Za'atar is an incredibly versatile Middle Eastern spice blend, one of my favorites. Particularly this time of year when it's a welcome addition to all sorts of roasted vegetables, soups and stews, or simply sprinkled over everything from yogurt, to eggs, to savory granola.

Butter a skillet add corn, fresh thyme, red onions, toasted almonds and coconut, and finish with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice...

I call this magic sauce. In part, because it makes everything it touches shimmy with deliciousness. It's magic like that. Technically, it's a riff on a chimichurri sauce - one that has veered off the rails in a big way.

Because I can't seem to get enough farro lately- a lunch made from farro, bocconcini, a bit of homemade creme fraiche, and herbs from last weeks farmers' market. And a couple pics from Golden Gate Park.

These cheese straws look like wispy tree branches. Wayne calls them cheese twigs, and they never last very long around here. Crispy, cheddar-flecked, and rustic - it's the buckwheat flour that lends these slender creations their convincing shade of brownish gray.

A wonderful coffee cake recipe made from fresh wild huckleberries using maple syrup as a sweetener instead of white sugar.

A savory peach gnocchi in a champagne shallot sauce inspired by a trip to Valparaiso, Chile.

A spring twist on a panzanella recipe. This panzanella features asparagus, spinach, and peas with hearty, garlic and time toasted bread cubes.

Not a traditional lasagna recipe by any account - a healthier version that is still quite decadent. Imagine a lasagna, but instead of using pasta noodles, I used crispy, whole-grain crackers. Most people use pound after pound of beef and/or sausage, and then more beef. Instead, I pureed cottage cheese (which gets silky smooth), and thinned it out with a bit of milk and a couple eggs - some chopped mushrooms and spinach are included as well.

One of my favorite party-friendly ways to use hazelnuts. This butter-toasted hazelnut recipe uses toasted butter, fresh tyme and lemon and orange zest to add a simple yet sophisticated twist to a nut bowl.