Spring is in the air and it’s got me wanting to eat greener and lighter dishes. I pulled out my Great Food Fast cookbook the other day and decided to give roasted salmon with lemon relish a try. With lemon zest, raisins and pine nuts, it had a Southern Italian flair that was sweet and crunchy. First roast some pine nuts (make extra, you can always sprinkle in salads or pastas). Then soak the zest of one lemon in a bowl filled with boiling hot water. Meanwhile, roast the salmon on baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes at 450. While that is cooking, drain and discard liquid from the raisins and zest. Return to bowl and add lemon juice, pine nuts, parsley and oil. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, make a bed of baby spinach in four bowls. Place salmon fillet on top. Spoon the lemon relish over that. The final dish was so light and yummy. We gobbled up every bite and were left wanting a little more. Click here for full recipe. — Angela M.

Our second showcase of Shelterrific reader collections is the Polish Pottery of Deb Schiff of Altered Plates and Here and There. According to The Polish Pottery Collector, “Polish Pottery is made in only one place – Boleslawiec, Poland – a small town in the southwest corner of Poland. Each piece [is] handcrafted using centuries-old techniques and unique materials.”

Deb’s collection is in the Peacock pattern. “There are quite a few different patterns available, but I find that sticking with the classics allows me to find many more of the pieces I’d like, like large vases,” she says.

Deb uses the pottery every day. “It’s really sturdy stuff — you can bake in it, microwave it, and run it through the dishwasher. I’ve even dropped bowls from the second shelf in the cabinet onto the counter without any damage to the bowl (or the counter).” (more…)

Do you ever get stuck in a dinner rut? I definitely do. Even though I do my damnedest to make something new every weekend, during the week I rotate through a handful of simple dishes that are easy to make, or resort to ready-made meals from the nearby deli. In the latest issue of Cookie mag, writer Jenny Rosenstrach embarks to make recipes 30 Recipes in 30 days. The results run the gamut of cuisines — from Asian (Vietnamese pork wraps) to dishes from co-workers (sweet potato lasagna). Even if you’re not trying to cook for a family with kids like Rosenstrach, her endeavor is inspiring. I personally am going to try the Swedish meatballs very soon. See all 30 recipes here. — Angela M.

Things seem to be thawing out a bit from winter’s chill — there are even a few flowers sprouting up in the yard — but that doesn’t mean that big bowl of chicken soup isn’t needed to warm us up on the inside. This curry chicken soup made by our talented friend Deborah has lots of fresh veggies in it — perfect for spring peas. She brought over a big pot of it to our place in Catskill a few weeks back and we can’t stop thinking about it. It had a real spicy kick to it, but felt so healthy and hearty we went in for seconds. Her recipe seems simple enough — I am definitely going to try to recreate on my own very soon. — Angela M. Click through to the next page for full recipe. (more…)

Update: I mentioned Seattle’s beloved Trophy Cupcake below, and as it turns out, Jennifer Shea of Trophy will be on Martha Stewart’s show this Thursday, demonstrating a s’mores cupcake recipe! Had to share that.

Martha Stewart has declared it Cupcake Week, and who are we to argue? It begins with a contest: “Share photos of your most creatively decorated cupcakes — use flowers, candy, marzipan, or whatever inspires — and you could win an elegant cupcake tree from the Martha Stewart Collection.” If you don’t win, you can console yourself with the perhaps less elegant, but infinitely practical (It’s true! I love mine!) Cupcake Courier. Not into baking and have a lot of disposable income? Celebrate with the latest cupcake-inspired furniture from Jellio: The Cupcake Seat (above). Jellio also offers a Cupcake Table, which we’ve talked about before (when it was known as the “Birthday Table”). Still too much effort? Revisit some easy, fun first-birthday tips from Megan K., including the cutest birthday hat you ever did see. (Incidentally, if you’re ever in Seattle and need a serious cupcake fix, Trophy is the place to go.) –Mary T.

