Sometimes keeping it simple is the best. Every Easter when I was growing up - and really, almost every other holiday - my family would go over to my grandma's for a big family get together. I've talked about my amazing grandma before, but she loved to cook for everyone - and she pretty much always overdid it with how much food she made. There would be a ridiculous amount of dishes for everyone to enjoy. From a giant antipasto salad and homemade breads, to a gigantic spread for the main course, to probably half a dozen desserts, complete with her annual bunny-shaped Easter cake, my grandma always spent days preparing. She also always made me eggplant parmigiana because I loved it (and later on, I developed an allergy to it, probably from eating it too much!). One type ... [Read More]
pasta
Healthier Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach & Tomato
Hello strangers! So, last week was probably the first full week that I did not post on this little corner of the internet of mine since I started this blog. Trust me, it wasn't by choice! I was pretty much in technology hell all week. My beloved computer had been running really slow, and I was troubleshooting and running back and forth to the Apple Store like my life depended on it - because well, it kind of does. I work on my computer every single day and depend on it as a publicist, blogger, freelance writer and health coach. So, you can imagine that I have a lot of stuff on this computer of mine! To make a long story short, the good news is that my computer was salvaged and is now working fast. But what's the bad news? Apple restored my computer without consulting me ... [Read More]
Roasted Tomato & Spinach Ricotta Pesto Stuffed Shells
Happy Hump Day friends! I'm excited because tomorrow I head up to Manhattan Beach for ShiftCon - a social media conference focusing on wellness, health, and the environment. There are so many sessions that seem so interesting and fun that I'm looking forward to, and it's always great to connect with other bloggers and people in the healthy food industry! I'm sure I'll be recapping all of the fun for you next week, but today, let's talk about this deliciousness: The idea for roasted tomato & ricotta pesto stuffed shells first came to mind when I bought a bag of locally grown beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes. There's just something about those vibrant colors that makes me want to get all creative with the meal I use the tomatoes for. I roasted them with just a bit of olive oil, salt ... [Read More]
Gram’s Anadama Bread
"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." - Dr. Seuss Tomorrow marks a year since my grandma passed away, so today it felt fitting to share with you the recipe for a homemade bread that she often baked. Before last year, I had never experienced the heartache of losing someone really close to me. Sure, there'd been acquaintances, family friends, and relatives that had passed away, but before my grandma died, I hadn't felt what it was like to go through real grief with another person dying - the kind that hits you like a mack truck on random days at random times, when all of a sudden it dawns on you that a person that you loved so much is gone. ... [Read More]
Arugula Pesto Linguine with Tomato & Zucchini
Saturday was one of those days when I was all about checking things off my to-do list. Finish schoolwork. Check. Vaccum. Check. Dust. Check. Do laundry. Check. Fold laundry. Check. Clean bathrooms. Check. Walk the pup. Check. Do an at-home workout. Check. Purchase a car dog seat cover so that my pooch doesn't ruin my car. Check. When Saturday evening rolled around, I decided that it was a nicely productive around-the-house day, and now it was time for some weekend fun. My hubby and I had plans to go to a luxury movie theater with another couple, but first, it was time to check this off my mental checklist: Make an awesome dinner using the farmer's market pasta sitting in my cabinet. The week before I had met a girlfriend for a smoothie date, and afterwards we walked around ... [Read More]
Veggie Pappardelle Bolognese
This lovely Friday marks what would have been my grandma's 80th birthday. Before last month, I had never lost a person I was really close with. On one hand, I feel blessed to have lived nearly 27 years before experiencing the loss of a person that was so dear to my heart. I'm grateful that when I did lose a person so important to my life, it was one who had led a pretty long, happy life. But on the other hand, it still hasn't been easy by any stretch. As anyone whose lost someone close to them can probably relate, I think it may be the worst feeling in the world to have this aching that can never be satisfied, a hole in your heart because someone you loved has passed away. You wish you could talk to them and just hear their voice again. I look for signs of her everywhere, ... [Read More]