Homepage: Practical Takeaways for Families

Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Dinner

Sheet pan butternut squash is a quick vegetarian main – made with squash, red onions, pine nuts, tahini yogurt sauce, za’atar, and cilantro!

Smartphones & Kids – A discussion of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

A discussion of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, addressing the risks of smart phone use to kids and adolescents. Also, what parents can do to mitigate those risks.
Sharing at Home: Takeaways from The Second Shift by Arlie Russell Hochschild

A discussion of Arlie Russel Hochschild’s The Second Shift, addressing how various working couples share the work at home (and a critique, because I can’t help myself).

Whole Wheat Dutch Baby

Simple recipe, with impressive results, and nearly irresistible for the little ones . . .
Abruzzese Meatballs (tiny meatballs)

These tiny Abruzzese-style meatballs are cooked in a lemony white wine sauce – they’re super yummy tossed with pasta! They’re a great choice if your kids don’t like red sauce but do like tiny meatballs + pasta.
Crispy Mushroom Salad

I love eating crispy mushroom tacos with our family. One night I accidentally made a delicious crispy mushroom salad, complete with turmeric yogurt, feta, corn and caramelized onions, and cilantro. Tacos are a popular family meal over here. Especially our crispy mushroom and steak tacos with turmeric yogurt. They’re ready in under 30 minutes, and…

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes (or Celery Root) with Spinach

This Greek lemon chicken is roasted over potatoes – or, even better if you can find it, celery root. The chicken fat combines with lemon and oregano to roast the potatoes / celery root and doubles as a sauce for spinach, making this a true one-pot meal.
Preserved Lemon Chicken with Saffron & Thyme

This preserved lemon chicken is a twist on the classic lemon pepper chicken . . . Continuing on my theme of finding the perfect lemon pepper chicken, this preserved lemon chicken, made with fresh and preserved lemons, saffron, thyme, and garlic, is a top contender. The recipe is based on one from the Ottolenghi Simple…
Skillet Chicken & Gnocchi with Caramelized Fennel, Onion, and Apple

This skillet chicken and gnocchi with caramelized fennel, onion, and apple cooked in chicken drippings makes a perfect fall one-pot dinner . . . It’s also super simple. You basically throw everything together in a cast iron skillet and roast it for about an hour. You’re left with caramelized fennel and onion baked in chicken…
Whole Chicken Roasted in Maple Rosemary Butter

Just in time for fall, this roasted chicken with maple rosemary butter makes our whole house smell amazing . . . For spring, I use thyme!

Mediterranean Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with Celery Root

Fresh oregano and thyme, plus garlic, lemon, and pepper chicken thighs. . . These lemon pepper chicken thighs with celery root are very easy to make and absolutely delicious. You can make this recipe either with a full chicken, or with just thighs. Either way, the celery root cooks in a combination of chicken fat,…
Simple Sweet Potato Pancakes

Basic and very easy recipe for sweet potato pancakes that is very popular with my kids . . .
Spanakopita-Style Greens Pie with Fresh Summer Herbs

Rainbow Chard, Ricotta, Feta, Cheddar, Lemon Zest, and Summer Herbs . . . This greens pie is my current favorite recipe. It is very similar to spanakopita, which I’ve always loved. In college, I would buy 5 or 6 packs of the little spanakopita triangles at a time. There were weeks where I would eat…
Fast & Easy Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Vegetables for the Lazy (or time-pressed) . . . This is a super fast & easy oven-roasted asparagus recipe that produces perfect asparagus every time. Over the past 5 years or so, there’s been one nearly fail-safe method for cooking nearly any vegetable that has been my go-to. At this point, I barely need to…

Buttermilk Cornbread Pancakes

This recipe makes a fluffy, delicately crispy, and comforting cornbread pancake. My ideal pre-Thanksgiving pancake (but we also eat them in summer with fresh peaches, whipped ricotta, and maple syrup!)
Oatmeal Griddle Cakes

These oatmeal griddle cakes are made with whole wheat flour, oats, and tangy buttermilk – and they are currently our kids’ favorite pancake.
All-Apple Butter (no sugar apple butter)

Delicious, sweet, no-sugar apple butter. No sweeteners of any kind needed – just apples and spices.
Orange Fennel Chicken Breakfast Sausages

These orange fennel chicken breakfast sausages are sweetened with chopped dates and caramelized fennel and flavored with a hint of orange and nutmeg.