Favorite pots and pans, an irresistible frozen yogurt bark, an easy veggie curry, and a simple and delicious pan-seared chicken.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Our Favorite Pots and Pans

Cooking a dish with the correct pan is like having a perfectly sharp knife in the kitchen; it makes a world of difference in how enjoyable the experience is and how well the dish turns out. When Andre and I got married twelve years ago, we were already avid home cooks and eagerly filled our wedding registry with cookware. We included everything from the All-Clad pots and pans we were pining over to the Staub Dutch Oven we had been dreaming about for years. Luckily, we received a lot of this wish list from our friends and family, and this cookware has carried us through the last decade plus of making delicious and memorable meals for family and friends. Although they’re not shiny and new, these pots and pans are all still going strong. And, over the years as we have honed our skills and upped our cooking game, we have thoughtfully refined our collection, investing in specific additional pots and pans that have rounded things out. And, while good pots and pans can often get extremely expensive, the really good ones will last a lifetime. So, if you love cooking and plan on doing a lot of it now and in the future, it's worth creating your fantasy pot and pan lineup, even if it takes some time. 

Here is the roundup of the pots and pans Andre and I use the most in our everyday cooking. The majority of our cookware is stainless steel, as it conducts heat evenly and is durable. For All-Clad, both D3 and D5 are great options.

2 Qt Saucepan - We have the D5 All-Clad Stainless Steel. We probably use this saucepan the most for heating leftovers like curry, soup, and broth and warming up milk for the boys for their frothy morning milk lattes. We don't have a microwave and haven't used one for years now. Instead, we just warm up everything on the stove in a pan like this.

3 Qt Saucepan - We have the D5 All-Clad Stainless. Everyone loves the Staub Rice Cooker pot for grains, but I keep turning to this one when I make batches of things like rice, quinoa, and farro. Its size is versatile and great for making small batches of pasta, polenta, tomato sauce, etc.

10-inch Skillet - We have the D3 All-Clad Stainless skillet. This pan frys a lot of eggs in our house. It's perfect for getting those super crispy edges on a fried egg. This size pan (or a 12-inch) is also excellent for cooking fish, pancakes, steak, and vegetables. For a long time, I also used the non-stick version of the 10- or 12-inch pan, but we are trying to move away from all non-stick pans because of the toxins in the coating and are now cooking on the stainless steel versions for almost everything.

Essentials Pan or Wok—We have an All-Clad model that they don't make anymore. It's a 12-inch copper core pan hybrid between a wok and the Essentials pan. I'm so sad it got discontinued, as it's such a versatile pan but here are the two options most similar to this pan: Essential Pan and The Wok

4 Qt Sauté Pan—We have the D5 All-Clad Stainless Steel. If you entertain, investing in a larger pan like this makes cooking for a group much easier. The higher sides and depth prevent splattering and make it easy to cook a variety of dishes, including pasta and risotto.

8 Quart Pot - We have the All-Clad brand for this pot. This pot is always in my weekly rotation, from big batches of bolognese to pasta dinners. Our pot has made a LOT of pasta!

Dutch Oven—We have a 7 Qt. Staub Dutch Oven, but the Le Creuset one is comparable and works great, too. Ultimately, you want a heavy-lidded, sturdy pot like this to cook everything from braised meats to hearty stews. While I don't use this one daily, it is in rotation several times a month when I make batches of braised meats, chili, etc.

Cast Iron Skillet—We have a few sizes in our cast iron skillet collection, as they are incredibly versatile, but our favorite brand for cast iron is Lodge. They can be used for searing steaks, baking cornbread, making frittatas, and more. Cast iron heats evenly, is naturally non-stick when seasoned properly, and will last for generations with proper care.

The key benefits of creating a core cookware collection are its versatility in handling most cooking tasks, even heating for consistent results and its durable materials that will last years with proper care. It’s worth it!

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Frozen Yogurt Bark

I've been making healthy sweet treats on Sundays for all of us to snack on during the week and this one turned out to be a family favorite. Cold and creamy frozen yogurt topped with decadent dark chocolate and raspberries. Kids ate most of it already, so it might not last the week!

FROZEN YOGURT BARK WITH DARK CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRIES

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 cups full-fat plain Greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 cup raspberry jam 

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil

• 1 pint fresh raspberries, cut in half

• Bee pollen

Line a quarter-sized baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt to combine. Pour the mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet and spread it out into a 1/2-inch thick layer. 

Add small dollops of jam onto the top of the yogurt. Using the back of a spoon or spatula, spread them across the yogurt creating a tie-dye effect on the top of the yogurt. 

Place the tray into the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. A few minutes before the 30 minutes is up, prepare the chocolate. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl and set it over a pot of simmering water stirring to melt.

