I say this every year, but St. Patrick’s Day is not only a day to pay respects to a saint, if that’s your culture, but it’s an opportunity. The opportunity is to make GREEN food because it’s acceptable even for green food-haters.  Get out the blender and start blending spinach into your family’s pancakes and muffins, avocado into their smoothies, and go ahead and make a chopped salad with every green vegetable you can get your hands on.  More ideas below! Also, in Monday’s newsletter, I am sharing some fabulous new finds. The newsletter is FREE!  Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

If you take my online monthly cooking class, the March class is up and the theme is all-new recipes for Easter and Passover.  Yes, the recipes work for both holidays!! Here are the recipes covered:

Crustless Spinach-feta Pie (not a frittata), Honey-Lemon Roast Chicken with Thyme, Roasted Carrots with Calabrian Chile Yogurt and Mint, Wedge Salad with an Herby Dressing, and Flourless Brownie Cookies

As always, one of the things I strive to do is provide swaps for almost everything. I even provided a plant-based swap for the chicken (and it’s not fake chicken!) If you are allergic or intolerant to an ingredient for which I did not list a sub, ask me and I’ll give you a recommendation.

Also, if you live close to Manhattan Beach, please come join me at Pages Bookstore the evening of Tuesday, March 7th!  I am hosting best-selling author Rebecca Serle for the paperback launch of her delightful book, One Italian Summer. We’ll have a book chat and then meet all of you!! Tickets available here. Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

The unseasonable cold temps and rain in Southern California has had us all talking nonstop about the weather.  NON. STOP.  I will not be following this dinner planner this week. Instead, Hubs and I decided we will be having soup every single night!!  If you take my online monthly cooking class, it is being uploaded on March 1.  The menu is perfect for Easter AND Passover!!  Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

If this is a long holiday weekend for you, I hope you are enjoying it so far! I wanted to give you a heads-up to save the date in your calendar – if you take my online monthly cooking class, my live office hours will be this Wednesday at 12:00 pm PT/3:00 pm ET.  Even if you haven’t viewed the February class, you are welcome to join the zoom and ask me anything or just hear what other students want to talk about.

ALSO, if you live locally, I am hosting a discussion with best-selling author Rebecca Serle at Pages Bookstore in Manhattan Beach on Tuesday, March 7th at 6:30 pm.  Her book One Italian Summer will be released in paperback so come join us for prosecco and a lively chat! Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

Check out last week’s dinner planner for Super Bowl ideas!  I’m doing loads of vegan queso, nachos, carrot pigs in a blanket for the first half, and then I’m changing it up and doing an Italian theme for half-time this year! This week’s newsletter will have my new favorite soup which I made last week on IG live. It’s an anti-inflammatory chicken and vegetable soup which can be made vegan or paleo, as you wish.  I will also give you ALL the details of a super last-minute Galentines lunch I hosted and it involved take-out.  I know!  I’m such a rebel!  Subscribe to my free newsletter here.

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My newest online cooking class has been uploaded and it’s fabulous!  I have included so many interesting ingredients, great techniques, and favorite product recommendations. If you are not part of my monthly cooking class, I’d love to have you!  I promise you will learn so much in each class which you watch on your own and then you can join my live monthly office hours if you like.  I am confident you will start cooking more with ease and you will save money and be healthier.  It is 100% worth the price!! 

For those of you hosting a Super Bowl party and making guacamole, don’t forget to buy your hard avocados on Tuesday or Wednesday and refrigerate once they are perfect. Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

Monthly Cooking Class Students, the new February class will be uploaded this week!  It’s fabulous!  I also had “office hours” this past week on Tuesday at noon PT and it proved to be an excellent time. Check your email for the recording if you want to have a listen to what we chatted about.

Also, I am hosting a very exciting event in March at Pages Bookstore in Manhattan Beach.  The best-selling author Rebecca Serle will be in the house with me on Tuesday, March 6th at 6:30 pm for the paperback launch of her book, One Italian Summer, which is such a fun read and a great escape to Positano if you wish you could be there right now LOL. I’ll be having a discussion with Rebecca about the book while we sip Prosecco!  Tickets can be purchased here and I hope you can make it! Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading

Happy Weekend!  Never mind my thin skin and that I am wearing four layers to pickleball in the morning and it’s 50 degrees. I went out for my morning walk in my full-length puffer coat and gloves and I can’t stop making spicy hot chocolates and soup, soup, soup! For my lovelies who subscribe to my monthly online cooking class, I have live office hours on Tuesday, January 24th at 12:00 pm PT/3:00 pm ET.  Check your email for the zoom link and bring all your kitchen questions.  Or we can chat about anything – beauty products, happiness, kids, life, nothing is off limits!  Here’s your dinner planner for the week: Continue reading