I love listening to people talk about the things that make them happy, that get them bubbly and excited. I was in a dressing room the other day and there was a mom and two sisters having so much fun trying on clothes. Briefly eavesdropping on their cute comments and playfulness brings back memories of getting ready for nights out with my friends, and shopping trips with my sisters. It can be such a sweet, organic happiness. I love it when people ooze and gush over their music, art, family, sport or travel. The BEST is listening to my dude when he wakes up hungry, he has a way of talking about food like it is  a living object, sometimes a little sexual, often times like oxygen he needs to breathe. This is pure. His determination to make the perfect BLT, french toast or mac’ and cheese is impressive.

I have never been a huge fan of potato salad, most likely because of my dislike of mayonnaise, but when I woke up craving potato salad the other morning I was determined to make one that would satisfy my needs. I stumbled on this recipe, and made it mine, that uses the tanginess of sour cream and fresh herbs for the flavor.

So here’s my simple potato salad recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small red-skinned new potatoes
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup minced green onions, including the green onion greens
• 1 heaping Tbsp of minced fresh dill
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional: bacon, hard-boiled eggs

1 Place potatoes, skin on, in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan. Cover with an inch of cold water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until they are easily pierced with a fork. Strain the potatoes in cold water, set them aside to cool.

2 In a medium bowl whisk together the sour cream, green onions, dill, cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. The dressing should be strongly flavored (the potatoes will need it!).

3 Cut the cooled potatoes in half lengthwise. Toss with the dressing. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving, to allow the potatoes to absorb some of the dressing. I think this is best made a day ahead of time to fully allow the ingredients to “murgulate” (this is Evan’s word he uses to describe the process of blending and merging flavors).

People and places can inspire me just as much as the ingredients themselves, and then there is my instinct that does not rely on logic or knowledge. This can also be called our mood, or our cravings. However after spending a magical week celebrating dear friends and their tying of the knot in Zihuatanejo, Mexico it definitely made sense that my body was craving leafy greens. I love Mexican cuisine, fancy, street or fusion. I also love all things cheese related. My dream job would be to create cheese plates all day long. Last night the idea of a quesadilla, taco, nacho or sope was obviously not front of mind. My sweet, food loving boyfriend offered to take me to a nice dinner, but all I wanted to do was snuggle up and enjoy a mellow night-in together. Neither of us were feeling very ambitious to cook, and I was so grateful he had snagged kale and salmon at the Downtown Farmer’s Market. This recipe can be made in one baking dish, which also leaves less dishes and more time to share stories from the past week.

Remove the ribs from the kale and break into bite size pieces. Rinse to clean.

Make the dressing for both the salmon and the kale:

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons liquid aminos

1 tablespoon siracha

In a jar with a lid add the ingredients and shake until they are emulsified. Place the kale to one side of a baking sheet and drizzle with 2/3 of the mixture and toss. Put the salmon filet on the other side of the pan with the skin side down, pour remaining dressing on the fish. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and check on the fish, you want it to be cooked through but overcooking can leave your fish dry quickly. I made the lazy version of rice with one of the Seeds of Change organic brown rice and quinoa pouches, 90 seconds in the microwave and done! Our meal tasted decadent, flavorful and my body was left nourished.

cod + shrimp + couscous + basil + serrano

I was looking forward to cooking dinner for my witty and pretty friend April. We both wanted something healthy, but I didn’t want to serve something boring. The spice and the flavor from this dish gave it the kick needed to make this worthy of our girls night in.

This was inspired from a Jamie Oliver recipe that was featured on the goop.com magazine.

1 cup quick-cook couscous

olive oil

2 lemons

sea salt and freshly ground

2 cloves of garlic

1 fresh serrano

a bunch of fresh basil

I teaspoon whole cumin seeds

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 x 6-ounce white fish fillets, skin off and bones removed

¾ pound large shrimp, raw, peeled

1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes

2 handfuls of fresh or frozen peas, fava beans, or green beans (or use a mixture)

1. Cook the couscous according to directions. I used pearled couscous for a hearty texture.

2. Get a large saucepan on a medium heat. Peel and finely slice your garlic. Finely slice your chili. Pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Put the smaller ones to one side and roughly chop the larger ones. Add a couple of lugs of olive oil to the hot pan. Add the garlic, chili, basil, cumin seeds, and cinnamon. Give it all a stir and put the fish fillets on top. Scatter over the shrimp. Add the canned tomatoes and the peas and beans. Squeeze in the juice from the two remaining lemon halves. Put a lid on the pan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

3. By the time the fish is cooked, the couscous should have sucked up all the water and be ready to serve. Spoon the couscous into a large serving bowl and give it a stir with a fork to help it fluff up. Top with the fish, vegetables, and juices from the pan, sprinkle with the reserved basil leaves, and pour a glass of wine and enjoy!

Beef. Barley. Baby leek soup.

This recipe was directly inspired from www.smittenkitchen.com as I was doing an internet search for uses for the (two week availability) baby leeks I had a sample of from Coke Farm. We also happened to be in the middle of the storm we had been so desperately needing, as schools were closed and people were staying home from work, so I was so happy when she gave me this simple soup recipe. This may be the easiest soup I have ever made. It smells delicious slowly cooking while we watched the storm.

1. Trim two big, meaty short ribs and put them on the bottom of your soup pot.

2. Add 1/2 cup of barley, three big cloves of garlic shopped up, two chopped onions, and three leeks cut lengthwise and then into segments–use both the white and the green parts. I added crimini mushrooms, you could add any other vegetables you might like. Grind in a little black pepper.

3. Add about eight cups of filtered water or beef stock ( I like the way beef stock makes the dish rich) and let it simmer on the back burner for at least three hours while you go about your business.

4. Before serving, skim off the fat, take the meat off the bones, chop it and put it back in the soup.

Now invite all your friends that are playing hooky from work too, serve with some crusty bread, maybe a little whiskey for added warmth and you have yourself a storm party. You might even be warm enough to go play in the puddles and the mud.