My husband’s family is 100% Irish so I went searching for the perfect Irish Soda Bread recipe to try this year. He doesn’t really come from a family of cooks, so this proved to be a daunting task. My Mother-in-Law makes it with a base of Bisquick… I can’t imagine baking anything with Bisquick, so [...]
Now that I’m addicted to roasting my own whole chickens, I’m also pretty attached to making Homemade Chicken Stock. I can’t even imagine tossing a chicken carcass in the trash… what an incredible waste that would be. Making homemade stock is very simple. The carcass goes in a big pot with water, vegetables and a [...]
After reading Ruhlman’s post “America: Too Stupid to Cook” I decided that it was ridiculous that I wasn’t roasting my own chicken. The convenience of buying a chicken already roasted by the market had become habit. But that was lazy and (stupid) and there was really no reason why I wasn’t taking on this task at [...]
Trudging along on the ten week healthy challenge, it sure hasn’t been easy. Good days are abundant but bad days have haunted me too. With two “official” weeks to go, I’m re-visiting my original goals to take a peek at how I’m doing…
Here are my original goals-:
*lose weight- goal of 15-20 lbs. in 10 weeks, [...]
I posed a couple of questions on Twitter last night: “Who has never baked Snickerdoodles?” & “Who has never even tried a Snickerdoodle cookie?” Amazingly enough, there was a flood of responses from friends who have never tried one of these delicious little cookies and even more who have never baked them. Some claimed that [...]
This might sound quirky and whacked, but spending an entire Saturday in the kitchen preparing multiple dishes for a dinner party is my idea of a good time (truly). When Sunday rolls around though, I’m pooped and I’m ready for the couch… ready to watch my tivo’d episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County [...]
My Mom used to make these delicious little bake & slice rolled chocolate-swirl cookies when I was growing up. I’m sure she got the recipe out of some sort of 70’s cheesy checkout-aisle mini magazine but it’s really a genius, wonderful recipe. Mom still makes them once a year during the holidays, hauling them on the airplane to [...]
On a trip to my local produce supplier last week, I asked them to show me what was in season… what they had that was looking really great. They walked me right over to the citrus and pointed out the blood oranges. “They’re extremely juicy and delicious, and they’re gorgeous inside too,” I was told. [...]
On Jan. 2nd we began the ten week healthy challenge with 341 people. Each has been contending with their own goals and using their own tools and methods for implementing healthy changes. I have no idea how many participators are still following along since healthy commitments are tough to stick with. I’d love to hear an update on how [...]
Are you familiar with the Whoopie Pie? No one in my little corner of the world has ever heard of a whoopie pie. If I weren’t a food writer, I’m not sure I’d know what one was either.
According to Wikipedia:
A whoopie pie is a baked good made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, [...]
Most people want chocolate for Valentine’s Day. I’ll take Dulce de Leche, thank you. And cheesecake. And toffee. Heck, I’ll take Miniature Toffee Crunch Cheesecakes with Dulce de Leche.
I once dreamed of having cheesecake as my wedding cake. That didn’t happen, but if I marry my husband again… there will be cheesecake involved in the [...]
Update: This project has concluded and was an amazing success! 1818 books sold, with a total of $47,166.00 (including the Canadian government’s matching donation) going to Haiti relief. Thanks everyone for your purchases!
I’m so thrilled with how this all turned out that I can hardly stand it. Just three weeks ago, my blogging friend Julie [...]
Quickie quiz:
A. Will you be watching The Big Game?
B. Will you be more interested in the food associated with the game?
C. Will you be on your computer while everyone else watches the game.
D. All of the above? None of the above?
I’m gonna go with “B” myself. I enjoy football and I love the Super Bowl [...]
I have a deep, dark secret. I don’t really like chocolate. I’ve mentioned it in passing before, but I never get any understanding or compassion. Instead I get… “What?” “What’s wrong with you?” “How can you not like chocolate?” “It’s the best ever!” …things like that. It seems there aren’t a whole lot of folks [...]
I’ve just finished up the first four weeks of the Ten in ‘10 Healthy Challenge and I’m moving on to week 5. The challenge technically ends on March 13th. For me, the challenge will extend to March 27th (vacation & sick week caused a 2 week delay), though I fully intend to stay on my [...]
