I use a lot of taco seasoning.  I mean A LOT!  Not only do I use it regularly for my own family, but I also make taco soup 2-4 times a month for festivals, classes or friends.  I used to buy premixed taco seasoning in a big jar at Sam’s Club; but when they switched to a brand that wasn’t gluten free, I decided it was finally time to make my own.  Although no one in my home is gluten intolerant (that we know of), I prefer to use gluten free ingredients whenever possible for the events that I provide samples for. Read more

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

Happy Halloween!!!    After posting the healthy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last week, I wanted to post another seasonal dessert that I’ve been looking forward to making for a whole year!  It’s, unfortunately, not healthy at all.  But it’s so adorable, cheap to make and perfect for Halloween!  It’s a basic Rice Krispies Treat Recipe, but made in a bundt cake pan with the addition of candy corn and Reese’s Pieces. Read more

After my first experience with fennel a couple years ago, I’ve become a bit obsessed.  Fennel is in season year round (check out what food is in season when!) but I seem to always use it as a transition vegetable.  I love to work it into recipes when the season is changing.  For this one, I use some of summer’s zucchini roasted with fresh picked fennel, onion and garlic. Read more

I’ve had many nicknames in my life.  Dianasaur followed me into adulthood, but most of them I outgrew.  The other title I still earn on a regular basis was given to me by my father: “The Pickle Monster”.  Both my sister and I have been pickle lovers since we could eat solid food.  Our family would go through at least one large jar of pickles a week because not only would we pile 10-20 pickles on each sandwich, but we would often eat them straight from the jar whenever the craving hit.  Our brand of choice was Heinz Hamburger Dill Chips, and nothing else would satisfy.  Fortunately, after 3 years of experimenting , I’ve created my own perfect pickle recipe. Read more