There was a time when I turned my nose up at tomato soup.  To me it was no more than watered down tomato sauce disguised as soup–not the least bit appealing. I felt the same about tomato juice. V8? I’ll pass.  I don’t recall when the turning point was, when I decided that a good bowl of tomato soup deserved not only my attention but also my appreciation.  These days my soup hall of fame ...

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This healthy, flavorful dish is completely unlike all the rich foods I’ve indulged in all week.  It’s as if a switch turned on inside me, sparking an insatiable hunger for only rich, heavy foods.  In short, I’ve been an eating machine.  I made a large batch of chicken adobo earlier this week and I’ve enjoyed it every night with mountains of jasmine rice.  During lunch, I’ve eschewed salads altogether.  Instead, I’ve feasted on buttery pasta and ...

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One of my favorite things about Spring is that it means the start of the tomato-growing season.  I haven’t always been a gardener–in fact, my gardening repertoire is currently limited to growing tomatoes, herbs and peppers.  I plan to change this soon; my husband and I have been researching greenhouses to see if owning one would work for us.  Until then, I will have to contend with the deer who roam about our yard and ...

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Are there dishes or certain foods you would love to eat all the time but can’t?  In my home, I would eat more pork, salty goodies and of course, chocolate.  Then there’s my husband who would gladly eat shellfish regularly (me too) but there is a small problem.  It seems that all he has to do is catch a whiff of crab or shrimp and his cholesterol level skyrockets.  My husband is one of the ...

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One of my foodie friends, Lisa of Authentic Suburban Gourmet, makes some mean crostini.  She never seems to run out of topping ideas for these little toasts, sweet or savory or for any occasion.
Imagine my delight when she announced me the winner of her Crostini Challenge, thanks to adorable Max!  It was quite a treat to receive a beautiful bruschetta/crostini book for my prize, especially when you have a cookbook obsession like I do.  I ...

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