Tip, Trick & a Recipe: Who wants a date?

Sure you can get a sugar fix and an energy boost from a candy bar, but if you’re trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, perhaps going for a date might be a better idea. No, not that kind of date. The fruit! Dates grow on palm trees (date palms to be exact) and they’ve been […]

10 TIPS FOR BUYING OLIVE OIL LIKE A PRO
Plus, the BIG Olive Oil Secret

Visit any supermarket, gourmet store, or corner grocery and you’re likely to find an intimidatingly large selection of olive oils. Go online and the options multiply a hundredfold. What’s more, a UC Davis study discovered that up to 69% of olive oil labeled “extra virgin” on supermarket shelves was fraudulent. How can you choose the […]

4 Sweet Benefits of Dark Chocolate

The love of my life made itself known when I was a mere child. A little tiny child. Young, vulnerable, happy, and yet missing something. What was it? Chocolate. That beautiful, silky, gorgeous experience of a food. Chocolate. OMGosh. Today, I’m talking specifically though, dark chocolate. Once upon a time, I was wildly in love […]

The sweet potato . . . how sweet it is!

Anyone who looks at a sweet potato and sees a funny-looking regular old potato has a lot to learn about this nutritional powerhouse that tastes like dessert! Sweet potatoes are amazing tubers that provide us with a tremendous amount of nutrition. And they really are delicious, to boot! Most of us are familiar with the […]

Pear with Me!

Apples aren’t the only fruits ripening on the trees right now. It’s a great time of year for pears! If the best of pear season has ended where you live, there should still be plenty of fresh pears around, so poke around the farmers’ market next time you’re there. Or even better, call your nearest […]

Back to School : Operation Lunchbox!

I know I’m going to get a dirty look or two from y’all for bringing this up, but it’s time (or past time for some of you!) to start thinking about getting the kids ready to go back to school. With two children of my own, I am fully aware of how expensive it can […]

Red Hot Chili Pepper Primer

Looking to add some heat to the dinner menu? So, you want to start spicing things up, but you don’t know where to start. Chances are, you walk through the pepper aisle examining all of the pretty little peppers and wondering what in the world you would do with them if you were to bring […]

An apple (Cider Vinegar) a day keeps the doctor away?

Have you ever wondered where apple cider vinegar comes from? Well, it comes from fermented apple cider. When apple cider ferments, sugar in that cider gets broken down by yeast and bacteria into alcohol. From there, it gets broken into vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, to be exact! In my home, white vinegar is used primarily […]

Just for the dill of it

Just for the Dill of it

Fresh dill is one of my very favorite herbs. It just tastes like summer to me. Maybe that goes back to the taste of a dill pickle sliced onto a grilled hamburger! I love the look of dill’s wispy green leaves and its sweet soft taste. I chop dill into salads and dressings and over […]