Corn and Orange Pepper Salad

Fresh herbs are one of my favorite ways to add a boost of flavor to a dish. This time last year, I planted an herb garden near my front entryway. The location is a wonderful conversation starter for arriving guests – particularly those who can’t resist running their hand over the plants as they walk [...]

Panko & White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms

Like most large families focused on stretching their food budget, I grew up thinking mushrooms always came sliced in a can. You know what I’m talking about – the clank of the can opener finishing its rotation around the rim and juices expelled into the sink using the lid to hold back the can’s contents. [...]

Sugar Coated Cashews

While typically reserved for holidays and special occasions, sugar coated cashews are the perfect everyday treat. This recipe serves two purposes in my life. The first is it offers a tasty sweet snack with a crunch that can go on for hours. Second, the house smells amazing afterward. Think of all the money I’m saving [...]

Pickled Daikon Radish & Carrot Slaw

Daikon is a long, white, root vegetable that translates literally to “large root” in Japanese. My first introduction to these lovely radishes was through a community cooking demonstration I attended several months ago. We watched for nearly an hour as our instructor prepared each ingredient with focused precision. It was as if the small cleaver, [...]

Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese & Apples

Living on potato chips and Red Bull for the past two weeks was a real challenge. Balanced between my usual hectic holiday activities, I worked hard, and well into the late night hours, to finish projects for three graduate classes this semester. Now that everything is completed and grades are officially posted, preparing real food [...]

Blue Cheese Ranch Dip with Fresh Vegetables

The keys to potluck success I’ve learned over the years are to keep the food simple for transportation purposes and serve familiar favorites with my own twist to add interest. I reviewed my calendar recently and realized I had 6 potluck parties to attend in December! That’s a lot of Crockpot fare in my very [...]

Harvest Broccoli Salad

An entire bookshelf in my tiny home office is filled with spiral-bound cookbooks. These aren’t just any kind of cookbooks. They were assembled by local community organizations in the hopes of raising funds for an assorted list of causes. Two books in particular were produced as fundraisers for the local senior center in my hometown [...]

Steamed Mussels in White Wine Sauce

There will always be a special place in my heart for a steaming bowl of fresh mussels with crusty bread for dipping. While living in Chicago, mussels at HopLeaf became a perfect excuse for impromptu gatherings with friends. Even in my current city of Pittsburgh, there are times when my cravings for curry and coconut [...]

Baked Kale Chips

I had the opportunity to attend an interesting lecture by Chef Ann Cooper in a high school gymnasium filled with parents recently. Known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,” Chef Cooper discussed the current state of school lunch programs and how we should improve them. The information outlined in her presentation was thought-provoking and insightful. In [...]

Tomato Salad with Farmer’s Cheese

Riding high on my new farmer’s cheese making abilities, I decided to toss together an easy salad for a small gathering of friends. This simple treasure is not only lovely to eat, but wonderfully beautiful at the same time. Be sure to take advantage of all the tasty tomato varieties at the farmers market. Before [...]

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