During these dog days of summer, there is absolutely nothing that cools you down faster than an ice-cold fruit sorbet. Refreshing and flavorful, they’re also easy to make with a flavor range limited only to your imagination. Stick your head in the fridge (another fast way to lower your body heat index) and use whatever […]
Heart Healthy
Cheese Board Pizza with Champagne Grapes
Jump to Recipe Saying “Yes” to the best in seasonal produce when approached by companies like Melissa’s Produce, is one of the perks of being a food writer and occasional recipe developer. I’m grateful to receive some fingerling potatoes or plumcots or, most recently, champagne grapes to play around with in the kitchen; it saves […]
Surf City Mango Poke
As some of you know, I recently migrated from the burbs to beachside in Huntington Beach. I’ve come full circle: my first place in California, two decades ago, was a little apartment on Hermosa Avenue in Hermosa Beach, affectionately dubbed the “Shoebox”. It was small, but it overlooked The Strand; coming from the Midwest, that […]
Camp Cooking: Cast Iron Red Potato Hash
Potatoes = Comfort Food Cast Iron Red Potato Hash is proof that comfort food doesn’t have to be highly caloric, fattening, or smothered in cheese! When you think of comfort food are warm, cheesy potatoes at the top of the list? Yes, creamy scalloped potatoes or billowing clouds of mashed potatoes with melted butter warm […]
Curry Cauliflower Dip
Memorial Weekend marks the beginning of summer and I am ready! We don’t have any plans for the three-day weekend, except waking up at 6:00 a.m. to greet the early birds at our everything-must-go moving sale on Saturday – oh joy 🙂 Whether you’re just kicking back to enjoy an extra day off or rounding […]
SOL’s Sweet Potato and Black Bean Taco
In February, I attended a party at SOL COCINA to celebrate Chef Deborah Schneider and her Baja-style tacos being featured in Oprah’s O Magazine! (February issue). Writer Julie Powell declares a Taco Fiesta: the Easiest Dinner Party You’ll Ever Throw; there’s no argument from me that a taco bar with an array of fillings and toppings is a […]
Camp Blogaway and Chicken Inspiration
Yesterday I breezed down the 91 freeway to the beach after spending two action-packed days in the fresh air of the San Bernardino mountains at Camp Blogaway – the original boot camp for food bloggers owned by the intrepid Patti Londre. I unloaded bags and bags of booty, the sleeping bag I bought for the weekend […]
What To Do In Hong Kong – Visit a Chinese Herbalist
What to do in Hong Kong? What to do in Hong Kong if you’re looking to travel deeper? Without a doubt, the most culturally authentic experience I had while in Hong Kong was visiting a Chinese herbalist. Hong Kong, with direct access to mainland China’s vast herbal cornucopia, has the most flourishing herbal medicine trade […]
Savory Spice Shop: Moroccan Cooking Class
I’ve been on a Moroccan binge ever since I discovered the spice Ras el Hanout at the Taste of Huntington Beach two years ago. Which is why I didn’t hesitate at the chance to attend a Moroccan cooking class at Savory Spice Shop and give them a shout out to promote their stores at OC […]
Spring Radish and Avocado Crostini
It’s time for another 5 Star Makeover Challenge! This month our ever-imaginative hosts decided to do something different and challenged us to have some fun with Junk Food! The mission, put forth by our hosts: the lovely and talented Natasha of 5 Star Foodie and Laz, that vortex of creativity at Lazaro Cooks, was to take […]