The three most significant homes in my life—my childhood home, the home I bought for my children as a single mom, and my current home—have all had fig trees in the yard. Ancient wisdom held that if a fig tree did not bear fruit in three years, then it should be cut down. For me, the trees have come to signify the importance of making the most of your life and doing great things; if your life is not bearing fruit, then you are not living. This dish of salmon and fig sauce, cooked in fig leaves, combines two significant ingredients from my life’s journey: figs, which are popular in the Mediterranean, and seafood, which is a big part of life on the Chesapeake Bay. They are prepared in a light and healthy way, the way I like to live and eat.

This recipe from Robin is featured in the season finale during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue

Combine wild rice, maple glazed acorn squash, pomegranate and goat cheese. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog)Continue

I love making pizza with my husband. In our home, we trade responsibilities—he cooks one week and I cook the next—but every Friday we make pizza together. He introduced me to pesto the first time I visited California and since then we’ve made it often at home. Keep the color and freshness of the pesto by adding it right before serving the pizza. This recipe is perfect for those days when you don’t have a lot of time. Thanks to the use of fast-acting yeast, the dough needs just 10 minutes of resting time.

This recipe from Silvia is featured in the season finale during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue

This nutritional sausage chard pasta is seasonal and simple enough to make at the end of a long day. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)Continue

Enjoy spiced hot chocolate with a few extra spices for added flavor: cinnamon, star anise and cayenne.(Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)Continue

This light and simple rice porridge is soulful and comforting. The deep chicken broth, with subtle hints of grilled ginger and onion, is cooked with toasted jasmine rice and topped with kimchi to give the congee some salt and acid. Serve it alongside a crispy Chinese long doughnut, which you can find frozen in specialty stores or online, to be used as a dipping vehicle for the scrumptious congee.

This recipe from Foo is featured in the season finale during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue

Nothing says fall to me like pumpkin, maple, and autumn spice flavors in a quick bread! Autumn in Maryland always renews my desire to get back into the kitchen and warm the house with baked goods after a long, hot summer. Living in an area with lots of nearby pumpkin patches, I was inspired to create this maple pumpkin bread. I gift this delicious loaf to family and friends with a recipe card attached.

This recipe from Robin is featured in the Mix It Up episode during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue

This lentil soup is light and filling all at the same time with little preparation. Food blogger Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog adds masa to thicken the broth.Continue

A pretty swirl of all flavors fall creates these fluffy and ultra satisfying pumpkin cheesecake muffins. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)Continue

The fig begins its life not as a fruit but rather as an inverted flower. This reminds me that our beauty must flower first on the inside. This beautiful tart, filled with custard and topped with fruit, is wonderful to make in summer and early fall when fresh figs are in season; I like Mission figs for their striking color.

This recipe from Robin is featured in the season finale during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue

This dish has both Puerto Rican & Dominican roots. Originally called pastel horneado (baked pie) it was not made with cheese. It is believed that mid-century when Puerto Ricans mingled with Italians in NYC the dish evolved into a Latin version of Lasagnas, which is where cheese was added to the recipe as well. The new version was introduced to the Island of Puerto Rico and has continued to involve over the years.

This recipe from Irma appears in Episode 1 of Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue

Rich, sweet, and delicious, this cake has evolved over time as I have adjusted the traditional recipe’s ingredients and made a few additions of my own, like California strawberries, blueberries, edible flowers, and homemade whipped cream — all of which complement this classic yet contemporary dessert beautifully. Served well chilled, tres leches cake (or “three milks cake”) resides in the pantheon of great Mexican showstoppers. The secret is the balance between the dry and wet parts: too wet and you lose the structure and the bite of the crumb; too dry and you lose the creamy mouthfeel that makes it famous.

This recipe from Silvia is featured in the season finale during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.Continue