Rhubarb and Meyer's lemon crustini

Seasonal tastes are the wonder of the food universe. Because you can't have them every day, they are precious. Here I have fun putting together rhubarb and Meyer's lemons for a tangy, tasty treat. Ingredients:

• 1 Meyer's lemon
• 4 stalks rhubarb
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T olive oil
• Bread
• Goat cheese

Instructions:

Step One

Chop the rhubarb and coat with a T of olive oil. Roast, covered for 20 minutes at 425ºF. Sprinkle with sugar and roast for a few more minutes.

Step Two

Meanwhile, juice the lemon into a small pan. Remove the peel from the spent lemon. Thinly slice the lemon rind. Add to the pan with some water and salt. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes until the rind is soft and most of the liquid is gone.

Step Three

Slice some bread and coat with olive oil. Spread some of the lemon rind and roasted rhubarb on the bread. Sprinkle with goat cheese and broil for about 10 minutes. Crack pepper on top and serve.

Effort: Medium Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Yield: 8 servings

Roast Chicken

I love food by itself. But for some reason, food always tastes much better when eaten with friends and family. That's one of the reasons I love Thanksgiving. But that's just once a year. As a single chick in a big city, I have to create my own day-to-day family. Potlucks are a great way to do that. This gorgeous roasted chicken is a great center piece to a successful potluck. It's super easy, makes the house smell great, and tastes great.

Ingredients:

• 
  4 lb chicken
  
• 
  2 lemons, halved
  
• 
  1 head garlic
  
• 
  3 small heads fennel
  
• 
  3 bunches carrots
  
• 
  sprig each rosemary and thyme
  
• 
  4 T butter, melted
  
• 
  salt and pepper, to taste
  

Instructions:

Step One

Chop the carrots and fennel into large chunks. Cut the garlic head in half.

Step Two

Stuff the chicken with the garlic, lemons, rosemary, and thyme.

Step Three

Put the chicken on a rack over the carrots and fennel. Baste the chicken with the melted butter. Just paint it on in a nice even coat. Kinda shellac it. Season with salt and pepper.

Step Four

Cook at 425ºF for about 2 hours, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes or so.

Step Five

Let cool for about 15 minutes and then carve and serve with the veggies drenched in the lovely pan juices.

Effort: Easy
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Shishitos and cherry tomatoes over crispy quinoa

As the main bulk of summer vegetables have started to hit the farmers markets, I was introduced to a new pepper treat - the Shishito. Similar to Padron peppers, these small, mild Japanese peppers can be quickly sautéed as a snack. For this recipe I decided to pair them with another summer treat, golden cherry tomatoes, to create a light dinner and flavorful dinner for a hot night.

Ingredients:

• 
  1 pint Shishito peppers, with tops cut off
  
• 
  1/2 pint golden cherry tomatoes
  
• 
  2 cloves garlic, sliced
  
• 
  1 C cooked quinoa
  
• 
  3 T olive oil
  
• 
  1 oz dry jack (or another hard, nutty cheese), grated
  
• 
  salt and pepper, to taste
  

Instructions:

Step One

I'm not a huge fan of quinoa, so I like to toast it to add texture and bring out the nutty flavor. To do so, heat 2 T olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the quinoa and allow to toast thoroughly on one side for about 5 minutes. Scrape from the pan to mix and toast as much of the rest as possible, stirring occasionally for another 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Step Two

In a large sauce pan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add the peppers and cook till one side blackens slightly. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste.

Step Three

Place the quinoa on a plate and grate cheese and crack pepper on top. Serve the veggies spilling to the side. Try to get all the items in one bite to create the perfect balance of nutty, sweet, and tangy. It's like summer on a fork.

Effort: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield:
2 servings

Gourmet, frozen risotto

As a part of my trend to try to make good food accessible to normal people by incorporating convenience foods, I figured I'd have to do a meal that uses frozen food. For those naysayers out there, there is nothing wrong with frozen food. Freezing is a great way to store staple foods, maintaining more of the nutritional value that preserving via canning or drying.

When making recipes, like soups, beans, or even risotto, make double the amount and freeze the leftovers. I like to put mine in two cup plastic containers. They stack well in the freezer and are convenient for portioning. For this recipe, I used the frozen risotto as the base and added a few things to the mix to liven up the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 
  2 C frozen risotto (freeze the risotto before adding cheese or other mix ins)
  
• 
  2 T olive oil
  
• 
  2 C mushrooms, sliced (I used porcini mushrooms because they're amazing, but use your favorite)
  
• 
  2 cloves garlic, sliced
  
• 
  2 T butter
  
• 
  1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated
  
• 
  Salt and pepper, to taste
  

Instructions:

Step One

As a side dish, start searing some vegetables. I did some carrots and snow peas. Fresh vegetables taste better than frozen for searing, but in a pinch, use frozen.

Step Two

Defrost the risotto in the microwave. Saute the mushrooms in olive oil and a few dashes of salt over medium heat, stirring frequently. After about 8 minutes, or when the mushrooms are starting to brown on both sides, add in the garlic and butter and saute for a few more minutes.

Step Three

Mix together the reheated risotto and the mushrooms, adding in the cheese. Serve with the vegetables on the side. For fun, add a poached egg on top. If you're more traditional, serve with a slice of chicken.

Effort: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Refreshing, gingery wine spritzer

I'm not much of a spritzer girl, but when life hands you a nasty batch of boxed wine, well, you have to deal with it. This simple solution was a hit one weekend at Lake Shasta.

Ingredients:

• 
  box white wine
  
• 
  ginger beer
  
• 
  lemon, sliced
  
• 
  ice
  

Instructions:

Step One

Fill a glass with ice.

Step Two

Fill 3/4 of the glass with the wine.

Step Three

Top off with ginger beer.

Step Four

Garnish with lemon. Enjoy!

Effort: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: Many