I have a deep love for roasted bone marrow. I had it for the first time at a bar in San Francisco with toasted brioche bread and it is pure fatty, unctuous deliciousness. It is one of those things that is meant to be a very occasional treat, because, well, its pretty much pure fat. But, oh my, does it taste good. There are several … Continue reading Roasted Bone Marrow
As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve made a pork themed meal for my husband’s birthday for several years running now. Its always fun to come up with a different concept each year and think through the recipes for each of the courses. Last year’s surprise party was so much fun that I decided to do a scaled down version for a small group of … Continue reading Menu Planning: Toby’s Backyard Birthday BBQ
Several weeks ago, we hosted my cousin over for an Oscar party and I wanted to do a spread of finger foods that we could nosh on while we watched the awards show. I came up with an idea for mini twice baked potatoes that were a big hit. I made these again for Easter to go with the Yogurt-Marinated Leg of Lamb, but made … Continue reading Mini Stuffed Potatoes
We had our neighbors over to watch the Super Bowl and I wanted something easy, so we could all focus on the game (and the commercials!), and didn’t require lots of time in the kitchen for me. Plus, it had to be adaptable and appealing to both adults and teenage boys. I came up with a make your own pizza bar and it worked out … Continue reading Menu Planning: Super Bowl Sunday
Our sweet, funny little man just turned 2! We hosted a party at our house for our friends and family and had a few of Oliver’s friends over too. I love using literary themes for kids birthday parties as there are so many personal touches you can make with them. Last year, I picked “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” by Eric Carle for his first birthday … Continue reading Little Blue Truck Birthday Party
Every year around the holidays, we always get together with my aunt and uncle, who live close by, and my cousin, who is down visiting her parents from New York. Each year, the food and company are amazing and we usually exchange foodie type gifts, which are always welcome! In November, my dad had brought out some frozen brook trout he caught in Illinois and … Continue reading Menu Planning: Seafood Paella, Baked Trout, Braised Cabbage and Raspberry Jam Tart
Another Harvest Party is down in the books! I always love putting this party together, but this year was special as we had our awesome family, neighbors and friends over to celebrate the start of this blog, and the beginning of this new adventure for me. It was a lot of work, but I’m thrilled that the food I selected turned out so well! Below … Continue reading Menu Planning: Harvest Party 2015
Several months after Toby and I started dating, we took a trip to visit his extended family in Hong Kong and spend some time on our own in Beijing. It was a great trip to visit his family and see lots of sites, and importantly, eat lots of delicious food! And what else does one do in Beijing but eat Peking duck? Over the course … Continue reading Duck Tarts with Asian Plum Sauce
A few months back, I borrowed a copy of Ina Garten’s “Make It Ahead” from our local library to get some ideas for entertaining that can be made ahead with little fuss right before serving. Overall, she had some recipes that looked great, but I only found a few recipes that fit what I was looking for. One of those recipes was for a Truffled … Continue reading Truffled Chicken Liver Mousse
Each year at our Harvest Party, I like to have one large, warm dish in the crock pot available for our guests to serve themselves. In the past I’ve made a pumpkin turkey chili and a butternut squash soup and this year I wanted to try out pumpkin BBQ pulled pork sliders. I searched around for a recipe that looked good enough to try and … Continue reading Pumpkin BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Half Pint Garden 