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Rainbow Chard Salad in Parmesan Bowls Recipe

I recently moved into a very tiny junior one bedroom apartment in San Francisco. If you have never heard of such a thing before, you are in good company. It is basically a studio that has a little separation, but no real separation. That said, I could not be happier! It is my little piece of heaven and the best part is that it has an awesome kitchen, perfect for hosting company!

This past weekend, I invited a few of my friends over to celebrate the new place, my new job, and life in general. I wanted to make something easy and fun that would require very little work when they arrived. This Rainbow Chard Salad in Parmesan Bowls recipe was the perfect appetizer. You can prepare everything before your guests arrive, as the bowls need time to get to room temperature. The slight bitter crunch from the rainbow chard pairs wonderfully with the creamy sweet avocado, and salty crunchy parmesan bowl.

I hope you enjoy and would love to hear about your favorite celebration appetizers!

Rainbow Chard Salad in Parmasen Cheese Bowls
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Avocado, Cilantro and Lime Salad

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There are some foods you just love or hate. No half- way point, no maybe, you are either all in or not in at all.  Cilantro and cumin top this list and I love them both. It was always a love affair with cumin but cilantro started slowly and over the years I fell in love.  Try to pick bunches that have been harvested young. Once the leaves get dark green and heavier the taste changes and the herb becomes stronger.

I was just in California and had some fabulous food. My favorite was an avocado, cilantro and lime salad that my daughter, Cristina made and served with scrambled eggs. We are talking serious deliciousness here.

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Banana Rum Boats

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The first time I tasted Banana Rum Boats was five years ago at a really fun outdoor wedding.  It didn’t cross my mind again until a friend brought over a stem of bananas. This is the perfect dessert on a day or night when you are grilling. Platter all your ingredients and let everyone pitch in to make them. You’ll know they are done when they start bubbling and the smell of caramelizing sugar fills the air.
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Crunchy Gluten Free Granola

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I love breakfast, but these days I find myself in a rush every morning and breakfast unfortunately is the least of my concerns. That does not change the fact that I need a healthy breakfast to keep motivated throughout the day. This crunchy granola recipe enables me to do just that. You can make a large batch on Sunday and then eat it with dried fruit and yogurt throughout the week for a delicious protein packed meal!

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Osso Bucco

 
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Anything cooked for hours is pretty much wonderful. Adding wine, fresh herbs and stock layers on the flavor and deliciousness.

One of our best friends came to town last week and his favorite meal in the world is osso bucco. We went from four to eight people three hours before dinner and other than running to the store it was about the same amount of prep. And the taste, oh my goodness, they are all moving in with us.  [click to continue…]

SuperMac and Cheese with Salsa Bites

With the Superbowl this Sunday, it’s an important time to build the perfect menu! In my house, we have three rules for food when we are entertaining.

  1. The food must be delicious!
  2. The food must be fun!!
  3. And, lastly, the food must require little attention once your guests start to arrive.

These SuperMac and Cheese with Salsa Bites match all of the criteria. They are salty, crisp, warm, gooey, with a kick of spice! Hope you enjoy and have a great time watching the superbowl!

SuperMac and Cheese with Salsa Bites

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Cucumber Noodles with Smoked Salmon

 

 

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My girls and my daughter’s guy, I figured you’d confuse him with my husband if I call him my guy, gave me the most fun gift for Christmas. Actually they gave us all sorts of fun gifts, but sometimes the really little ones are super fun. Kitchen Supreme Spiral Slicer must have been the hot gift of the year, four of my friends got it also. I was at a party recently and had cucumber noodles and couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and create.

Start to finish, lunch took me five minutes to make, it tasted delicious and was beautiful. I can’t wait to make it for my girlfriends.

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Winter Squash Salad

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We are so sorry it has been so long, sometimes you need to just run away and December was one of those months. So boy did we run! First we both went to Connecticut, then we went to Florida, and finally I spent a few days in southern California before coming back home to cook with you. This time was very magical because we got to spend it with the people we love most, our family. Cooking, laughing, eating, and enjoying every last moment. This time was also very special to me because after months of training I ran my first half marathon! Now that we are both home in our comfy houses, together via FaceTime and Skype, we promise that we will never take such a long break again.

As I’ve said the holidays were great and now with the New Year it’s the perfect time to eat deliciously and healthily. Today we made a winter squash salad, that combines the salty smoothness of goat cheese, the sweet flavor of golden raisons, the nutty crispness of acorn squash, and the heartiness of kale. This is great as a meal or as a compliment to a pasta or meat dish!
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Pumpkin Casserole

Fall is great for many reasons: sweater weather, leaves changing colors, Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and pumpkins! Pumpkins are one of my favorite things to cook. They always make me reminiscent of childhood roasting salted pumpkin seeds with my family after carving silly faces on our pumpkins. We never were elaborate with our designs. Not only are the memories wonderful, the sweet taste of pumpkins is wonderful.

This pumpkin casserole is the perfect side for Thanksgiving. A sweet, savory dish that pairs well with turkey and stuffing. I used a pie pumpkin, smaller than your carving variety, but available at most grocery markets. You can also used canned pumpkin for any time constraints.

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Green Bean Almondine

I know I have said it before, but I cannot help to say it again. I love green beans. I could eat them every meal. Growing up we would buy pounds of green beans. For breakfast we would fry them with eggs, at lunch we would make a delicious salad with raw green beans, and then at dinner we would sauté them for a perfect side dish. It says a lot that I would not only not get sick of them, but that I would still crave them. I would love to hear how you enjoy your favorite green beans in the comments!

Thanksgiving is a perfect day to make all of your favorite green bean dishes. Especially with a big group, green beans are one veggie that is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. We have a lot of vegetarians in our family, so we are always looking for new ways to add filling dishes with protein to our holiday menu. Green bean almandine is a great way to do just this. It is delicious, salty, nutty, and crunchy making each bite the perfect taste sensation. I love garlic, so I added a clove to my recipe to make the dish a little more of my own. Feel free to leave it out! Either way it will be delicious!

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