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i enjoy all types of dips...i think it's due to my oral-fixation and the motion of bringing a small bite to my mouth. the first time i had a spinach-artichoke dip was at tgi fridays and had to find a recipe that replicated it. i've made this artichoke & spinach dip many times and it has become a tried & true recipe that is always a crowd-pleaser. i actually found a recipe that turns it into a mac & cheese version, which sounds amazing! i'll have to try it out and repost. anyway, we were headed to my father-in-law's for a night of football. i love bringing treats over and felt this was fit for the occasion. it has nice chunks of artichoke and a great creamy consistency from the alfredo sauce. you can serve this with anything, but i like the presentation in a bread bowl. ARTICHOKE & SPINACH DIP RESTAURANT STYLE posted on allrecipes.com by terrad 4 cloves garlic 1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained 1 14 oz can artichoke h...

happy halloween! i know i've already provided a stuffed pepper recipe, but i think i found one that is even more amazing! last year i made fun jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers that were super spicy, but i loved the idea for halloween. so, i really wanted to share this sweet little treat for your future halloween festivities. any stuffed bell pepper recipe will do, but i am really in love with the one i found tonight. not only is it super healthy, but anyone would enjoy its simplicity. also, these are supposed to be grilled, but i ended using my gas stove to char and soften the bell pepper. also, i would've chosen yellow or orange peppers, but there weren't any...maybe there were more people who had the bright idea to make these pumpkin-lookalike treats for halloween. GRILLED STUFFED JACK-O-LANTERN PEPPERS posted on shabbotts habits on june 29, 2011 4-5 large bell peppers, 1 large white onion 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 T olive oil 16-20 ground turkey (or any ot...

in the coming weeks leading up to my birthday, i started thinking about where i wanted to celebrate. the past two years have been milestones and were welcomed with epic celebrations with friends and family (25th was my quarter-life crisis party & 26th was my lucky, golden birthday). this year felt like it should be mellow and intimate, especially since my birthday fell on a monday. so, i thought a culinary experience was the way to go. i have heard some good things about the morimoto restaurants and have enjoyed his geniusness on iron chef ( japan & america ), so i thought i'd spend the evening experiencing food according to chef morimoto! i got a tip from a friend that one of us should order the omakase (tasting menu) and the other order other things off the menu so we can try many different things. i can tell you that compared to my experience at cyrus (a two michelin star restaurant), the morimoto experience is much more casual and not as rehearsed, but that doesn...

the first time i had bestilla was at a moroccan restaurant in san francisco, el mansour , which was served family-style. think along came polly -esque, minus the heat and profusely sweating ben stiller. great image to start a recipe entry, right? anyway, this dish is a meal in itself. the middle eastern-spiced chicken is wrapped in flaky phyllo dough and topped with powdered sugar, making it sweet & savory. i will say that this dish is tasking...this is the first time i used phyllo dough and it is incredibly fragile, but so worth it! i think this is one that will be made for special occasions only. BESTILLA published in the food of morocco: a journey for food lovers by tess mallos (pg 189) 150 g (5 1/2 oz) smen, ghee, or butter 1.5 kg (3 lbs 5 oz) chicken, quartered or 3 x 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) squab pigeon, halved 2 large red onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cinnamon stick 1 t ground ginger 1 1/2 t ground cumin 1/4 t cayenne pepper 1/2 t ground...

who is grandma betty? she is my husband's grandmother and the sweetest woman ever. the first time i tried her potato salad recipe, i was hooked and was literally going back specifically for it alone. what i like about it the most is the crunch from the celery and red onions, but what makes it stand out is the secret ingredient of ranch dressing. this is a fairly easy recipe to make and i think it's worth a try for your next bbq! GRANDMA BETTY'S POTATO SALAD 12-15 red potatoes 5 hard-boiled eggs 3/4 c mayo 1 packet of dry ranch seasoning mix 1 c chopped celery 1/2 c chopped red onions 1/4 c water salt & pepper to taste boil potatoes until fork tender. drain and let cool for 30 mins. then, peel and dice. set aside. dice *hard-boiled eggs and set aside. in a medium bowl, mix mayo, ranch mix, celery, onions, and water. gently add potatoes and eggs. try not to mash potatoes. my yummy tip: how to *hard boil eggs - cover eggs with water. bring to a boil and c...

my co-worker asked me for some thoughts on what to do for her event. she has been preparing for her big launch party for her menswear brand, Fifth&Brannan , and i was flattered when she asked for my assistance in how to pull off her event. so, while we were playing with some ideas, she mentioned that in addition to the cheese pairings Cellar360 was offering with the Sledgehammer wines, she wanted something chocolatey and sweet. the first thing that popped in my mind were cakepops...they're easy, portable, fun, impressive favors! she asked if i was sure and i assured her that i would love to contribute however possible to help her with the launch. that meant a total of 200 cakepops, wrapped and finished with a tied strip of fabric straight from her line. these help make them look more distinguished and approachable for her target market...sophisticated, preppy men. if you ever want to attempt this, it takes 3 batches of cake and frosting. CHOCOLATE CAKEPOPS posted on the f...

one afternoon, i got a phone call from my best foodie, regina , with a proposal to lunch at Cyrus ...a two michelin star restaurant in healdsburg. last year, she and friends went to the french laundry and have decided to make this an annual tradition to eat at pretentious, michelin-starred restaurants. i was fortunate enough to be invited, as their fifth foodie wasn't able to attend...lucky me! i will say that this was my first taste at a michelin star restaurant and will NOT be my last. cyrus has become my gateway drug to the true beauty of food and if these are the standards required to achieve this highly acclaimed recognition, then i can't wait to visit them all. at $130 for an 8-course meal, this was worth every penny! canapés : we started with five tastings to get out palate ready for the meal. bitter - ball of radish and other accompaniments, salty - baked clam & powdered chorizo, sweet - a burst of a sweet liquid (i can't remember), sour - citrus tart, and u...

the first time i tried san francisco's  san tung 's dry fried chicken wings, i was stunned in pure amazement. i am a traditional buffalo wing type of girl and don't typically do the sweet glazes (which is funny since I have a serious sweet tooth). but, when i tried this crunchy, glazy, sweet & spicy wing, i was in heaven...yes, these will be added to my list of things to eat on my last days on earth. when you go to san tung, you have to expect major delays to find a seat since everyone comes here for these tasty morsels and the other delicious chinese food they serve up. you can tell when a place is good when it gets over 2000 yelp reviews and hold a solid 4 of 5 stars. the internet is a great resource when you have a craving, but it's other bloggers who can make something from scratch to replicate one-of-a-kind recipe that really amazes me. DRY FRIED CHICKEN posted on melonoat on december 27, 2010 WINGS 3 qt vegetable oil 2 c cornstarch, divided 1 1/2 ...

i have been to the hawaiian islands four times, three of the four were in waikiki, honolulu. i am not one who likes to fully get away from it all, i guess. i like people and being around those experiencing a new culture. if you are visiting hawaii for the first time, go to waikiki...the gateway drug to a getaway that's close enough to home. this trip was different from the others, in that the purpose was to finally celebrate my marriage with a honeymoon. we got married a couple years ago, but ran out of money after the wedding was all said and done. then planned to go for our one-year anniversary, but our dear kitten got very sick and our honeymoon money went to save his life. then, i made my 2011 new year's resolution to enjoy MORE of everything i love...pampering, family & friends, and traveling...and new foods, of course! so, hawaii here we come and we're hungry! AMERICAN AIRLINES FIRST CLASS BRUNCH i've mentioned this before, but a perk to being part of an...