6 Tips to Always Be “Party Ready”

Life is pretty busy these days with graduate classes, leading food tours and participating in a community garden program…to name a few. But that hasn’t stopped me from wanting to enjoy the summer entertaining season with friends. I’ve developed a few techniques on how to always be “party ready,” no matter when the mood might [...]

Spring Greens with Roasted Red Peppers & Blue Cheese

The lettuces at the Chatham University green house are growing beautifully. I love how the delicate leaves feel when I run my hands over the plants. Watching the beauty emerge from the soil all of these weeks has encouraged me to eat more salads. I was inspired to make this salad after having a similar [...]

Homemade Mozzarella Pinwheels with Sundried Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

It was nearly a year ago when I was hovering over a stove with 10 other students. We all had one goal in mind…to learn the art of fresh mozzarella making. Ever since that faithful day, I’ve enjoyed serving the glorious white cheese for dinner parties. Explaining the preparation process is a wonderful conversation starter. [...]

Foodbuzz 24X24: An Intimate Celebration of Italian Flavor

Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District Market was alive with the energy of spring as I wove between the hoards of strollers and walkers to reach my favorite shops. I was a man on a mission to find the best ingredients for a dinner party I was hosting later in the evening. The clock was ticking and [...]

Stovetop Apple Brown Betty

I always love a challenge. So when FoodBuzz sent out an opportunity for its Featured Publishers to participate in a recipe contest, I jumped at the chance. The challenge was to create a unique recipe featuring any type of Nature’s Pride bread. I was thrilled to receive a coupon for a free loaf to try. [...]

Toasted Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Have you ever gotten a recipe idea stuck in your head to where you couldn’t let it escape until your creative destiny was fulfilled? No? Well, me either. Oh, who am I fooling? I was brainstorming recipe ideas for the second loaf of Nature’s Pride I received from Foodbuzz. The thought of creamy pumpkin bread [...]

Fried Green Tomato BLT

Droplets of water began to collect on my glasses as the clouds above released cold rain over the tiny farmers market. Shoppers began to scurry past the vibrant freshly picked produce in search of shelter. I wanted to linger a bit longer and interact with a few farmers, but I was a man on a [...]

Smirnoff Summer Entertaining Extravaganza: Party on the Porch

When life gives you lemons, I recommend throwing in ice and serving Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade. I was recently selected as 1 of only 10 proposals to receive a stipend by Smirnoff and Foodbuzz to host a summer extravaganza. The theme could be any of my choosing, as long as the delicious Smirnoff beverage was the [...]

Today Felt like Christmas

I came home from a long day of work today to be greeted by a very happy dog. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed not one…but TWO packages waiting for me. The first was from my wonderful fellow food blogger Thérèse-Marie from Feasting on Gluten-Free Pixels. She celebrated her one year [...]