Many years ago I worked at a bakery in Portland that made these delicious jam-filled buttermilk biscuits. Jammers are the perfect comfort food for any time of day, and with the help of a heart-shaped cookie cutter they also make the perfect Valentine.
Read MoreFootball fan or not, you may find yourself gathering at someone's house for a Super Bowl party this Sunday. I myself am playing host, but I'm totally phoning it in, literally, I'm ordering pizzas. I've been out of town, and sometimes this kitchen maven needs a break. I did think it would be kind of fun to make just one little thing to celebrate our foodie culture on San Francisco's big day. Since it's a Super Bowl party, handmade potato chips fit the bill. They are easy to make, and my official taste tester let me know that they are in fact, the bomb. Recipe and pictures below, go Niners!
Read MoreI love tamales. They are so delicious, but so darn bad for you. Most often the masa is cut with a significant amount of lard, or in some recipes shortening to create the dough for steaming. Our family made tamales this way over the holidays using fresh crab from Tomales Bay and man were they decadent! I've been looking for a way to health them up for an everyday meal without losing any of that tenderness and sweet corn brought out with the extra fat. After a little brainstorming, coconut oil sounded like a good plan, but still, not so great for you, then it occured to me to try applesauce, and what do you know, it worked. I roasted butternut squash and mashed it with some chipotle peppers/sauce to create a sweet and smokey filling. Vegan and dairy free if prepared using the vegetable stock. Here's the recipe and tutorial:
Read MoreTwo Tarts - Baked Eggs with Proscuitto and Gruyere
For me, the hardest thing to get a pretty picture of is food. The raw components can be off putting, and lighting and styling food when I'm actually preparing it is no easy feat, especially because that's usually after dark. I guess that's why I don't write a food blog. As a capable home cook, I do appreciate beautifully shot food blogs as a resource for new ideas and techniques. A tablet on the counter sometimes replaces my need for clunky cookbooks, making it easier to scroll between recipes when I'm working on a complete meal. I can also carry recipes with me to the store by way of my phone. My new favorite food blog is Two Tarts. A collaboration between two Colorado foodie friends named Dulcie and Sarah. They have amassed a collection of recipes for food and drink, with a focus on seasonal fare and components, like syrups, sauces, and pie crust. I'll be testing their Baked Eggs recipe when I host our now semi-regular ladies invitational next month. Here are some more pretty food blogs to explore if home cooking is your thing...
Read MoreAs the years trudge on, we've had to make more effort to stay youthfully svelte, and post holidays some extra effort is usually in order. This is hard to do when celebrating the old guy's birthday. It's especially hard when his favorite cake flavor is chocolate. I pieced together a recipe from a few different books yesterday and came up with this deep dark chocolate cake. I'm not afraid of sticking some unexpected ingredients in a mix to bolster flavor, and meet dietary needs, so you'll just have to trust me, it was decadent. I garnished ours with dark chocolate covered cherries for the kids, but espresso beans would be a perfect addition for this grown-up cake.
Read MoreMake + Haus is the new name and online home for the blog Poppy Haus. Established in 2011, the blog archive now contains hundreds of original design projects and whole food recipes, many featured on the likes of Apartment Therapy, Martha Stewart, Design*Sponge, Curbly, and Epicurious.
