I have been making a version of this salad for the last 4 days straight so I wanted to share it here. It has given me a whole new appreciation for celery. I know what you are thinking - celery is so boring and bland but this salad proves all of those theories wrong.
Read MoreWe don't have a lot of food traditions in my family, but fried chicken on the 4th of July is most definitely one of them. Growing up we had store bought (from Publix! and you all know my love of all of publix's prepared food!) then head down to watch the fireworks. Here is my version of that fried chicken so there is no excuse to have fried chicken (don't worry I think this year I am going to be close enough to a Publix to grab some before the fireworks begin)
Read MoreToday I wanted to share one of my favorite summertime desserts, a tart shell filled with whipped mascarpone cream and topped with fresh fruit. Simple, oh so tasty and perfect for all those warm summer nights filled with BBQs and entertaining.
Read MoreTo me, strawberry shortcake screams summertime. Like so many people I grew up eating strawberry shortcake - we even used to pick our own strawberries way back when.
We never made it by scratch but would instead buy shortcake cups from the grocery store (anyone remember those? They tasted like cardboard but we still ate them) then topped them with fresh strawberries and some Reddi whip. This recipe takes that version of strawberry shortcake up a notch but it is still super tasty and nostalgic.
Read MoreI love old school kitchy desserts. Desserts that aren't really that popular anymore but to me, reflect a more glamorous and fabulous time. Think Palm Springs in the 50s.
Read MoreI do a weekly "fridge foraging" series on my Instagram where I cook from whatever I have leftover/can find in my fridge. I made this salad last week and cant' stop eating it! It is fresh, seasonal and has the perfect combinations of crunchy and creamy textures.
This isn't a strict recipe but rather a guideline. Feel free to swap out the feta for Parmesan cheese and use any type of nut, I just love hazelnuts. Also since grilling season is upon us and summer is just about here, this is the perfect easy salad to go with your next BBQ.
Read MoreCherry season is one of the seasonal fruits that I wait for all year. Cherry season signals the start of warm weather and all that gorgeous sunshine that summer has to offer. It also signals BBQs, outside dinners and picnics - the reason I love summer so much.
I love the combination of cherries and almonds because they have a natural affinity for each other. Cherries and almonds are actually related to each other - they are in the same family as peaches, apricots and a lot of other types of stone fruit. You know that saying what what grows together goes well together, well in this instance it is totally true, almonds and cherries are a perfect pair.
Read MoreI have discovered how to make millennial pink food! Have you heard about that trend? Here is a great article but apparently this soft orangy-pink is the official color of millennial women. It is all kinds of silly but the color is pretty gorgeous so I can kind of get behind it. (kind of...)
Read MoreI get asked a lot what my are my favorite types of recipes. Do I love to bake, do I love to cook? Well here is the answer I love to bake, that was my first love as a kid, but creating recipes like this is what makes me truly excited. Recipes that are healthy, involve minimal clean up and come together in 30 minutes. I have mentioned this before but I think about my sister a lot when I am developeing these kinds of recipes. Will a mother of 2 be able to do this while wrangling those kiddos and managing a hangry husband? Yes, then it will pass the test!
Read MoreWhen I was a kid you convince me to do just about anything by bribing me with donuts. Swim practice, sure as long as I get those Dunkin Donuts munchins after. Church, great as long as I am allowed to eat those those Publix glazed donuts they served after. Don’t judge but this may still holds true as an adult.
Read MoreI have discovered the secret to the perfect chocolate chip cookie- you know the cookie that is all crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.
Read MoreSo full disclosure I love kitchy food. You know food from the 50s and 60s - I feel like there is so much history there and the food was strange but also pretty fabulous. Deviled eggs fall into that camp. Here is my updated version of deviled eggs which is perfect for Easter.
Read MoreSpringtime asparagus frittata with leeks, peas and goat cheese - Totally delicious and super healthy, perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch.
Read MoreThe rain has finally stopped and the sun is shining. It had been raining for days and days on end. So much rain it is hard to remember when it started. It just always seemed like it is going to rain. I am not complaining because goodness, the whole state of California was about to shrivel up before it started but I am excited that it is over... for now at least. With all this rain comes the good stuff like all of the flowers in boom and everywhere you look seems to blanketed in bright flourescent green. It is a sign of spring and what's to come. This time of year is always so special in Oakland because I am reminded of everything that grows in this area - there are citrus trees, jasmine, magnolias, roses - the list could go on. I have become a horticulture dork in my old age and love walking the streets staring at everyone else's front yards, especially since ours is pretty busted.
Read MoreWhen I lived in NYC (in what seems like a lifetime ago) I worked at the @MetMuseum. It was a pretty dreamy job if you liked art and history. On days when I wanted to venture out for lunch I would walk over to this little bakery on 78th and Madison where I would just have cake for lunch. I was 25 and running marathons at the time so this was totally acceptable in my mind. It wasn’t just any old cake, it was a slice of crepe cake from Lady M Confections.
Read MoreI recently professed my love of supermarket cakes to someone in the food world and they were appalled. It is the nostalgia that gets me and I will take a supermarket cake any day over a fancy schmancy cake. I grew up on Publix cakes in the southeast and I can still smell the way that bakery smells all these miles away.
Read More
