on toast for breakfast and finding something else to suck up my time

I don't watch much network TV because: I hate commercials. I am not a big fan of reality TV and it seems lately that the majority of television programming is nothing but reality TV. I am not...

{a breath} bake sale success + {a recipe} gluten free pumpkin peanut butter dog biscuits

I want to thank everyone who supported this year's San Diego Food Blogger's Bake Sale. The sale is over and we're awaiting the final tally but so far, it looks like we surpassed last year's efforts...

{the perfect bite} an easy tasty treat for mother's day: cheesecake stuffed strawberries

"They aren't the same." "Yes they are." "No, they aren't." "They are." "They aren't." And round and round we've gone, my Auntie and I, when we've chatted about the strawberries at our local...

{link love} check it out: my guacamole recipe is UTSan Diego's Food section centerpiece today

I'm super stoked to share with you that today, a story I wrote about my yummy basic guacamole recipe published in the Food section of U-T San Diego. It's rare that I get to write AND photograph a...

Happening this Saturday: The San Diego Food Bloggers Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength | No Kid Hungry

There's an epidemic threatening America's future. No, it isn't the flu. But it is preventable. The No Kid Hungry® campaign is working towards ending it. They aim to connect children with food while...

{ a drink } no need to wait for cinco de mayo for these perfect blended margaritas

Confession time: I didn't learn about Cinco de Mayo until I reached high school. In fact, growing up, pretty much the only "Mexican" thing about our family home life was the food we ate a few times...

{ a breath } conquering meringue & { a bite } pistachio pavlovas with raspberries and lemon curd

I push the raspberries and lemon curd to the side eager to move onto the main event. The outer layer gives way with a light crunching sound as my teeth make contact with the slightly softer middle....

{a quick bite} going retro: party perfect spinach dip

Sometimes the simplest of dishes can wind up being the most loved. Enter this humble spinach dip. The same friend who showed me how to cook spaghetti squash, showed me how to make this dip. The...

{a breath} living forward & {a bite} the best lemon curd bars ever

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard And so I move on. Living forward. Sadness lessening, heaviness lifting as I embrace new possibilities. With...

food photography + meatless monday: farro with asparagus, cannellini beans and a lemon thyme vinaigrette

I have a confession. Oh, c'mon on. Not that kind of confession. No, nothing sordid. Nothing juicy. First, just an admission of laziness. Since I moved in with my Grandmother and my Auntie, I have...

{ video #1} meatless mondays: black bean & queso fresco enchiladas verde

A few weeks back, I spoke about learning to take a leap, about the importance of practicing our craft everyday and about my attempt to do something – however big or small – everyday that makes me a...

{a breath} small distractions and {a bite} meatless monday: soyrizo & potato tacos with homemade corn tortillas & mexican pickled red onions

"sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." ~ a.a. milne, from "winnie the pooh" The silence is being punctuated with the whirr of a hand saw. Grandma's neighbor is...

{a breath} letting go of fear & {a bite} homemade lemon curd is easier than i thought

Lemon curd and meringue have been two recipes I've been afraid to try.Victory! I conquered both this week! "leap and the net will appear." john burroughs Has fear ever stopped you from trying...

meatless mondays (sorta): curried tuna salad ( a bite)

Tuna is not technically the best food to choose for Meatless Mondays. So sue me. Seriously. This girl cannot live on vegetables alone. Besides, I started this Meatless Mondays series to document...

meatless mondays: how to cook spaghetti squash { a bite }

I grew up eating zucchini. It was the only squash I can remember having as a child. And our favorite way to eat it was breaded and fried – one of dad's special decadent treats right up there with...

a bite: banana peanut butter bourbon muffins

I love peanut butter. Let me clarify that statement: I love REAL peanut butter. Peanuts. Ground. Thankyouverymuch. Maybe even a dash of sea salt for a little boost of their peanutty goodness. Keep...

change can lead to beginnings + meatless mondays: easy eggplant parmesan

When shopping for eggplant, you want an evenly dark, almost black, purple with taught shiny skin. For this dish, choose eggplant that is long and uniform in shape. No "pear" shaped bulbous...

{a breath & a click} a creative kick in the behind

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules...

Easy Valentine’s Day dessert: Cheesecake Trifle with Rum Berry Sauce

2012. A full month behind me and I am still finding myself brushing off it's invasive dust. This past year has been an incredibly demanding one of change both professionally and – more profoundly –...

San Diego Top Chefs Compete for a Good Cause: The Eighth Annual Chef Showdown Culinary Competition

This Thursday, September 13 at Liberty Station in the NTC Promenade, the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) will hold it’s biggest fundraising event of the year: the Eighth Annual Chef Showdown....

{link love} Shrimp tacos are Easy Entertaining

I am beyond excited that last week my new occasional series*, Easy Entertaining, debuted in U-T San Diego! I am a fairly regular contributor of lead images for the newspaper on a freelance basis,...

Share Our Strength: 2nd Annual San Diego Food Bloggers Bake Sale

Did you know that nearly one in five children in America dont have enough to eat? Without consistent access to nutritious food, these children are unable to grow and learn like their better fed...

a click: Rainy Day Grilled Cheese with Pesto

Its raining in San Diego this weekend. I was lying in bed this morning in that half awake, half asleep state when sometime around 7am the curtain blew in the breeze that filled my already cold...

a breath: writing workshop with Dianne Jacob & a bite: easy brunch casserole

A breath…I stand in the kitchen daydreaming, my hands buried in a bowl of fresh spinach while my fingers searched out leaves with extraordinarily long, thick stems. Finding one, they snap the...

a breath: sunday morning coffee & a bite: easy homemade buttermilk pancakes from scratch {recipe}

I twist the lid off the canister, my head swirling as the familiar scent fills the space around me. One scoop. Two scoops. Three. I snap the basket back in place, turn the knob and stand back,...

Dont bother me. Im sleeping.

Dont bother me. Im sleeping.

a breath: grief throws sucker punches & a bite: “how to” on Mexican Sugar Cookies with Tio {recipe}

A pesky thing about grief? Just when you think you have a handle on it, it throws a sucker punch right to the gut. For example: You’re driving down the highway, windows rolled tightly up and before...

a breath: i will carry your heart in my heart always…

Auntie Sallys graduation photo.Today we said goodbye. My heart is heavy. It broke again last night at the viewing, first hearing my mothers sobs as she stood over her younger sisters coffin. It...

{a breath & a bite} Family IS everything & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipe Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

As I sit here writing this, I realize that I am so distracted it’s really difficult to think about cookies and holidays and all the material trappings of this time of year. It’s hard to remember...