Savory Pie Bites

Blue Cheese, Skillet Red Potatoes, Pancetta, Caramelized Onion and Rosemary 

Herbed Goat Cheese, Zucchini, Parmesan and Thyme

Holiday Gift Ideas

A looooooooong over due update is much needed from me.

I have been so busy with catering events and haven't had time to post in a month :(

Good news though, I have a ton of new fabulous recipes I am so excited to share!

Until then, here are a few DYI gift ideas

I went to an antique store and bought a set of butter knives, soup spoons and a cake server.

The Cheese Course book and Butter Knife for Aunt Izzy 

 Slow Cookers book and Silver Soup Spoons for Mom and Dad

  Marinated Greek Feta with...

 Rosemary and Fleur de Sal Flatbread with a Butter Knife

Homemade Pumpkin Granola for Clients at the gym and friends

 Cake Stand and Silver Server for my cousin, Mindee 

Happy Giving!

A Mediterranean Spread

HairDo for an I Do Night

Side Braid and Bun for a Wedding

Last night was a very special night.  One of my best friends, Kaity, got hitched!
I'm so fortunate to have a really tight group of girlfriends.   There's actually about 15 of us chicas who make up our special group, and to add to the special-ness we have all known each other since elementary school or middle school!
Anyway, Kaity is the first one of us to get married, making this all the more special and memorable.

When Life Hands You Lemons...

...Make Dessert

A client of mine recently gave me 20 lbs of lemons from their yard and asked me to surprise them with some gluten free treats.

Eggplant Cannelloni

ok, I get it, this is not really cannelloni.  The only true similarity between this and cannelloni is that tube shapes are stuffed and baked- plus lots of tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Anyway, my version is healthier, vegetarian and gluten free! wooohooo!

Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes

I feel as though the only recipes I post are sweet/dessert recipes...which is not a good representation of the foods I really love and enjoy.
So I am going to start making a conscious effort to post what I really eat, on the day-to-day, the healthy whole veggies and grains!
We'll start with a couple of eggplant dishes.  I love cooking with eggplant because there are a lot of different options, roast, stuff, puree...

Mini Reese's Cookies

I made these for a friend who loves Peanut Butter Cookies.  I thought, why not spike them up a bit, because who doesn't love chocolate peanut butter cups!?.
I found Mini Mini Peanut Butter Cups in the Whole Foods bulk aisle.  You can also buy them here.

Shrimp Sushi on a Sunny Sunday!

Anyone who has lived in San Francisco knows that September is the most beautiful month of the year.  It's actually common for the fog to disappear for a few consecutive days!  Everyone's mood changes and  positive vibes fill the streets, shops and cafes.

Holy Sweet!

Here's the Scoop:

The Flavor is Vanilla

Oreos are my Childhood Favorite

Smothered with Skippy is my Guilty Pleasure 

I was introduced to this amazing Oreo Skippy combination by a friend when I was feeling a little blue...

Buckwheat Pancakes with Honey Rum Pecan Sauce

These little guys are somewhere between crepes and pancakes.  The recipe is for crepes though they didn't spread and thin out like crepes should.  So I kept them tiny like little pancakes.

Honey Almond Cakes

When life hands you eggs, split them!

Last weekend I made Lemon Crème brûlée for 8 people and hollandaise sauce for my brother, leaving me with a hell of a ton of egg whites!
There was no way I was going to let a hen's hard work go to waste, so whether to use the whites or not was not a question.  Thinking of how to use them though got me very excited!
I have been wanting to make the little French tea cakes called financiers for quite some time now, and they call for only egg whites, how perfect.

Motivation!

Need a little Motivation to put on your running shoes and get moving!?

Squeeze In One More Summer Lunch

Photo courtesy of Downtown Romantic

A Whole New Toad In A Hole

Since I was a little kiddo my favorite breakfast has been Toad In A Hole.

It's simply an egg cooked inside a piece of bread and not only is it as cute as can be, but you have your toast right there, ready to soak up the yolkness!

Woke up Crabby...

At what point do you go from being able to have a few margaritas and still feel like 100 bucks the next morning OR have a few margaritas and wake up absolutely crabby!?
Does this aging happen over night, literally?!

Oh, Honey!

Amaretto and Honey Grilled Bananas

 Amaretto is an Italian, sweet, smooth, almond liquor.  It is wonderful in cookies, and cakes or even savory dishes like lamb.  My dad is a retired Italian man, which mean the 3 liquors always on hand are: grappa, limoncello and amaretto.  A couple other kitchen staples of my parent's are bananas and plain Greek yogurt.  One morning I was staying at my parent's house and decide to throw these flavors together for breakfast.  This is shaping up to be a deliciously spiked Sunday....

The Amaretto and honey are so delicious together! Beware though, I kept making more and before I knew it I had the munchies :o)

Strawberry Sunday

There are few things in life better than waking up on a Sunday with absolutely no obligations and plans.

To have the whole day to do whatever makes you happy... How often does this happen, really!?

I love a culinary challenge and any opportunity to get creative in the kitchen.  I thought, "Well, I have a big carton of strawberries, why not make every meal today involve strawberries somehow!?"

And that's what I did: created, cooked and indulged in 3 meals plus dessert!

Breakfast:

Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble

Lunch:

Melting Cambozola, Strawberry and Thyme Crostini

Dinner:

Seared Ahi Tuna with Strawberry Salsa

Dessert:

Chocolate Lava Cake with Strawberry Coulis

What a delicious Sunday!

I'll write down my recipes before I forget, and post soon.

Packet of Provencal

 My favorite way to cook fish is provencal style:
capers, olives, tomatoes, rosemary in white wine is a heavenly combination!

My Summer Soup has a name and it's "Pistou"!

I love making fresh vegetable soup with a mix of beautiful seasonal veggies.  I had no idea that the product of my mornings trip to the farmer's market is a specialty in Nice, France.  You see, I belong in France!

Eggplant with Cinnamon, Pine Nut and Currant Pilaf

The funny thing about cooking all day for a living is that by the time you get home, the last thing you want to do is cook for yourself.  In an attempt to try and eat more well rounded meals (how long can I live off of Greek yogurt honey and walnuts) I thought a good place to start would be to make something that I can cook in advanced and reheat during the week.

Warm Avocado and Pesto Crostini

I feel so sorry for avocados.  They have such a short life.  Really, only one perfect day to be enjoyed at its best.  And once you cut in, there is no going back.  It's only downhill for the little lady from there.

Like Pesto- But Not Really

I loooooooove pesto, and have so much fun experimenting with the herb and nut combos!

Marinated Feta and Roasted Asparagus on Crostini

Oh my gosh, talk about a party in my mouth! This was inspired by the pound of asparagus lingering in my fridge and my latest obsession with marinated feta.  Well, not to mention, I had an hour to think about what to have for breakfast as I was waiting for my car tire to be patched (I'm always driving over nails!)
Oh I just thought of something great! How delicious would a poached egg be on top? So the order would be: toast, asparagus, egg, crumbled feta.
Ah, I cant wait to try it! can't it be tomorrow morning already!?

Marinated Feta

Spread over warm crostini and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic

Quinoa Tabbouleh

All the times I enjoyed tabbouleh in Greece and Turkey this summer, I thought, "how nice would this be made with quinoa as oppose to bulgur"