We roast a lot of vegetables in the cooler months. Everything dumped onto one large sheet pan, almost any number of spice combinations, and then you just leave them alone. I am all for minimal hands on time these days while trying to keep both kids happy before dinner. I've watched a couple episodes of Cooked on Netflix lately and am so intrigued by Michael Pollans' research about how the world eats - how our tendencies with food and cooking have changed so much over time. He had a statistic that said Americans spend an average of twelve minutes a day preparing food to eat. Twelve! I realize I cook for work and you read food blogs so we'd lie on the upper end of the test group because of that, but no wonder there is more obesity and diabetes than ever before. I get that time is limited. It is an era where most households have two working adults, everyone is tired, fresh produce is more expensive than a frozen dinner, so why would someone choose to cook when it's cheaper and faster and more simple not to? But as a proponent of fresh, real foods, I can argue the case for roasted vegetables on even our busiest of days. A recipe like this that calls for 5 minutes of hands on time and 25 minutes in the oven and could pair with a number or proteins or some quick cooking whole grains. I've made the habit of cooking nearly twice what we eat at one meal so I can repurpose the leftovers which helps save time for another evening. I really want to start meal planning but I am not there yet. Believe me, we pick up burritos and order pizza in between too, but I hope our food culture swings back stronger towards making more food. I really think cooking this simply is a easy enough to prioritize for the sake of health. We're getting persuaded to believe cooking is too hard, but is it? Preach it, Michael! Anyway. I like the show.

I created this recipe for Sriracha Roasted Brussels in working with Electrolux and their blog Live.Love.Lux. You can find the recipe on their site.

I have a recipe for a homemade sriracha in Bowl + Spoon (ps. that's a really great price) if you have extra time on your hands or I like the Trader Joes or Sky Valley brands which don't have all the junk in them.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges . Bowl & Spoon Launch party

I ordered a diet coke on the plane ride home and Hugh gave me a wide-eyed side glance when he heard me ask the stewardess. It was a silent understanding that I was needing my routine back. I'm not a soda drinker so Hugh knows when I order one, I'm not particularly feeling myself. One could think of a few worse vices, no? I had a just barely sleeping, teething baby on my chest and I was so tired. So tired from not sleeping well and stressing about the book and hosting a workshop and talking in front of people and being super social that I was one more night away from a melt down. I ordered a diet coke because there was really no other way to rebel against my own self in that moment. I love being away but being away and working with a baby is just...different. Different as in I needed wine but took the free diet coke instead and called it even.

I had the sweetest time at the book signings meeting a handful of you. This space feels real and communal for me but there is nothing like some good ol' fashioned face time. I hope there is more of it to come, cross your fingers. We taught a photography workshop while in Seattle at Aran's dreamy studio and I felt the spark to be cooking more. I have a bundle of new cookbooks and I'm just going to surrender to other peoples' instructions to coax me back into cooking. I do it for work and because I need to feed my family, but it has lost a bit of its romance as of late. It was so refreshing to talk about what we/I do with other people. I think I felt outside of it for a season, if that makes any sense. So it goes with the value of community, I needed other like-minded people to get my wheels turning. How one can feel so depleted and filled up in a given week is beyond me but that is life and I'm still learning.

I have been doing some recipe development for Electrolux as they build a pretty neat food blog for prospective customers and curious home cooks. There are a few more springy dishes coming up next week as well if you remember to pop over. I know there are a grip of sweet potato recipes that I've shared here, but I need to add this one to the list because I love having them with a solid dipping sauce. Also, the leftovers in a tortilla with a handful of fresh greens - instant lunch. Think guacamole with an extra bit of heat and generous amount of herbs. I leave mine pretty chunky but you could mash it more smooth and perhaps thin it with more lime juice or olive oil. I hope you don't mind one click over - the site is worth a peruse aside from these tasty potatoes anyway.