Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Roulade Steak

Spinach & Cheese stuffed Flank Steak

Flank Steak is a great cut of meat to make fancy-looking roulade steaks!  It is a fairly inexpensive cut of meat, and if cooked and sliced correctly – can be the centerpiece of an elegant or impressive meal!  One version of a roulade made with flank steak, is Braciole… an Italian version stuffed with breadcrumbs [...]

“Hope Diamond” Martini (Butterfly Pea Flower Martini)

Butterfly Pea Flower Martini, A.K.A. the "Hope Diamond" Martini

Recently, we had dinner at Eddie V’s in La Jolla to celebrate an event.  For $16, you can get a “Hope Diamond” Martini with the listed ingredients of: “Grey Goose Vodka, Combier Pamplemousse Rose Liqueur, Lemon, Pea Flower Tea, Diamond Ice Cube“.  The drink was really special… a lightly sweet, royal purple colored cocktail… with [...]

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Orange Olive Oil Cake

With the upcoming holidays, I’ve been looking for some simple, but flavorful, dessert recipes to try out for Christmas.  I like to stick with ingredients that are in-season if possible – so for winter in Southern California… that means citrus!  I love the bright & tart flavors that citrus fruits impart to cakes… the inclusion [...]

Vegan Coconut Rum Cake (no eggs, no dairy)

Vegan Coconut Rum Cake

This evening, I needed to make a birthday cake for a vegan friend… and I’ve already made her a Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze several times (based on the cake portion of my Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake recipe which doesn’t require dairy or eggs)… thinking it was time to bake something different, I modified [...]

Taking a break!

Jack and Remy

Hello Readers!  I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted a recipe or how-to… but if you guys haven’t figured it out yet, I’m taking a break! I started this blog with the intention of posting some recipes now and then, as a step-by-step “how to guide” for people who are learning to [...]

Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip

Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip

There are many  versions of “Buffalo Chicken” dip… and if you’ve ever had it… it can be quite addicting!  This is my version of that dip… which I like to make with ranch dressing (because I’m not a huge fan of blue cheese). Because you can use pantry ingredients (including a can of Costco/Kirkland cooked [...]

Glühwein (Austrian mulled wine)

Austrian Glühwein

Glühwein is a traditional beverage (served hot) during the Christmas holidays in Austria and Germany.  It is typically made with red wine, spices, and sugar… and heated gently to avoid cooking out the alcohol. This is my father’s recipe for Glühwein.  He’s never written it down, but I’ve been watching him make it every Christmas [...]

Metallic Dinosaur Christmas Ornaments & Dinosaur Wreath

Dinosaur Christmas Ornaments

Ok.  I know this isn’t cooking or food… but instead a little DIY craft project for a change!  Sometimes you need a little “change” from the ordinary… so I decided to make a dinosaur Christmas theme.  I made a bunch of dinosaur ornaments for the Xmas tree, and a dinosaur wreath for the door… out [...]

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Yeast Bread

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Yeast Bread

This week I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the refrigerator that I needed to use up before it went bad… so I decided to make a Japanese style pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread.  This is not a cake-like sweet loaf like pumpkin bread…. instead, it’s a yeasty bread that you can slice to make toast [...]

Spicy Tangerine Margerita

Spicy Tangerine Margarita

There’s a restaurant nearby that we go to sometimes that has a wonderful margarita called the “spicy tangerine”.   It has a lovely sweetness, with a mild kick of spice and heat. This is my homemade version of that drink – use fresh limes & tangerines to make the juice for the best flavor! Enjoy! [...]