I never like to make cucumber salads the same way twice. I feel like cucumbers make for such a solid starting point. They aren't overly powerful in the flavor department but they do come with a nice, refreshing crunch. Plus, I almost always have a couple of hand because my son loves them as a...
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Vegetable Burger with Curried Ketchup and Avocado
Post sponsored by Dr. Praegers. See below for more details. One of the things I've become really good at since having kid: lowering expectations. This hasn't been easy because I'm always wanting to try new things, explore new places, and hand-make everything I can. Add a toddler to this mix and while I can still...
California Avocado Tomatillo Soup
Post sponsored by California Avocados. See below for more details. One of the reasons I love living in a desert climate: cool evenings and mornings. Even when it gets to be hot during the days, most nights and mornings are cool (sweater weather cool). This means I'm still able to happily enjoy my warm evening...
5 Tips for Vegetarian Lunches
(Hey Everyone! I want you to give a warm welcome to Grace Kerfoot. Grace has studied nutrition and most recently was working as a cheesemonger. She's also been helping me in the studio and I'm so happy to have her contributing a few posts in the coming months. I think it's always great to have...
Blue Cheese Peach Pizza with Honey
This recipe is in partnership with Nugget Markets. See below for more details. There are combinations that might feel a bit over-done but I will always (and gladly) eat. One of those combinations: blue cheese and peaches. Fresh, sweet peaches paired with the earthy flavor of blue cheese is everything I could want in one...
Sesame Sunflower Crunch | Cooking Component
When it comes to textures, I'm all about the crunch. This is why I gravitate towards chips, crackers, and granola. This sunflower crunch is a mix between toasted nuts and granola. It's simple on ingredients but the end result is a multi-use mix that adds the perfect crunch to soups, salads, and yogurt bowls. One...
Sweet Corn Polenta with Fried Egg and Sun-Dried Tomato Relish
There are a few summer staples that happen every year. Roasted tomato salsa, grilled zucchini, and this fresh polenta. Traditionally, polenta is made from dried/stone-ground corn. This version relies on using fresh summer sweet corn. The texture is different but the flavor of the polenta is all summer warmth. I usually make the polenta base...
Blueberry Chia Jam with Yogurt and Sunflower Crunch
One of my favorite coffee shops in town serves two hot food items: waffles and yogurt bowls. If I had my way, I'd eat both, everyday. The waffles are perfect and they make a homemade jam for topping which they also use on their yogurt bowls. Since it's not cost-effective for me to eat there...
Roasted Butter Tomato Sauce Pasta
Post sponsored by the French Ministry of Agriculture. See below for more details. Since having a child, I've found myself eating more foods from my childhood than I ever thought I would. Peanut butter sandwiches now with fig jam. Grilled cheese sandwiches updated with romesco and avocado. And pasta by way of this roasted butter...
Pistachio Peach Salad with Ricotta Salata
There are two things I love about eating out at a restaurant. I want the meal to be something I can't easily make at home and I want meals that spark an idea. This pistachio peach salad was inspired by a meal I had at a recent dinner in Santa Cruz. My friend Liz puts...
Crepes with Tomatoes and Butter Hazelnuts
Post sponsored by the French Ministry of Agriculture. See below for more details. One of my first forays into cooking was for my school's international dinner night. I was in French class and within the first few weeks of class, I became obsessed with French culture. I thought the language and the art was (and...
Saving the Season: 3-Ways with Sweet Corn
Living in California now for over 5 years, I've learned that most food produced here is just as good (if not better) than most any place else. California tomatoes, olive oil, wine, stone fruit, beans, and grains occupy a majority of our meals. However, and I've had arguments with people about this, the Midwest has...
Ricotta Toast with Butter-Fried Peppers
I've noticed an increase of toast offerings at local coffee shops. Avocado, vegetables, and fruit are all popular items but what caught my eye at the last coffee shop was the ricotta toast. Good ricotta is delicious (and better yet, it's actually quite simple to make at home). Add it to toast and you have...
