From the kitchen

What's on the tray.

A look at the food I cook. Real meals, photographed in the kitchen.

Cook these meals at home →

Greek chicken with feta and dill, rice, cucumbers and tomatoes on a lunch tray. — On the trayGreek chicken

Ground Wagyu tacos with lettuce, cheese and crema, served with beans, melon and a small frosted cake. — On the trayWagyu beef tacos

A square of pancake bake topped with blueberry compote, whipped yogurt cream, granola and rainbow sprinkles. — On the traySheet-pan pancake bake

Two carnitas tacos with cilantro and cheese, served with smoky hominy and fresh pineapple. — On the trayCarnitas tacos

Greek pork souvlaki over a creamy herb sauce, with rice, broccoli and grapes. — On the trayGreek pork souvlaki

Peruvian chicken and green herb sauce over rice, with cucumbers, carrots, broccoli and lime on a lunch tray. — On the trayPeruvian chicken

A slice of breakfast pizza with a browned cheese top and sliced green onion. — On the trayBreakfast pizza

Tomato soup topped with herbs, two golden grilled-cheese halves and sliced red apples on a lunch tray. — On the trayTomato soup and grilled cheese

Explore the plates

Two crusty rolls filled with pulled Italian beef, creamy Godfather sauce and sliced banana peppers on a metal tray.

Italian beef with Godfather sauce

Friday, November 6: Italian beef with Godfather sauce and banana peppers on crusty rolls.

Creamy Godfather sauce spooned over pulled Italian beef with banana peppers inside two crusty sandwich rolls.

Godfather sauce

Godfather sauce on our Italian beef sandwiches, with banana peppers and crusty rolls.

Two metal pans filled with smooth red homemade ketchup in the school kitchen.

Homemade ketchup

Homemade ketchup in the school kitchen. The recipe below makes a small saucepan batch.

Two sausage and cheddar egg bites at the lower left of a green tray, with a blueberry scone, cantaloupe and a pale purple side.

Sausage and cheddar egg bites

Thursday, November 5: sausage and cheddar egg bites, with a blueberry drop scone and cantaloupe.

A golden blueberry drop scone at the upper right of a green lunch tray, beside cantaloupe and above two egg bites and a pale purple side.

Blueberry drop scones

Thursday, November 5: the blueberry drop scone at the upper right of our egg-bite lunch tray.

A bowl of ramen with creamy broth, noodles, pork tenderloin, corn, edamame, a soft egg half, nori and chili crisp.

Tonkotsu ramen with pork tenderloin

Wednesday, November 4: tonkotsu ramen with pork tenderloin, corn and edamame. Egg and chili crisp are optional.

A golden seared beef and bean burrito cut in half on a green lunch tray, with grapes, yuca fries and red dipping sauce.

Beef and bean burritos

Tuesday, November 3: beef and bean burritos, seared until golden, with yuca fries and grapes.

A large drop biscuit breakfast sandwich split to show egg, bacon and melted cheese, on a green lunch tray beside applesauce and celery.

Big drop biscuits

Thursday, October 29: big homemade drop biscuits with bacon, egg and cheese.

Gyro meat in a pita with tzatziki on a red lunch tray beside honey dill carrots, stewed tomato chickpeas and cucumber salad.

Greek gyro bowls

Greek Day at school: gyro pitas with stewed chickpeas, honey-roasted dill carrots and quick-pickle cucumbers. The home recipe includes a lemon-rice bowl option.

Chopped chicken nachos with queso, salsa, pickled onions and cilantro, beside hominy with a blue corn topping and green grapes.

Chopped chicken nachos

Tuesday, October 27: chopped chicken nachos with green chile queso, hominy and grapes.

Epic burger sauce over a double cheeseburger with lettuce and avocado on a ceramic plate.

Epic burger sauce

Epic burger sauce on a double cheeseburger.

A bowl of red beef chili with a white sauce drizzle and cilantro on a lunch tray beside corn, corn chips, apple slices and a blue toy car.

Smoked Wagyu beef chili

Friday, October 23: smoked Wagyu beef chili, corn, corn chips and apple slices.

A square of golden sausage, egg, cheese and potato casserole with green Cali sauce on a tray beside watermelon, orange wedges and a red toy race car.

Upside-down breakfast casserole with Cali sauce

Thursday, October 22: sausage, potato, egg and cheese breakfast casserole with Cali sauce, watermelon and oranges.

Penne and meatballs with red garden marinara, grated Parmesan and parsley on a lunch tray beside green beans and red grapes.

