You all know I’m a sucker for comfort food, and there are few things more comforting than classic treats that trigger a warm feeling of nostalgia from childhood. That’s the whole point of Classic Snacks Made from Scratch, a new book from first-time cookbook author Casey Barber; to take you back to the simple gustatory joys enjoyed alongside Little League practice, Girl Scout meetings, and Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Barber, who blogs over at online food magazine Good. Food. Stories., is known among food circles for being a top source of information when it comes to culinary Americana. She’s pulled out all the stops for her book, polling hundreds of people for their best memories of classic snacks, trying to pinpoint exactly what makes them favorites, and why. If you grew up in the 80s, 90s, or ‘aughts (is that what we’re calling them now?), or if you packed a lunch for your kids during any of these decades, you’ll appreciate the quick trip down Junk Food Memory Lane. ... Read the rest of Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: Homemade Goldfish Crackers on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Recipes, Reviews on May/Thu/2013
Post tags: cookbooks, recipes, reviews, snacks
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

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Sponsored Post: Jarlsberg Avocado Frittata

In Mexico, where avocados are perfect and plentiful, these creamy green fruits are a common breakfast staple. But here in the United States, many folks don’t really consider avocados when they think of breakfast. It’s strange, too, because avocados are considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet, providing nearly 20 essential nutrients per serving. They’re a great source of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin C, plus they’re an awesomely satisfying low-carb snack for anyone watching their glucose levels. And for breakfast, avocados offer a one-two punch of fiber and protein that makes them an ideal candidate for your first meal of the day.

Despite their nutritional value, the main reason I love avocados for breakfast is probably the most obvious–they’re delicious! Some mornings, I just slice open an avocado and eat it with a spoon. Voila, instant healthy breakfast superfood. It can’t get any easier than that. ... Read the rest of Jarlsberg Avocado Frittata Recipe (Sponsored) on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Breakfast, Sponsored Posts on Apr/Mon/2013
Post tags: avocado, cheese, eggs breakfast, sponsored posts
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Jarlsberg Avocado Frittata Recipe (Sponsored) appeared first on The Culinary Life.

I love pork. That’s no mystery to my regular readers, who have enjoyed many of the pork recipes I’ve posted over the years I’ve been cooking here. Well, I’ve got great news! The National Pork Board has invited me and four other bloggers to be a part of The Pork 5. Together we’ll be sharing all sorts of amazing porky goodness through Pork: Be Inspired, a program that helps people understand pork and all the delicious things you can do with it.

The five of us are gearing up for an exciting year, and to make the situation even more fun, we’re helping to promote an awesome contest where five lucky readers will walk away with $5,000 to pursue their pork passion. How do you enter? All you have to do it go to the contest site, pick one of the five categories to you feel most applies to your passion, and then explain in 500 words or less what ultimate pork-related dream you’d fulfill with five thousand dollars.

• Would you throw the ultimate tailgate party, serving up enough bacon and sausage to feed hundreds of people?
• Do you dream of going to a luau on a gorgeous Hawaiian beach, where you’ll learn how to roast a pig on a spit?
• How about having a freezer full of organic pork, enough meat to feed your family – and then some – for an entire year?

Then share your passion and enter the contest! One person from each category will win $5,000 to fulfill their pork dream. That’s a lot of pork, folks.

I’m not eligible for the contest, but if I could enter and win, my dream would be to spend a few weeks in Italy learning how to make authentic Italian sausage from artisan butchers and sausage makers. Then I’d bring back my newfound knowledge and share my charcuterie training with all of you, my lovely readers. I’d post instructional photos and videos and show you everything I learned. Because if there’s one thing pork inspires me to do, it’s feed everyone I care about.

Before I sign off, I’d like to introduce you to the others in the Pork 5, my carnivorous cohort, if you will. Check out their blogs for some great reading:

• The Lifestyler :: Jenny
• The Traveler :: Chris
• The Host :: Toni
• The Tailgater/ Griller :: Robyn
• And me, the Foodie :: Stephanie

So click on over to the Pork: Be Inspired page and enter the contest. Then come back here and let me know, what is your pork passion?

Permalink | Posted in Sponsored Posts on Mar/Mon/2013
Post tags: contests, pork board, sponsored posts
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Share Your Pork Passion and Win (Sponsored) appeared first on The Culinary Life.

I’m very excited to review a book by one of my all-time favorite food authors, British food writer Nigel Slater. In his newest US release, The Kitchen Diaries, Slater chronicles twelve months of cooking and eating, sharing every step of his simple, flavorful cooking style. Here you’ll find all sorts of recipes, from breakfasts to dinners to sides to desserts, and every one of them is worth making. I don’t say that very often about a cookbook. ... Read the rest of Pumpkin Dal Soup, from The Kitchen Diaries, by Nigel Slater on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Recipes, Reviews, Savory, Soup, Salads, Sides on Mar/Wed/2013
Post tags: cookbooks, nigel slater, reviews, soup
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Pumpkin Dal Soup, from The Kitchen Diaries, by Nigel Slater appeared first on The Culinary Life.

After many years of having a very colorful website, I’ve developed the need to shed all of that, at least for the time being. I’ve been taking up WAY too much of Ben’s time in the art and design department, and I figured it was about time I took this site in a much cleaner direction, where the content speaks for itself.

