Start the day the healthy way with breakfast casserole When it comes to breakfast, I rely on a multitude of mix-and-match quick-fix basics, including hard-boiled eggs, fruit, oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, toast, frozen waffles, or perhaps even one of my make-ahead breakfast cookies. But for holidays,...

Sponsored post One of the best things about the holiday season is the food, of course. Sipping lowfat eggnog lattes while shopping and nibbling fresh roasted chestnuts while dressing the tree and singing along with Christmas music are a couple of my favorites. Feeding hungry...

Grape expectations for autumn salad Now that tomato season has ended, we need a satisfying substitute for this quintessential salad ingredient. Fortunately, California grape season is in full swing, from late spring through December. I keep grapes on hand for snacking, but with their sweet, juicy pulp and...

Recently during restaurant week, I had the pleasure of dining at Eddie V’s, enjoying their four-course prix-fix meal for only $40. And this menu did not have any weak spots. We’re talking wedge salad, lobster bisque, an unbelievably good parmesan-crusted lemon sole with a...

Recipe: Summer Spanish Tapas 3-Ways How to Eat at a Tapas Bar Once merely intended to shield glasses of wine from fruit flies, tapas have expanded into substantial snacks, easily turned into meals. My husband and I toured Barcelona in June, and tapas taverns were our...

Often new acquaintances ask me, “Well, what do you cook for dinner?” On one particular occasion, I nonchalantly mentioned that I might cook salmon, corn and asparagus on the grill. Et voila. Dinner is served. Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads, “You...

 Healthier restaurant saladOne of the biggest reasons we get into trouble when eating out are the larger than life portion sizes. Even if the ingredients in the dish are healthy, the menu item can contain twice as much energy (calories) as our body needs,...

This simple Easter recipe demystifies the preparation of an impressive rack of lamb and will have your guests raving. The key to the complex flavor is the lamb marinade I love to pair this with one of my favorite condiments, Crosse & Blackwell® Mint...

Recently I received a gorgeous bouquet of California endive as a gift and was excited to prepare it my favorite way with sweet salad ingredients to balance the leaves’ mild bitterness. Endive is available fresh year round at many major supermarkets and specialty stores. Wrap...

I have fond memories of sitting at my grandma’s kitchen table as a child eating piles of classic shrimp cocktail on New Year’s Eve. While I still look forward to the classic on special occasions and Sunday dinners, my updated version of the recipe might...