Penne and meatballs with garden marinara

Wednesday, October 21: penne finished in garden marinara, with meatballs, green beans and grapes.

A kitchen torch browning a marshmallow half on a large chocolate cookie, with more marshmallow-topped cookies behind it.

Mexican hot chocolate cookies

Tuesday, October 20: Mexican hot chocolate cookies with halved marshmallows, toasted to finish.

Shredded guajillo chicken tacos with lettuce and sauce on a green tray beside carrots, rice and a marshmallow-topped chocolate cookie.

Guajillo-braised chicken tacos

Tuesday, October 20: guajillo-braised chicken tacos and a Mexican hot chocolate cookie.

Creamy mac and cheese on a green school lunch tray beside cucumber wedges, applesauce and a packet of gummy bears.

Protein mac and cheese

GOODLES Curveballs with a silky butternut squash and cheddar sauce.

Chicken tikka masala with basmati rice, sliced mango and cilantro in a white bowl.

Chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala with Kashmiri chili and a fenugreek finish.

Creamy chicken pot pie filling with butternut squash and peas, topped with a golden drop biscuit on a lunch tray beside red grapes and applesauce.

Chicken pot pie bake with drop biscuits

Chicken pot pie with a Sunrise flour drop biscuit, red grapes and applesauce.

White chicken chili topped with cheese and cilantro on a tray with Bama bread, apple slices and lime.

White chicken chili

White chicken chili with optional cheese and cilantro, served with Bama bread.

Achiote chicken on a school lunch tray with salsa, broccoli, rice and orange wedges.

Pollo asado with citrus finishing dressing

Pollo asado, chopped and tossed with citrus finishing dressing.

Carnitas tacos on a lunch tray with smoky hominy topped with crushed chile-lime tortilla chips at the upper right.

Smoky hominy with chile-lime crunchies

Tuesday's carnitas lunch, with smoky hominy and chile-lime crunchies.

Roasted chicken drumsticks with Golden Ranch on a lunch tray beside corn, tater tots and watermelon.

Chicken drumsticks with Golden Ranch

Chicken drumsticks with Golden Ranch.

Golden garlic bread bites on a sheet pan being brushed with melted garlic butter.

Garlic bites

Warm garlic bites getting their garlic butter finish.

Penne with bolognese, Parmesan and basil, beside a garlic bite, green beans and grapes.

Beef and pork bolognese pasta

Beef and pork bolognese pasta.

Greek yogurt with toasted granola and berries, beside a chocolate chip pancake muffin and strawberry jam.

Yogurt parfaits with toasted house granola

Yogurt parfaits with toasted house granola.

Chocolate chip pancake muffins on a sheet pan beside strawberries simmering in a pot for jam.

Pancake muffins

Pancake muffins with quick strawberry jam.

Guajillo barbacoa tacos topped with pickled red onions, cheese and herbs on a lunch tray.

Wagyu barbacoa tacos

Wagyu barbacoa tacos with pickled red onions.

Golden Bama bread in a sheet pan, with a butter-topped square and flaky sea salt.

Bama bread with whipped honey butter

Bama bread with whipped honey butter and flaky sea salt.

Sliced barbecue-rubbed chicken tenders with dipping sauce, Bama bread, carrots and green grapes on a lunch tray.

Barbecue chicken tenders

Barbecue chicken strips, ready to dunk, with Bama bread alongside.

Close-up of chicken Caesar penne pasta salad with shaved Parmesan and black pepper, served beside green salad and pepperoni pizza.

Pinocchio chicken Caesar pasta salad

Pinocchio pasta: chicken Caesar salad, with a little help from penne.

Two pulled pork sliders on Hawaiian rolls with barbecue sauce, potato salad, a fudgy brownie, applesauce and green salad.

Smoked pulled pork sliders

Friday's smoked pulled pork sliders, bacon potato salad and a brownie.

Sheet pans of freshly baked chocolate brownies on a kitchen rack, with an oven mitt holding the front pan.

Fudgy brownies

Freshly baked brownies in the school kitchen. No chocolate chips needed.

A bacon, fried egg and cheese bagel cut in half, with a yogurt and granola cup and mixed fruit on a lunch tray.

Bacon, egg and cheese bagels

Thursday's bacon, egg and cheese bagel, with yogurt, granola and fruit.

Chicken shawarma in pita with Golden Sauce and Spidey Sauce, beside rice, shredded salad and green grapes.

Chicken shawarma with Golden Sauce and Spidey Sauce

Wednesday's chicken shawarma with Golden Sauce and Spidey Sauce.

