The Small Town Chef

Sometimes the best recipes begin in your neighbor's garden. Every summer it happens. Someone plants two zucchini plants, convinced they'll harvest a few vegetables for the grill. After a couple of months, they're walking the neighborhood, looking for anyone willing to take one, or more, home. That was me. My neighbor showed up with zucchini as big as my forearm and thicker than my fist. Two, actually. After making zucchini bread , grilling a few slices, and adding it to pasta, I still had enough left to feed a small village. So instead of making another side dish, I turned it into dinner. Not just any dinner—a crisp, cheesy flatbread layered with sweet onions, roasted garlic , creamy ricotta, fresh herbs, and enough mozzarella and Parmesan to hold everything together. The zucchini becomes silky and almost buttery after it's cooked down, while the roasted garlic melts into every bite. It's simple food, made from ingredients many of us already have growing in the gard...

How to Make Wellness Goals and Self-Care Habits Stick I’m happy to welcome fellow blogger Carrie Spencer back to The Small Town Chef. This time, she’s taking on something many busy parents know all too well: the challenge of making room for wellness and self-care when work, family, and everyday responsibilities already fill the calendar. As Carrie explains, the answer usually isn’t a complete lifestyle overhaul, but a few realistic habits that are easier to repeat when life gets busy...     For busy parents juggling work, kids, and the mental load at home, wellness goals often start with good intentions and end in quiet guilt.   The core tension is simple: self-care challenges don’t disappear when schedules get packed, and maintaining healthy habits can feel like one more demand in a day that already has too many.   Stress, unpredictable routines, and fading motivation make even basic routines hard to repeat, especially when “doing it right” feels like the only...

When the Fishmonger Sends You Home with Dinner My sister-in-law works at our local farmers market, which means she has access to some pretty wonderful food and produce. Every so often, as the weekend winds down, the market fishmonger has a little extra seafood that needs a good home. Thanks to their generosity—and her perfect timing—we sometimes get to take advantage of it. That’s how a few tilapia fillets recently found their way into my kitchen. Tilapia piccata is a quick skillet dinner featuring lightly floured fish in a bright sauce made with lemon, capers, white wine, and butter. I serve it with a simple garlic butter rice —or what I call scampi-style rice —finished with plenty of fresh parsley. Together, they make a complete dinner in about 40 minutes. Tilapia is mild, lean, and quick-cooking, which makes it a natural fit for piccata. A light coating of flour gives the fish a delicate golden crust, while the lemon-caper pan sauce makes a simple fillet feel like something specia...

  Why a Little Char Makes All the Difference Salsa verde can be made several ways. The tomatillos can be blended raw, simmered in water or roasted until softened and lightly charred. All three methods are traditional. But when I’m making salsa verde at home, I almost always roast the tomatillos. Raw salsa verde is bright, sharp and a little grassy. Boiled salsa verde is softer and more delicate. Roasted salsa verde lands somewhere in the middle, keeping the natural tang of the tomatillos while adding sweetness, depth and just enough smoky flavor to make things interesting.   Why Roast Tomatillos for Salsa Verde? Tomatillos are naturally tart. Roasting softens that acidity and concentrates their flavor rather than diluting it in a pot of water. The browned spots are important. They bring a slightly smoky, almost savory quality to the salsa that you simply don’t get from boiling. Roasting also mellows the garlic and chile, making them sweeter, rounder and less harsh. That does...

  Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Lime-Cilantro Marinade and Spicy Avocado Sauce Some recipes start in your own kitchen. Others follow you home from a trip. When visiting my son Ian and his partner Nikki in Florida , we came across a number of dishes that tickled my palate in a very good way. They were excellent culinary guides — eager to lead us around Naples and point us toward the kind of places where you get a real feel for the local food. Fresh seafood, bright citrus, a little heat, and that relaxed Florida feeling where dinner doesn’t need to be complicated to be memorable. This grilled mahi-mahi is my re-creation of one of the dishes I enjoyed at Gumbo Limbo at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples . It’s not meant to be an exact copy. It’s more of a nod to that experience — fresh fish, lime, cilantro, a hot grill, and a spicy avocado sauce that brings the whole plate together. It’s fresh. It’s approachable. And best of all, it’s weeknight friendly.   Why Mahi-Mahi Works So Well on the G...