What exactly is Fat Tuesday all about? Roman Catholics around the world celebrate Carnival, which comes from the Latin phrase “the removal of meat”, and is the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is Shrove Tuesday and is more popularly known by the French term Mardi […]
She's Cookin'
Unbelievable Vegan Stuffed Shells
Even though there’s years of research and information published about how unhealthy the typical American diet is, I feel as if the increased publicity of Food, Inc. and Michael Pollan’s books are reaching mainstream America and more families are taking action: eating more fruits and vegetables, less meat, closer to the source, etc. I’ve been […]
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
In honor of Fat Tuesday and the Mardi Gras celebrations going on in New Orleans, I decided to cook up a batch of Jambalaya. Growing up in Arkansas (located directly above Louisiana in case you’re geographically challenged) I made my first trip to Mardi Gras during my sophomore year of college when I decided to […]
Scallops with Carmelized Leeks and Arugula
I enjoy getting creative in the kitchen and that includes trying to recreate favorite dishes that I come across in my foodie adventures. Here’s my riff on the Scallops with Leek Confit from the underground dinner that I wrote about last week. Chef Amy’s pan-seared scallops were served on top of a delicate Leek Confit […]
Taste of Summer
The last few days we’ve had a little taste of summer, a welcome respite from “Storm Watch 2010” and news of the deep freeze blanketing the rest of the country. Walking my little Corgi, Tank, in the neighborhood, the scent of grilling started my taste buds yearning for some good ole southern-style pulled pork. Here […]
Chúc mừng năm mới – Happy New Year in Vietnamese
That’s “Happy New Year” in Vietnamese. (as seen in Little Saigon – Westminster, CA) This is Happy New Year in Chinese: 新年快乐 In Japanese: 新年あけましておめでとうございます In Korean: 새해 복 많이 받으세요 Asians all over the world celebrated the first day of the Lunar New Year on Sunday, February 14th. The Year of the Tiger was […]
Satisfy your craving for Mexican food…
Chicken and Corn Enchiladas Verde Add a little crunch with a bit of romaine along with creamy avocado and your taste buds will be doing the salsa! 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast ½ red or sweet onion, finely chopped 1 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed ½ c. sour cream 1 t. ground cumin ½ […]
Lobster and Goddesses
One fine Sunday at Capistrano Beach (Capo Beach to locals), a coterie of women who call their eclectic group the Goddesses, gathered to catch up after the holidays and enjoy a lobster feast prepared by their hostess and fellow Goddess, Lucy. As you can imagine (or maybe you can’t), this is no small feat; with […]
Meatless Monday – Roasted Veggie Lasagna
One day, while surfing Foodbuzz’s “Daily 9”, a photo called the Greatest Vegetable Lasagna in the World caught my eye. I clicked on it and scanned the recipe, the blogger was from Iceland (if I remember correctly) and linked to two sites that inspired her adaptation. The photos resulted in a Pavlovian response of instantaneous […]
Chix and Dumplings
Have loved you for so long! Fragrant dumplings, velvety with broth, tastebuds trigger faint memories of crisp winter nights growing up in the boonies pastoral beauty of the Ozarks. Chix and Dumplings (adapted from Comme C̹a via Tasting Table) For the soup: 2 T. butter 1 T. canola oil 3 carrots, chopped * 2 celery […]