I’m so charmed by these sweet vintage-mug-print tea towels, available in raspberry, gooseberry, and blueberry, $11 each from Etsy seller Skinny laMinx. If you’re not familiar with her, Skinny laMinx is multitalented Cape Town, South Africa illustrator, blogger, and designer extraordinaire Heather Moore. In addition to her gorgeous textile designs, Moore is the woman behind the Skinny laMinx blog and the Elle Decoration SA blog, both of which I highly recommend checking out. (I love seeing what’s going on with design in different parts of the world, and South Africa seems particularly rich in wonderful English-language design blogs such as Moore’s, as well as three other faves of mine: Freshly Found, Smoke and Ochre, and Spray Glue.) See all of the offerings in Skinny laMinx’s Etsy shop right here. –Leah H.

See more of Leah’s great finds on her blog, More Ways to Waste Time.

We joke with friends that all of Rachael Ray’s recipes have Fritos or Cool-Whip in them — even though I have cooked a bunch and none of them have. But when I spotted this recipe in the March issue of her magazine that did I had to give it a try. At first I had planned on substituting corn tortilla chips for the Fritos, but Chad wisely talked me out that. The chili was simple enough: Brown some ground beef in a Dutch oven, then add in onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. After that simmers for a few minutes, stir in black and pinto beans, and a can of tomatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then top with shredded cheese and cilantro and serve over — you guessed it — a bed of Fritos in a bowl. We also added in some corn — this is definitely a recipe you can adapt as you like. Just don’t forget those magical corn chips — they really did make it extra “delish”. Click here to see full recipe. — Angela M.

The lovely almond biscotti wasn’t the only sweet treat delivered to us in our newborn parent days! Our extremely generous neighbors Brendon and Jen brought up the most delicious, decadent pecan pie. Even though it wasn’t a holiday, we gobbled it up like any ol’ Tuesday was Thanksgiving. Why not give it a try this Easter weekend? Here’s Brendon’s scoop on this classic. — Angela M.

I used to have this when I went to my grandparents’ house for Christmas in Picayune, MS and loved it. It was usually out waiting for us when we first arrived at the house. When I started cooking for myself, I was excited to be able to bake this dish, especially since it’s so easy. It only has five steps - if you count preheating the oven as a step. I most frequently cook it for occasions when I am going over to a friend’s place and need to bring a dish. And I haven’t dared change it, since I always think of it as the best pecan pie I’ve ever had :). — Brendon. Click through to the next page for the full recipe!

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We had the extreme luck to be invited over to enjoy our friend Dorian’s wonderful Irish feast last night. Dinner included delicious corned beef and cabbage and colcannon, but our absolute favorite was the beef and Guinness pie: savory beef, onions and mushrooms in a beer gravy inside a puff pastry. So, so good. Dorian used the Saveur recipe, but added an extra layer of puff pastry. She wasn’t happy with that addition, since she couldn’t get the pastry to cook all the way through, but it’s safe to say her guests didn’t notice! Dorian says, “I took liberties with the choice of bakeware (still scared of my Pyrex rectangle baker!) and I’d not use double the puff pastry for the aforementioned gummy reasons, but the pic turned out kind of nice. Anyway, the recipe is really easy, a sort of throw-everything-in-the-pot and cook type of thing.” If that’s the case, maybe she’ll make this for us every week! –Mary T.

Here’s a recipe for those of you serving a crowd on St. Patrick’s Day — though I actually made this back in January (P.I. time — pre-Isadora) and froze half of it. Ironically, it’s “Mom’s Beef Stew” from a book called Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook. (I’m not sure what it says about me, that of all the recipes in the book, I picked out the one that was ‘Mom’s’). It’s amazingly easy, if you have a slow cooker handy.

First, place chopped up potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the cooker. Then coat two pounds of boneless beef chunks in flour, paprika, salt and pepper, and brown it in a skillet. Transfer to the meat to the slower cooker, and add in chopped onion, celery, mushrooms. Stir up, leaving potatoes and carrots on the bottom layer. Add in a mixture of beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and cloves. Tuck in a bay leave or two and some parsley sprigs. Cover, and cook on low for eight to nine hours. Right before you serve, stir in some frozen peas and cook for fifteen more minutes. We served our stew over mashed potatoes. Talk about a comfort food hitting home! This dish did the trick.

I’m sure there is a way to make this without a slow cooker — simmering in a dutch oven on the stove for three or four hours? Does anyone know? Click through to the next page for the full recipe! — Angela M. (more…)