Farm to Table Family

Roast chicken is one of our family's favorite meals. This recipe makes tender juicy chicken with crispy skin! It's a perfect one pot meal that is so easy and delicious and a favorite of ours year round.

Homemade granola is the BEST! We go through so much granola in my house. We love it for breakfast with yogurt and fruit, and the kids eat it as a snack regularly. After I started making it myself, I have to say that no store bought granola can compare with this crunchy chunky deliciousness. My kids will find it in the cupboard and eat it right out of the jar. It's so good.

My kids love cheese and dipping things! Whipped ricotta is an easy way to make a beautiful snack or appetizer for the entire family. Inspired by a recent family trip to New York City and a visit to Locanda Verde restaurant, the kids and I gobbled up this dish and wanted more. I wanted to recreate it at home and found that it was not only simple but also gorgeous. Pair it with some garlic toast.

Green Eggs & Ham was my favorite story growing up and now it's one of my son's favorites. He gets pretty excited when we make this for breakfast together and will sometimes say a few lines as he's smearing on the sauce! In the mornings, I need to keep things simple and quick, so for me it's all about the pesto here. Some fresh eggs and a good breakfast ham and you're done! AND it's fun!

I learned how to make this simple but amazingly tasty apple pie from Chef Susan Loomis in Paris. I'll never forget how excited I was when I was making it and then even more excited when I tasted it! You can use all kinds of seasonal fruit like plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines. The crust is flaky, buttery, and it's made in 10 seconds in a food processor!

This pumpkin soup baked in a pumpkin, is tasty, simple and perfect for the holidays coming up! Ever since we received the book "Pumpkin Soup" in our preschool book club, I've been wanting to make this perfect fall soup for the kids. We went to a real pumpkin patch to pick out the Cinderella pumpkin for the soup and the boys got to see how pumpkins grow.

Made naturally with honey, these caramel apples are not cloying. They have a beautiful light honey flavor that pairs really well with a tart granny smith apple. Top it off with some sprinkles, nuts, or your favorite toppings for an extra special treat!

This simple yet delicious vegetable dish is a perfect side dish for poultry, beef or fish. It is simply prepared with fresh lemon peel, garlic and chicken broth. Although the ingredients are simple, the flavor is anything but! You can prepare any green vegetable in the same exact way, and remember to taste as you're cooking to make sure the flavors and texture are perfect.

Quiche is a dish that can be prepared in advance using basic ingredients and any veggies that you have on hand. In the spirit of the holidays, one afternoon I recently tried a combination of sweet apples and earthy brussels sprouts. Surrounded by a creamy egg filling, it was, honestly, delicious.

Black Sesame and Orange Zest Shortbread Cookies may sound fancy and even a little complicated, but I promise, they aren't! Shortbread dough is a basic recipe that lends itself to all kinds of delicious mix ins. For this recipe, I chose to add black sesame seeds and orange zest for a burst of flavor. My favorite part about this recipe though is that your kids can help you with it!

Lasagna with fresh tomatoes and basil is healthy but still substantial enough to feed the family. Using homemade lasagna noodles will make each bite taste fresh, silky, and smooth. It's perfect for even my littlest one! But never fear, dried lasagna noodles will work perfectly well too!

Making your own fresh pasta dough is a lot easier than you think. All it takes are three ingredients and the willingness to get your hands a little dirty! It's also a great recipe because the dough will store well, making opening your freezer the only thing standing in the way of you and Italy. Bellissima!

Lemon gelato is one of my favorite deserts for reasons more than just its taste. When my sister and I were traveling in Italy, we found the most amazing lemon gelato and ended up eating it every day! Lots of fond memories come to mind when I think of that time but none perhaps as sweet as that gelato. Tart but sweet, creamy and always refreshing -- it was bliss.

Raspberry sage ginger soda is a great way to introduce your kids to new flavors. The ginger and sage are added in a very subtle way so as not to overpower any of even the tinniest taste buds. It's also super fresh with all natural agave sugar, making this recipe a delicious departure from your everyday soda! Pour a cup for you and your little one and toast to new tastes. Cheers!

Toast with ricotta, beets and oranges packs big flavor in small bites. Oranges and beets are a delicious way to hold onto the citrus season while the crunchiness and the cheese makes it kid friendly.

Getting dinner on the table is so quick and easy with ramen. Ramen is tasty, nourishing and with all the possible toppings, it's never boring!

