In my family, I’m the chief “cooker” and my daughter is the chief baker. I bake cakes or cupcakes only for birthdays and Father’s Day and, occasionally, a fruit pie or pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. That’s it! So my daughter realized at a young age that if she wanted to satisfy her sweet tooth she […]
Crushin’ it at Z’Tejas
Last week we had an all-around fantastic OC BlogCrush meet-up at Z’Tejas in South Coast Plaza. Hosted by the ebullient Frank Groff, bloggers were greeted with chilled, lip-smacking-good blended Chambord Margaritas. We had a chance to mingle and chat with bloggers from all around Orange County while the kitchen, headed by Chef Danny Stevens, kept rolling out […]
May Mom of the Month
My mom is awesome!! So awesome that I have a whole series inspired by her on my blog: http://elislids.blogspot.com She is always there for me whether it means babysitting or a phone call about nothing. She is compassionate, creative and really funny… but don’t tell her I said the funny part! And I love that […]
How to make soup from mashed potatoes
There are not many days in Southern California when the sky looks like this in the morning: I’m an emotional cook (which is why you will probably never see a video of me cooking :-), but more on that later) and waking up to gray skies triggered a yearning for something warm and soothing. Hmmm, […]
Mother’s Day – make it memorable
Treat mom to a memorable Mother’s Day with a luxurious spa treatment at The Resort at Pelican Hill.
Beer and Brownies?
Beer pairings, like wine pairings, complement each other and double your flavor experience. To my surprise, a vegan brownie beer pairing was the most eye-opening, unique taste I experienced at the Taste of Huntington Beach this past weekend was the Sierra 30 beer from Sierra Nevada paired with a brownie! Who would have thought! A […]
Grilled Lamb Kebabs
Whatever the name: brochettes, kebabs, kabobs, skewers – mixed with colorful peppers and onion they are a delicious alternative to steak, chicken, or ribs for spring or summer grilling. Enjoy 🙂 Shown here with a salsa of halved grape tomatoes mixed with sliced green onions and green chilies in olive oil mixed with orzo.
Zucchini and Sundried Tomato Tart
For my first ever professional photo shoot I prepared two entrees: one was a Mediterranean-inspired Zucchini and Sundried Tomato Tart, the perfect dish for a spring garden party or brunch. With summer nearly here, I decided on Grilled Lamb Kebabs for the second dish. Brochettes or kabobs are a lighter alternative to grilled steak or […]
Bucatini with Spinach and Mushrooms
This is another “No Recipe” dinner that I created from what I had in the fridge that needed using and a half-used package of pasta in pantry. Of course, to have anything in the fridge you have to go grocery shopping now and then, and most of you do. Also, a decently-stocked pantry of essentials […]
The Evolution of Sushi
Being part of a tweetup at the recently opened Sushilicious in Irvine, was as much about conviviality and good times as it was about the sushi – for us anyway 🙂 And when I sat down to write this post, I started wondering about the origins of sushi – we all know it came from […]