healthy spring side dishes
i love making introductions…and this one was particularly awesome b/c i got to enjoy the results…yummy and healthy spring salads at an awesome party! my foodie friend Peilin Breller is a food stylist, and she did me solid by catering another friend’s party. when you’ve got mad skills to make food look good in commercials and […]
first frost cranberries – crunchy, tart, sweet, yumminess
first frost cranberries are easy to make and are a crowd favorite. i personally ate about 1/2 the bowl at a holiday cooking party recently. most people don’t think of eating raw cranberries. this recipe is deceptively addictive. be sure to make extra batches! they make a lovely hostess gift when presented in a jar; […]
Turkey Chilequiles Casserole – perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey
This is a great recipe assuming you have turkey leftover from Thanksgiving! If you’re fresh out of cooked turkey, this recipe works well with a store-bought Rotisserie Chicken (4-5 lbs) 12 oz. bag of plain corn tortilla chips 2 tablespoons of canola oil 1 tsp ground cumin 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 red […]
fall bbq Palm Springs style
let me begin this post by apologizing for my crappy lens. maybe it has something to do with the time i dropped my camera while catching a woman and her infant as they were stumbling down some stairs at a pee wee baseball game. maybe not. maybe this stock lens is just lame and i […]
solstice stew :: veggies galore for crisp fall days
Fun post from my buddy Peilin Breller, food stylist extraordinaire….I’d never be able to make food look this good. Food styling is truly an art. Enjoy this awesome fall/winter stew. We sure did! Last December I found myself in the early morning hours at Stehly Farms in heart of Valley Center, San Diego’s gorgeous and […]
yummy summer garden party by Heidi Ristau
my friend Heidi Ristau is a woman of many talents. she’s a high-powered and hard-charging product manager during the day, and caters for high end events on the weekends. her food is an inspiration as i aspire to create such tasty and wonderful dishes for my get togethers! Heidi’s use of fresh, local and […]
neighbors and cookies
we’re blessed with wonderful neighbors. isn’t it awesome to come home from a busy day to this sitting at your door? yummy peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses on a cute white heart-shaped plate? and this is from a woman who has 6 kids. i mean, she found time to make these and bring […]
fresh garden salsa
there’s something really magical about fresh, homemade, garden salsa. the colors are vibrant. the flavors are unmatched. and when paired homemade tortilla chips, just so ever slightly salted, you’ll just want to eat the entire bowl. if you grow nothing else this spring than cilantro, tomatoes and some chili peppers, you’ll still be happy after […]
juicy prime rib. over-the-top goodness.
i dragged two girlfriends with me to a cooking class just after Thanksgiving. the class was led by Nick Wynn and newly appointed Sous Chef Chris Chun at Big Canyon Country Club. the master sommelier, Steven Poe, paired delicious wines with the foods that were cooked. my favorite was the reisling, but i never did […]
chocolate chip pancake goodness
we’ve been in a pancake phase here at the house for about 4 years. 🙂 this momma hides all kinds of goodness in pancakes. pureed veggies, eggs, milk. start ’em young and they won’t know the difference! the problem is that when i think i’m doing a favor by adding chocolate chips, the kids […]
feta stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. you’re welcome.
i’m not gonna lie. these may just kill you. but you’ll be smiling when you die. grab some dates or figs. don’t know the difference? dates have pits. figs have small seeds and are more brown in color. i’m really hoping this isn’t what i’ll look like later in life without teeth. i used all […]
sneaking mushrooms into pasta sauce
if your kids are like mine, you’ve sometimes gotta be wiley with the veggies. i present to you exhibit A. mushrooms. i love me some button mushrooms. did you know that mushrooms are the only fresh veggie with vitamin D? not that we’ve needed any vitamin D around here with the scorching sun and heat […]
California Tea Party
hello! raise your hand if summer has completely consumed you? i’ve really been making an effort to be in the moment with the kids….i give myself a B. we’ve had a lot of fun…but it isn’t easy. summer’s irregular schedule requires a lot more juggling and calendar coordination! thank goodness for Google calendars!!! we’ve spent […]
cook. shoot. paint. eat. june 2013.
now i’ve done it. all this blogging about painting free furniture found on curbs or via craigslist curb alerts has created a few monsters within my circle of friends. so the time had come to bring a few of us together for the next installment of cook. shoot. eat. this time, we added some paint. […]
Farm to Feast :: organic fellowship
my discipleship group wound down today…as we prep for a summer filled with camps, swimming, camping, and beach, this incredibly awesome group of 6 women (with 21 kids amongst us!!!), are taking a little hiatus. so we all met at a friend’s in Newport Beach. Kim is a talented and uber creative-in-the-kitchen woman who hosts […]