I won’t order a panzanella when I see it on a menu. I’m so picky about tomatoes—I need to know they’re ripe and flavorful, which only really happens when I choose them myself. The one place I break this rule is in Israel, when we visit Adi’s family. The tomatoes there are always in-season and burst with the most amazing flavor. I ordered a panzanella for the first time at a restaurant in a strip mall not far from Adi’s parents’ house and it was incredible. As soon as I took my first bite, I knew I needed to make it when I got home. The crunchy fried bread soaks up all the juices, creating the most delicious, simple salad. Tomatoes are the most important ingredient, so be very choosy with them. If you think you don’t like tomatoes, you probably just haven’t had a good one yet.

• 2 cups bread (about 1/3 standard sourdough loaf)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano

For the vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 garlic clove, grated with a Microplane
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat an air fryer to 400°F or a standard oven to425°F. Rip the sourdough into roughly 1-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl. Cover with the olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to combine.

2.Cook the bread 10 minutes in an air fryer or 12 to 15minutes in a standard oven until golden brown, keeping a close eye on it. Check often, tossing occasionally so the bread toasts evenly. Let cool.

3. Slice the tomatoes into thirds and add them to the same bowl that you mixed the bread in. Use a mandoline to thinly slice the onion; stir the onion into the bowl with tomatoes. Add the fresh oregano and stir to combine.

4. Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, dried oregano, nutritional yeast, garlic, and pepper.

5. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and toss tocombine.6.Add the bread pieces to the tomato mixture so they get covered with the tomato juices and the dressing. Serve immediately.

I love a one-pot chicken dish. It’s one of my favorite ways to throw together a meal for my family when I’m working from home. This one in particular is one of my favorites, because it incorporates fresh veggies from the farmers market.

The most important part of successfully executing this dish is adding the veggies at the right time. You want them to be cooked, but you don’t want them to lose their vibrant green color, and you want them to be crunchy. That’s why I add them at the very end, when the chicken is finished cooking. It comes out perfect every time.

• 4 whole chicken legs, skin-on
• 11/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to season
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 cups bone broth
• 2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
• 1 cup sugar snap peas, cut on the bias
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into cubes
• 1 cup peas, either from shelling peas or frozen, thawed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Juice of 1 lemon cheek (about 2 teaspoons)
  

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels. Season all sides using 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a few turns of pepper.

3. Heat a large braiser over medium-high heat and add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook until golden brown, 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and sear the other side.

4. Once seared, remove the chicken from the pan and add the onion. Lower the heat to medium and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, 1 minute.

5. Pour in the white wine and stir to get the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has mostly reduced, about 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the rice. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and the paprika. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.


7. Add the chicken back to the pan, skin-side up, and push it in so the meat touches the bottom of the pan.

8. Pour in the broth and stir to combine. Cover the pan and bake for 2 hours.

9. While the chicken cooks, add the corn, snap peas, zucchini, and green peas to a large bowl with the olive oil, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, the oregano, garlic powder, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

10. After 1 hour, remove the chicken from the oven. Turn the oven to the broil setting. Add the veggies to the top, stirring them into the rice slightly. Make sure the chicken skin is exposed and broil on low for 10 minutes, until the veggies are slightly soft and chicken skin is crispy. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

S’mores bites are more like an arts and crafts project than a recipe. It’s a really fun way to get the whole family, even the littlest hands, involved. My kids love making these, although they probably love eating them more. Sometimes I’ll ask if they want to help make them, and they’ll say, “No, but can you make them?”

My favorite kind of pretzel for these are the square Snyder pretzels, but you can use the regular shape, too—just use three chocolate chips for stacking instead of four, so they can balance that top layer without anything toppling over. You have to be careful putting these in the oven, if you accidentally knock your arm on something chocolate chips will go flying and you’ll have to redo everything. Whenever I make these, I keep them in a container on the kitchen counter until they’re gone, which is never long.

• 1 cup Snyder’s Snaps pretzels (or another flat, square pretzel)
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or any chocolate you have)
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a few rows of pretzels in a single layer across the parchment paper.

2. Place 4 chocolate chips on each pretzel, balanced in the holes, and nestle a marshmallow in the middle.

3. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully, until the marshmallows are puffy and the chocolate chips are melted.

4. Carefully remove from the oven and push another pretzel on top to make a little sandwich.

5. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.