So, as you can see (or if you click over from the RSS feed, if you’re reading it there) the site is now entirely white. This will accomplish a few things:

1. The site will now be easier to navigate, as there is less clutter.
2. The things I post, such as recipes and photos, will not have to compete with the other design elements of the page.
3. The photography will “pop” more, which means I’d better get on the ball about improving it.
4. I won’t have to hassle Ben anymore when one of the really cool toys he implemented a few years ago inevitably breaks due to a WordPress or plugin update.

I’ve been wanting an all-white website for a while now, and since I’ve been home sick with this evil cold/flu/plague thing, it seemed like a good time to go for it.

So, my little beta-tasters, please click around the site and let me know if you see anything broken, missing, or otherwise amiss. I appreciate your help!

Permalink | Posted in Miscellaneous on Mar/Fri/2013
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© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post White, Bright, and Squeaky Clean appeared first on The Culinary Life.

I’m not a huge fan of chili, but until recently I’d never been introduced to my friend the Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe ™. Don’t let my use of the word “healthy” in this dish lead you astray, though–this dish is pure comfort fare through and through.

Remember how I mentioned last week that this year has been hard? Well it got even rougher over the weekend. My bestest friend, a now 14-year old kitty named Rocky, has been having some pretty bummer health issues. We’ve had to take him to the vet twice in the past few days, and he doesn’t seem to be feeling much better. And in case you’re wondering how awesome he is, that’s a copy of Michel Roux’s Desserts he’s sleeping on. ... Read the rest of Hearty, Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Recipes, Savory on Feb/Mon/2013
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© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Hearty, Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe appeared first on The Culinary Life.

This week’s recipe is the ultimate comfort food dish–a rich, meaty braised pork pasta. It covers so many bases in the warm and hearty department that you almost want to grab a pillow, curl up next to your oven, and take a catnap on the kitchen floor while its heavenly aroma envelopes your senses.

So far, 2013 has been intense. That’s not to say this year has been bad, per se, but rather it’s required a lot of processing time and effort to make sure things continue flowing smoothly. I’m not really running on all cylinders these days, as a handful of what we like to call “life events” (hello understatement!) sweep through, causing all sorts of changes and a marked need for growth. That’s life, though. What can you do?

Well, you can eat. ... Read the rest of One Superlative Braised Pork Pasta Recipe: Tagliatelle with Pork Shoulder on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Recipes, Savory on Feb/Fri/2013
Post tags: italian cooking, pasta, pork
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post One Superlative Braised Pork Pasta Recipe: Tagliatelle with Pork Shoulder appeared first on The Culinary Life.

What Katie Ate is a departure from the flurry of bright, cheerful, family-centric cookbooks that come across my desk on a regular basis. It has some attitude, cutting an artistic swath across the world of superficially happy culinary publications. It has a little edge to it, a slightly darker shadow. This unique and refreshing cookbook by Irish-turned-Australian food blogger and photographer Katie Quinn Davies, takes food imagery to an entirely new level, showing food’s messy, brooding, emo side (sans eyeliner, of course). In this book, Davies’ dishes rip open their shirts and expose themselves to the world, unapologetic in their gritty self-ness. ... Read the rest of Blood Orange Rosemary Cake: What Katie Ate, by Katie Quinn Davies (and a Giveaway) on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Baking and Sweets, Recipes, Reviews on Jan/Mon/2013
Post tags: cookbooks, photography, reviews
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Blood Orange Rosemary Cake: What Katie Ate, by Katie Quinn Davies (and a Giveaway) appeared first on The Culinary Life.

Today’s post is sponsored by KitchenPlay and the National Watermelon Promotion Board. They’ve asked me to come up with a lovely watermelon recipe, and as an ardent watermelon lover, how could I not accommodate?

Watermelon is one of my favorite winter fruits. Wait – did I just say winter?! Yes I did, boys and girls. You too can enjoy watermelon in the wintertime, a very welcome burst of summer sweetness when the days are generally a depressing monochromatic gray.

Why would I seek out watermelon during the colder months when I’m awash with lovely in-season apples and root vegetables? As much as I would love to eat with the seasons 100% of the time, my personal diet is such that I can’t only live on starches. My body starts to rebel when I don’t get more fresh fruit, and I get incredibly tired of apples by the time the holidays hit. ... Read the rest of Agave Watermelon Lime Vodka-Tini on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Drinks and Beverages, Recipes, Sponsored Posts on Jan/Mon/2013
Post tags: cocktails, sponsored posts, watermelon
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Agave Watermelon Lime Vodka-Tini appeared first on The Culinary Life.

As we all know, New Year’s is one of the biggest party holidays of the year.  Bars and restaurants all around the world are already preparing for the occasion. Some people in the States will go to countdown parties at places like Times Square in New York, or the party capital of the world, Las Vegas. Other people prefer to have quiet celebrations, opting for their own private New Year’s party at home. Preparing for these parties involves having a menu that will not only please guests but also bring about good fortune for the upcoming New Year.

But what about the day after the party, the first day of the new year? There are many traditions that recommend you eat particular foods to bring luck and prosperity in the new year. Whether you believe it or not, having a tradition to serve lucky foods on New Year’s Day can be a lot of fun. ... Read the rest of Lucky Foods for New Year’s Day on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Recipes, Savory on Jan/Tue/2013
Post tags: food traditions, new years
© Stephanie Stiavetti for The Culinary Life, 2013.

The post Lucky Foods for New Year’s Day appeared first on The Culinary Life.