dripping with passion

i’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try - especially quick and easy ones these days. i thought I’d share a few weeknight dinners that we've been digging recently! cajun chicken bowl with cilantro lime rice, peppers and avocado this recipe is super simple but i think the dish really packs a punch! i love the combination of flavors and textures.  recipe adapted from and photo via kitchen sanctuary 1. slice one red bell pepper , one yellow bell pepper , and one brown onion into strips. chop up a bunch of cilantro and zest one lime . 2. cook 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water (bring to a boil and then simmer for 20ish minutes). 3. heat up a glob of olive oil in a skillet. 4. place 2 chicken breasts in a bowl. sprinkle 1.5 tbs cajun seasoning and 1 tbs oil on top, then use your hands to massage the spices into the meat. flatten the chicken breasts a bit with your hands. 5. cook the chicken in the hot skillet for 5-7 minutes on each side, until it is charred and coo...

  a few weeks ago, i mentioned in a ten thoughts on a wednesday post that i had started making homemade artisan bread, and many of you asked for the recipe! i am not exaggerating when i say that the first time i took a loaf of this bread out of the oven, my jaw dropped and i gasped. i honestly couldn’t believe that i had made something so beautiful from scratch so easily! all i did was mix together four ingredients, leave it overnight, and put it in the oven. what the?! i’m officially obsessed and have had to limit my bread making to two loaves per week :) the one thing about this recipe is that it requires a dutch oven / heavy cast iron dish . we got a le creuset brand pot for our wedding and it is without a doubt my favourite kitchen item that we own. it can be used on the stove top and put in the oven and is incredibly useful – and really pretty! ;) if you don’t have a suitable dish for this recipe, i recommend getting one as a kitchen investment if you can swing it (ther...

i really enjoy cooking and especially trying new recipes. but often i get so overwhelmed by all the options out there and, after scrolling through too many recipes online, just end up whipping together one of my "go-to" meals. today i wanted to share five recipes we looove at our house. what are your go-to recipes?! let's all share in the comments section! one: melt-in-your-mouth kale salad my mom and i came across this recipe when she was here with us right after moses was born and i've made it pretty much weekly since. everyone i have shared this with really likes it. even ian, who is not always fond of ingredients like kale, loves  this salad. finely shredding the kale in the food processor makes all the difference - it's so much more palpable that way! and is well-coated and wonderfully complimented by the other simple ingredients.  ----------------------------------- -in a food processor, finely chop one big bunch/bag of kale . -in a small bo...

so. the absolute best cookies at christmastime are very most likely these molasses spice cookies that my sister saydi and i are obsessed with. i made a double batch two weeks ago to bring to our neighbors, and a double batch this sunday to share at a christmas gathering at my aunt & uncle’s. these aren’t the prettiest of the molasses spice cookies i’ve made, but i sure had fun arranging them on my table to take a few pictures to accompany my sharing of the divine recipe. {they are usually a bit more crinkly, and they shimmer because they’re coated in sugar before baked, but you can’t really see the sparkles in this light!!} seriously, these are so so yummy!! molasses spice cookies adapted from cooks illustrated 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons of baking soda 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed...

after all the wedding hoopla, the boy and i have been trying to get into the daily routine of eating dinner together each night. i so so so look forward to coming home and making dinner for the two of us, and i love the meals that we share, debriefing on our days. because we are both busy with work, i haven't had as much time to experiment with cooking as i would like, but i have discovered and created some quick weekday meals that are quite yummy! 1. i saute trader joe's chicken and cilantro wontons and a bunch  of veggies, and then add trader joe's thai red curry sauce. i've been serving this over thai rice noodles - so delicious! 2. i mix trader joe's honey roasted pumpkin ravioli with trader joe's perline pasta and proscuitto in boiling water and then add some marinara sauce after straining. we had this with trader joe's frozen turkey meatballs the other day and it was super tasty! 3. my favourite salad lately is made by tossing trader joe...

i had many inquiries about the recipes we used for our most recent garden dinner party. both of these salads are super delicious and perfect for the end of summer! mango, coconut and edamame quinoa (adapted from this website) 2 cups uncooked quinoa (we used the mixed quinoa from trader joe's, but you can use any color/type) 2 fresh mangoes, diced 1/2 large red onion, diced 1-2 large red peppers, diced 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped 1 1/2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 1/2 cups golden raisins 2-3 cups edamame (we used thawed frozen edamame from trader joe's) juice of 5-6 limes 4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar *** 1. rinse quinoa well, cook as directed; let cool completely. 2. juice limes and wisk together with balsamic vinegar and a bit of salt. 3. add all other ingredients and toss. 4. enjoy! green salad with pesto chicken (adapted from my sister's blog ) for the chicken:  4-5 chicken breasts 1 cup pesto 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar ...

a few months ago, josephine and i started a tradition of making homemade pizza together once a week. it’s theeeee best. we swap teacher stories while we chop, slice and grate, and then we enjoy our concoctions together immensely. i really believe that i love pizza more than probably 95% of the world population. and i especially like creative topping pizza. here’s our line up of creations so far… 1. butternut squash and sage 2. blackberry, lemon and prosciutto 3. fig, prosciutto and ricotta 4. rotisserie chicken and pesto 5. sweet potato and rosemary 6. rotated tomato and sausage with spring herb gremolata 7. florentine (spinach and egg) 8. thai chicken with peanut sauce and cabbage slaw 9. pear, gorgonzola and bacon with honey poppyseed sauce 10. greek with garlic yogurt sauce 11. charred corn, poblano pepper and avocado 12. peach, goat cheese, basil and balsamic   what a fantastic mid-week treat – one of my favourite people in the world and my belly’s favourite thing. mmmmmmb...

