Strawberry & Mandarin Orange Salad

Creative juices flowed freely while preparing dinner for a few friends. I knew a simple salad would be the perfect opportunity to use a lone can of mandarin oranges that has been setting on my pantry shelf. I honestly can’t remember when I bought the can and I needed to silence it’s desperate cries to [...]

Mango, Papaya & Strawberry Salad

For my Cooking for a Cause party, I wanted to serve a fresh salad to help balance what seemed like a bread heavy menu. The host indicated he really enjoyed eating mangoes and asked me to include them in some way. I toyed with the idea of serving a lettuce or spinach based salad with [...]

A Fair in the Park

The smell of fried dough danced in the air as we sashayed between booths filled with an array of handcrafted pieces by local artists. I’ve been working pretty hard lately and a little art fair therapy was my idea of a relaxing day off. Nestled in a corner of Mellon Park in Pittsburgh, this weekend [...]

Impromptu Dinner Party: Brent & Ty Take Over

After returning home from a wonderful trip in Toronto, the last thing I wanted to do was eat in yet another restaurant.  I craved a home cooked meal and the comfort of relaxing in the backyard, without the annoyance of servers asking us if we were American based on what we ordered.  While trying to [...]

Shortbread Tart Shell

I’m sitting in my backyard taking advantage of the wonderful Easter Sunday weather.  From time to time, I hear screaming and giggling dancing from my neighbor’s yard.  All 12 of their grandchildren are scavenging for the brightly colored plastic eggs that were hidden in every available crevice early this morning. Brent’s mother will be visiting [...]