What Do You Want to Cook (and Eat) Right Now?
Spring 2010

Spring is a funny time for cooking. On the one hand it marks the welcome return of fresh green vegetables. On the other hand, we are ready to get out of the kitchen and go outside! What about you? Are you cooking a lot right now, or do you have a spring fever to get out and eat out?

We are looking for things that really inspire us to cook; we always get a little bogged down in this transition from winter to spring. Our palate isn't quite sure of what it wants, and the kitchen needs a good spring cleaning, too.

Personally I am really thinking about pizza and tarts, like the Green Asparagus Tarte Flambee pictured above (see more about these flat pizza-like tarts here). I also am thinking about risotto and spring salads.

What about you? What is inspiring you to stay in the kitchen right now?

(Image: Flickr member ugod licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Comments (22)

What I'm making tonight: homemade pizza (from scratch) with spinach & kale pesto (try it!), sautéed eggplant, mozzarella and prosciutto.

For tomorrow: asparagus and roasted red pepper tart.

For Friday: pasta primavera.

:)

i am craving ice cream and other frozen treats for lunch. and really big sandwiches to be eaten at picnics

tonight - homemade tortillas for tacos
tomorrow - burgers with basil and cheese fries made from scratch and a blueberry pie to round (me) and everything out..

The weather in NY keeps flipping between blazing 80 degree sunny days and 45 and raining. My wardrobe and cooking are feeling the strain. I've been making soups, but I've also been snapping up ramps and asparagus at the farmers market. Weird time of year, yes.

Tonight its tequila chicken on the grill, with over baked brown rice and sauteed spinach, in celebration of the first real "summery" day we've had here in Wisconsin.

I want all sorts of Tuna/Chicken salads on bread or with crackers. Grapes on the Side!

I've been craving eggplant and zucchini.

Not springy or summery, but this past weekend I made the Kitchn's double chocolate breakfast muffins for the second time. They are just as awesome as the first time.

We have been on a polenta kick lately! Not quite 'spring-y' I guess, but some delicious polenta with parmesan and a couple big turkey meatballs? Deelish.

Also jazzed with spinach. Alone unfortunately (the man, while brawny-is no Popeye) Sauteed with some onion and a splash of madeira at the end. If I'm feeling particularly punchy I'll add a chicken breast with prosciutto and a little melted fontina to make a full meal. But I'm just as happy to plop the spinach on some polenta for a quick weeknight veggie dinner.

I just made for lunch thin crust pizza inspired by the recent NYT article title The Slow Route to Homemade Pizza and food52 featuring a pizza with broccoli rabe and other yummies topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.
dough from Bread Machine Bible.
perfect rainy day food.

I love cooking in the Spring/Summer... the produce is abundant and so refreshing on a warm day. I love making tacos or grilled veggies or pizzas and anything with caprese!

Right now I want a fresh juice spritzer with fruit garnish... mmm.

Fresh spring peas with pasta with a light sauce and freshed shaved romano cheese!

I want some ramen noodles! I think I'll make that for dinner (with chicken, corn, and peas, natch). I also want to make some pizza dough so I can have pizza sometime soon.

rhubarb pie

My husband just finished his first year of evening law school so he's so happy to be back in the kitchen in the evenings that he's been cooking up a storm. He's made Cuban roast pork (and Cuban sandwiches, using my homemade bread), wonderful pork ragu, and homemade sage sausage.

I daydream about cooking all the time, and I have been thinking about making all kinds of interesting pizzas with my homemade dough. I'm making a lot of bread as always, and planning desserts for a party we're having over Memorial Day weekend. So far I've decided to make apple-raspberry pie, berry tart, almond shortbread thumbprint cookies with apricot jam, and a triple-layer Neapolitan style cake (one chocolate layer, one vanilla layer, and one strawberry layer).

My favorite spring dinners though are very simple: a few vegetables sauteed with some spices and an onion, or even just a salad with a light vinaigrette.

spring fever!!!!!!!!!!!! i've gone out to eat so much lately and i can't really afford it so must cut back and start cooking again. sigh. i just don't want to be indoors and don't have a bbq. we did a bbq in the park and brought home leftovers which i made eggplant parmesan with tonight but don't want to organize that every few days.

I've been getting into the raw vegan thing so I've found some recipes online and I really want to make this raw mango pie! Yum yum yum. I just bought a food processor online and can't wait to use it!

Fresh berries, juicy melons and peaches! Garden zucchini, italian green beans and crooknecks.

I've been traveling a lot, therefore eating out a lot, so I'm glad to be home and able to cook again. I've been itching to get back into the kitchen. Tonight is grilled salmon with cilantro pecan pesto...but I'm REALLY excited to go to the Farmers Market this Saturday for weekend cooking inspiration!

I just made a cherry clafouti with dark chocolate (http://remarkablydomestic.com/2010/05/18/dark-chocolate-cherry-clafouti/)... I love it when fresh spring and summer fruit starts to come into season.

Now I want corn on the cob!

It is not possible for me to eat too much fruit right now. Also tempting is lightly-cooked, lightly-dressed green veggies on rice.

I can't get enough of these chick pea burgers. It's a light dish served with rice. I made this recipe below plus on a different occasion a version with just chopped up spinach - it was also great. Served with rice and a salad or sliced cucumber would do.

Try it. It's an inexpensive, delicious vegetarian recipe. They can be grilled too and served with rice or put in a bun for a burger instead. Yum.

http://www.lifeologia.com/chickpea-burgers-yum/

I find I'm craving cuban and mexican type food and salads so the jerk chicken with salad we had the other day was fab. Lots of asparagus too while it's in season!