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When I want a quick go-to warm dish, I often turn to a plate of lightly-curried potatoes and spinach. It's not too spicy, but has a hint of Indian flair, and costs much less than heading to the nearest Indian restaurant for take-out.
I start by sauteing cubed potatoes in a little butter, a little oil, a liberal sprinkling of curry powder, and salt.
Once the potatoes are fork-tender and getting crispy, I add a few turns around the pan of cream, and toss a handful of fresh spinach on top.
The spinach wilts quite quickly, so be ready to eat!
Once the spinach is wilted, I check for seasonings and add salt (or pepper) if necessary.
The other night, after watching Throwdown! with Bobby Flay (the episode where he challenges the Pretzel Boys of Philly), my friend and I were inspired to make our own soft pretzels. The next morning, we found a simple Bavarian-style soft pretzel recipe on the BeerSmith blog -- it's the type of pretzel that Bobby made during the Throwdown.
The pretzel dough-making was easy. Just follow the directions in the recipe to mix and knead the dough, let it rise until doubled, then shape. The pretzels take a quick bath (15-20 seconds) in boiling baking soda-water solution and are ready to be sprinkled with delicious toppings -- we did some with salt only, some with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or Parmesan cheese, and one or two with a combo of everything.
Here's what they looked like after the water bath and the addition of the toppings.
They spent about 8 minutes in a 475 degree (F) oven and were ready to be ripped apart. We ate them plain, but you could dip them in mustard or a cheesy sauce. I would definitely repeat this recipe again. They were fantastic!
Yesterday, while exploring the aisles of Taste of Europe (European grocery that stocks Russian, Bosnian, Polish, Macedonian, and German foods -- next to the YMCA on 34D Mallets Bay Ave. in Winooski), my favorite Ukrainian found quite the selection of ajvar. Ajvar is a Balkan condiment that is made from red peppers, eggplant, garlic and chili peppers. It can be either mild or hot, and was the perfect addition (along with some Bulgarian sheep's milk cheese) to our burgers last night. You can order ajvar online from Taste of Europe at Eurofoodmart.com.
A friend was staying at our house last weekend, and I whipped up a dinner in celebration of her moving back to VT. It was the first grilling of the season for me (at least on our grill), and here's what I made: whey-fed pork (loin chops and country-style ribs) from Willow Hill Farm marinated, basted and served with a hybrid chimichurri-mojo sauce (super herby + citrus + garlic); grilled summer squash, zucchini, and scallions with a warm grilled tomato vinaigrette; savory tomato wedges and a guacamole salad (chunky tomatoes, cukes, and avocado, dressed in a zesty cilantro vinaigrette). 
Once the potatoes are fork-tender and getting crispy, I add a few turns around the pan of cream, and toss a handful of fresh spinach on top.
The spinach wilts quite quickly, so be ready to eat!
Once the spinach is wilted, I check for seasonings and add salt (or pepper) if necessary.
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