The key to making a great veggie sandwich is high quality, fresh produce and really good bread. Sad, mealy tomatoes and shredded lettuce are not going to cut it, and neither is squishy white bread. Since this sandwich is fully loaded, it’s important to build your ingredients in the right order. I’ve engineered the layers to prevent soggy bread and help keep the sandwich together as it travels from the plate to your mouth....

If you’re anything like me, you may find yourself falling into a rut of repetitive cooking in the weeks (and even months) after the holiday season. Right now, I’m burned out from hosting, and I’m feeling uninspired by the cabbage and Brussels sprouts at the store (any fresh fruits and produce are pretty limited here in Seattle). It’s been all too easy to fall back on easy family favorites and stay in our cooking comfort zone....

Known as the “original French tumblers,” in part because of their popularity at French bistros, Duralex Picardie glasses are made in France of tempered glass. They come in eight sizes and a variety of colors, but the ones I have and love are the clear 5.63-ounce ones ($20 for a set of six). This size is great for little kids. They’re small enough for little hands, and really the perfect weight – not too heavy or light....

Best Toppings for Chili A bowl of chili just isn’t complete without some toppings, don’t you think? Here are some suggestions for your table: Shredded cheese – a definite MUST!Sour creamDiced avocadoDiced red onionSliced green onionsChopped cilantroTortilla chips What to Serve With Chili Looking for some ideas for what to serve alongside your chili? Wedges of Southern cornbread or garlic knots are an excellent choice. If you’d like to balance your chili with some greens, then mix up a giant bowl of Caesar Salad and let guests help themselves....

Usually I skip them (more for dad) in favor of something green. The other day though, my mother made a cheesy boiled potato dish that I couldn’t stop eating. The star ingredient? Jalapeño pepper jack cheese. Melty, stringy, spicy, peppery cheese. Melt the cheese over russet or Yukon gold boiled potatoes and then douse with a little cream. Fabulous! The only issue is that with russets especially, it’s pretty easy to overcook the potatoes, making it harder for them to continue to hold their shape while they sit in their own heat waiting for the cheese to melt....

(“Since when do you go to bars, dad?” “Before I met your mother.” “So 50 years ago you could get pickled eggs in bars, in Minnesota.” “Yes.”) Bar culture aside, two of my favorite foods are pickles and hard boiled eggs, so why not pickle the eggs? Beet Pickled Eggs Apparently a popular way to pickle eggs is in beet juice, so that the egg whites turn a pretty fuchsia pink....

I nominate my Minnesota-raised father as the honorary chairman of that club. All I have to do is mention the words sausage and sauerkraut, and it doesn’t seem to matter what else is involved. He’s all over it. In this case, when I mentioned we were grilling polish sausages and then simmering them in beer with sauerkraut and onions, he couldn’t get here fast enough. Polish Sausage with Sauerkraut, A Summer Standby Sauerkraut and sausage are great summer grilling party food because you can keep those polish sausages simmering for a couple of hours on the grill, ensuring you have hot food ready throughout the party....

Well, perhaps if you used a sturdier bun, and wrapped the sandwich in aluminum foil like a burrito, it could be eaten like a sandwich. We just pile the pulled pork on a hamburger bun and eat it with a fork. Warm and spicy, pulled pork is the perfect dish for cooler weather (though we enjoy it any time of the year). This is my father’s pulled pork sandwich recipe, and is, in my humble opinion, the best....

The two are nearly identical in terms of flavor and texture – I think red quinoa is every so slightly chewier and nuttier – but one is pale and the other is a distinctive red brick color. I like using red quinoa because it’s so striking, particularly tossed in a salad with baby arugula and creamy cubes of feta. Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is neither a grain nor a cereal, but is actually the seeds from an ancient plant originally found in the Andes....

A classic Texas Ranch Water Cocktail consists of just three ingredients: Tequila, lime juice, and Topo Chico mineral water. But truth be told I couldn’t help but try and make a variation on a drink I loved, and it turns out that a little splash of homemade raspberry syrup makes this cocktail taste like summer in a glass. It’s also worth noting to use fresh lime juice when you’re making a batch....

But sometimes, sometimes we have even more cherries than we can justifiably eat, and common sense kicks in and we think, uh, maybe we should fill up on more than just fruit? Protein perhaps? Dinner beckons yet that big bowl of cherries eyes us temptingly. Dilemma solved. A quick and easy savory compote made with fresh cherries, walnuts, rosemary, and shallots in a wine reduction makes an excellent accompaniment to pork, chicken, or even duck....

This is not a slow slow-cooker recipe. You can have soup on the table in 3 hours, but you don’t need to stand over the stove stirring or fussing. Pop in at the 2 1/2-hour mark to add a bit of rice and shred your chicken. Then just let it ride for another 30 minutes—make a salad, set the table, nudge the kids to wrap up homework—and ladle it up and enjoy....

Chowders tend to be more stew-like or chunky, and bisques puréed. Bisques are traditionally made with shellfish, though these days a puréed tomato, cream-based soup can be called a bisque too. We half-puréed this smoked salmon bisque, which accounts for the photograph. My father made this delicious soup the other day after being inspired by a bisque we had at a local bistro and wine bar. So creamy and good!...

These muffins make a great grab-and-go breakfast or a healthy afternoon snack. They are also grain-free and very nutritious! I used a small pie pumpkin in these muffins, though you could use any hard winter squash or carrots. Just avoid pumpkin puree because the muffins will end up too wet. (Also avoid the giant pumpkins used for carving jack-o-lanterns; those aren’t very tasty!) If Paleo baking feels daunting, this is a great recipe to start with....

I know to make this soup whenever I can get asparagus, artichokes and peas all at the same time. These vegetables form the backbone to the soup. Another good thing about this minestrone is that it takes only about an hour to make, from start to finish, including prep time. Classic minestrone takes at least a couple hours to make. There’s something to be said for a quick version. Keep in mind that the ingredients below are a guide....