My brother has always had quite a fond attachment to Fritos. As a kid he chose Fritos over any other type of chip-like snack, popping them into his chili and tucking them underneath the tuna in his tunafish sandwiches. I never understood the appeal of Fritos, really. A handful of them leaves you with a [...]
I live in the land of year-round, ripe and affordable avocados (Southern California). I don’t think I ever even had avocados as a kid, but in my house now they’re pretty much daily eats. We slice them up in the morning and top our omelettes with them. At lunch, they make an appearance in salad. [...]
Three weeks into the Ten in ‘10 Healthy Challenge and I’m still getting requests for people to join along. We’re up to 336 participants from 41 states & 15 countries! It seems that a lot of folks are hoping for a little support in their healthy journey, and that’s what this challenge is all about. [...]
I like to think that there will be a special calorie-free place in heaven reserved for Snickerdoodle lovers like me. There will be beaches made of cinnamon-sugar sand and surfboards made of Snickerdoodle Cookies. On a nearby magical mountain, I’ll ski down frozen layers of Snickerdoodle Ice Cream, maneuvering the mogul-like scoops with ease as [...]
The moment this conference was announced, I started saving my pennies. I was lucky enough to attend Food Blogger Camp last week featuring some experts in the field of food writing. And the best part?… it was held in Mexico at Club Med Ixtapa. My family tagged along, and we called it a quasi- vacation. I [...]
Pork tenderloin is the cut of pork that I stick with the most since I’ve destroyed every pork chop I’ve ever made. If you use a remote thermometer (the kind where a little wand gets stuck inside the meat and the temperature recording device sits outside your oven- like this one), pork tenderloin comes out [...]
I’ve been a bit remiss in visiting blogs of the Ten in ‘10 Participants this week but I hope you’ll understand… I’ve been in Mexico attending a food blogger’s conference/vacation. It’s tough to find time for the computer when you’re in a hot & humid climate where all you want to do is lounge around in a beach [...]
Have you had the pleasure of meeting Lyle yet?
Lyle’s Golden Syrup, that is. It’s pure heaven. It’s not anything like corn syrup, so don’t even think of trying to substitute. It has the texture of very thick honey and the flavor of toasted brown sugar. I’ve seen it called for in recipes many times, but [...]
I understand that many folks are in the midst of a deep freeze at the moment. I’m sorry for you. If I could send you a bucket of our Southern California sunshine, I would. We really have it good here in California. We have more clear, warm & sunny days here than you can count, and we [...]
It was so inspiring this week for me to pop around on the blogs and see so many people writing about the Ten in ‘10 Healthy Challenge. The Passionate Pair said it best when they described the challenge as “gaining a foundation for long-lasting habits.” I hope that’s how we’re all looking at this challenge. [...]
One of the goals for my healthy look at 2010 is to bake nutritious things without losing the flavor and satisfaction of eating something really evil. I plan on using a lot more whole grains and very little white flour in my quest to be sporting a bikini by summer. Oat flour, a hearty whole-grain [...]
I’m cooking lighter in 2010. That’s not to say that I won’t post evil baked goods and decadent dinners… I’ll still do that of course, but I’m also mindful of the fact that my thighs are rubbing together and my non-existent love handles seem to be making an appearance again. It’s time to eat a [...]
D-day is finally here- the Ten in ‘10 Healthy Challenge now begins! I’m absolutely thrilled with the response we’ve gotten to the challenge. It’s terrific that so many people are interested in making a positive, healthy change in their lives. I feel like we’re all in this together, and will support each other and keep each [...]
Another year is coming to a close. The RecipeGirl.com site has been up since mid 2006, but this blog portion of the site is turning just 2 years old tomorrow. Launching the site (and especially the blog) was a most fabulous idea, it has fueled my passion for food & cooking & creativity in the kitchen, and it [...]
If you’re searching for a festive appetizer for New Year’s Eve, here’s one you can prepare ahead (and still impress your guests): Spinach, Feta & Sundried Tomato Triangles. This is a jazzed up version of the typical Greek Phyllo Triangle… added mint, sundried tomato, kalamata olives and lemon.
