If I were going to eat one food until I was so stuffed I couldn’t eat another bite, it would be oysters.  Cooked or raw, I can eat my weight in the sweet, salty, slippery mouthfuls.  At Blog Her a couple months ago I was treated to dinner at Nobu in San Diego.  The food was amazing, but my absolute favorite was the oysters with Nobu salsa.  When we recently stayed in a cabin on the beach near Oysterville, I whipped up a batch of my own salsa based on what I had at Nobu. Read more

Summer seems to really be over, and I’m realizing I have yet to post any recipes from our anniversary camping trip.  Every year we spend several nights camping and hiking at Mr. Rainier for our wedding anniversary.  Mt. Rainier is my favorite place on earth and hiking is our favorite date.  In fact, the summer we dated we did over 30 hikes!  But I don’t just look forward to the outdoor activities, I also love planning our meals.  It’s so much fun to make up new recipes for the campfire and grill, and these stuffed mushrooms are one of our favorites. Read more

If you haven’t yet noticed my obsession with edible flowers, this post will make it completely apparent.  One of my favorite summer lunches is lightly fried zucchini blossoms.  I simply stuff them with a small spoonful of goat cheese and then dip them in a gluten free batter before pan frying them.  These are so simple to make and absolutely beautiful, but it was only two years ago that I even learned about eating squash blossoms. Read more

After picking a ton of strawberries a week and a half ago, I put the word out on twitter asking what I should do with them.  My favorite suggestion was from Jennie who suggested I make jam or conserve with them.  I was planning to make some jam and strawberry ice cream, but her suggestion of conserve got me all excited.  Conserve is basically a soft set jam with chunks of fruit.  I knew that my just picked strawberries would be fantastic in this form and had to give it a try. Read more

Every home cook needs a secret weapon in her freezer.  No I don’t mean an ice dagger (although I do happen to have one hanging off the ceiling of my standing freezer).  I’m talking about a special recipe that can fill a variety of needs.  Whether you need a snack for hungry kids, a dinner party appetizer, or a fast and simple main dish, to have one prepped ingredient that can meet those needs will save you time and energy.  My friends, this cheese spread is my secret weapon. Read more