(i just couldn't leave anything out of the title!) i made dinner to share with friends and the missionaries a few weeks ago. i experimented by combining and tweaking a couple of recipes, and making up some add-ons, and it turned out super yummy! i want to keep a record of what i created, and i want to share this deliciousness! honey lime chicken burrito bowls with sweet potato black bean relish and a zesty yogurt dressing arrange the following in separate bowls for a tasty and pretty spread on the dining table to serve about six people: *recipe below -mixed greens -halved cherry tomatoes -avocado slices -chopped green onions -torn fresh cilantro -sliced honey mustard marinated chicken* -lime qunioa* -sweet potato black bean relish* -feta or cojita cheese -zesty yogurt dressing* for the honey mustard marinated chicken : place about 2 lbs. chicken tenderloins or breasts in a plastic bag, then add: -1/2 cup coconut oil -one 4 oz can of diced fire roasted gr...

well. i don't think i've ever been this tired before. i flew from bali to taiwan to san francisco and landed at 8pm on sunday night. after two hours of custom lines and baggage claim, i made it home by 11. the jetlag kept me up for a couple hours lesson planning. i woke up at 5:30 and got to school by 6:45. my eighth graders came in the classroom door at 8:25. they'd had a hard week with a sub while i was on the other side of the world, and all the change in their classroom put quite a kink in their (already quite difficult) behavior. several lessons hadn't been taught and due dates hadn't been communicated, there were stacks of ungraded worksheets lining my desk, and my body was telling me it was 3am. miraculously, we've made it through three days, those thirty-eight eighth graders and i. i've been working nearly non-stop from 6:00am to midnight (with a break for dinner and exercise). it has sure been a wild ride, and we're just barely, bare...

  last wednesday, my friend melinda hosted a pasta-making girls night, and it was so totally delightful. i made my very own from-scratch spaghetti and ravioli and it was super delicious! we had eleven lovely ladies (and one adorable baby boy!) kneading and rolling and stuffing and stamping and cooking and enjoying pasta in the kitchen, and i felt quite the happiest i have in a while. i love these beautiful, strong women and feel so lucky to call them my friends.

josephine and i have started a little mid-week tradition of making pizza together (last week we had to mix it up a little since i was juicing!). a couple of weeks ago we made butternut squash and sage pizza, and tonight we made lemon, blackberry and prosciutto pizza. mmmm boy. (i should’ve taken a picture either/both times – our pies have been tasty & pretty!) i mean, here’s the thing. i’m pretty sure i love pizza more than 90% of the world population. i think it’s the best kind of comfort food, and it makes me feel really happy. no matter what happens, i’ve always got pizza…! and while remembering this quote tonight, i remembered several others i’ve found encouraging lately. (my mom is the sweetest and sends me emails loaded with good quotes.) here’s some wednesday inspiration: we have no right to ask when sorrow comes, "why did this happen to me?" unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness that comes our way.  -author unknown we must embrace pain...

i’m in the middle of a three day juice cleanse. i really like this challenge and the feeling of my body being rejuvenated by nutrients from the earth. {i did a six day cleanse nearly two years ago , and i can’t believe it’s taken me this long to do another. i finally bought myself my own juicer.} another thing i like about juicing is the fun of making up random combinations of fruits and vegetables. so far i’ve made orange-grapefruit-cucumber, cantaloupe-carrot-pineapple, apple-pear-spinach and honeydew-kiwi-celery . there’s some strawberry-carrot-mango in my fridge for tomorrow and i’m also excited to try sweet potato-red bell pepper-apple-ginger . although i am sometimes really, awfully bad at it, i super believe in mindful eating . food and the human body are both so glorious!

1. sleeping under the christmas tree. last friday my favourite east palo alto friends and i had our second annual christmas tree slumber party which included lots of girltalk, watching elf , and cuddling up to relish the glow of the twinkle lights. { first annual } 2. candy cane joe-joes. can we talk about this for a second? gosh i love them. maybe i’ve had them for breakfast a few days lately. like, more than a couple cookies for breakfast. i just think they are perfect – flawless ratio of minty to chocolatey to creamy. mmmmmmboy. decemeber is rushing by too fast!

i’ve heard a lot of buzz about a new restaurant in the city that has been named the best new restaurant in the country and one of the best restaurants in the entire world. so much buzz, in fact, that eating at state bird provisions in san francisco has made it all the way onto my life bucket list . it is impossible to get a reservation at this place. i’ve checked the website probably a hundred times, and there is always no availability. this sense of unattainability just makes the restaurant all that more alluring. state bird provisions recently closed for renovations, and reopened the week before kelsey’s birthday (kelsey, my dear partner in foodie adventures, has also been super duper itching to try it). with the reopen came a pledge to reserve some tables for walk-ins. hallelujah! a perfect chance to experience an unreal meal in celebration of kelsey’s birthday! kelsey went to the restaurant at 4pm on the day before her birthday and waited on the street outside the front door fo...

last night  i met my old coworker katherine at dishdash , a restaurant in sunnyvale that features my favourite meal in the entire world on its menu. honestly, this is the last meal i want to eat before i die. it is so freaking delicious. when i know i am going to have it soon, i can’t get it off my mind. and when i’m eating it, maybe i get a little misty and say how much i love it about fifty times. mmmmm boy. it’s called beriani dejaj and it is safron rice with chicken, potatoes, chickpeas, almonds and golden raisins in the most delectable spiced yogurt sauce. {definitely stole this picture from yelp} as i drove home in the dark, my belly so happy, i thought about how blessed i was to work with katherine at innosight institute, what an amazing and wonderful experience that job was. and i thought about how i am in the right place now, and about how somehow all of this craziness that has been my life, which has felt so lost and floundering so often, is guided by a divine hand....