Here’s a pictoral how-to (the complete recipe can be [...]
The Ten in ‘10 Healthy Challenge officially begins in just one week: January 2nd, 2010. Are you ready to begin your 10 week commitment to making healthy changes in your life? Find challenge details here. It’s not too late to join in!
I’ve been putting a lot of thought into what specific goals I should shoot [...]
In my family, we have a celebration on Christmas Eve. Lots of us get together and share a big dinner that everyone helps to prepare. Once dinner is cleaned up, we begin preparing brunch for Christmas day… usually an overnight egg casserole and sometimes even cinnamon rolls. We wake up Christmas morning and sneak downstairs [...]
Note to my readers: This healthy challenge is not going to be the new focus of my site. It’s a challenge that I will write about only on Saturdays. Recipe postings will occur, as usual, during the week.
As of Saturday AM, Jan. 30, 2009… we have 341 passionate people who are (publicly) on board for getting healthy in 2010. [...]
I just made these today, and I couldn’t resist sharing them with you immediately.
Have you been persuaded to buy any of those specialty bags of Hershey’s holiday kisses? I picked up a bag of the Mint Truffle flavored variety at Target the other day and found myself wondering what the heck I was going to [...]
Abigail Johnson Dodge is an expert in baking and cooking, as well as a popular food writer, instructor and media personality. Her recipes are featured regularly in various publications. Most recently, her gorgeous Peppermint Meringue Cake with Chocolate Buttercream landed the coveted spot on the cover of Bon Appetit.
The Weekend Baker, one of 6 cookbooks that [...]
The beginning of the year is as good a time as any to make some healthy changes in your life. I work best on this sort of thing when I have support from others. So I’ve decided to put together a challenge that everyone can participate in if they wish… one that will begin on [...]
This contest is now closed. Congrats to the ten winners listed below- all chosen randomly via www.random.org!
#51 Molly “I love Pioneer Woman cooks. But, if I can’t find a recipe I am specifically looking for, I usually go to allrecipes.com. I like reading the reviews.”
#66 Fran www.FrantasticFood.com “My 1st resource is my Google Reader feed [...]
Welcome to the Baker’s Dozen Ultimate Christmas Cookie Exchange! Today I’ve united with twelve incredible food bloggers to bring you a holiday cookie celebration. To see all of the participating bloggers, please visit the Baker’s Dozen home site at www.13CookieChristmas.info.
I’ve spouted off before about how I think that Christmas cookies should LOOK like Christmas cookies. [...]
* this giveaway is now closed. The randomly selected winner (via random.org) is #82 Nicole from www.dulanotes.com! Enjoy the movie! Nicole commented…
“Your site is great because if I want to try something new or have to bring a crowd-pleasing recipe to a gathering, I can count on your recipes.”
Wow, thanks Nicole! I can’t tell you [...]
There is a rather disturbing trend taking place in the world of Christmas cookies. It’s that folks are doing so-called “Christmas Cookie Baking,” that isn’t really holiday baking at all. What I mean by this is that some people bake chocolate chip cookies or snickerdoodles and such, add them to their cookie platters and call them Christmas [...]
If you’re planning holiday parties this season, I have some festive ideas to share- along with three appetizer cookbooks very worthy of purchase for your ever-growing cookbook collections!
The first recipe comes from New Flavors for Appetizers: Classic Recipes Redefined by Amy Sherman ( CookingWithAmy) I’ve met Amy a couple of times before, and apart from being [...]
You still have time to enter the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Recipe Contest. Combine your favorite ingredients with Puff Pastry to come up with something new… and you may win an all-expense paid trip to New York City for you and a friend! Details here.
The holidays are upon us. Friends and family will be gathering [...]
I’m officially enamored with eggnog. This holiday season, I’ve already whipped up an eggnog bread and eggnog muffins. My husband has been eyeing an eggnog cookie recipe from a holiday cookie magazine that he’d like me to bake. My son has been begging me to make eggnog french toast. And my nephew (a chef) apparently informed my sister that my [...]
My favorite time of year for baking is Christmas. I rarely repeat a cookie recipe (always wishing to discover new things), but if I do… these are the treats I’m most likely to make again.
