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May 23, 2012
3 notes
Homemade Pizza 2 Ways What is there to say about pizza that hasn’t already been said? It’s the best comfort food, social meal and it’s so good eaten cold the next day (if you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers!). I began making pizza in earnest a few years ago because I love to experiment with new flavor combinations but I’ve always hated taking the time to make my own crust. Last week when I was at the store buying groceries I ran in to my friend Jess who not only filled me in on the secrets of pizza dough making, but also guided me to the secret stash of fresh homemade dough that Whole Foods sells! And Pizza night was made! Read More » (Including the recipe!)

Homemade Pizza 2 Ways

What is there to say about pizza that hasn’t already been said? It’s the best comfort food, social meal and it’s so good eaten cold the next day (if you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers!). I began making pizza in earnest a few years ago because I love to experiment with new flavor combinations but I’ve always hated taking the time to make my own crust. Last week when I was at the store buying groceries I ran in to my friend Jess who not only filled me in on the secrets of pizza dough making, but also guided me to the secret stash of fresh homemade dough that Whole Foods sells! And Pizza night was made!

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May 18, 2012
3 notes
The Perfect Picnic Sandwich Summer means picnic time and there’s nothing better than packing a fresh, flavorful spread for you and your friends to enjoy. I’m so excited to make my next smorgasbord, which is my personal picnic style, but if you crave a main dish instead, give this sandwich a try! It combines the best of the picnic season: grilled veggies, fresh baguette, light goat cheese and crispy greens.  The crispy baguette bread protects the sandwich and makes for a hearty lunch from your basket, on the beach, camping, hiking or roadtripping. Summer’s here! Read More » (Including the recipe!)

The Perfect Picnic Sandwich

Summer means picnic time and there’s nothing better than packing a fresh, flavorful spread for you and your friends to enjoy. I’m so excited to make my next smorgasbord, which is my personal picnic style, but if you crave a main dish instead, give this sandwich a try! It combines the best of the picnic season: grilled veggies, fresh baguette, light goat cheese and crispy greens.  The crispy baguette bread protects the sandwich and makes for a hearty lunch from your basket, on the beach, camping, hiking or roadtripping. Summer’s here!

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May 11, 2012
5 notes
Chocolate Chip Date Cake: A Recipe Card Adventure I have a few trusty cookbooks that I reference when I need inspiration for a meal or a refresher on a technique I’m utilizing in preparation of a meal, but I don’t often look up recipes to make on a whim. One thing cookbooks and recipes are essential for is baking, which is more precise and scientific than throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pan and hoping it comes out with a fair texture and good taste. So while my mom was visiting Austin a few weeks ago I decided to dig up the old recipe cards she’d gifted me and we’d bake something together. Enter the mysterious Oven-Glazed Chocolate-Chip Date Cake. Read More » (Including the recipe!)

Chocolate Chip Date Cake: A Recipe Card Adventure

I have a few trusty cookbooks that I reference when I need inspiration for a meal or a refresher on a technique I’m utilizing in preparation of a meal, but I don’t often look up recipes to make on a whim. One thing cookbooks and recipes are essential for is baking, which is more precise and scientific than throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pan and hoping it comes out with a fair texture and good taste. So while my mom was visiting Austin a few weeks ago I decided to dig up the old recipe cards she’d gifted me and we’d bake something together. Enter the mysterious Oven-Glazed Chocolate-Chip Date Cake.

Read More » (Including the recipe!)

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May 02, 2012
6 notes
The Perfect Summer Drink: Rum Soda This week it’s gotten up in the 90s here in Austin, and the only way I’ve found to beat the baffling heat is to put on some short-shorts and water the garden with a tasty beverage in hand. So by request from my friend and fellow gardener Daniel Nadeau, here’s my very own, very secret recipe for Rum Soda. I know it sounds weird, and the name is still in Beta, but this little drink packs a serious punch – this is the adult Coca-Cola! It’s extra fizzy, spicy and sweet (but not too sweet), with a tangy zing of citrus to finish it off. Finished with a special maraschino cherry, this cocktail is a refreshing spirit-booster and desert all in one.  Read More » (Including the recipe!)

The Perfect Summer Drink: Rum Soda

This week it’s gotten up in the 90s here in Austin, and the only way I’ve found to beat the baffling heat is to put on some short-shorts and water the garden with a tasty beverage in hand. So by request from my friend and fellow gardener Daniel Nadeau, here’s my very own, very secret recipe for Rum Soda. I know it sounds weird, and the name is still in Beta, but this little drink packs a serious punch – this is the adult Coca-Cola! It’s extra fizzy, spicy and sweet (but not too sweet), with a tangy zing of citrus to finish it off. Finished with a special maraschino cherry, this cocktail is a refreshing spirit-booster and desert all in one. 


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April 20, 2012
7 notes
Camp Cooking Part 2: Classic Hot Breakfast From all the years of camping experience, no matter what you cook…it always always tastes better out in the wild! – Mom There’s nothing better than hot coffee and a delicious breakfast to get you ready for a day out of doors. So when we decided to take our Coleman stove camping last weekend we packed eggs and bacon too!  Read More » (Including the Recipe!) 

Camp Cooking Part 2: Classic Hot Breakfast


From all the years of camping experience, no matter what you cook…it always always tastes better out in the wild!

– Mom

There’s nothing better than hot coffee and a delicious breakfast to get you ready for a day out of doors. So when we decided to take our Coleman stove camping last weekend we packed eggs and bacon too! 


Read More » (Including the Recipe!) 

