Monday, May 24th, 2010 | Food Styling, Recipes

Cheese is certainly one of the MAJOR food groups in my home and my life for that matter.  At any given time there will be, on average, a variety 7 different cheeses in my refrigerator. Among the variety there is 1 common denominator, Brie, beautiful, creamy, satisfying, Brie. I could go crazy listing the different types of Brie's available in local markets, so to  narrow the field here are some old standbys that always do the trick for me. Camembert- soft creamy cow's milk cheese, a great companion to any cheese board going. Ages beautifully in a gooey sort of  way, really good with crostini rosemary olive oil crackers. Saint Andres Triple Creme- my husband always smiles when I pull out the Saint Andres, it is a sign that we are celebrating something. For max satisfaction and for fullest taste potential make sure this delicacy achieves room ...

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 | Food Styling, Recipes

  Jicama, pronounced 'hikemah', is one of my favorite ingredients!!  Fresh, crisp, versitile Jicama is soon to be one of your favorites as well. I first came across this mysterious root years ago while thumbing through a few Bobby Flay recipes (sigh... I always need a good sigh when mentioning Bobby Flay).  His recipe is a simple slaw spiced up with chilis and a hint of lime. I immediately went on the hunt for Jicama and discovered it's pretty easy to find and has WAY more uses than a simple slaw. If you are inspired,  head straight for the produce department of your supermarket and find the section with all the weird exotic  fruits and vegetables that you always want to buy but have no idea what to do with when you get home. When you find the 'potato look-a-like' your hunt is over. For the most part, like a ...

Monday, March 29th, 2010 | Food Styling, Holiday, Recipes

 With Easter just a few shorts days away some of you may be contemplating going out and letting the restaurant do all the work, or maybe trying your hand at a home cooked holiday feast. Okay, let's weigh your options and think about this one for a minute. If you call ahead you may get a reservation at your favorite restaurant, they will undoubtedly do all the cooking and cleanup, so there is a little plus, but keep in mind even the best restaurants are never that good on busy holidays, and here's why. Typically restaurants offer a 'special' menu on holidays so the poor chef is off his/her game, forced to change the creative flow of the kitchen for one day. The staff, from the waiters to the dishwashers, are working while the rest of the world has the day off, ...