Super-rich zucchini bread
This is, by far, the densest zucchini bread I’ve ever made: it’s chock-a-block with fruit and nuts, almost like a fruitcake in texture. It’s also delicious, and I’m super happy to have stumbled into it.
Pepper-ginger pound cake with a pawpaw puree
A great example of flavors combining in exciting, unforeseen ways: spicy cake, delectably sweet pawpaw, and simple vanilla ice cream come together in a harmonious dessert.
Lemon-parsley rice pilaf with beef and summer vegetables
Like the convenience foods of my childhood, but gussied up: light and herbal, but still being deeply satisfying, with a garden’s worth of colorful vegetables
Salt-crusted potatoes with peach-basil dipping sauce
Cooking new potatoes directly in heavily salted water leaves them creamy on the inside and crispily salty on the outside. Combine that with a sauce that balances sharp garlic and vinegar against sweet peaches, leavened with aromatic herbs, and I’m in summer heaven.
Spaghetti with sausage and kale
Just a simple weeknight meal that makes the best of midsummer vegetation and pantry staples.
Sweet potato tacos with marinated peppers and cabbage
Not any one taco style, these are a mashup of some of my favorite things: warm corn tortillas, lightly marinated cabbage, sweet juicy peppers, warm velvety sweet potatoes.
Mr. W’s campout potatoes
My homage to the fabulous potatoes one of my scout leaders cooked on most campouts. We had to beg for leftovers back then, but now I can make these spicy, salty fried potatoes any time I want.
Quick and lazy posole
Pozole is one of the classics of Mexican cookery, a rich and hearty hominy stew. It’s also a time commitment, so this weeknight version uses fresh, spicy chorizo to shortcut both time and spicing.
Blood orange glazed cookies for the Women’s March
Inspired both by a friend’s recipe and by the Women’s March on Washington, these vegan cookies are the real deal; rich and sweet and toothsome, with a tart, sweet cap of simple citrus glaze.
Black-eyed pea and okra curry
Earthy, hearty black-eyed peas in a thick, satisfying sauce brightened by tomato and spices, sweetened by coconut, and studded with tender green okra: I can think of no better start to a new year.