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April 18, 2012
5 notes
Camp Cooking Part 1: Fajitas in the Wild Cooking while camping can seem like a daunting task: you’re dirty, you’re hungry, the sun is going down, you have limited resources…and you’re out in the wilderness. Making a good meal in camp depends heavily on your ability to plan ahead of time, prepare and store food on the trail, and cook efficiently. This is a lot of stuff to keep in mind while planning a backpacking or car camping trip, but I’m here to tell you it’s not that hard and it’s totally worth it. There’s nothing better than a hot meal full of nutrients after a long day exploring the outdoors, and with a little preparation you can make a super tasty, super easy meal for your travel companions. Read More » (Including the Recipe!)

Camp Cooking Part 1: Fajitas in the Wild


Cooking while camping can seem like a daunting task: you’re dirty, you’re hungry, the sun is going down, you have limited resources…and you’re out in the wilderness. Making a good meal in camp depends heavily on your ability to plan ahead of time, prepare and store food on the trail, and cook efficiently. This is a lot of stuff to keep in mind while planning a backpacking or car camping trip, but I’m here to tell you it’s not that hard and it’s totally worth it. There’s nothing better than a hot meal full of nutrients after a long day exploring the outdoors, and with a little preparation you can make a super tasty, super easy meal for your travel companions.


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April 13, 2012
12 notes
Cheddar Biscuit Bliss There’s no better treat on the weekend than a big homemade breakfast. Ryan is an excellent breakfast cook and I believe his favorite thing to make is a huge brunch – eggs over medium or omeletes, french toast, bacon, pancakes, juice and coffee, and breakfast sandwiches – of which I am the luckiest beneficiary! I try to lend a hand in the breakfast kitchen when I can so last Saturday I got up early to add something special to Ryan’s breakfast sausage sandwiches: Cheddar Biscuits! Read More» (Including the recipe!)

Cheddar Biscuit Bliss


There’s no better treat on the weekend than a big homemade breakfast. Ryan is an excellent breakfast cook and I believe his favorite thing to make is a huge brunch – eggs over medium or omeletes, french toast, bacon, pancakes, juice and coffee, and breakfast sandwiches – of which I am the luckiest beneficiary! I try to lend a hand in the breakfast kitchen when I can so last Saturday I got up early to add something special to Ryan’s breakfast sausage sandwiches: Cheddar Biscuits!


Read More» (Including the recipe!)

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April 02, 2012
2 notes
Summery Grilled Shrimp Salad To celebrate the beautiful weather this spring and fuel up for lots of climbing after work, we’ve been eating lots of greens and salads. The grocery store has been carrying fresh (never frozen!) gulf shrimp regularly, the texture and flavor of which are always very good. Ryan proclaimed that this was one of the best salads he’s ever had, with “unreal flavors”! This recipe is more restaurant-style than the meals I usually prepare – it involves quite a bit of fine chopping, lots of ingredients and grilling but it’s totally worth the extra effort. Read More » (Including the recipe!)

Summery Grilled Shrimp Salad


To celebrate the beautiful weather this spring and fuel up for lots of climbing after work, we’ve been eating lots of greens and salads. The grocery store has been carrying fresh (never frozen!) gulf shrimp regularly, the texture and flavor of which are always very good. Ryan proclaimed that this was one of the best salads he’s ever had, with “unreal flavors”! This recipe is more restaurant-style than the meals I usually prepare – it involves quite a bit of fine chopping, lots of ingredients and grilling but it’s totally worth the extra effort.


Read More » (Including the recipe!)

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March 29, 2012
17 notes
Garden Cocktails The herbs in my garden have been growing especially fast since the recent rains we’ve received and I’ve been trying to find plenty of ways to use them. The weather is warming up and the evenings have been nothing short of beautiful, so I’ve begun mixing up new and delicious cocktails with these herbs, fruits from our CSA box and a few of my favorite spirits. The following are two of the most scrumptious mixes I’ve made. Read More » (Including the Recipe!)

Garden Cocktails


The herbs in my garden have been growing especially fast since the recent rains we’ve received and I’ve been trying to find plenty of ways to use them. The weather is warming up and the evenings have been nothing short of beautiful, so I’ve begun mixing up new and delicious cocktails with these herbs, fruits from our CSA box and a few of my favorite spirits. The following are two of the most scrumptious mixes I’ve made.


Read More » (Including the Recipe!)

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March 21, 2012
2 notes
On Fennel and Fronds As spring becomes fully sprung in these parts the cold-weather vegetables in my garden explode with new growth. When I planted the first iteration of this garden almost two years ago I casually sprinkled a few fennel seeds in the north bed and dismissed them with a well, it’d be interesting if these grow…I’m not sure I’ll know what to do with them if they decide to come up… and several growing seasons later the original plants have propagated themselves both through root and seed and now boast wispy-green fern-y colonies in both of my beds. If I make the same decision as last year – and it wasn’t really a decision because I just ignored them and they did what plants do, going to seed instead of harvest – I’ll be overrun with woody fennel bulbs, lots of caterpillars and more anise than I know what to do with. So I’m making a concerted effort to learn more about these exotic and versatile vegetables, beginning with a roast. Read More » (Including the recipe!)

On Fennel and Fronds


As spring becomes fully sprung in these parts the cold-weather vegetables in my garden explode with new growth. When I planted the first iteration of this garden almost two years ago I casually sprinkled a few fennel seeds in the north bed and dismissed them with a well, it’d be interesting if these grow…I’m not sure I’ll know what to do with them if they decide to come up… and several growing seasons later the original plants have propagated themselves both through root and seed and now boast wispy-green fern-y colonies in both of my beds. If I make the same decision as last year – and it wasn’t really a decision because I just ignored them and they did what plants do, going to seed instead of harvest – I’ll be overrun with woody fennel bulbs, lots of caterpillars and more anise than I know what to do with. So I’m making a concerted effort to learn more about these exotic and versatile vegetables, beginning with a roast.


Read More » (Including the recipe!)