Who knew Swiss chard could be this good?! The key is to slice the chard very thinly and cook it over medium-high heat until it caramelizes on the edges. These greens are not soggy or mushy, no way.

This cooked chard is a little garlicky, a little lemony, and seriously irresistible. It’s the perfect quick and healthy side dish. The chard shrinks in volume while it cooks, so you’ll find yourself eating more greens than you realize—your body will thank you!

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Spring is here! It switched on like a light bulb about a week ago in Kansas City. The daffodils are on their way up, the birds are chirping, and Cookie and I are thrilled. I’m literally humming, “The hills are alive,” on our walks around the neighborhood.

Today, I wanted to share a shockingly green pasta dish with you. It’s easy to make, nourishing and comforting, which is exactly what we need right now. I wouldn’t blame you if you find the color off-putting, but I promise it’s so tasty!

The cool thing about this dish is that we use the same pot of water to cook the kale (including the kale stems), pasta and peas. You’ll need to set a few timers. It’s not complicated, but maybe wait to pour another glass of wine until you’re sitting down to eat.

Once it all comes together, this dish almost tastes like deconstructed ravioli. It’s bright green and punctuated with tender peas and creamy ricotta. Make some for dinner tonight?

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The Italians have graced us with countless delicious recipes. I’ve loved pizza and spaghetti for as long as I can remember, of course, but I’ve only recently discovered pasta e fagioli.

Pasta e fagioli translates to “pasta and beans.” Pasta and beans may not sound terribly enticing (unless you’re me), but I assure you that this Italian stew is truly irresistible.

Lots of aromatics, crushed tomatoes, fresh parsley and Tuscan kale turn pasta and beans into a hearty meal-in-a-bowl situation. I can’t claim that this recipe is 100 percent authentic, but it’s the best I can do.

If you appreciate homemade minestrone soup, marinara, lasagna or baked ziti, I think you’ll love this stew. It’ll warm you right up on cold days, and tastes even better the next day.

I designed this pasta e fagioli recipe to make use of canned beans, so this stew is ready in about an hour! I bet you have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already. It’s an excellent candidate for a relaxed weeknight.

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I hit a wall last week, figuratively speaking. I’ve been so utterly consumed with projects on my to-do list that I’ve neglected the basic necessities. You know, important stuff like sleep, food and time with friends. A person can only neglect that stuff for so long before she breaks down and calls her mama and cries. And by “a person,” I mean me.

In hindsight, I’ve been trying to do way too much at once and I’ve been trying to do it all myself. Examples: applying for a trademark, installing my new light fixture, hemming and hanging curtains, redesigning this website, taking my dog to the vet three times a week, obsessively baking brownies, like, six times until they are just right, and, well, SEND HELP.

If there’s ever a time to hunker down and work on some projects, though, it’s during the depths of winter. Now that the weather is warming up and my to-do list has fewer ambitious projects on it, I’m ready to take it easy. For starters, I’m forcing myself to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

I also invited my friends over for girls’ night last night. I made them this redeeming and restorative green soup, which our friend Tessa had made for us at a girls’ night past. The recipe came highly recommended from her coworker. I liked it so much that I thought I’d share it with you all.

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Afternoon forecast: too many decisions up in the air. I stayed up to an ungodly hour last night trying to plan out what I need for my new [rent] house and where to put everything. I don’t know why I didn’t drag my blinky-eyed self to bed earlier, as my subconscious sorted some things out while I was asleep. Isn’t that how it always goes?

So today, in addition to sucking down two mugs of strong coffee and stumbling across a promising oatmeal cookie recipe, I’ve made some executive decisions. I’m feeling good about my pendant lamp choice for the dining area and can’t wait to hang a new framed print on the living room wall.

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