The Dorothy Project: Spanish rice pilaf with zucchini and tomatoes.

As I’ve been browsing through my grandmother Dorothy’s “Kitchen Klips” recipe file, I’ve smiled as I discovered recipes that are very familiar to me. That’s because I sent them to her. Back in the 90s, Grandma published a cookbook, and she included many recipes from family and friends in addition to her own favorites. I sent her this recipe for Spanish Rice Pilaf with Zucchini and Tomatoes — it didn’t make the cut for her book, but Rob and I make it all. the. time. It’s the perfect summer-to-fall transitional dish. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

‘Lost and found’ zucchini casserole.

When you’re going through a collection of vintage recipes, it’s fun to imagine what prompted the person who assembled the collection to include a particular recipe. This recipe for a simple, one-bowl zucchini casserole just seems so much like my grandmother: it’s good, and not at all fussy. Here’s the next installment in The Dorothy Project: Lost and Found Zucchini Casserole, which she clipped from Gourmet magazine in the 1980s. Get the recipe on writes4food.com.

The Dorothy Project: Poppy seed cake.

Welcome to installment No. 1 of The Dorothy Project, in which I’ll cook my way through many of the recipes in my grandma’s old recipe file. First up: one of my favorite desserts from growing up. I loved poppy seed cake so much it was the top layer of our wedding cake. Get my grandma’s old-fashioned recipe on writes4food.com — it’s really easy!

Summer melon and golden tomato salad with honey-lime vinaigrette.

Working on the theory that food that grows together tastes good together — and on a corollary theory that Feta cheese makes pretty much any summer salad that much better — I hacked together this recipe for Summer Melon and Golden Tomato Salad (did I mention Feta?). It’s so simple it’s stupid. Plus, honey-lime vinaigrette. You’ve got all the ingredients on hand or at your neighborhood farm stand. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

Arancini (delicious balls of fried risotto).

Ahh, these cute little balls of fried risotto and cheese deliciousness. I’m still on a kick for Italian appetizers, and arancini totally fits the bill. Yeah, they’re fried. We can live with that. They’re delicious. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

Couscous salad with apples and feta.

I made up this recipe after we had a similar salad at a delightful little bar/cafe in Lucca, Tuscany. Couscous is the ideal base for any kind of salad—and this one has a lovely range of flavors and textures: crisp, sweet apple, salty Feta, briny olive, crunchy almonds. It’s kinda perfect, actually. Get the recipe for Couscous Salad with Apple and Feta over on writes4food.com!

Quite possibly the best summer gazpacho.

I’m sort of a junkie for gazpacho — that most refreshing (and no cook!) of summer soups. This Quick Blender Gazpacho recipe is my go-to for the season: bright, flavorful, perfect for lunch on a hot day.

Quick breaded chicken tenders with corn salad.

You’ll want to bookmark this recipe, not just because it’s the thing to fix for dinner tonight (what with summer sweet corn being totally awesome right now), but because these Quick Breaded Chicken Tenders is a basic, all-year, even-for-picky-eaters kind of lifesaver recipe. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

Quick fresh tomato soup.

Who doesn’t love grilled cheese and tomato soup? It’s, like, the best lunch ever. And it makes a great easy supper. But—blech!—canned tomato soup. Nope, you need this Quick Tomato Soup recipe: really great, good for you and almost (almost!) as easy as opening up that can. Get the recipe on writes4food.com.

writes4food

recipes and wisdom from a Midwestern kitchen

Category: Dish