Click on the picture to view the recipe:
Be sure to come back tomorrow to see what I’ll be serving up first. [...]
Still have your Thanksgiving turkey carcass? Don’t let it go to waste. Use it to make Next Day Turkey Soup. Let the carcass simmer in broth for a couple of hours and it’ll help you make an unbelievable, rich-flavored stock for this light and hearty soup.
It’s a perfect, lighter dinner choice after a couple of [...]
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you’re looking for something fun to do with your leftover turkey. Everyone makes soup (that’s a must), and I’ll show you my favorite in tomorrow’s post, but for now I’ve gotta share a recipe that is perfect for utilizing a couple of your Turkey Day leftovers. I know what you’re thinking. [...]
I used to be addicted to Starbuck’s Pumpkin Scones. I’m not sure why… they’re not terribly moist (pretty darn dry, in fact). I think it was the icing on top that attracted me. And it’s probably more about the luxury of ordering something that looks like it should go well with my Pumpkin Spice Latte. Well… I’m [...]
You’ve probably had it before, and more than likely it’s typical Thanksgiving fare in your house. You know… the cranberry sauce that you pry open with a can opener and then attempt to nudge it out carefully so it slithers into the serving bowl in one large, cylindrical, gelatinous blob. I grew up with the stuff, and [...]
I don’t have the privilege of hosting Thanksgiving this year (yippee! Hallelulah! and Phew!, right?). Actually, I don’t really feel that way at all. I enjoy hosting. Being in control of the menu means I get to include all of my Thanksgiving favorites, and it’s an opportunity to rescue my ginormous dining room table from collecting dust. [...]
You may have noticed that I’ve created a couple of recipes lately using Puff Pastry. There were those Caramelized Apple Waffle Pastries, and then there were the Peanut Butter S’Mores Turnovers. Puff Pastry is so easy to work with, and it’s been a lot of fun coming up with new recipe ideas for using it. [...]
Ever since I began writing about food, I’ve had some strange sleeping habits. I have a tough time sleeping anyways but if I wake in the middle of the night, I start thinking…and thinking…and thinking. My mind is awash with ideas for blog posts or recipe creations, and I get so excited about what I’m creating [...]
Admittedly, I’m not a regular reader of The Pioneer Woman’s food blog. I’ve read it more than a handful of times, and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen, but I don’t read it daily. Clearly, Ree Drummond is witty and fun and her personality easily shines through in her writing. She is adored by thousands (maybe millions) [...]
Here’s a great recipe for my favorite fall vegetable: Roasted Butternut Squash with Garlic, Sage & Pine Nuts.
Here’s the How-To:
Cut the butternut squash in half directly down the middle lengthwise. It’s gonna be kinda tough to do… use your sharpest knife and be careful (this is the hardest part). Scoop out the seeds and stringy [...]
Each month, a few blogging buddies and I join forces and have a little pie party on our blogs called The Great, Big Pie Bakeoff. Everyone is welcome to participate- we keep the details for each month’s theme on our little pie website. Join us in November if you wish to bake up a pie!
This month’s theme is “Scary [...]
Welcome to The Recipe Girl’s Trick-or-TrEAT post. Today, nine favorite food, craft and lifestyle bloggers await behind nine haunted houses with an array of holiday treats created just for you. At the end of this post, you will find two of these mystery houses. To join in the holiday fun, simply click on one of [...]
Please join me on Monday, October 26, when I join forces with nine of the webs best food & lifestyle bloggers for the delightfully frightful Halloween collaboration, Trick-Or-TrEAT. Nine haunted houses have been trimmed and tricked out on your behalf. Which of your favorite bloggers awaits behind each haunted home? Whatever have the ghosts and [...]
I’m not much of a camper. My husband often takes my son on camping trips, and I happily stay behind and thank the gods for our bug-free house, cozy bed and well-stocked kitchen. I always send them off in comfort… marinate a little meat for them to throw on the grill, pack up some convenience foods [...]
While traveling through the state of Vermont last summer, we passed quite a few of those little soft serve ice cream stands that you often see on the side of the road when you’re on a family road trip. In my part of the world, these soft serve ice cream cones are known as ”Frosties” but for [...]
