So while I appreciate fine food and exotic ingredients, at the core my tastes are pretty pedestrian. In the past, anytime someone has asked me what type of food was my favorite, I was embarrassed to answer, “pub food.” But really, it’s just comfort food and is there anything better than a good burger, homemade
February 18, 2011
Short URLcooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, recipesDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Recipes, Winter
I’m a die-hard Top Chef fan. I hinted at my obsession a few months ago, but we do take it pretty seriously around here. In fact, the other night Madison asked me if I could sit with her while she got ready for bed but after taking one look at the TV, decided to ask
February 16, 2011
Short URLchicken, cooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, inspiration, recipes, success and disasterDinner, In the Kitchen, Inspirations, Recipes
Out of boredom, I challenged myself a few weeks ago to try some new recipes. I had just purchased the newest Ina Garten cookbook in hopes of gaining some inspiration but to be honest, the first time I flipped through it I kinda thought, “hmm.” Clearly I wasn’t in the mood to be inspired. So
February 15, 2011
Short URLcooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, menu planning, recipesDinner, In the Kitchen, Inspirations, Menu Planning
Boy has my cooking come a long way…… Just recently Madison discovered one of my very first cookbooks – Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Cookbook. Last week as I was working in the kitchen and she was lying on floor flipping through cookbooks – a girl after my own heart – she announced that she would
January 20, 2011
Short URLbread, cooking, dinner, family, food, menu planning, protein, recipes, seasonalDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Recipes, Seasonality
Yes, I know. I’ve heard the rumors of people ordering the three chili special and then sweating profusely or running to the nearest bathroom at breakneck speed but to be honest every time I’ve cooked with curry I’ve thought to myself, “What’s the big deal?” Um, yeah well that was until I used fresh curry
January 6, 2011
Short URLcurry, dinner, family, food, indian food, ingredients, success and disasterIn the Kitchen, Ingredients, Lunch
Yes, I know the holidays are over, but I received an email a few weeks ago from a friend who is always baking with her kids and posting the pictures on Facebook. (Love it!) Anyway, I asked her to send pictures and maybe a little story about her Christmas baking and guess what? She sent
January 5, 2011
Short URLbaking, butter, cookies, cooking, family, food, ingredients, recipes, seasonalDessert, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Recipes, Winter
Even though Christmas Eve dinner was lackluster, by Christmas morning, I was back on track. Over the years the composition of my Christmas morning menu has changed according to taste and adapted according to schedule. I used to make a killer raspberry coffee cake – until I lost the recipe. In fact, just the other
December 30, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, brunch, family, food, menu planning, seasonalBeverages, Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Seasonality, Winter
From a food standpoint, Christmas Eve started off badly. In short, I committed the cardinal sin of farmers market shopping – making a list. I think I’ve mentioned before that I am able to purchase roughly 70% of my weekly groceries at the Vista Farmers Market – one of the best markets in North County.
December 29, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, bread, cooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, menu planning, seasonal, success and disasterDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Menu Planning, Seasonality, Winter
I recently took part in one of those email recipe exchanges, you know, the ones where you send one of your favorite recipes, (“the best ones are those you can recite by memory”) to 20 people in your address book. Then, theoretically, you sit back and wait for 256 recipes (or something like that) to
December 22, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, beverages, food, inspiration, recipes, seasonalBeverages, Ingredients, Inspirations, Recipes, Seasonality, Winter
Whenever I fantasize about becoming the next Top Chef, (“Heather has no classical training or real kitchen experience aside from four semesters in the university dining hall, but by watching a lifetime’s worth of cooking shows she’s managed to become one of the most foremost experts on cooking for her niece,) I’m grounded by the
December 20, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, baking, christmas, cooking, dessert, food, ingredients, recipesDessert, Ingredients, Inspirations, Recipes, Winter
Cooking For Madison 