In my family, you simply cannot consume enough guacamole.  I don’t make it often, but when I spot avocados at a fair price, they are difficult to resist.  I just know how excited my kids and husband will be to kick back with a giant bowl of homemade guacamole.  This authentic recipe does not require great skill in the kitchen so don’t fret…you’ll have it made in under ten minutes.  I add the serrano pepper when the guacamole is being served to adults, but when kids are present, I skip this step so they’ll eat it.  Although, if you want more for yourself, maybe add it anyway!  Ha!

One little tip re: avocados…always buy one or 2 more than what the recipe calls for.  Avocados are so unpredictable and you don’t want to be left without the star ingredient at show time!

Continue reading “Authentic Guacamole” »

Posted in Recipes, Steph B | No Comments »

One of my favorite party tricks is to serve dessert in mini dishes.  Not only does this small detail add some unexpected charm, but it also allows me to focus more on quality than quantity.  And after a big meal, that’s what most guests want anyway–just a little sweet somethin’…

Here are some of my favorite mini dishes on the web now.  I totally want one of each!

Continue reading “Mini Dessert Dishes” »

Posted in FYI, Steph B | No Comments »

While cruising through the aisles of my favorite local Asian grocery store, I spotted a handful of fresh passion fruit–a fairly uncommon occurrence.  At first glance they didn’t look how I expected them to look, but once I cut them open one of those “ah-ha!” moments occurred.  Now that looks like a passion fruit!  If you haven’t cooked or baked with passion fruit before, you are really missing out. It’s an incredible ingredient and I’ve never heard anyone say they didn’t like it.  The flavor is intense and tropical, which means you don’t need a lot of it to pack a punch.

Here are my favorite passion fruit recipes to get you started.  Oh, and if you can’t find fresh passion fruit locally, no worries.  I’ve shared a few online sources for passion fruit pureé to get you started!

Continue reading “How to Pack a Punch with Passion Fruit” »

Posted in Recipes, Steph B | No Comments »

One of my favorite things to gift a friend or neighbor is a paper bag full of homemade rolls (or muffins) and a mini, French jar of jam.   These sweet little jars of confiture are as charming as charming can be with their gingham lids and French script labels; and since they are made of glass, they are reusable, making them an even better gift!

Here is my US source for the jams…I’ve yet to find a site offering better prices.  Enjoy! Continue reading “Mini French Jams” »

Posted in FYI, Steph B | No Comments »

Many people are surprised when they discover how few kitchen gadgets I have.  I guess you could say I like using only a handful of my favorite things over and over—these mixing bowls being one of them.   In fact, I’d say they are definitely in my “top 5″ and I just had to share today, you know, in case you were dying for a set of mixing bowls! (Mother’s Day? Birthday? Just because?)  I’ve looked high and low and you just can’t find a prettier color palette than this.  They make me happy every time I open my cupboard and they hold up well.

You can view the entire set here.  

Posted in FYI, Steph B | No Comments »

I’m sure you’ve spotted many a recipe calling for toasted nuts (I know many of mine call for them!) and perhaps you’ve wondered just exactly how to do that.  You know it’s got to be easy (you’re right), but you’ve never been given exact instructions.  So today I’m going to tell you exactly how to do it…in the next five seconds in fact!

Quick note on toasting…the reason you want to know exactly how to toast nuts is that toasted nuts add a lot of flavor and depth to both cooked and baked dishes.  It’s really a lovely addition!

How to Toast Nuts

Place nuts in a single layer in a cake pan.  Slide pan into a preheated 350 degree oven for exactly 6 minutes.  Take pan out of oven and immediately place toasted nuts on a cutting board, or other surface (a cutting board is nice though if you’re chopping the toasted nuts for your recipe).  Allow to cool.  Done!

Now the reason you want to take the toasted nuts out of the pan immediately is because they will continue to toast in the hot pan otherwise.  There is a fine line between toasted nuts and burned nuts and you don’t want to cross it!  Now, happy toasting!

Posted in FYI, Steph B | No Comments »

When it comes to eating healthy, there are just some days when it needs to be easy too.  Like make-in-5-minutes easy…you know what I mean, yes?  Today I’d like to share with you a light lunch idea that I’ve made probably 4 times in the past two weeks.  It’s super tasty, healthy and takes just minutes to prepare.

Continue reading “Easy Mediterranean-Inspired Lunch” »

Posted in Recipes, Steph B | No Comments »

Meet my new favorite breakfast…and lunch.  It’s versatile (it could even moonlight as dinner!), it’s filling, it’s healthy, it’s gluten-free and it’s delicious.  I’ve made this 3 of 4 times in the past couple of weeks and have it on next week’s menu as well!  You can find the recipe after the jump.

Continue reading “Roasted Kale with Carmelized Shallots, White Beans and Eggs” »

Posted in Recipes, Steph B | No Comments »

This recipe is the perfect alternative to its sister cookie, the oatmeal raisin.  I’ve tested these oatmeal sour cherry cookies with pistachios on those who typically shy away from the classic oatmeal raisin cookie…and then watch them coming back for more.  While the flavors are more sophisticated, your kids will still love ‘em!

Recipe for Oatmeal Sour Cherry Cookies with Pistachios after the jump…

Continue reading “Sour Cherry Oatmeal Cookies with Pistachios” »

Posted in Recipes, Steph B | No Comments »

I love a good pot of yogurt, but here in the States they can be tough to come by.  It seems the best yogurt is usually made with fresh, natural ingredients (and not a lot of ‘em), and has a tangy flavor that isn’t overly sweetened by artificial this and that.  A couple of years ago, I discovered the Quebecois label, Liberté, which is actually available at select stores in the US (wahoo!) and thought I’d died and gone to yogurt heaven.  This yogurt is better than some French and Swiss* labels even–it is that good!  If you have a chance to seek it out, I recommend doing so.  Take a gander at your local Whole Foods or Harmons and I bet you’ll have success. Otherwise, you can find a stockist via the Liberté website.

p.s. all the flavors I’ve tried are delicious, but the coconut is particularly stellar (if you like coconut anyway). 

p.p.s. my daughter just walked in the room after downing the plum/fig and exclaimed, “man, that is good yogurt, isn’t it?”.  Had to add that!

Posted in FYI, Steph B | 1 Comment »