Vacation lemon pie.

In my book, vacation = pie. But you don’t have to go anywhere to make this citrusy pie, adapted from a New York Times recipe. If you love key lime pie, you’ll dig this close relative.

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!

Loving Italian food and culture.

Rob and I are just back from 10 glorious, all-to-brief days in Italy. Already, the trip has made a lasting impression on how we eat and live day to day. Here are a few journal notes … and some mouthwatering photos!

Sweet and salty trail mix.

In advance of National Trail Mix Day on August 31 (who knew that was a *thing*?), here’s my favorite homemade trail mix recipe. My ideal mix is a salty-sweet combo with mostly healthy stuff (whole grain cereal, unsalted nuts, raisins) plus some Reese’s Pieces. I’ll be packing this along on our next road trip. Let my trail mix recipe inspire you to try your own combination: see it on writes4food.com!

Pasta with chard pesto and creme fraiche.

Here’s another taste of California Wine Country cuisine for you: a bright, velvety, gorgeous pesto made with Swiss chard, enhanced with the creamy tang of creme fraiche. (Who knew?) Get this recipe for pasta with Swiss chard pesto, inspired by our recent travels!

Radish and avocado salad with toasted seeds.

A recent trip to California provided tons of culinary inspiration! It’s such a cliché, but California cuisine is just so fresh, so flavorful, so simple. This recipe for a beautiful salad of radish, avocado and toasted seeds typifies this method of cooking. Nothing complicated about it, but it’s jaw-droppingly delicious. Get the recipe!

Potato and thyme focaccia.

A visit to Eataly, the impressive Italian food emporium in Chicago, inspired this recipe for homemade focaccia with potatoes and thyme. Get the recipe.