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Roasted Garlic, Pear and Pork Ravioli

October 17, 2017

Switch things up this holiday season with a hearty pear and pork ravioli filled with rustic autumn flavors!

Thanks to Nugget Markets for sponsoring this post!

Sometimes I feel bad for pears.

They are the underdog of fall ingredients. As soon as temperatures begin to dip, apples are all the rage. The leaves start turning and we simply cannot hide our affection for winter squash.

Meanwhile, there sit the pears. Beautiful in their green, reddish-brown, and tan fall colors, but second place to the front row attention-seekers.

I’m not sure why I turn to apples and pumpkins over pears, but more often than not, I do. Guilty.

So when Nugget Markets gave me the opportunity to do a fall-inspired post, an alternative to the traditional holiday meal, I set my sights on pears. At the very least, I owe the fruit some time in the spotlight.

Shawarma Spiced Fava Bean Vegetarian Burger

July 6, 2017

This post is sponsored by Sahadi’s.

Food access is important in my line of work. Well, if you love food, regardless of the type of work you do, it’s important. But when you are tasked to make specific foods or need to photograph a certain ingredient, you have to find it.

I’m the first one to admit that regularly accessing what I need isn’t always easy around here. Of course, this comes after spending 10 years in the surprisingly excellent local food scene of Central Kentucky, and then a few more years in the Bay Area. Which, I mean, come on. What can’t you find in the Bay Area?

Internet shopping for groceries is not only a fun pastime these days, it’s often a necessity.

Dry-Rubbed Grilled Whole Chicken with Chili-Lager Barbecue Sauce

June 13, 2017

This juicy grilled whole chicken is brushed with a rich and tangy barbecue sauce made of dried chilies and beer. It’s the perfect recipe to ring in a season of grilling.

This post is sponsored by Petaluma Poultry – Home of ROCKY® and ROSIE® Chicken.

This probably sounds silly, but the first time I grilled a whole chicken, I considered it a huge culinary accomplishment. I say it sounds silly now because it is really not that difficult at all.

It looks fancy, sure. But it’s one of the most hands-off forms of grilling you can do. Once you rub down the bird with the herbs and seasonings of your choice, you simply place it on the grill and let it cook while all that flavor gets sealed inside.

California Ripe Olive Grilled Flatbread with Basil Ricotta, Provolone, Lemon Greens, and Edible Flowers

June 6, 2017

Thank you to the California Olive Committee for sponsoring this post. Although I was compensated to write this post, all opinions are my own.

I drive by olive trees on a regular basis here in the South Central Valley.

I’m a little obsessed with them.

One, they are some of the prettiest trees out there, all willowy with draping branches and a color that can turn from deep green to steel blue depending on how the wind blows. Two, I am a heavy consumer of both extra virgin olive oil and ripe, or table, olives.

I was informed of a small fact soon after my identification of the olive tree, though. The olives that make these two products are not one in the same. Basically, there are oil olives and ripe olives. Their varieties, oil content, color, and culinary use is different.

I’ve learned quite a bit about oil olives over the past few years, but my knowledge of ripe olives was minimal. So, when I received an invitation from the California Olive Committee for a trip to St. Helena at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone to fill my gap in knowledge, as you would expect, I quickly accepted. I soon hit the road for a lovely four hour drive from California’s Central Valley to the Napa Valley.

Citrus Roasted Whole Chicken

December 8, 2016

Perfect for the holiday season, this citrus roasted whole chicken is packed with the flavor of oranges, grapefruits, rosemary, and thyme.
This post is sponsored by Petaluma Poultry – Home of ROCKY® and ROSIE® Chicken.

Chicken has saved our family holidays on more than one occasion. While most of us lean towards turkey or ham during this season, if there is a mishap, guess who is there to bail you out of an emergency dinner party situation.

Yep, the chicken.

I was just talking to my mom about this last week. I didn’t make it back home for Thanksgiving this year, but apparently the turkey had some problems. The solution, run to the store and grab a chicken. And I know that shredded chicken has made its way into my grandmother’s stuffing recipe instead of turkey more than once in the past.

Whole chickens are easier to find fresh, thaw faster if they are frozen, and take little effort to turn out tender, juicy, and full of flavor. To be honest, I’m a bigger fan of chicken myself.

So I say it’s about time we stop treating the chicken as the understudy in the holiday dinner play and go ahead and give it the leading the role. I’m starting with this recipe.

Autumn Spiced Slow Cooker Chicken with Apples and Onions

September 15, 2016

This simple slow cooker chicken is coated in savory spices and served with sweet apples and onions for the perfect fall meal.
This post is sponsored by Petaluma Poultry – Home of ROCKY® and ROSIE® Chicken.

Like many people, my introduction to poultry was in the form of the boneless, skinless chicken breast. Now, I have nothing against these chicken breasts. They still serve a purpose in my kitchen. Since I started this blog over eight years ago and got much more adventurous in my cooking, things have changed.

I’ve become more open to the versatility and the full flavor of other parts of the chicken.

I also didn’t mess around with graduating up to bone-in, skin-on parts. Nope. I jumped right into using the whole bird.

Club Sandwich with Duck Breast, Cambozola, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Roasted Garlic

November 2, 2015

This recipe takes an ordinary sandwich and makes it worthy of an excellent wine pairing! It comes from Chad Hendrickson, Executive Chef for The Hess Collection. A special thank you to The Hess Collection for sponsoring this post.

Sandwiches are casual. When we don’t want to have a fancy meal or invest too much time in the kitchen, we go for a sandwich.

They are convenient and familiar, but many lean a little towards boring and monotonous. That is, until you start considering whether the lowly sandwich could possibly pair with wine. Not just any wine, but a syrah that boasts black and blue fruits with a subtle touch of spiced vanilla and cedar. Before you know it, you have a duck breast sandwich on your hands that also happens to be layered with bacon and Cambozola cheese.

Vegetable Party Appetizers

October 14, 2014

Get ready for the holiday season with these vegetable party appetizers! From walnut-stuffed tomatoes, to hot pepper jam and eggplant pâté, you’ll love these easy-to-make recipes using Mucci Farms produce.

There are few things more perfect to me than aisle after aisle, bin after bin, and row after row of fresh produce. It’s why you’ll find me at the farmers market almost every week, hear me asking for just 5 minutes to run in this international market, and catch me hanging out the window with my camera as we speed past the farms when driving through the Central Valley. They can be as common as the green bell peppers my dad grows in his garden or as rare as the tropical fruits we encounter while traveling. Plain and simple, I love fruits and vegetables.

sponsored post

Roasted Garlic, Pear and Pork Ravioli

Shawarma Spiced Fava Bean Vegetarian Burger

Dry-Rubbed Grilled Whole Chicken with Chili-Lager Barbecue Sauce

California Ripe Olive Grilled Flatbread with Basil Ricotta, Provolone, Lemon Greens, and Edible Flowers

Citrus Roasted Whole Chicken

Autumn Spiced Slow Cooker Chicken with Apples and Onions

Club Sandwich with Duck Breast, Cambozola, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Roasted Garlic

Vegetable Party Appetizers

Thanks so much for reading!

My New Cookbook published in 2020!

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