Happy 2016! I hope you had an awesome New Year. This year I surprised Brad with a trip to Catalina for their annual Gala in the Avalon Casino. If you’ve never been, the casino is a large, beautiful art deco building with a massive ballroom and movie theater that was built in 1927. It’s never…
Braised Red Cabbage with Apple Cider Vinegar
OK, I have to admit that it’s been two months since I made this cabbage but looking at these pictures makes me realize I have to make it again immediately. I feel like it’s always that way with cabbage – I totally forget about it as a meal option until something like St. Patrick’s Day…
Moroccan Carrot Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing
Every year we make a point to see every Shakespeare in the Park performance in Griffith Park. Our local Independent Shakespeare Company does some of the most creative and entertaining stagings of classics I’ve ever seen. We’ve been going for about 5 years now and their shows are always among the highlights of our summer….
Easy At-Home Shrimp Boil
Fresh corn, red potatoes, and plump shrimp simmered in traditional Old Bay seasoning make a crazy fun Summer meal that’s as delicious as it is easy to put together. Brad took me to my first crawfish boil several years ago and I loved the relaxed, easy atmosphere – especially considering that the hosts were cooking…
Super Skinny Creamy Spinach Pasta Primavera
Does a giant bowl of creamy noodles packed with Spring vegetables for under 150 calories sound too good to be true? Creamy AND vegan? Noodles AND gluten-free? Brad didn’t believe me either until I used this recipe to try out Miracle Noodle’s new spinach shirataki noodles. Granted, this is a very different dish that your…
Skinny Chicken Pot Pie
Although I’ve been a Cooks Illustrated subscriber for a decade I’ve only seen American’s Test Kitchen once. They made this Chicken Pot Pie With Savory Crumble Topping and I cooked it up the same night. In true Test Kitchen/ Cook’s Illustrated fashion, it was the best pot pie I’d ever had. The peppery Parmesan crumble…
Grilled Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Skewers with Yogurt Dill Sauce
This tender, succulent Moroccan-spiced chicken breast served with flavorful grilled vegetables is the dish of the month at Chez Jones and will probably be the dish of the Summer. I’d been working on the recipe in my head for a few weeks and it turned out even more delicious than I hoped. Served with bitter…
The Best Mulligatawney Soup
I’m sorry it’s been so long, guys! My new gig promises to be crazy fun but is mostly just crazy crazy right now. Let me make it up to you with this recipe for what I can confidently say is the best Mulligatawney soup since Seinfeld. Since there’s no definitive recipe or even flavor composition…
Superfood Muffins with Mulberries and Flaxseed
So I’m not a baker. I’m not very good at it and I don’t really enjoy it. It’s a little strange because I consider myself a pretty darn good cook but all the rule following and precision required for baking just doesn’t align with my strengths. I love being able to improvise over the stove…
Skinny Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
As an, er, “alcohol enthusiast” of Irish decent I pretty much subscribe to the philosophy that St. Patrick’s is amateur night. However, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that observance of the holiday doesn’t have to be just green beer and pinching. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this simple, lightened up Shepherd’s Pie is made…
