Breakfast

Thumbnail image for Rhubarb French Toast Recipe

Rhubarb French Toast Recipe

May 11, 2013

I was recently asked what fruit or vegetable I would want to be. I picked rhubarb. Rhubarb represents my roots: my grandma’s recipes, my parents’ backyard garden, and carefree summers […]

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Thumbnail image for Meyer Lemon Rosemary Biscuits

Meyer Lemon Rosemary Biscuits

February 14, 2013

I’d never heard of Meyer lemons until I moved to Sacramento. I read an article about growing citrus trees in pots and immediately began daydreaming about gazing out my kitchen […]

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Thumbnail image for Healthy Breakfast Burrito

Healthy Breakfast Burrito

January 23, 2013

Oh burrito! How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways… Easy to prepare Fast to make You don’t really need to know how to cook to make […]

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Thumbnail image for Scandinavian Christmas Rice Pudding or Ris a l’amande

Scandinavian Christmas Rice Pudding or Ris a l’amande

December 17, 2012

Danes know how to celebrate Christmas! Their traditions are rich and plentiful. You’ll find live candles burning around a freshly cut Christmas tree. Instead of cardboard advent calendars, Danes hang […]

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Thumbnail image for Holiday Orange Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Holiday Orange Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

December 3, 2012

Every Christmas morning, I remember waking to the warm, surrounding tang in the air of bread baking coupled by the bright spice of orange zest. The aroma filled my lungs […]

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Thumbnail image for Persimmon Cornmeal Pancakes

Persimmon Cornmeal Pancakes

November 20, 2012

My first Thanksgiving in California was a disaster. My now-husband and I were grad school sweethearts and had just moved across the country together from Illinois. This would be our […]

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Thumbnail image for Pumpkin Oatmeal for Sacramento Food Stamp Challenge

Pumpkin Oatmeal for Sacramento Food Stamp Challenge

November 9, 2012

I’m joining Sacramento’s Food Stamp Challenge! For the next week, I’ll be eating on about $4.90 per day per person. This is the approximate equivalent budget of someone on California’s […]

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Thumbnail image for Green Onion Buttermilk Biscuits

Green Onion Buttermilk Biscuits

September 26, 2012

Busy is the theme of my life these days. Yet, I never allow being busy to get in the way of a homemade meal—especially breakfast. On the weekends, no matter […]

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Thumbnail image for Food Literacy Sandwich: Garden Pesto Tomato & Egg

Food Literacy Sandwich: Garden Pesto Tomato & Egg

September 2, 2012

September is Food Literacy Month. The nonprofit I founded, California Food Literacy Center, is celebrating—and so am I! Last week, the California Senate declared the month Food Literacy Awareness Month […]

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Thumbnail image for Spiced Peach Jam Recipe

Spiced Peach Jam Recipe

August 26, 2012

I met Susan while giving a talk about food literacy at a women’s giving circle in Sacramento. I knew right away she was a kindred spirit. When she started talking […]

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Thumbnail image for Cheese Plate Fruit Pizza Recipe

Cheese Plate Fruit Pizza Recipe

August 1, 2012

If you think you know what fruit pizza is, think again. This isn’t the ultra sweet stuff made from cookie dough. This is a pizza—four kinds of cheese, yeasted pizza […]

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Thumbnail image for Blackberry Corn Cardamom Cake with Olive Oil

Blackberry Corn Cardamom Cake with Olive Oil

July 21, 2012

Wild blackberry bushes are my happy place. I don’t mind the thorns or the gnarly bramble. Send me into the middle on a 100 degree day, bare arms and all, […]

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Thumbnail image for Huevos Ahogados Recipe and Herbivoracious Book Review

Huevos Ahogados Recipe and Herbivoracious Book Review

July 14, 2012

Take your taste buds around the world with this new cookbook. Herbivoracious, written by food blogger Michael Natkin, offers flavor, fun, and creativity in this full-color, vegetarian recipe collection. Any […]

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Thumbnail image for Breakfast Toast of Grilled Apricots, Figs and Caramelized Onion

Breakfast Toast of Grilled Apricots, Figs and Caramelized Onion

July 5, 2012

Perk up breakfast with some farmers’ market tricks. Take simple toast (made from mouth-watering, freshly baked bread) and top it with the sweet essence of caramelized onion, and instead of […]

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Thumbnail image for Huevos over Brown Rice

Huevos over Brown Rice

June 18, 2012

It’s hot outside! It’s too hot to cook up my usual morning oatmeal or even to boil water. Yet, with three hungry guys helping rebuild my home office, I’ve got […]

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Thumbnail image for Cherry Chocolate Scones for Dad

Cherry Chocolate Scones for Dad

June 11, 2012

I’m one of the lucky girls. This Father’s Day, my dad will spend it in traditional style: caring not a whit about himself, but instead, devoting his time and energy […]

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Thumbnail image for Blood Orange Cream Graham Cracker Snack Recipe

Blood Orange Cream Graham Cracker Snack Recipe

April 20, 2012

Want to wake up your inner child? Who doesn’t remember that wonderful after school snack of graham crackers dunked in milk? As children, my sister and I would help ourselves […]

