Translated: spaghetti with garlic, oil, and chili pepper flakes. This is the kind of meal that makes you stop and think that the simplest foods are often the most wonderful. With only a few ingredients that are staples in most pantries, you can create a beautiful, flavorful, heartwarming meal from scratch. Spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino is a traditional Italian pasta dish. It's well loved Read more

If there's one ingredient that may be able to oust bacon as the prized protein of the moment, it's porchetta. It's been appearing everywhere in farmers markets, Italian restaurants, and sandwich shops around San Francisco. Pronounced "por-ketta," porchetta is an Italian specialty of slow-roasted suckling pig. A young, milk-fed piglet is gutted, deboned, stuffed with a mixture of garlic, herbs, Read more

If you're looking for a more low-key way to ring in Halloween, then enjoy a festive, color-coordinated pasta dish at home. If you loved electric-pink rigatoni this time last year, then you'll find black-and-orange pasta just as fun. Squid ink provides the midnight color while roasted butternut squash lights the dish up with an incandescent glow. Make it even creamier by adding a generous pat of Read more

During the Summer, I love to use the bounty of in-season basil to make fresh pesto. The combination of basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil is always delicious. If you don't have time to blitz your own pesto but want to cook with the sauce, simply pick up some from the local market. Although pesto is wonderful tossed with al dente pasta, there are plenty of other ways to make use of Read more

Lately, I've been obsessed with homemade pizza. It's my favorite food and now that I've discovered how easy it is to use Whole Foods dough (you don't need a rolling pin; it can be stretched simply with your hands!), I make it all the time. It's a great way to get rid of veggies, meat, and cheese that are in the fridge and comes together in 30 minutes. Inspired by a pie I saw in Everyday Food, I Read more

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad that's traditionally made in the Summer with day old bread, tomatoes, and basil. However, I love this salad and I make it year-round. So does Michael Chiarello, apparently, because he's got recipes for Spring and Winter panzanellas that incorporate seasonal ingredients. Over the weekend I was invited to a picnic and decided it was the ideal time to experiment Read more

There's a reason why foodies are so fanatical about ramps; the wild leeks are the first sure sign that Spring has arrived, especially in areas home to a long Winter. But be aware of their short season: the minute ramps arrive, the window on their availability is already beginning to close. If you're not deterred by garlicky breath, uncooked ramps have a pungency that adds punch to homemade pesto. Read more

Although I wouldn't consider a classic lasagna to be a fast and easy weeknight meal option, this variation, with a simple asparagus-ricotta filling and no sauce, is ideal for a middle of the week pick-me-up. The ingredient list calls for pancetta, but I had bacon in my fridge, so that's what I used. If you're a vegetarian, leave it out. The best part of this lasagna is the sun-dried tomato paste Read more