Loaded Summer Veg Burger with Fried Egg
Post sponsored by Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs. See below for more details. I feel like I've truly hit adulthood in the past few years, marked by a love of runny eggs. I could easily eat a ghee-fried egg and toast for breakfast every morning, just swap in and out some fresh produce depending on...
Grilled Pear Halloumi Salad
Post sponsored by California Pear. See below for more details. There's nothing quite like the feeling of driving down interstate 5 from Sacramento and seeing all the produce grown. It can be humbling to drive among the various orchards and realize just how much produce is produced on the valley floor. I'm excited to partner...
Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto
Heirloom tomatoes are king of the summer. There's nothing quite like the taste and texture of a perfectly ripe tomato. Take that and add a few of my favorite items for this delicious bread salad. A peppery arugula pesto is the flavor while the toasted bread brings the texture. I could have stopped there but...
Baked Sweet Corn Farro Risotto
Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details. I'm a glutton for heat. I'll gladly brave my oven being on if it means I can get a comforting meal on occasion, especially one that involves summer produce. It's hard to go wrong with sweet corn in the summer and this sweet corn...
Roasted Tomato Sauce + 3 Ways to Use it
Every summer, I try and keep a couple cherry tomatoes plants alive. I use cherry tomatoes more often that not (any color/variety will do). They are a great snack, perfect on salads, and as you can see, wonderful in a sauce. This post is all about a super simple roasted tomato sauce that I use...
California Avocado White Bean Dip
Post sponsored by California Avocados. See below for more details. When someone asks me about my background, I think they assume I'll say something about photography or cooking. While I've done both for over a decade now, I actually started in music. I have two degrees, geared towards music education and I'm a bassoonist by...
Summer Vegetarian Paella
This recipe is an update from an older recipe. Over the years I've tinkered very slightly but I felt this vegetarian paella deserved a little refresh. Don't be confused, it's not a ratatouille- I just love the look of the layered vegetables. Also, this is not a traditional paella. Quite a bite is different (including...
Top Five Kitchen Tools
If you've walked into any kitchen store, you know how overwhelming the business of kitchen tools can be. Beyond a solid knife (should have been on the list, but I'm mentioning now), below are five of my go-to kitchen tools. Some are cheap, some are an investment. These items are the five I use every...
Tomato Sandwich with Olive Tapenade and Hummus
Over the years, we've become beach people. There's nothing quite as relaxing as spending the day at the beach, reading and playing in the sand. While I typically throw whatever we have on hand in the cooler, sometimes I'll make up sandwiches; like these tomato sandwiches. This tomato sandwich is my perfect beach pairing. The...
Garlicky Yogurt Green Beans with Walnuts
While I have my favorite summer produce (sweet corn), green beans are a close second. I know that may sound strange but I absolutely adore fresh green beans. I grew up with mostly only eating canned green beans at holidays and even that was sparse. I didn't fall in love until the CSA where I...
Zucchini Soba Bowl with Tahini Sauce
As I look back through the site recipe catalog, one thing is apparent: I've become a lazier cook over the years. Some of this is due to having a child but the other comes from keeping things simple to highlight a few flavors or ingredients. Home cooked meals don't have to be complicated (unless you...
BBQ Chickpea Loaded Potato with California Avocado Ranch Dressing
Post sponsored by California Avocados. See below for more details. June is California Avocado Month for good reason. A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to head south and see firsthand what goes into bring an avocado to your table. There's so much technology behind it (the sorting process alone is amazing) and the...
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites
I've found that I've occasionally forget to share some of the recipes we eat most in our house. One of the things we eat a lot of but rarely makes it to the site: snacks. We're a huge snack family and the tradition seems to be continuing with our little guy. Sometimes our favorite dinner...
Spelt Porridge with Roasted Blueberries
If I had my way, my morning routine would be about a three-hour affair. I love quiet, leisurely mornings and most of the time they end in a filling, whole-grain breakfast. This spelt porridge takes a bit of time but it's primarily hands-off cooking. If you've never tried spelt in the morning, it's a favorite...