Dear Readers,
I have news! I’ve been busy creating a second food blog. I know that seems a bit crazy… like there isn’t enough to do around here, but I came up with an idea for a new blog and I was so excited to implement it. I’ve always wondered if cover recipes are really all they’re cracked up to be. [...]
There’s a spot in my kitchen that is always reserved for a special cookbook. It’s a wrought-iron stand next to my stove, where I regularly switch out seasonal cookbooks (my favorites) from which I draw recipe inspiration. Currently displayed… Eat Feed Autumn Winter: 30 ways to celebrate when the mercury drops by Anne Bramley.
I picked up [...]
If you’ve ever been to San Diego, you’ll probably agree that it’s a little bit of a dreamy place… warm-ish weather all year long, palm trees gently swaying on the horizon, year-round Farmer’s Markets & herb gardens, lots of great beaches, and jaw-dropping sunsets. The down-side to living in such a beautiful place… we don’t [...]
I recently attended the BlogHer food conference in San Francisco, where I had the opportunity to meet loads of other bloggers that I’ve known forever via Twitter & blog visiting, etc. It was truly exciting to meet face-to-face so many fabulous and talented food writers, bloggers and cookbook authors all in one place (far too many [...]
Our community held it’s annual Fall Harvest Festival this past weekend. It’s our attempt to experience a bit of what autumn is like in most parts of the country… caramel apple-making stands, displaced hay bales, & store-bought scarecrows, all set up on a village green and packed with folks clad in summery attire and lathered with [...]
A caramel apple is a sweet treat I’ve always admired from afar. It’s the sort of thing that “looks” appealing to eat… all of that gooey caramel wrapped around a crunchy, juicy apple- sometimes even rolled in toasted nuts or, better yet, M&M’s. But it’s also the very treat that I’m unwilling to tackle eating. The idea of trying [...]
Some blogging friends and I got to chatting about pie recipes one day on Twitter. Remember the movie “Waitress?”… all the pies with the funny names that the main character would bake up as she daydreamed of a life without her deadbeat husband?
If you haven’t ever seen this movie, you simply must rent it- it’s pretty hilarious. [...]
There are hedges upon hedges of rosemary growing wildly in our backyard. It competes with thyme, lavender and mint growing nearby, but its scent almost always takes the lead in our hot, dry air. I’ve learned to love it and use it often in the kitchen. It’s wonderful in cookies, cakes and breads, but I [...]
As soon as I got wind of David Leite’s new cookbook, The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast, I knew it was going to have to be an immediate addition to my ever-expanding cookbook collection.
David Leite definitely did his homework on this one. He spent several years traveling and eating his way through Portugal, [...]
Autumn is an awe-inspiring, beautiful season in most parts of the US. Brightly-colored leaves cover the trees, and we begin to see hints of crimson, yellow and orange dotting the landscape as winds clear the branches bare.
Apples of all kinds are begging to be plucked from their trees, and they’re plentiful and affordable in the markets [...]
The chill is in the air… sort of. Well, not really, but at least at night it’s a little bit chilly. It’s around 80 degrees today here in Southern California, and it’s predicted to be nearing the low 90’s by Saturday. That’s our typical September weather, so it’s tough to get into the fall spirit [...]
Yep, it’s almost fall… so the fall recipe experimenting begins! It’s a bit too early though… I went to 4 markets before I could actually find a can of pure pumpkin puree. Apparently, it’s a “seasonal” item. But since I’m one of those people who will drive to the end of the earth to find [...]
Sometimes I bake things that I’m not really quite sure about. I mess with existing recipes and I develop my own, and I don’t always really know if all is going to work out. I guess that’s pretty normal for recipe development… trial and error. And then trial and error again until you meet with [...]
We’ll still have summer for quite some time here in Southern California as our September and October are sometimes our hottest months. But I thought this was an appropriate salad to post on this seemingly last day of summer…. while vegetable gardens are bursting with produce that is begging to be used up. And while [...]
I made a different version of this recipe once before… wasn’t too impressed with the flavors, but I loved the idea of a raspberry/lemon biscotti. When I came upon a bounty of raspberries this summer, I found myself awake in the middle of the night thinking about this recipe again. (Everyone has that problem, right? Unable [...]
