Dinner with Kirsten

No matter how elaborate a feast my sister and I prepare every Thanksgiving, there are those in our family who will mutiny if there are any traditional dishes (like green bean casserole) missing. Unfortunately for them, my sister and I love to experiment (and hate using cream-of-anything soup). So I’m always on the lookout for […]

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I’ve made and sampled a million different pumpkin breads, most of them tasting about the same. That’s why I pounced on this recipe – it’s different. It doesn’t knock you over the head with spices or turn into a dark brown loaf, but instead bakes up into a delicately flavored moist and dense quick bread. […]

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I love minestrone soup, and this version is quick, easy and healthy, making it a perfect weeknight meal. You can mix and match different seasonal vegetables and make it with or without meat, but don’t leave out the kale.
I didn’t even realize I liked kale until I tried this recipe. This member of the cabbage […]

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I love leisurely Saturday mornings spent sipping strong French-pressed coffee and devouring stacks of fluffy pancakes. And these are the fluffiest, moistest, hands-down best pumpkin pancakes I’ve ever tried. The secret is whisking the egg whites until they’re foamy and then gently folding them into the batter – the pancakes turn into delicate soufflés. I […]

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Happy Halloween! I made these cookies on a whim one fall, and everyone in my family was amazed by how well the pumpkin and chocolate flavors worked together. Moist pumpkin pie spiced cookie is packed full of chocolate chips and walnuts, then topped with vanilla icing. Now we make them as a signature baked good […]

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My family always used to have Sunday suppers at my grandparents’ house when I was young. I remember the smell of roast pork, sour kraut and dumplings washing over me as I stepped into their house. “Sunday is family day,” my Mom would say, whenever I wanted to plan weekend activities with friends. But I […]

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I’m somewhat of a cooking snob, but when a friend recommended Cooking Light as a great recipe resource and the opportunity to buy a discounted subscription came along, I jumped on it. The magazine has been delivered to my apartment monthly since June, most issues languishing neglected in my magazine wrack. But the October issue […]

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While I was in high school and college, I ran my parents’ farm stand during the summer months. We sold tomatoes, peaches, melons, but most of all, we were known for having the best sweet corn. Sometimes I would wake up at dawn to pick corn with my Dad. We would drive out to the […]

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I eat zucchini as part of almost every meal, especially in the summer. Geoff is getting tired of it. But this stuffed version is a great change from my normal steamed or sautéed dishes. A meatloaf-like filling is piled into the hollowed-out squash and baked until the topping is crispy and the zucchini is tender. […]

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I’m so proud of this dish that I’ve rattled off instructions on how to make it to a handful of people, including the check-out guy at Trader Joe’s. It’s one of those golden main courses that can be made a million different ways, depending on the ingredients you have handy and what you feel like […]

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