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Thumbnail image for Huevos Rancheros Recipe

Huevos Rancheros Recipe

February 2, 2012

If you really love someone, you’ll feed them Huevos Rancheros for breakfast. It’s one of those simple dishes that provide so much joy: eggs over easy resting on a bed […]

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Thumbnail image for Easy Persimmon Cornmeal Pudding Recipe

Easy Persimmon Cornmeal Pudding Recipe

December 27, 2011

Heavens to Betsy! This pudding ranks as one of my all-time favorite food experiences. The process of baking it lights up your kitchen with a show of vibrant colors. The […]

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Thumbnail image for Grandma’s Lefse Recipe: A Scandinavian Holiday Tradition

Grandma’s Lefse Recipe: A Scandinavian Holiday Tradition

December 20, 2011

I’m a proud Scandinavian. Eating lefse, a potato-based flatbread, for the holidays is one of my favorite traditions. This week, I finally had time to sit down with my grandma […]

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Thumbnail image for Coconut Cornmeal Pancakes with Homemade Pluot Syrup Recipe

Coconut Cornmeal Pancakes with Homemade Pluot Syrup Recipe

August 28, 2011

What’s a pluot?—you ask. Only the finest fruit on earth—I say! This mad genius combination of the apricot and plum creates a fruit that’s sweet, chin-dripping juicy, and with the […]

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Thumbnail image for Burritos!: Zucchini & Bean Burrito with Garden Salsa & Tillamook Colby Jack Cheese Recipe

Burritos!: Zucchini & Bean Burrito with Garden Salsa & Tillamook Colby Jack Cheese Recipe

July 28, 2011

If I could choose one food to eat every day for the rest of my life I would definitely choose burritos. They are perfect, especially this time of year when […]

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Thumbnail image for Soft Boiled Eggs: Tastes from Grandma’s Kitchen

Soft Boiled Eggs: Tastes from Grandma’s Kitchen

July 13, 2011

It is with much fondness that I remember morning breakfasts at my Grandma’s house. My sister and I would tumble down the stairs in our floor-length pajama gowns with ruffles […]

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Thumbnail image for Orange Ginger Scones Recipe

Orange Ginger Scones Recipe

April 7, 2011

I feel so lucky to have my very own orange tree that grows happy, colorful fruit all winter. In the dreariest part of the year, in the midst of a […]

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Marmalade Popover Recipe

March 6, 2011

I’m not sure how I made it to the age of 34 without ever eating a popover, but I’m sure glad I’ve corrected this culinary error. Allow me to share […]

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Thumbnail image for Pumpkin Waffles with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Pumpkin Waffles with Vanilla Whipped Cream

March 23, 2010

Welcome to my favorite breakfast. I love waffles. I love how they fill the whole house with their unmistakable aroma. I love how pretty they look stacked on a plate. […]

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Complete Farmers’ Market Meal: Double Jack Quesadillas with Honey & Seasonal Fruit Salsa

February 16, 2010

Utter delight awaits with this flavor-packed, blissfully fresh meal. Intensely delicious, bursting passionately with wet, bright aromas, this dish will have you licking your fingers and mumbling sweet nothings under […]

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Chocolate Waffles with Chunky Strawberry Sauce & Whipped Cream

February 14, 2010

Strawberries and chocolate are almost mandatory ingredients to help celebrate Valentine’s Day. Chocolate has an historical reputation as an aphrodisiac. Because it contains small amounts of caffeine and plenty of […]

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The Most Important Meal of the Day: Saving Money & My Husband’s Cholesterol with Oatmeal

January 20, 2010

Nothing feels more satisfying than waking up on a cold morning and wrapping your hands around a steaming bowl of oatmeal. As your fingers warm, your tummy does, too. It’s […]

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Thumbnail image for Grandma’s Aebleskivers

Grandma’s Aebleskivers

December 30, 2009

Christmas eating is best when steeped in tradition! That’s why I woke up Christmas morning and decided to do what I had fond memories of experiencing as a youngin’: eating […]

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Thumbnail image for Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

October 29, 2009

Open up and say, “Ahhhh!” It’s pumpkin season, and that means bliss upon your palette. I never met a pumpkin recipe I didn’t like, and I have never failed in […]

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Farmers’ Market Brunch

September 24, 2009

Today’s menu: light, fluffy scrambled eggs hidden under a thin layer of gooey cheese and a fire-alarm salsa. Salsa made of tangy, crisp cactus, rich heirloom tomatoes, blazing red and […]

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Thumbnail image for Whole Grain French Toast with Fresh Berries

Whole Grain French Toast with Fresh Berries

July 9, 2009

  I love to start my morning with whole grain goodness! That nutty, chewy, crunchy experience makes my mouth happy. It fills my belly and keeps it full clear till […]

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Thumbnail image for Cucumber Cake

Cucumber Cake

July 30, 2008

  My garden is bursting with cucumbers! I needed to find some fresh ways to use them, and of course, I immediately wanted to put them into cake. This recipe […]

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