Cauliflower has become one of my favorite vegetables.  With its “riced” form, readily available almost anywhere, it has become even easier to cook.  Because of its mild flavor, there are virtually unlimited options to keep this cruciferous vegetable interesting. As I have gotten older, I have had to modify how and what I eat.  Sadly, […]

Baked ziti (ziti al forno) is a true comfort food to me.  A warm, baked, cheesy pasta dish bubbling from the oven is true comfort food.  Baked pasta dishes such as this have been around since the Middle Ages when nobles served such dishes at banquets. Once popular all over Italy, these days it is […]

[Updated Recipe] These are halvah cookies. Halvah, also known as “halwa,” “halva,” “halava,” and “helva,” is a broad term used to describe a dense, sweet confection made with a base of flour or nut butter, sometimes vegetables (typically carrots), but most commonly with sesame tahini. Halvah is eaten in many countries: all across the Middle East, […]

This is what happens when I read Esquire Magazine; my husband is to blame for that!  Dark N’ Stormy seems like the perfect cocktail right about now, given the political climate and the fact that Halloween is just around the corner.  Dark & Stormy is a rum-based drink and the official drink of Bermuda, where it was […]

Do you love soup?  I sure do.  More than most other foods, I think that soup often has memories attached to it: like being nursed back to health with some homemade chicken and dumpling soup prepared by my mom.  My mom’s soup somehow always did the trick. I’m not sure the soup healed me, but […]

Fruit platters are a common go-to option for any gathering.  Like crudités platters, I make them often when I entertain.  Fruit is a great healthy option for guests, especially during holiday time, plus it helps add a splash of color to any table.  People tend to shy away from fruit arrangements a bit more in the […]

I came up with this blueberry-banana walnut smoothie with my older son in mind.  He, like me, avoids the super sweet smoothies, favoring ones like this instead. This smoothie recipe has some power to it, loaded with protein, fiber, and antioxidant power.  The three key ingredients here are blueberries, banana, and walnuts–the perfect trifecta in […]

My thirteen-year-old niece was diagnosed with severe food allergies when she was an infant.  Allergies to dairy, eggs, and peanuts are serious stuff for anyone to navigate, especially a young kid.  In doing so, one should not have to give up delicious treats, like brownies.  This is a vegan brownie recipe made with tofu and […]

My little one is a big fish lover, salmon in particular.  As if he was not already a big enough fan, a summer trip to Alaska and his exposure to incredible fresh salmon made him crave it even more. While traveling in Alaska we visited the Kenai River, the longest river in the Kenai Peninsula […]

Boy did I hate Brussels sprouts when I was a kid?  To my six-year-old self, these were odd-looking vegetables not meant for human consumption.  Kudos to my parent, the Brussels sprouts kept returning and eventually, I learned to like them.  Now, older and wiser, I love them.  Their baby cabbage-like appearance, their strong almost spicy […]

This beauty is a spiced pear gin fizz, and it is delicious.  Flavorful and lovely to look at, yet very different from my apple gin fizz cocktail I posted about not that long ago, I found this recipe on Jelly Toast, a blog by another foodie/photographer, Emily Caruso.  I just had to try it.  If […]

Entertaining this weekend? This bacon-wrapped date recipe is a quick and super easy one to make for guests.  If you are a bacon lover and have not had this simple sweet and salty combination, you are missing out.  The addition of rich local honey and a sprinkling of Sriracha salt add more complexity to the […]

Frosted pumpkin cookies are a common request by my older son, these and my coconut cake that is. With just a subtle pumpkin flavor, these soft pillowy cookies are light on pumpkin flavor and not too sweet, so the frosting is by no means overkill.  I myself, love these as well. Serving these warm further […]

My husband is a foodie, but not in a pretentious way.  He simply loves good food.  This is not why I married him, but let’s just say that it didn’t hurt.  At times my husband will send me a recipe he finds with subject lines like, “this sounds good,” “you should try this,” or “maybe we […]

It’s Friday and sadly I’m not at the International Food Bloggers Conference in Sacramento, so I’ll post instead.  This is another fun and somewhat “new” tequila-based cocktail for those who want something other than a margarita or a Paloma.  Most have probably never heard of a Siesta cocktail, until recently I certainly have not. This tequila, […]