Just say it with me “Af-fo-ga-toe” …this is the word you want to see on every coffee menu and it is so easy to make at home. During these dog days of summer if you are getting sick and tired of the same old iced coffee drinks, affogato is the cure you are looking for! Affogato means “drowned” in Italian and I can think of nothing better on a hot and humid day like today than drowning cool, ...
Nourish
Refreshment is one of the simplest pleasures in life and we eat everyday. I love food that pops with flavor, and I am mindful as I eat to save all the best tidbits on the plate for what I lovingly refer to as “the last bite”. This bite is the cumulating moment of the entire eating experience, where the best flavors are compacted into one amazing bite. I gently scoop it all together, close my eyes and then taste, letting my taste buds rejoice!
The recipes you find here are inspired by “the last bite”, my goal is to infuse each bite with that vibrant profile. I will often give ideas for “upping the YUM” even more, with simple tips for taking your food from delicious to extraordinary.
These recipes are for everyone and can be modified for most diets and eating styles. Recipes include whole foods, are naturally gluten free and display the best of what Mother Nature offers to nourish us every single day- fresh, seasonal, natural, organic, humanely raised and artisan products.
Get ready to infuse your food with YUM!
Grilled Mahi Mahi Burgers with Fresh Mango Salsa
Back to grilling in this post! Summer is for grilling, so fire it up once again! Last time I shared a recipe for perfectly grilled summer vegetables and now I am here to offer something even easier! Grilled Mahi Mahi burgers from Trader Joe’s topped with a homemade fresh mango salsa! This is another quick and easy summer dinner, perfect for a weeknight and those dog days of summer when you want ...
Perfectly Grilled Summer Vegetables with Sherry Vinegar and Honey Marinade
I almost never wrote a post about this delicious, quick and easy summer dinner that finds its way to our table at least twice a month, because it didn’t seem all that fancy. The real recipe here is my delicious marinade that turned an eggplant hater into its greatest fan, but more about that later in the post. This is exactly the sort of dish I love writing about. One of the reasons that I ...
Tasty (and Nutritious) Tea Water
About a year ago, I got into the habit of drinking a gallon of water a day. Drinking a gallon of water a day has become a major part of my health and beauty routines. It aids in differentiating between hunger and thirst and makes skin look young and radiant! The water is an important aspect, but it is what I add to my water that makes the difference! It all started after a big family trip to ...
Grilled Millet Flatbreads with Sesame Seed and Kombu Seaweed Sprinkles (Gluten Free, Vegan)
My favorite gluten free bread baking cookbook is Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread: Artisanal Recipes to Make at Home by Jennifer Katzinger and I especially like her various sandwich bread recipes. Usually I make the Soft Millet Sandwich Bread and a couple of weeks ago, I had mixed the bread dough, preheated the oven and was all ready to slide my bread in, when I realized my oven had shut off and ...
The Quickest, Most Efficient Way to Dry Herbs, Using Only Solar Power, is In Your Car!
Hello friends, today I want to share with you my favorite way to dry herbs! This is peak herb harvesting season. It seems that everyday when I go outside, there is something prime for picking. I don’t always have a lot of time to tend to the herbs once I have picked them and so my fall back method is always drying them for later use! Dried herbs are wonderful for teas, both for their health ...
Witch’s Brew: Toasted Marshmallow Paired with Whisky
Yes, you read that right, I found a wonderful combination perfect for any barbecues or bonfires you might be attending this weekend. This is the perfect treat for the grownups to enjoy after the sun has gone down and you are having a moment to relax. I love gin drinks in the summer, but at heart I am a whisky girl all the way. I have been drinking and learning about single malt scotch ever ...
Strawberry (Heart Berry) Sponge Cake with Swiss Meringue and Coconut Cream (Grain Free, Dairy Free)
I read a wonderful article last week, Sacred Strawberrying Time! about strawberries and their symbolism to Indigenous peoples of the Eastern nations (like the Cherokee, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Ojibway, Shawnee, and hundreds of others), where it is referred to as the “heart berry” and is strongly linked to women. I thought this made perfect sense when I read it and I have been thinking about ...
Witch’s Brew: Summer Solstice Sunset Cocktail
Do you all like my new Witch's Brew logo? Thanks to my awesome husband Roberto for making it. This series feels so official now! I created this cocktail on the afternoon of the summer solstice and we enjoyed these drinks as a way to toast the beginning of summer as well as the two fathers in our house on Father’s Day (which fell on the same day this year), my husband and my father in law, the ...
Simple Potato Salad with Pickled Chive Blossoms
Potato salad is a no-brainer when it comes to the summer table. I often like the traditional mayonnaise version, but others prefer something a bit lighter and vinaigrette salads are becoming more popular, especially with the addition of healthy raw apple cider vinegar. This salad is simple to put together, but adds a special zing because of its unique garnish, pickled chive blossoms. Chives ...
Infuse Your Life with (more) YUM. YUM is the stuff that feeds not just our bodies but also our spirits. Offering simple recipes and tips, life hacks and tools and little pleasures to infuse life with more of the Good Stuff, the YUM.