Because I am fortunate enough to be able to cook AND eat with some of the best chef’s in the country on the new series America’s Best Bites airing on Cooking Channel, I naturally get inspiration from the recipes we feature on the show. This recipe was inspired by Chef Daniel Orr’s Radish Salad at FarmBloomington in Bloomington, IN. He used a bunch of vegetables, including radishes, but with a chili vinegar. I realized I never...

This recipe was inspired by Chef Justin Haifley’s “Pigs Under a Blanket” at Tavern Kitchen + Bar in St. Louis. I realized I never work with any sort of pastry dough and have always loved Phyllo dough. Because my husband is a date fanatic, we typically always have dates and goat cheese in the house, and most recently I’ve been buying fresh raspberries now that they’re in season. I fooled around and this is what I...

Ok, so I know there are people who make smoothies all the time for breakfast or a healthy snack, and they make it seem effortless.  I’ve always wanted to be that person, but for some reason getting out my heavy blender never sounds appealing (don’t have enough counter space to keep it out). BUT…I just came up with this green smoothie recipe that has given me a reason to suck it up and lift the darn thing more frequently. I...

For an anniversary trip, my husband and I drove up to California’s Central Coast to a small town called Morro Bay. We had been there once before in 2006 and knew we had to go back. Of course, as soon as I booked the trip I had to research some restaurants. Here are a few we loved: Shine Café– This was our first stop in town and our last. That’s because we fell in LOVE with Shine Café. Right as you walk in, you can feel the...

 This recipe was featured on ModernMom’s ipad & iphone app! To get in the spirit of Halloween, I decided to play with black bread and a vibrant orange cheese. I took it one step further and found a small cookie cutter in the shape of a pumpkin and decided to have some fun!! Next time you’re packing your kids lunch this fall, surprise them with these mini pumpkin-shaped sandwiches that are sure to be a hit with the lil’ goblins...

This recipe is super nostalgic for me. Fall is by far my favorite season and Halloween is in the top 3 of my favorite holidays. I have such fond memories of carving pumpkins with my family at the kitchen table. We’d get those creative juices flowing and talk about our days and what was going on in our lives. We bonded through pumpkins. Now that I’m far away from my family and don’t have any kids to share those moments with, I...