Figs. I really hated them as a child. My lovely Swedish grandmother often baked fig-filled cookies that were frankly just plain icky, and as a result, I grew up with a severe dislike for figs.
I’ve been slightly more adventurous as an adult. I made a chicken dish with figs last year that I fell madly in love [...]
When I was little I lived in a California neighborhood with a zillion kids. With zero knowledge of the impending video game era, we entertained ourselves easily with outdoor games such as hide-and-go-seek and kick-the-can. Sometimes we just sat on the curb of the street and talked, or raced tiny paper ‘boats’ in the sprinkler [...]
I did it. I dared to mess with a master baker. I took his cookie recipe and thought I could make it better.
I browned the butter that was instructed to be melted. I added in a little bit of lemon juice too (my secret for helping to create chewy cookies). And I defiantly used my preferred [...]
Every season deserves its own cocktail. My favorites…
Fall: Cranberry Mojitos
Winter: The Best Red Wine Sangria
Spring: Spotted Gecko Margaritas
And a new one for me this summer: Watermelon- Tequila Cocktails
Originally from Bobby Flay, this drink combines watermelon & lime juices with simple syrup. Silver tequila is the alcohol of choice in this one. A few blueberries and mint [...]
My fridge has been stocked with an abundance of fresh blueberries all summer long. My favorites are the big, fat juicy ones… the ones that taste amazing when tucked into a bowl of fresh fruit with a dollop of vanilla yogurt and a sprinkle of granola. Ideally, there should be a small splash of blueberry [...]
I came upon the “perfect” recipe for a New England dinner. It caught my attention since I knew I’d be spending the summer in that particular region. Well, okay… so maybe it’s not really perfect. Because my idea of truly the most perfect dinner ever while hanging out in Massachusetts in the summertime is Steamed Lobster dipped in melted butter. [...]
Blueberries are abundant on the Northeast coast of the US. We can find them in our markets pretty easily here in San Diego, but nothing beats the blueberries that you come across in New England. They’re BIG and j.u.i.c.y. little buggers, and they’re cheap as can be. The market where I shopped this summer had [...]
Let’s get a few things straight:
1. I’m not a big fan of Cool Whip or any packaged, ready-to-eat foods.
2. I don’t normally take the easy way out when putting together desserts.
3. I’ve come to realize that sometimes taking the easy way out works out really, really well.
With that in mind, I’ll present to you my [...]
I just returned from a fabulous, relaxing family vacation in New England. The weather wasn’t the best this summer, but we did manage to snag a few good beach days and we didn’t experience the intense high heat and humidity that New England can typically bring. I’ll share food-related travel highlights in today’s post, and [...]
Ah, there’s nothing like it… a cup of coffee, the Sunday paper, and the cardboard crunch of a dried-out scone. Yuck. Most scones should be made the morning that that they’re eaten, for fear of turning them into the sort that you may often pick up at a dud coffee shop. These are that sort [...]
There are some vegetables out there that are not loved as much as others. They sit in their tiny, lonely bins in the produce section, and eventually a shopper who needs an obscure ingredient or someone who is more familiar with that vegetable will pick it up and toss it in their cart. I think [...]
I’ve been making a lot of cupcakes this year, and I’ve ogled at cupcake bakeries in various cities & tried their most exotic flavors. I’ve woken up having dreamt of new cupcake recipes, scrambling for a pen and paper to write down my ideas before they’re lost. My obsession with cupcakes of late has now turned to cookie cupcakes. Yep, it’s [...]
I’m entirely grateful for Martha Stewart (and her team). Some folks think of MS and think, “Oh, that lady is far too fancy for me.” Not so. She offers the fancy but she also covers the practical recipes too. I often gain inspiration from both of her magazines and her entertaining cookbooks. Her Cookies cookbook is just [...]
The crunch of whole-grain cornmeal is one of those really pleasant culinary experiences for me. I’m sure that sounds odd (corny, even) to some… but I just love diving into a muffin or cornbread or a crust that has cornmeal included and biting into that grainy texture. It absolutely must be whole-grain cornmeal… the regular stuff just doesn’t [...]
Quick, easy and summery fresh. Pull out the corn on the cob and pick a zucchini for this one: Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas.