Remove the tray from the freezer. With a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate all over the yogurt. Add the raspberries on top of the chocolate and yogurt, gently pressing them down. Finish with a sprinkling of bee pollen. 

Place the tray back in the fridge and freeze for 3 hours or until the bark is firm. Break into pieces and keep in the freezer in a covered container as a sweet treat all week long.

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Easy Chickpea and Veggie Curry

In Los Angeles, Andre and I used to buy curry bricks and curry powder from Sonoko Sakai at the Hollywood Farmers Market. She's an incredible cook and cookbook author; her curry is complex, warming, and flavorful. If you can get your hands on some, it's a must (she now sells it in her online shop!). I've been missing that curry, as its been cloudy and rainy this past week in Turin. So, I put together a much simpler one based on what I already had in my pantry. This week's simple veggie curry has all the flavor without the fuss. Don't worry about the long list of ingredients, it's just because I put a lot of veggies in mine, as I was trying to use up what I had in the fridge. But it’s equally delicious when just using a few, like sweet potatoes and carrots. You can make it as simple as you need it to be, adapting it to your taste and available ingredients.

EASY CHICKPEA AND VEGGIE CURRY

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 

• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

• 1 carrot, ends trimmed and diced

• 3 teaspoons Madras curry powder

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 1/4 cups coconut milk

• 1/2 cup vegetable stock

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)

• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 zucchini, finely diced

• 1/2 small broccoli head, broken into florets

• 1/4 cup frozen peas

• 1-2 small limes

• Sea salt 

• Black pepper

• Basil, mint, or cilantro to finish

• Optional: Cooked white rice or grain of choice for serving

Heat the coconut oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, sweet potato, carrot, a pinch of sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat and cook until the onion starts to soften. Next, add the curry, turmeric, and tomato paste. Stir and let the spices and tomato paste cook until they become fragrant, a minute or so. 

Then, add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, brown sugar (if using), and chickpeas. Stir to combine. Add the additional vegetables now if you are using them - the zucchini, broccoli, and peas. Stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the veggies are tender. The curry should be at a gentle boil. Stir from time to time. 

Once the curry is finished cooking, remove it from the heat. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper as needed. Finish with the juice of 1-2 limes, depending on how tangy and citrusy you like the final flavor. Serve the curry on its own or over your favorite grain. 

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Pan-Seared Chicken With Sage and Lemon

This dish, inspired by a generous gift of a giant bag of sage from a local farmer, is a testament to the beauty of simplicity in cooking. Craving a protein-packed meal that would also please the boys, I pan-seared some chicken breasts and enhanced them with the earthy sage and tangy lemon. The result was a dish that was incredibly delicious and easy to prepare on a Monday night. And, it was a simple task to serve the boys without the lemon and sage sauce, ensuring everyone was content and well-fed.

PAN-SEARED CHICKEN WITH SAGE AND LEMON

Serves 4

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 4-5 long strips of lemon peel 

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for cooking

• 20-30 sage leaves

• Sea salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 1/8 cup chicken stock

• 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken breasts, lemon peel, lemon juice, olive oil, sage leaves, a pinch of sea salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Once you are ready to cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once the olive oil glistens, place the chicken breasts into the pan, smooth side down, being sure to remove any pieces of sage or lemon peel from them (we will use all of this goodness a little bit later). Set the marinade aside. 

Season the top of the chicken with sea salt and black pepper. Cook the breasts until evenly brown, about 5 minutes. Once brown, turn the chicken breasts over and continue to cook, adding a little more olive oil if needed, until the internal temperature is 155 degrees, an estimated 5-10 more minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts (the thinner the chicken breast, the faster it will cook). Remove the chicken from the pan, set it on a plate, and cover it with foil (it will continue cooking and get to the proper 165 temp). Side note: if you don't have a meat thermometer, get one immediately. It will save you from undercooked and overcooked dry chicken! This is the meat thermometer we have.

Once the chicken has been removed from the pan, reduce the heat to medium, pour in the marinade with the sage leaves and lemon peel, and add the chicken stock. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Next, add the unsalted butter and stir to combine—taste and season with sea salt and black pepper as needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.  

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This & That

• If you’re looking for a great app to create and share grocery lists, this is the one Andre and I use for all our marketing. It syncs immediately and it’s always easy for us to update and share with one another.

• If you haven’t checked out this new AI search engine, you should. It’s pretty incredible.

• Brought these back into our weekly rotation and was reminded how much I love having them as an afternoon pick-me-up.

• Andre just introduced me to cabagges.world and I am very excited to try some of these recipes. This young couple from Tokyo living in NYC are making some real yummy and creative dishes.

• A wonderful, thought-provoking newsletter on projection.