FARGO — This week marks my 600th feature in this column and it is hard to believe nearly 12 years have passed since I first began sharing recipes with you. In the beginning, I wondered how long I would be able to continue producing new recipes, but thankfully, we all must eat — several times a day, every single day. Thankfully, I come from a family of adventurous eaters who enjoy trying new dishes, and they often serve as my inspiration.
I take inspiration from you, too. One of my favorite perks of writing this column is getting to interact with our readers, whether it is in person, online or via email. This happens on a regular basis, sometimes with a question about a recipe or culinary technique, or to suggest a topic for a future column. Other times, I might hear about your success with one of my recipes, and sometimes folks will even include a photo or share one of their own recipes with me (I just love it when this happens).
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The three questions I receive most often are:
1) When are you going to publish a cookbook?
2) Where can I easily find your recipes, with printable versions?
3) What are you cooking these days?
This summer, I am working to provide answers to these queries, and I would love to have your feedback in the process. I am currently combing through my recipe archive to select the best dishes for a cookbook I plan to produce in the coming months. In addition to seeking input from my family, I would also like to hear from you. Which recipes have become your favorites, and why? What makes them special to you? Have you picked up any cooking tips or techniques from this column that have helped you become a better cook? If so, what are they? What recipes and tips would you like to see featured in future columns?
As for finding my recipes, many of my earlier recipes can be found on my website at sarahnasello.com , and this summer I will be updating the site to include all my recipes. I plan to have this task completed by the fall and, in the meantime, you can visit inforum.com to search for my recipes, or shoot me an email to request one (or more) at [email protected] .
The third question is a fun one to answer, especially since my son, Giovanni, is back home with us for the summer. In addition to some new dishes, I have also been making many meals with recipes from previous columns. For Father’s Day, I grilled ribeye steaks and served them with a savory Italian salsa verde, a new recipe which I will be sharing with you soon.
For side dishes, we enjoyed the always-refreshing Cucumber Avocado Salad with Pickled Onion Vinaigrette , a Classic Caprese Salad and My Mother’s Best Potato Salad . Last weekend, I did a deep dive into the archive and found a recipe that became a favorite of ours during the pandemic summer of 2020, Grilled Pepper Chicken Skewers . I made this dish several times that summer and then we pretty much forgot about it. Chalk it up to the fog of those COVID years.
I am happy to report that this recipe was even more delicious than we had remembered. The chicken tenders marinate for several hours in an unbelievably savory sauce made with roasted red peppers and yellow banana peppers — talk about umami. I served the grilled chicken with slices of grilled Buttertop White Bread and extra sauce for dipping, just like I did four years ago, and my men were positively swooning. I will not wait another four years, or even four months, to make this dish again.
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As a girl, I never cared for cooking of any kind, and I never imagined I would one day develop recipes or write about homemade food for a newspaper column. While I have always loved writing, cooking and baking have brought me unexpected joy over the years and being able to share this delight with you is the icing on the cake. Life is indeed what you bake it, and I thank you for following along with me on this culinary journey. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you a happy and delicious summer.
The Trust Project