These are fixed in the oven… but the good news is that you don’t have to have the oven on for long in this hot summer heat. Just give them a quick broil to melt [...]
Happy 4th of July Week! I’m planning on celebrating with cupcakes: Red, White & Blue Cupcakes.
I’ve wanted to make a multi-colored tie-dye sort of cupcake for quite some time, so I decided to start with the red, white & blue sort for the holiday.
They’re simple, really. Use a vanilla cake batter and divide it into [...]
I sent my husband to our local Specialty Produce place the other day and instructed him to, “Pick up anything that’s red, white and blue.” He came home with loads of berries (which I made the Cheesecake Bars with) and then some red, white and blue potatoes.
Blue potatoes? Yes, blue. Sometimes they have a [...]
Here’s another good one for the 4th of July… or if you just have some fresh berries lying around: Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Bars.
Believe it or not, this is a lighter fat recipe! Yay for still getting to enjoy treats when you have to diet on the 4th of July 200 calories [...]
I have to admit that when I’m saddled with the task of making a fruit salad, I sometimes pick up a fruit tray at Costco, chop up the fruit, throw it in a bowl and call it fruit salad. There are a couple of problems with this: 1. The fruit is not as fresh as if [...]
Kid favorite straight ahead
Inspired by The Food Librarian’s Valentine Jello, I created a 4th of July version: 6 layers of Red White and Blue Finger Jello. Remember those popular little treats called Knox Blox (back in the day?) These are similar, though not quite as firm. The white layer isn’t actually a jello layer [...]
I’m excited to share a recipe that I twittered about the other day… it created quite the discussion on Twitter as well as puddles of internet drool: Kahlua Brownies with Kahlua-Browned Butter Icing.
I was saddled with the task of sending a treat along with my husband (who was headed to a Laker’s game viewing party). [...]
I’m lovin’ the abundance of fresh cherries right now. We consistently have cherries all washed and ready to eat in a big bowl in our refrigerator. Honestly I had never really been that into eating cherries before this season. Popping them into your mouth, chewing around the pit and then discreetly ’spitting’ the pit into a [...]
Dear Chocolate Lovers,
I have a cookie for you and only for you… Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies. If you don’t care for chocolate, you might as well leave now. This one is for the chocolate-obsessed only.
The batter has melted chocolate in it, chocolate chunks are mixed into the chocolate batter, and broken candy bar pieces are placed [...]
My Gourmet group had a fabulous Cuban-themed dinner last weekend. I’m excited to share the entire menu with you, which I’ll do in my next post, but for now I’ll share the recipe that I was assigned to make:
Plantain- Wrapped Crab Cakes with Avocado Aioli.
I had picked up a big bunch of plantains from my [...]
Strawberries are everywhere around here right now… fresh, juicy and plentiful. I’ve done fruit salads, galettes, muffins, breads, pies… and I’m always looking for new and creative ways to utilize them. Smitten Kitchen did this cute strawberry cake. Since I don’t wish to have a big ‘ol cake sitting around shedding its calories upon my [...]
It’s that time of year that I begin to feel like entertaining more. The weather is warmer, the ingredients are fresher, and the desire to invite people over to share in a meal is inescapable. My husband flips on the fountains in the courtyards, selects outdoor mood music, hoses down the outdoor patio furniture and fires up [...]
My little one had a birthday recently, and he wished for a Boston Red Sox birthday cake. I’m not a big cake baker, but I figured I could pull it off. Armed with a picture of their logo, I set off to bake his wish. Here’s a pictoral step-by-step, with a few instructions for how [...]
Keeping myself accountable once a month for that Great Feat of Losing Weight has been a major factor contributing to my success in keeping it off. Here it is (3 months later), and I’m still within a couple of pounds of my Biggest Loser weigh-in. I still crave daily exercise. Unfortunately, I also crave evil desserts, [...]
Sometimes my husband gets really lucky. And by lucky, I mean that he gets a hot-cooked meal at lunch He works from home much of the time, and with that hovers the expectation that something other than pb&j might grace the table at lunchtime. Often, I adhere to that expectation. I figure I [...]
