Stuffed pork chops with kielbasa and sauerkraut

My father is of German Austrian descent, so naturally we eat a lot of pork chops and sauerkraut. Recipes containing the same have almost a genetic pull over him. Add some kielbasa and the urge to try the recipe becomes irresistable. Dad found this recipe (made minor adjustments) in an old (1988) issue of Gourmet. Warm and hearty, it's perfect for Winter.

Basque lamb stew

My father's been going through 20 years of old cooking magazines, looking for interesting things to cook and hoping to clear up some space on his bookshelf. Last night we enjoyed this delicious stew, pulled from a back issue of Saveur magazine.

Arugula salad with beets and goat cheese

Winter in California is the season for arugula, along with many other lettuces. A few years ago we planted some in our garden and now each year the arugula re-seeds itself and takes over with a flourish, starting in December. Arugula was popularized a few years ago as a central component of California cuisine. For those unfamiliar with it, it tastes a lot like watercress - peppery and slightly bitter. In this recipe the goat cheese mellows the pepperiness of the arugula, while the beets offer a sweet contrast to its bitter quality. Chopped walnuts add a little more texture to the salad.

Panko-crusted salmon

Panko is a Japanese type of bread crumb that is especially light and crunchy, popular these days with chefs because it doesn't get soggy. What I love about this way of preparing salmon is that the panko topping seems to hold in the salmon's moisture while roasting, so the salmon doesn't get dried out at all. The salmon is perfectly moist, flakey, and seasoned.

Crunchy french toast

On a recent visit with my goddaughter Piper and her sisters Alden and Reilly, the girls surprised me one morning by making me their favorite version of French toast for breakfast - a "crunchy" French toast coated with corn flakes (actually a Corn flakes like cereal with dried blueberries in it) and baked in the oven. The three sisters, ages 4, 7, and 9, did everything to prepare this meal, while I sat astounded, watching them, lifting not a finger to help. These little French toast squares were actually quite good, especially with butter and real maple syrup. The recipe comes from a book they received for Christmas - Kitchen for Kids Crunchy French Toast Recipe Print Options Add to shopping list Ingredients

Ramp and parsley pesto

Please welcome Hank from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook as he shares one of his favorite things to make with wild foraged ramps, ramp and parsley pesto. Outstanding with pasta, though I ate half of this straight with a spoon. So good.

Creamy shrimp and broccoli fettuccine

Shown cooked with brown rice pasta.
We were recently sent a review copy of Dave's Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-Cooked Meals by Dave Lieberman of the Food Network. Honestly, I've never heard of Dave as I don't watch much TV outside of House. That said, most of the recipes in his book look pretty good - interesting combinations of easy-to-find ingredients, nothing too complicated, perfect for home cooking. The following is an adaptation of Dave's Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine recipe. I thought it needed a little more sauce and some greenery, hence the broccoli. It was quite good, and came together quickly. I can imagine lots of variations on the same theme (diced ham instead of shrimp, chopped kale in place of broccoli, or skip the broccoli all together).