Homemade Breadcrumbs + 3 Ways to Use Them
Drop the flavorless, store-bought breadcrumbs and learn how to make breadcrumbs at home! This easy, pantry staple can even help you use up old bread. All it takes is a bit of time in the oven on a baking sheet and a few pulses in your food processor. I realize that of all the recipes...
Pan-Fried Turnips with Thyme and Breadcrumbs
When spring hits, it's easy to get excited about asparagus and strawberries. I get it, I do that too. However, there are some other items that deserve your attention. Take for example, the hakurei turnip. These turnips are a bit more mild in flavor compared to the larger variety- and that goes for both the...
Curried Chickpea Bowls with Quinoa
I'm sometimes hesitant to share these types of recipes on the site. It could easily be categorized as 'too simple' but I'm finding as a busy family, I crave the 20 minute meals. This recipe is a solid start for more involved meals but I find it perfect as-is. A couple of notes. This recipe...
Saving the Season: 3-Ways with Strawberries
There is nothing quite as enticing as a flat of strawberries at the farmers' market. The flavor of strawberries is amazing. However, I think a large part of my draw to a flat of strawberries is due to coming out of winter to this gorgeous red color. Plus, the price for a flat is usually...
Romesco Potato Arugula Salad
Post sponsored by CA Grown. See below for more details. When it comes to summer salads, I'm constantly pushing to explore different flavors and textures. This arugula salad happens to feature a favorite combination of mine: a romesco potato mix. The smoky sauce brings the party to this salad, both as a coating for the...
Spinach Millet Egg Bake
One of the things I love about running this site for so long is seeing how some of my favorite recipes morph. Outside of developing recipes, I don't measure. I go based on whatever mood I'm in and never cook a meal the same way twice. This millet egg bake is the perfect example. This...
Garlicky Pea Pasta with Cream Sauce
Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details. Having a child drastically changed my cooking. Most drastically: the amount of items I make at home. Pre-child, I'd easily spend hours in the kitchen making homemade everything. I don't have that kind of time anymore and occasionally I miss. And so, I've been...
8 Compendium Cookbooks to Have on Hand
As I approach the 11 year (!) mark for this site, I decided it was time to branch out a bit from sharing recipe after recipe. Over the years, I've amassed notes, ideas, methods, and books that rarely get shared (unless you happen to hold a conversation with me). And so, I thought it time...
Grilled Snap Peas with Hazelnut-Dill Crumb
There are two ways I like my snap peas: raw or grilled. More often than not, snap peas become our spring snack. We eat them as is or they are the perfect crunchy companion for hummus or any other kind of dip. However, I always make sure to fire up the grill while we have...
Potato Chickpea Croquettes with Garlicky Sunflower Dip
I know I've mentioned before that I have a penchant for fried foods. It's a once-in-awhile treat but there's just something kind of magical about a crisp outside and a perfect inside. Given this love, it's a bit surprising I've not shared croquettes before given the literal definition (bread + fried, made with potatoes). It's...
Berbere Roasted Pistachios
Post sponsored by Frontier Co-op. See below for more details. One of the things I'm constantly in awe of is how big the snack market is (we're talking a multi-billion dollar industry). Pretty much anything you could want, there is- even in the natural food space. However, I still like making most of our snacks...
Spiced Pinto Bean Bowls with Avocado
It may feel like I'm phoning it in with this recipe but I assure you I'm not. I professed my love of these spiced pinto beans in my last post but I wanted to share how simple it was to use these beans. Enter these pinto bean bowls. The base is still rice and beans...
Charro Beans | Frejoles Charros | Cooking Component
I think one of the biggest changes in how I cooked beans came when I read from someone that you should treat beans like you were making a broth. If you've ever made a stock or broth, you know it's fairly simple but using quality ingredients (and a lot of them) makes the broth. And...