Some of the easiest, simplest dishes on this site are also the most popular.  They’re the ones that you guys email me to tell me you tried on a random Wednesday, and that you and your families loved.  I won’t lie — those are some of the best emails I get. 

And I very much hope that this will fall into that category.  This is such an easy, healthy, inexpensive recipe that makes for a delicious dinner.  It’s vegetarian, but you could easily throw on some grilled chicken strips for a little extra protein or for those members of your family who can’t imagine dinner without meat. 

A lot of people have a major aversion to green peppers — I actually like them, but it’s like cilantro or celery, you never want to include them when you can find an easy substitute.  Yellow and red bell peppers have a softer, mellower flavor without any bitterness — combine that with some freshly grated Parmesan, great olive oil, and whole wheat pasta, and you’re basically done.  Delicious and simple!

Bell Pepper Pasta

INGREDIENTS
1 pound whole wheat rotini pasta
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Boil pasta in salted water according to the package directions.  While the pasta is boiling, heat the bell pepper strips, garlic and shallot with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of water, cooking until the peppers are tender and the water has mostly boiled off.  About 1 minute before the pasta is finished, add the parmesan and stir thoroughly.  When the pasta is finished, drain the water and add to the pan with the pepper strips and olive oil, and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Spoon into bowls and top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.  Serve.

Serves 4.

We threw a little party this weekend, the first one we’ve had since moving to Houston in September — things were so busy with the holidays and then the bar exam, we kind of spent the the last few months trying to catch our breath.  This weekend kind of snuck up on me, so I didn’t have time to do any actual cooking, but I spent a lot of time thinking about the decorations (again, I totally blame Pinterest)!

One of the fun things about inspiration photos is how easy some of them are to put into use!  My rosemary lemonade cocktail was based on this photo, and I got the idea for putting cookies with little cordial glasses of milk here.  Both of these were incredibly simple and looked so pretty!

I decided on a black-and-white theme, so I kind of combined food and decor by using hurricane jars as candy-holders and centerpieces for our tables!  I used oreos, peppermint patties, black licorice, and Hershey’s kisses to keep the colors consistent, and used patterned paper tablecovers (I cut one in half to cover two tables), and black and white napkins, plates and cups from Walmart and Party City to complete the setting.

Since we’re looking to hopefully buy a house in the next few months, I felt like it made sense to pick up glasses and serving pieces in slightly larger quantities (since hopefully we’ll have a bigger kitchen soon).  On the recommendation of a friend, I found champagne and wine glasses at Ikea for under $1 each — so I don’t have to be upset when a few of them (inevitably) break.  I also picked up a few trays of appetizer sets from Z Gallerie, one of my absolute favorite stores in Houston (I can’t believe there wasn’t one in New York)!

I didn’t manage to get any photos of the final setup (I added balloons, lit candles, and obviously, we filled the room with guests), but it was a terrific night.  Hope you guys all had a great weekend!

{rosemary lemonade and champagne}

{mini popcorn boxes}

{black and white table setting}

{oreos and peppermint patties}

{m&m cookies and milk}

{more table shots!}

For the past few weeks, I haven’t done much serious cooking — although I’ve made dinner most nights, it’s usually just a really simple baked chicken or fish in a super easy (sometimes store-bought) marinade.  Takeout was a lot easier in New York, so I’ve had to adjust a little for the night when we don’t want to put much effort into dinner.

So I thought I’d share one of my easy, go-to recipes!  You probably have almost all of these ingredients in your fridge right now, so if you want, feel free to whip this one up tonight.  It only takes a few minutes!

I’ve gotten so used to running at 200% for the last few months, I almost cant get my mind around the idea of a full weekend with nothing to do.  We’re heading to the Rodeo tomorrow night, which I absolutely can’t wait for, and hopefully we’re going to start looking at houses in the next few weeks!  Today, it’s 10:30 a.m. and I’m still in bed catching up on Portlandia, trying to motivate myself to get dressed so I can go shopping.  Not a bad day so far!

Maple Glazed Salmon

Ingredients

4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp fleur de sel
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
1/2 pound salmon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.