, these lamb loin chops get served with a fresh, creamy, and herby yogurt sauce.

The certified organic, 400-acre farm in the Capay Valley is one of Northern California’s most beloved.

Full Belly Farm draws crowds at its stands at Bay Area farmers markets, and its produce stars on a legion of restaurant menus.

Established in 1985, it grows more than 80 different crops, including all manner of veggies, fruits, nuts, herbs, and flowers. It also raises chickens, sheep, goats, and cows. It offers farm tours, school visits, and popular events that include farm dinners and pizza nights.

Now comes its newest offering: “Full Belly Farm & Kitchen” (Hardie Grant).

Its first cookbook, of which I received a review copy, was written by Amon and Jenna Muller, who are part of the farm’s second-generation owners. Amon Muller, who runs the farm kitchen, trained at legendary Bay Area restaurants, Chez Panisse, Quince, and Coi. Jenna Muller organizes the farm events.

Read more

Sunny Days Were Made For Spring-y Snap Peas with Ricotta, Lemon, and Mint

Posted on by Leave a comment
A springtime dish that's so easy, and so full of flavors and textures.
A springtime dish that’s so easy, and so full of flavors and textures.

Snap to it.

That’s exactly what you’ll want to do with spring sugar snap peas now out in full force at farmers markets.

Gorgeously green, naturally sweet, and crazy crisp, they are best when minimally cooked or eaten raw, as in this delightful dish of “Spring-y Snap Peas with Ricotta, Lemon, and Mint.”

This starter or salad is ideal at any time or in any type of weather because it is a no-cook dish that comes together in no time flat.

The recipe is from “Big Bites Time to Eat!” (Rodale), of which I received a review copy.

The book is by Kat Ashmore, Connecticut-based creator of YouTube’s Kat Can Cook and former recipe developer for the “Martha Stewart Show.”

Read more

When the Name Doesn’t Do It Justice

Posted on by Leave a comment
A one-pot chicken and rice supper with Chinese flavors.
A one-pot chicken and rice supper with Chinese flavors.

Yup, that’s right: “Roast Chicken and Rice Casserole” is the name of this dish. It sounds so basic. But it is so far from that.

The title might make you think of an old-school Americana dish. But it’s really one with a delicious Chinese flair to it with coconut milk enriching the rice, and lemongrass and ginger perfuming everything.

This easy one-pot dish is from “Down South + East” (Abrams), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Ron Hsu, the culinary director and partner in Michelin-starred Lazy Betty in Atlanta., with an assist from Hugh Amano, a writer and chef at the now-shuttered Fat Rice in Chicago.

A Chinese American who grew up in Atlanta, Hsu grew up helping his parents at their chain of seven Hunan Village restaurants on the outskirts of the city. His own restaurant is affectionately named for her.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »