A Mutt Stew

When you can't decide what you want, sometimes it's not a bad idea to just combine them. That's what happened here with minestrone and wedding soup.

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Carrot Coconut Ginger Soup

This was one of those recipes that evolved out of miscellaneous leftover ingredients though it is inspired by some other curried carrot or carrot ginger soup recipes that have been hanging out on my "to-make" list. This is another small batch recipe - enough for two or a lot for one.

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Mast Brothers Chocolate

I have to share this short video about Mast Brothers Chocolate, based in Brooklyn, NY. The photography is beautiful and it embodies the food culture that I am totally in love with. The artisan quality and attention to detail, the creativity and presence of the human hand, and the pure love of the craft create something completely in a league of its own.


This video was created by Brennan Stasiewicz for The Scout magazine.

Lentil Sliders

How many times have you attempted a veggie burger recipe only to find that it crumbles apart? 

This has happened to me way too many times, and though it may very well be true that I am just incapable of making a decent veggie burger, I would like to think that maybe I just haven't found a good veggie burger recipe until now.

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What's on your bookshelf?

Every foodie, cook, and baker I know has an unhealthy a heatlhy obsession with cookbooks or just books related to food, and like most addictions you always want more! I've learned to take advantage of my local library so I don't end up buying books to only to find out they were a waste of money. Here are the books that have made the cut:

I won't go through all of them since they are not all food related, but I'll pick out just a few.

1. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman and Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (top shelf):
To all vegetarians and vegans, these two books are a must-have. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is not just a cookbook, but a resource for cooking basics and all things meatless. Veganomicon makes vegan cooking incredibly simple: the recipes are innovative, quick, and they don't use very many foreign or hard to find ingredients.

2. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (top shelf):
If you are more experimental with your cooking and tend to stray away from step by step recipe instructions, this book is for you. It goes into detail about the way certain flavors pair well, how we perceive flavors, which flavors cancel others out, and so much more... not to mention half of the book is a giant index of ingredients and their complimentary flavors ranked by the best combinations.

3. The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown and The Cake Book by Tish Boyle (top shelf):
Any level bread baker can benefit from The Tassajara Bread Book. I have yet to find a recipe I dislike from this book, and the recipes are all easy to follow. The Cake Book contains what might just be every single cake recipe ever. Sometimes I use this book just to get ideas for cake recipes. The cakes are easy to make, and no matter how barren your kitchen is, in this book you will find a cake to make with what little you have.

4. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain (bottom shelf):
Is anyone else in love with Anthony Bourdain? He's like the culinary world's Hunter S. Thompson. You will totally love this book if you have ever worked in a kitchen. If not, you'll find out what you might be headed into if your considering chefdom.

5. Why Women Need Fat by William D. Lassek and Stephen J.C. Gaulin (bottom shelf):
I won't say too much about this book since I already reviewed it here, but I will say it is fascinating. It provides so much valuable knowledge about harmful and healthy ingredients found in a lot of foods today and how our bodies work with or against these foods. It's a page turner for sure.

6. Rx Garden: 101 Food Cures You Can Easily Grow by Kathleen Barnes (bottom shelf):
This book is simple and straight to the point. It lists a ton of symptoms from headaches to body odor and tells which plants, veggies, and herbs can help you out as well as how to grow them. Simple instructions for growing plants make it a great resource for any level gardener, or you can just use it as a natural foods and healing guide.

What are your favorite books? I'm dying to find some new soon-to-be favorites!

How I Was Taught To Make Pizza

I wish I had taken more photos... these are just snapshots with my phone. Even for cell phone photos, I think they do this pizza justice. The best way to achieve a really delicious and authentic pizza is to KEEP IT SIMPLE! Showcase just a few quality ingredients, and don't use sauce, just fresh tomatoes. If you must use sauce, spread it as thin as possible. I once worked in a kitchen where we used about a tablespoon of sauce for a pizza that was about 18 inches across, and I have never had better pizza!

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The importance of eating breakfast

There are way too many breakfast skippers in the world. That includes the "coffee for breakfast" breed. Let me tell you why breakfast is so awesome...

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