Sushi is an easy, light and healthy meal kids and parents can enjoy together. Pair sushi with edamame, fruit or tofu and you're all set for a picnic or lunch on the go!

This chocolate cake is indulgently dark, rich and moist. Bonus, it's also incredibly easy to make. It's a one-bowl, one-whisk recipe that's practically foolproof. Topped with a tangy, creamy and sophisticated orange-infused mascarpone frosting, this may just be the perfect way to end a meal or celebrate a special occasion.

It's amazing how much a simple food can connect you to home. For me, avocados are the perfect embodiment of everything I love about California. Here are two of my favorite avocado recipes: a simple avocado toast with lemon and chili pepper, and an avocado and roasted carrot salad perfect for the kiddos.

Earthy quinoa, creamy avocado and salty ricotta - the perfect combination all in one bowl. Quinoa is great on it's own but place it in a bowl, along with veggies, protein and pretty much anything else you can cook up, and it becomes a supper yummy meal packed with power foods.

All you need to make a good steak is good quality meat, salt and pepper. It's that simple, which is great because having three boys (my husband included) at home who love their red meat can put you on the spot! In making a steak countless number of times at home, this has become my go to recipe for THE perfect steak.

Learn the surefire way to make a fantastic pizza at home.The crust for this pizza recipe is chewy in the center, crispy on the outside, and full of flavor, thanks to generous amounts of salt and olive oil. Just remember to crank up the oven as high as it will go, and most importantly, don't be shy tossing the pizza dough.

Fluffy on the inside, golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside, these pancakes are the perfect vehicle for a pat of butter, a bit of fresh fruit, and lots of good old fashioned maple syrup.

It's amazing how freezing a bit of fresh fruit on a stick can turn healthy food into the BEST. SNACK. EVER. Homemade popsicles take advantage of the ripe fruit of the season, are so so tasty, and dare I say, a bit healthy. The best part is, once you know the blueprint, the possibilities are endless. Just start with the basics: fresh fruit, your favorite sweetener, and you're good to go.

Get tips on how to get kids involved in the kitchen and experience one of the most rewarding experiences you can have with your family.

Fresh tomatoes are the star ingredient in this spaghetti recipe. Buy the most flavorful ones you can, and after that everything will be a piece of cake...er, pasta.

Fried rice is one of those guilty pleasures a lot of us associate with our neighborhood Chinese delivery place, but try this recipe and I think you might find yourself tossing that takeout menu.

This simple mac & cheese gets its creamy goodness solely from the cheese.

Follow Patricia and family as they hunt for wild mushrooms. Then head over to the kitchen to cook a veggie showstopper.

Nutty pureed butternut squash, juicy turkey, and cheese, baked until golden brown and bubbling. It’s the perfect meal for the baby in the family, but you'll want some for yourself.

In the midst of the inevitable Thanksgiving meltdown, the idea of trying to come up with something special for the baby to eat can be downright overwhelming. But the best part about the Thanksgiving meal is, it’s tailor-made for baby! All it takes is the right combination of dishes you’re already making, and the magic of the blender.

These pickles are packed full of flavor from ingredients like thyme, orange, coriander and mustard seeds, and have a nice pucker thanks to some rice wine vinegar. They make a great appetizer alongside some toasted bread and cheese (goat cheese, whipped ricotta, crème fraiche, or yogurt would all be perfect creamy counterpoints).

Filled with an intense clementine-scented, dark chocolate ganache, these macarons are a lovely combination of crunchy and smooth.

Bone broth is nutrient-rich and makes for a comforting drink or even an amazing stock. And now, it looks like bone broth may even create stronger bones and joints, boost your immune system, and make for shinier hair, all because of the collagen and calcium phosphate released during the long cooking process.

Enjoy the combination of the sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of rhubarb in this delicious pie.

We are a dumpling family. These little gems are juicy and savory all wrapped up in pretty bite-sized packages. This recipe is super simple and it makes a ton. So have yourself a dumpling folding party and pop the extras in the freezer for an easy dinner any time.

When it comes to making drool-worthy jam, Jessica Koslow of SQIRL really knows her stuff. Her recipe for raspberry-cardamom jam will knock your socks off. This recipe is simple, easy to make, and a sure success at home even for the first time. It actually works very well with regular grocery store raspberries, meaning this could be a great project if you don't have a farmer's market nearby.