Gravlax is a huge favorite of both mine and my husband. Honestly, I prefer to eat salmon like this or sashimi-style rather than cooked. The most common question I’ve heard about gravlax is how it is different from smoked salmon.  Being a New Yorker (yes, even after living on the West Coast all these years […]

My whole family is obsessed with Mexican food. It’s recently become a thing. My husband has made it a practice to take the boys to various local Mexican taquerias for either breakfast or lunch in search of the “best taco“. My boys were hooked after the second outing. Their love of tacos and tortas is […]

Have you ever heard of a bee’s knees cocktail? I sure hadn’t, but I’m very glad I found it. The phrase “Bees Knees” has been around since the 1920s and was often used to describe something “of excellence” or that was considered to be “the best“. Bee’s Knees, the cocktail, is traditionally a gin-based “sour” […]

Summer really is a wonderful thing. We wait all year for it and thankfully it sticks around for a bit. Even living in California I appreciate Summer. After 11 years I have fully acclimated to warmer temperatures. Everyone said it would happen, but I never believed them. Now I do. I’m totally cold when it’s […]

This is a fun dish and a great seasonal one for warmer weather. I love to serve it with Noah’s cod cakes. I’m a big quinoa fan. I have basically stopped eating rice, and I do watch my carbs–so quinoa and riced cauliflower have become my go-to’s.  Quinoa is a gluten-free, high-protein plant food containing […]

My fascination with mocktails continues.  I’m not typically a juice drinker, so coming up with mocktail recipes on the less-sweet side has been a fun project.  This recipe for a sparkling orange-carrot mocktail took me some time to fine-tune, but it’s a winner and super refreshing on a hot day. Even though I don’t love […]

As I have said before, I love cookies; but shortbread cookies are on my list of top five favorites. Unlike a traditional cookie, shortbread cookies are meant to be slightly crumbly (as opposed to soft). Shortbread is a Scottish biscuit traditionally made with one part sugar, two parts butter, three parts flour–and no eggs. Lots […]

A charcuterie board is a great, easy go-to for entertaining and it works year-round. If it is made well and is visually appealing, it will be desirable to any non-vegetarian guest. Seriously.  Most people love a great charcuterie.  The word, pronounced  “shar-cute-er-ree”, means “pork-butcher’s shop“. The word is derived from the French word “chair” (meaning meat) and “cuit” […]

A pomelo or “citrus maxima” is a citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit. I don’t think I ever saw one until I moved to California.  Pomelos are native to South and Southeast Asia and are popular during the mid-autumn or mooncake festival. Pomelos are typically large, pale green to yellow when ripe, with sweet white, […]

A good friend of mine from college loves Chimichurri sauce.  The last time we were together, she ordered it as a side to a dish that didn’t come with it.  That didn’t matter, it just worked.  I have always loved this simple sauce myself, when made right, but had forgotten about it over the years. […]

A Greyhound is a cocktail consisting of grapefruit juice and either gin or vodka; it is traditionally served over ice.  “Greyhound” is also the nickname given to my husband by a friend in law school due to his tall, thin physique.  Although the two are unrelated, I have an affinity toward anything greyhound-related. So this […]

I’ve always loved chilled soups—though I know they’re not everyone’s favorite. Still, on a hot summer day, a cool, refreshing soup can be a lifesaver. My boys ask for my chilled gazpacho year-round (a parent’s dream!), and I hope they never stop. Borscht Along with my love of chilled soups, I’m also a big fan […]

I don’t feel like I’m 45.  So much so that recently, I have caught myself saying the wrong age–like 44, or 25. They always said that would happen. I’m not going to complain about being 45.  Age is all relative, and truthfully I only feel old sometimes. Typically, it’s a few days after doing something […]

I’ve recently become obsessed with hummingbird cake.  First, I love the name: it sounds pretty.  Second, it’s almost a cross between four of my favorite sweets: coconut cake, frosted banana cake, carrot cake, and banana bread.  It’s sweet, but not overly so.  It has texture but is super moist.  It’s rustic, yet elegant.  Best of […]

Holistic Health Coach Jennifer Joffe is my featured Changemaker this month.  I lived near Jennifer for almost 3 years, but we did not get introduced until she had moved to Portland, been certified as a Holistic Health Coach, and launched Project Healthy Body. “Health Coach” is a term that has been popping up a lot lately. […]