Leftovers get a mixed review in our house: Joel won’t eat them unless there’s pasta involved, Madison will eat them if I disguise them or they’re Asian-food related and I only like them in wintertime. The pets take what they can get, (except the cat – she’s pickier than Joel.) I pack my lunch three
January 12, 2011
Short URLdinner, food, ingredients, menu planning, pasta, seasonal, vegetables, winterIngredients, 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
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
When I’m planning a big holiday meal I love to sit at my dining room table with a steaming mug of coffee and a stack of cookbooks. This is where I often find my inspiration for holiday menus. I imagine the flavor of each ingredient and how different combinations will work with each other. And
December 21, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, cooking, dessert, dinner, food, ingredients, inspiration, menu planning, seasonalIn the Kitchen, Ingredients, Inspirations, Seasonality
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
One of my favorite holiday activities is making cookies. Not just sugar cookies (which I’ll be devoting an entire post to later this week,) but cookies that evoke my favorite flavors of the season – citrus, berry and molasses. One of the earliest memories I have of being in the kitchen, (besides pouring a bowl
December 13, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, baking, butter, christmas, cookies, family, food, ingredients, inspiration, recipesDessert, In the Kitchen, Inspirations, Recipes, Seasonality, Winter
This past Sunday I had the entire house to myself. The weather was a little chilly, (for Southern CA at least) and I felt like cooking. Knowing that we had a busy week of holiday-oriented activities on the calendar, I decided to make all of the dinners for the week which was relatively easy (I
December 9, 2010
Short URL12 days of christmas, bread, christmas, cooking, dinner, family, flour, food, ingredients, inspiration, local, menu planning, protein, recipes, seasonal, starch, vegetableDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Recipes, Seasonality, Winter
Yesterday I waxed poetic about the similarities between the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving. And as much as I would really love to create another analogy for my Thanksgiving feast, I really just want to get on the road. We’re taking Madison to Knott’s Berry Farm for her first time today. But, I also don’t want
November 23, 2010
Short URLcooking, dessert, dinner, drinks, family, food, ingredients, menu planning, seasonal, side dishes, Thanksgiving, vegetableAutumn, Beverages, Dessert, Dinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Menu Planning, Recipes, Seasonality
I first saw this recipe on season 4 of Top Chef. One of the Best. Shows. Ever. I’ve been a die-hard fan since season 3 when Trey was sent home for restaurant wars. This past Christmas I received the Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook and immediately read it cover to cover. (I don’t usually do
November 10, 2010
Short URLdinner, family, food, ingredients, inspiration, recipes, top chefDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Inspirations, Recipes
Cooking For Madison 