• Snack stadium!

    food football stadium

    Did you know that snack stadiums were a thing? I had never seen or heard of them until I saw a crazy one on Bon Appetit’s website a year or two ago. And I was out of town for the Super Bowl last year, so this year, after seeing this awesome snacknadium in the L.A. […]

  • Salad with squash, pomegranate and goat cheese

    salad with squash, pomegranate and goat cheese

    As a lifelong salad avoider and picky eater, trying to eat more healthy on a regular basis has not been easy. There are tons of things I can make at home, of course, but finding something at restaurants is a different story. Thankfully, there are a lot of good places in San Diego County with […]

  • Resolve to eat your vegetables

    I recently had lunch with one of my best friends from high school (who I don’t see very much anymore, sadly), and she mentioned that when the book “Deceptively Delicious” — a cookbook for moms who want to hide vegetable puree in their children’s meals — came out, she bought it so she could trick […]

  • Packing cookies for shipping

    layer 2

    I have quite a bit of experience with packing cookies (and other items) for international shipping, and I did a post about it several years ago. But I thought since it is the holiday season (even though I’m a little late!), I would update that post a bit. First, if you want to send baked […]

  • Oatmeal-coconut-chocolate chip cookies

    cookie dough balls

    Remember how I said the Christmas ornament cookies weren’t the best thing to make if you’ve never baked anything before? These cookies are a much better option for beginners… or for anyone who wants some delicious cookies without a ton of fuss. The recipe has developed over time: It all started a few years ago, […]

  • Christmas ornament cookies

    christmas ornament sugar cookies

    I had very grand plans for Christmas cookies this year. But, as usual, work and life got in the way. I’m hoping to make a few more batches in the next week, but in the meantime, I wanted to share the cookies I have managed to make so far. The first are these sugar cookies […]

  • Sweet potato-pecan pie (with gluten-free crust!)

    sweet potato pecan pie slice

    Turkey gets all the attention, and you know I love me some cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. But if we’re being honest, pie is really the best thing about Thanksgiving, right?   I’m definitely in the “a little of each” camp when it comes to pie — I can’t choose between pumpkin and pecan, and […]

  • Best-ever Thanksgiving sweet potatoes (with marshmallows)

    best thanksgiving sweet potatoes

    My mom makes the best Thanksgiving sweet potatoes ever. How do I know? Besides the fact that I have eaten them since (probably) infancy, every person I have ever served them to loves them — and usually asks for the recipe. Obviously this don’t have to only be made for Thanksgiving, but I’m not sure […]

  • Peach-pecan upside-down cake

    peach pecan upside down cake

    A couple of years ago, I learned that my friend Dan’s favorite dessert is pineapple upside-down cake. I had never made (or even eaten!) pineapple upside-down cake, but it sounded pretty good, so I figured I’d try it. Long story short: It was delicious and really easy to make. Anyway, I saw this recipe when […]

  • Slow-cooker veggie chili

    veggie chili

    After I graduated from college and moved to South Carolina, my dinners generally came from a can, a box, the freezer, or a restaurant. I baked cookies and cakes and muffins occasionally, but I really didn’t know how to cook “real” (non-sugary) food, particularly meals that could go from stove (or microwave) to my tiny table in about […]