Walking tacos topped with cheese, lettuce and cilantro, beside elote corn salad with crushed chile-lime chips, melon and pickled vegetables.

Walking tacos with roasted salsa and elote corn salad

Tuesday's walking tacos and elote corn salad with crushed chile-lime rolled chips.

Split image of thick pizza batter being poured into a sheet pan and a finished pepperoni pizza being sliced.

Pourable pizza batter

Thick pancake-like batter goes into the pan. Pepperoni pizza comes out.

Split image of fermented pizza dough in a container and baked cheese and pepperoni sheet-pan pizzas.

48-hour fermented sheet-pan pizza

48-hour fermented dough, with the finished sheet-pan pizzas.

A Wagyu sloppy joe topped with crushed kettle chips on a school lunch tray, with salad, carrots, grapes and pickled vegetables.

Sloppy Joe Thomases

Friday's Sloppy Joe Thomas, finished with salt-and-vinegar kettle chips.

Chopped ranch chicken with a creamy sauce and fresh herbs on a school lunch tray.

Ranch chicken with homemade ranch

Monday's ranch chicken, chopped and finished with herbs and lava sauce.

Shredded chicken tacos with cheese and pickled onion, alongside pinto beans, a marshmallow-topped chocolate cake, chips and watermelon.

Chicken verde tacos

Tuesday's chicken verde tacos, with beans and a hot chocolate cake.

Individual chocolate cakes topped with toasted marshmallow halves, with powdered sugar dusted across several cakes on a baking sheet.

Mexican hot chocolate cakes

Mexican hot chocolate cakes with toasted marshmallow halves and a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Glazed pork tenderloin with sesame rice, cucumber salad and edamame on a lunch tray.

Teriyaki pork tenderloin with cucumber salad

Wednesday's teriyaki pork with rice, cucumber salad and edamame.

Breakfast burrito halves with egg, sausage and cheese, beside salsa, a granola square, watermelon, blueberries and pickled vegetables.

Egg, sausage and cheese breakfast burritos

Thursday's breakfast burritos and chocolate chip granola.

Breakfast burrito halves with egg, sausage and cheese, beside salsa, a granola square, watermelon, blueberries and pickled vegetables.

Chocolate chip granola squares

Thursday's tray, with a chocolate chip granola square at right.

Greek chicken with feta and dill, rice, cucumbers and tomatoes on a lunch tray.

Greek chicken

Chopped chicken, feta and fresh dill. Rice and vegetables alongside.

Tomato soup topped with herbs, two golden grilled-cheese halves and sliced red apples on a lunch tray.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese

Tomato soup, golden grilled cheese and sliced apples.

Ground Wagyu tacos with lettuce, cheese and crema, served with beans, melon and a small frosted cake.

Wagyu beef tacos

Wagyu tacos with blue corn masa harina and a side of beans.

Peruvian chicken and green herb sauce over rice, with cucumbers, carrots, broccoli and lime on a lunch tray.

Peruvian chicken

Peruvian chicken, Awesome Sauce and bone-broth rice.

A square of pancake bake topped with blueberry compote, whipped yogurt cream, granola and rainbow sprinkles.

Sheet-pan pancake bake

Pancake bake with blueberries, whipped yogurt cream and sprinkles.

Two carnitas tacos with cilantro and cheese, served with smoky hominy and fresh pineapple.

Carnitas tacos

Stovetop carnitas with smoky hominy and fresh pineapple.

Close-up of a Wagyu smash burger with crisp browned edges, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles on a toasted bun.

Wagyu smash burger

A close look at the Wagyu smash burger, with cheese and all the fixings.

Baked ziti topped with red sauce and cheese, with green beans and grapes on a lunch tray.

Baked ziti

Baked ziti with red sauce, cheese and green beans.

Chicken Rojo tacos topped with pickled red onion, herbs and crumbled cheese.

Chicken Rojo tacos

Chicken Rojo tacos with pickled red onion, herbs and cheese.

Greek pork souvlaki over a creamy herb sauce, with rice, broccoli and grapes.

Greek pork souvlaki

Greek pork souvlaki, rice and roasted broccoli.

A slice of breakfast pizza with a browned cheese top and sliced green onion.

Breakfast pizza

Breakfast pizza with a browned top and green onion.

Fresh-baked flatbread cut into squares, with gloved hands holding a split piece to show the crumb.

Ham, egg and cheese on fresh flatbread

Fresh-baked flatbread, ready for ham, eggs and cheese.