Sachertorte

Oohhhh, chocolate.

OK, so I know the traditional sachertorte is layered and served with whipped cream and all that but let’s just throw tradition out the window for a second. I made this cake for my mom’s birthday the other day because she is a choc-a-holic but she ended up bailing on us at the last minute (RUDE!) which left an entire cake in the hands of my husband and children. I think we know how this story ends.

Recipe for Sachertorte after the jump

Peach Jelly

Summer is right around the corner so that means lots of fresh fruit to make scrumptious jellies. I made this quick and easy batch pf peach jelly with just a few over-ripe peaches I had lying around. There are a lot of jam/jelly recipes out there that require mulitple ingredients and steps – this ain’t one of those. You can thank me later.

Recipe for Peach Jelly after the jump!

Garlic Chicken w/Roasted Tomatoes

Still on a tomato kick over here. Cherry tomatoes, onions and lots and lots of garlic. I must admit that I am not a fan of chicken thighs. Something about the texture of the meat has always turned me off, so I marinated them for a few hours before making this dish.

Recipe for Garlic Chicken w/Roasted Tomatoes after the jump!

Spaghetti w/Stewed Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

There’s nothing like the flavor and aroma of fresh tomatoes in the summertime. After stocking up on a bounty of tomatoes at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market I decided to make this light pasta dish courtesy of G. Garvin’s Dining In.

Recipe for Spaghetti w/Stewed Tomatoes & Fresh Basil after the jump.

We’re back!

Look for brand new food posts starting Monday! Yes, that’s muesli.

We’ll be back!

I have to take a quick break from blogging because the New Year has me SWAMPED with work for my real job. I will try to be back posting as soon as possible. I have a lot of food to share! So please stay with me while i dig myself out of this work hole.

Follw me on twitter so you’ll know when I am back!

Happy Eating and Merry Christmas!

This is what happens when you let a 2 1/2 year old hold a camera!

Anyway, I just wanted to wish the readers of this blog (all 20 of you…lol) a very Merry Christmas and lots of good eating and happy times with friends and family. Me? I am once again playing hostess and have a laundry list of things still unfinished and some not even started. We traditionally (for the past two years) have held an italian feast on Christmas day with lots of seafood and antipasti and stuffed, cheesy dishes. In the mornings I make cinnamon rolls and we usually snack on those till the afternoon. It really is all about comfort food with us. We then do some sort of family activity in the evening (bowling, going to the movies, etc.).

As for Christmas Eve, we are attending a holiday celebration concert and then will partake in the popular southern california tradition of tamale-eating and gift-wrapping.

I will be back next week with some more breakfast/brunch fare and am looking forward to building this blog’s audience in 2009.

Thanks for visiting and Happy Holidays!!

EDIT::

Oh, I forgot to add this. Menu for Hope is a really great fundraiser created by one of my favorite food bloggers, Chez Pim. Help raise money for the UN World Food Programme AND put yourself in the running to win prizes from some of the web’s most popular food bloggers. It’s a really great cause and it’s always good to remember that while we feast and enjoy time with loved ones, there are so many who would just be happy with the basics. Please give if you can.

The Perfect Pancakes

I was always on the lookout for the perfect recipe. A simple, no frills option that turned out perfectly golden pancakes each and every time.  A few years ago I tried this one and the results were fantastic. I have used only this recipe since then and it’s easily adaptable if you want to make specialty pancakes.

Homemade Granola + Gifting

I spent most of the weekend baking and sewing gifts for friends, co-workers and my husband’s clients. One of my favorite homemade gifts to give is granola packaged in mason jars. I use a little fabric (cut in circles) to decorate the jars. Granola is ridiculously easy to make and you can bake a large batch in about an hour.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

After making my own hot chocolate I can never go back to that packaged stuff again. It’s so simple and you can make it as rich, sweet or creamy as you’d like. With the weather down right east coast here in La La Land, I decided that there was no better time than now to snuggle up with a mug full.