My guys were headed out on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago (with a bunch of other fathers & sons), and they ordered up some cookies to take along with them. Looking forward to a solitary weekend, I happily scoured my cookies-yet-to-bake binder to find a recipe that I thought would satisfy the hungry campers. [...]
Yeah, I know this is a food blog , but I just can’t help adding in a few exercise and diet tips now and then. It’s a daily struggle for me to lose weight and maintain, and I find that intense workouts help tremendously. I couldn’t possibly eat all of this food that I blog [...]
Fancy food is not for the casual eater. Too much fanciness can make a non-foodie type feel a little out of place. It’s not welcomed by the non-adventurous type. And it’s usually not appreciated by one who doesn’t really know food. Sometimes simple really is best.
I made this pound cake recently… when I was looking [...]
I’m delighted to announce that the folks at Rancho La Puerta Spa contacted me after seeing my recipe posts from their cookbook and offered to give away a cookbook to one of my RecipeGirl readers!
This giveaway is now closed, and the lucky winner (via Random.org) is commenter #36…
Anali from the blog: Anali’s First Amendment. Congratulations! Please [...]
I’ve always associated Mother’s Day with brunch. Usually being the one to host this holiday, I almost always put quiches on the menu. I have quite a few quiche recipes that I love, but I’m always looking for something new to try. This one comes from that great spa cookbook that I talked about yesterday: Mushroom & [...]
Rancho La Puerta is a world-famous destination spa in Baja, California (Mexico)- about an hour’s drive from San Diego. I’ve wanted to visit this spa for years, imagining the luxury of a week full of exercise, relaxation and healthy eating, and devoid of internet, TV and the real world. It sits on 3,000 sunny-all-the-time acres [...]
I had a serious craving for Mexican food last night. Good thing it’s quite easy to satisfy those Mexican food cravings here in Southern California. We have little Mexican fast food shacks, you see… pretty much every mile or so down the road. They’re quick and they’re good and they’re a little bit greasy, but [...]
Cinco de Mayo will soon be here (May 5th for those non-Spanish speakers). Though it’s a Mexican holiday, here in Southern California, Cinco de Mayo celebrations are pretty widespread… mostly an excuse to eat Mexican food and partake in downing a few margaritas. We had a party last year for that very reason. These Margarita [...]
I’m not really a cocktail kinda gal… but mojitos are my favorite. If there’s a good lookin’ mojito on the Happy Hour menu, I’m all over it. That’s why this recipe title caught my eye, and I simply had to give it a go: Mojito Marinated Chicken. Yep, it’s all of your favorite mojito ingredients [...]
Adopt a Blogger is a little program that Kristen (DineandDish) has put together a few times now.
The idea is to pair an experienced blogger with another who is a bit new to blogging… to provide inspiration &advice, to answer questions and just to be there for help, if needed. My adoptee is Beryl, a Southern [...]
Italian-made cannoli can be counted among my all-time favorite desserts in this world. I had my fair share of them on a visit to Italy, and have enjoyed pretty decent cannoli at both Mike’s and Modern in the North End of Boston. It’s also the dessert I’ve most wanted to write about since Day 1 of [...]
Asparagus…
I’ve roasted it, tossed it into salads, and stuffed it in enchiladas. But truthfully, I don’t usually do much with asparagus besides steam them and dunk ‘em in mayonnaise.
My neighborhood’s Gourmet Club had our monthly dinner last weekend (Tuscan-Themed) and Asparagus Risotto was one of the dishes served. It was so delicious with our Lamb [...]
It’s pretty much summer (in the middle of April) in Southern California right now. According to my car’s thermometer, it was 98 degrees F. today. The weather feels fabulous… the shorts and flip flops are out, windows are open all night, and dips in the pool are a must. So it seems a bit ironic [...]
I’m a few days late in posting about this, but I thought it would be entirely appropriate to write about after my last two decadent brownie posts! Believe it or not, I’m still on a mission to lose more weight and eat healthier meals. I’ve made quite a few baked goods lately, and that’s probably [...]
I began the day yesterday with a desire to create some sort of candy bar-infused brownie. ‘Snickers‘ first came to mind. The thought of all of that caramel oozing its way through a mass of fudgy brownie sounded like a good idea to me. There was a problem though… NUTS were ruining my vision of [...]