My husband and I just recently returned from a great two week trip to France. There was no shortage of delicious food to be consumed...24/7. So after a few days of treating ourselves to almond croissants in the morning (more to come on that later), baguette sandwiches for lunch, duck confit for dinner, and buckets of wine, I decided that perhaps we should put our little apartment's kitchen to good use and make something healthy-ish. "Ish" being key here.
Read MoreCinco de Mayo is upon us and I've already consumed my yearly quota of Mexican Wedding Cookies, enchiladas and carnitas. So to distract myself from the deliciousness that is Mexican cuisine, I pulled together a festive flower arrangement. Using freshly cut roses from my parent's garden and a talavera pitcher from my wedding, these flowers are begging to sit next to a big skinny marg.
Read MoreAs a resident of California (and San Francisco specifically), I've been lucky enough to always have delicious Mexican food at my fingertips. Save for tacos de lengua (no gracias Señor), I love all Mexican comida, especially their desserts. When a friend decided host a little Cinco de Mayo bash, I wanted to contribute a treat but was short on time. Enter Mexican Wedding Cookies.
Read MoreAs I prepped for an extended vacation recently, I noticed quite a few perishable goodies in my kitchen that would go to waste. I could think of no better way to use that newly purchased basil plant (poor planning) than to make a batch of basil pesto. As far as Italian chefs go, I always know that Michael Chiarello won't lead me astray. So I grabbed the Tra Vigne Cookbook off my shelf.
Read MoreIf there is one thing I've learned from watching Barefoot Contessa, it's that Jeffrey (Mr. Garten) loves a good roasted chicken. That and butter makes everything better. But this post isn't about butter. Ina recently went on a jaunt to The Standard Grill in New York to help the head chef make their famous "Million Dollar Chicken".
Read MoreHydrangeas are good lookin' alone, but combined with a small bunch of tuberose before the blooms opened, they are even more lovely. The tuberose's green/pink color added a subtle punch of color and texture that breaks up the bright white and green leaves of hydrangeas. Some day I will line my backyard (imaginary for now) with these beauties.
Read MoreEvery home cook needs a few meatball recipes in their arsenal. While I love traditional turkey meatballs with red sauce, Smitten Kitchen's mediterranean version has taken over the top spot. These nuggets of turkey are combined with sesame seed and spices to recreate one of my favorite vegetarian treats - falafel.
Read MoreEvery weekend I dream about going to Plow in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood and consuming endless plates of their amazing house made pork sausage patties. Their out-of-this-world sausage also comes with a 2 hour wait. So here I am. Sunday morning, craving Plow, without the patience to sit on the curb in Potrero Hill for a good chunk of my morning. I decided to take the bull by the horns and make my own version of Plow's delectable sausage patties with ingredients I had at home.
Read MoreSpring has almost sprung! There is no better reminder of the change in season than the purple, pink, green and yellow flowers that are popping up in the markets. Yesterday something new caught my eye at Whole Foods - Kale flowers. While I've seen the cream and green combination many times, I'd never come across the purple to green ombré variety.
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