That's What Jenni Said

Made these sweet potatoes for dinner tonight as a side with roast pork tenderloin. I enjoyed it much more than the tenderloin and will make this again and again as a main entree by itself. It's adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe and features potatoes, first baked, then seared, topped with dressed greens and toasted pecans.  Ingredients SERVINGS: 2 Sweet Potatoes And Nuts 1 garlic clove finely grated 3 tablespoons plus ½ tsp. olive oil 2 large or 4 small sweet potatoes, preferably garnet, scrubbed Kosher salt ¼ cup pecans, chopped Assembly 1 large handful of arugula or other green 2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. olive oil ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or ¼ crushed red pepper flakes 1 T brown sugar 1 T balsamic vinegar Kosher salt 1 T plain yogurt ¼ cup fresh mint leaves Preparation Sweet Potatoes And Nuts Preheat oven to 400°. Mix garlic and 3 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Prick sweet potatoes all over wit

Something my sister Suzie taught me before she died was the restorative power of love. Most (maybe all?) people are marked with emotional wounds and scars that were inflicted upon them at earlier points in their lives. Sometimes the wounds are still open and very painful and cause torment, like a painful sliver in your palm. The self-help industry is booming with books, audiobooks, and live seminars on how to heal these wounds and move into a position of strength. And thousands and thousands of people flock to therapists annually to take a more formal, doctor-patient approach to healing. When Suzie lived with me during the summers late in the last decade, we would sometimes find ourselves having face to face conversations that lasted hours. In these interactions my sister and I were able to give each other a measure of unconditional love and support that healed emotional wounds and upended twisted, irrational, "broken" thinking in ways that traditional talk therapy or cogniti

Modifying and combining two different recipes I sourced from Bon Appetit led to a fantastic dinner this evening. Really one of the best salmon preparations I've had in some time. I hope you give it a try. ingredients 1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 T fresh oregano 1 T fresh thyme 1/2 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 tablespoon capers 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1/2 cup olive oil (I prefer lemon olive oil) Kosher salt 4 6-ounce pieces skin-on salmon fillets (optional, can also prepare with skinless fillets) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces Arugula (about 1/2 cup per person) 1 large honeycrisp apple, cored and diced Dash of lemon juice 2 celery stalks, peeled 1 T caraway seeds Lemon vinaigrette (your favorite brand or recipe) preparation Preheat oven to 400°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool. Pulse garlic, herbs, ca