Chocolate lovers and chile heads – the affectionate name for people who love chiles – will find pleasure in this decadent chocolate truffle that bears a subtle heat from ancho chile combined with smoky chipotle pepper. I suspect that there are a lot of us that share a passion for both chocolate and heat whose […]
Baking + Sweets
Apple Stuffin’ Muffins
Who else thinks stuffing is the best part of Thanksgiving? One of my fondest food memories is the wonderful aroma of onions and celery cooking in butter as mom began preparing the turkey in the morning of and, hours later, our tummies rumbling as the smell of sage and poultry seasoning magically drifted into every […]
Thanksgiving with a Blueberry Twist
Thanksgiving with a blueberry twist? I’m all in! As a lover of blueberries even before they became known as an antioxidant-packed super food that can aid your body in fighting off everything from heart disease to memory loss to the common cold, I remember grudgingly traipsing through the bramble picking wild blueberries with my brothers […]
Five Spice Apple Pie
It is fall, right? For us in Southern California, temperatures hit triple digits and other parts of the country had their first snow this past week! But there are apples in the markets, and apples = autumn to me. Last week’s trip to the potato fields of Idaho was a gorgeous reminder of what we […]
Herbed Heirloom Tomato Tart
This summery tart is part quiche, part ricotta pie – and wholly delicious! Perfect for dining al fresco, whether lunch, brunch, weekday dinner, or Meatless Monday – the Herbed Heirloom Tomato Tart is a summery dish that is at once creamy, luscious, and lightly filling with a delicately flaky crust. This is the first time […]
Winning Dessert from the #DoleCookoff
Last week I posted the Alice Phillip’s Harissa Veal Meatball-Fruit Kabobs – the winner of the 5th Annual Dole California Cook-Off and promised to share the recipe for the flavor packed, perfectly summery tropical fruit and berry sticky rice dessert from Carmell Childs, one of the three finalists. Carmell didn’t walk away with the grand […]
King Cornbread
Cornbread has indeed saved the world. Seems like a broad statement, so let me explain. Not just a staple of the South where cornbread is religion and the daily bread part of every important occasion; corn and cornbread has sustained folks around the world and was especially significant in the New World where indigenous Native […]
Heat up St. Patrick’s Day with Ghost Pepper Salted Guinness Pretzels
St. Patrick’s Day – what does it mean to you? Are you beyond the green beer? Cupcakes smothered in green frosting and candy sprinkles not your thing? Well, I think I may have something tasty for you lads and lassies. What goes better with beer, not that 3.2 stuff with green dye served in plastic […]
Sweet & Spicy Energy Bars
This bar has it all – all the health benefits of coconut, dried fruits, oats, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, flax seed, Mediterranean herbs and a dash of capsaicin from the chiles. Much of that ingredient list is contained in the Avanti Natural Holistic Gourmet ™ spice mixture that I used and which distinguishes this energy […]
118 Degrees Vegan Raw Cacao Truffles
With my love of cheese, it would be very difficult for me to go vegan, but I am utterly fascinated by gourmet living cuisine, a prettier name for vegan raw foods, and what goes into making a beautiful, innovative, and delicious dish without applying any heat. In August I attended the Grand Opening/Meet and Greet […]