Labor Day weekend traditionally is summer’s last hurrah, when everyone tries to scramble out of town for last-minute beach vacations, or backyard pool parties and barbecues with friends and neighbors before the weather (finally!) starts to cool down. I, myself, actually have a three day weekend, which is nearly unheard of in the restaurant industry. How am I putting this free time to good use, … Continue reading raspberry-vanilla moscato floats
DID YOU KNOW? JULY IS NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH! TO CELEBRATE, AND TO BEAT THE HEAT, I’LL BE BRINGING YOU RECIPES FOR FROSTY, SWEET TREATS ALL MONTH LONG! FROM POPSICLES WITH AN UNEXPECTED INGREDIENT, TO A FROSTY LITTLE ICE CREAM CAKE, STICK AROUND CAUSE THIS MONTH’S SURE TO BE TASTY! Give me a bowl of ice cream, and I’d probably eat it. Throw in some … Continue reading national ice cream month: mini mocha ice cream cakes
When it comes to recipe ideas, I brainstorm a LOT. I have several pages of hand-written recipe ideas in a legal notepad (the pages are pink, I love it!), with many more up in my head just waiting to be written down. Some of the recipes have been crossed out because I’ve already made them, but many more are still as of yet unmade. One … Continue reading caramel popcorn panna cotta
GEORGE: Salsa is now the number one condiment in America. JERRY: You know why? Because people like to say “salsa”. “Excuse me, do you have salsa?” “We need more salsa.” “Where is the salsa? No salsa?” – Seinfeld, Episode 43 “The Pitch” It’s already begun. The ubiquitous gearing-up-for-summertime-heat, and the dread that sets in around this time of year in the Phoenix area because of … Continue reading fresh mango-cantaloupe salsa
There will always be certain foods that remind me of being a kid. Any and all Little Debbie snacks (a staple of my school lunches), little sundae cups of chocolate swirl ice cream, and the pot roast with potatoes and carrots my mom would make almost every Sunday. Then, there’s the foods that my sisters and I would make ourselves. Usually it was nothing fancy, … Continue reading english muffin pizzas!
Back a few years ago, I participated in Dishcrawl’s Neighborfood event in Old Town Scottsdale. It was basically a restaurant/bar crawl through Old Town, and tons of fun! The first stop was to Brat Haus, where I sampled an amazingly light, soft, fresh-baked pretzel with a cup of beer cheese sauce for dipping. It totally set the bar high for the rest of the day, … Continue reading soft pretzels + beer cheese
The Super Bowl is probably the only time I actually sit down and watch football (especially this year, it’s here in my home state of Arizona!). Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy football, it’s just not something I regularly watch. One thing I can definitely get behind, though, is the Super Bowl party. Loads of delicious food — usually bite-sized, hand-held awesomeness — drinks galore, and … Continue reading 11 recipes for your super bowl party!
If memory serves me right, the first time I ate fried pickles was like six years ago at a Five and Diner restaurant. A friend heard I was going there for the first time, and she said I must try the fried pickles. I admit, the idea sounded kinda strange to me at first, but I gave ’em a go. Two words: Holy crap. Two more … Continue reading crunchy fried pickles with herby ranch
You may remember my undying love for Pita Jungle‘s roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce dish? I pretty much order it every time I’m there, and I even made my own version at home so I can have it any time I want!
Recently on a day off, I was craving soup. I was also craving that roasted cauliflower, so I thought I could try my hand at combining the collective awesomeness of a good soup with that roasted cauliflower. Boom, this fantastic soup was born. I now win at life.
Continue reading “cauliflower-tahini soup with paprika + lemon”
Hooray, Thanksgiving is almost here!
For the most food-centric holiday around, I wanted to come up with a dish that wasn’t the usual green bean casserole or sweet potatoes with little marshmallows on top (though I do love both those dishes dearly!), but that still encompassed all the flavors and colors of Fall. I have to give props to one of my favorite Phoenix pizza joints, Federal Pizza, cause they came up with this flavor combination before I did, and I adore it!
oven + apron 