Family-friendly recipes
Recipes
Make This Delectable Donut Recipe at Home
What do you get when you combine a food entrepreneur, a precocious homeschooled child and a science lesson? If the entrepreneur is Deljah “Chef Simone” Dickson of Art Delectables and the child is her daughter, 9-year-old Madison Dorsey, you get donuts. Dickson launched her L.A.-based organic catering company 9 years ago, specializing in cheesecake, which […]
Let the Kids Help Make This Easy Pasta Dish
Want to make cooking with your family easier and more fun? Set yourself up like a restaurant kitchen, says Peter Tulaney, L.A. dad of two and head chef and founder of The WEHO Sausage Co. Tulaney, who spent 10 years as a child psychologist, started making sausage at home after receiving a Kitchen Aid standing […]
Make this Pork Pastor Recipe Spicy or Sweet
When I think of family cooking, my ideal is a meal that everyone around the table will enjoy. That’s what chef Claudio Dominguez, co-founder of the local California Creationz meal-delivery service, offers up here. “I love this recipe because of the versatility,” says the Orange County-based chef whose family hails from Veracruz, Mexico. “My daughter […]
A Cute and Chocolatey Holiday Cupcake Recipe
Samantha Barnes used to teach cooking classes to kids all over L.A., offering after-school enrichment programs, summer camps and weekend parties through her company Kitchen Kid. Years before the coronavirus pandemic, she decided to bring her lessons into home kitchens instead. “Really, the most important place to learn to cook is your home, and it’s […]
This Thanksgiving Bread Gives Back
Maybe the pandemic has given you your fill of sourdough. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, though, here’s a new reason to give it a try. With a donation to United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, you can receive a free batch of sourdough starter. UCPLA board member JJ Levenstein, a retired pediatrician who […]
An Easy, Hearty Thanksgiving Salad
At the Thanksgiving table, it can seem as if so many things are pureed: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry. As an alternative or an accent, consider this Thanksgiving salad recipe from Chef Jon Rollo of Greenleaf Kitchen and Cocktails, which has several SoCal locations. One handy thing about this recipe is that you can […]
A Holiday Side Dish That Will Pop
If you’re looking for a side dish that comes together quickly but leaves a long-lasting impression, you can’t do better than these high-crowned beauties. “I love serving herb popovers for the holidays,” says Tracy Wilk, lead chef and recipe editor for the recreational program at the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena. “They are festive, […]
Duff Goldman’s Super-Good Cookbook Doesn’t Fudge on Fun
Duff Goldman started his cooking career behind the scenes, at a bagel shop in a mall and as a fry cook at McDonald’s. Even his first real restaurant job had him far from the spotlight. He baked cornbread and biscuits, and nothing else, every day. But that’s where Goldman started noticing the magic of the […]
Navigating Nutrition: 5 Ideas for Healthy, Easy School Lunches and Snacks at Home
By now, many parents and kids have accepted they will be taking part in distance or hybrid learning at least for the short-term. Having nutritious ready-made foods in the fridge will increase the amount of time (and focus and energy) students have for learning. Planning ahead can also alleviate some stress for parents. Here are […]
A Brownie Recipe that will Spread the Love
A wedding can mark the beginning of a life together. For Val and Zach Fishbain, it also marked the beginning of a business venture that feeds their family and so many others. The idea was sparked by the couple’s DIY wedding favors. “I was already using my Vitamix that I got from my bridal shower […]
A Berry Cool Smoothie Recipe from #smoothieproject
It’s been a while since you actually sent your kids off (as in out of the house) to school. All signs indicate that it could be a while longer until you do, but any school day, even a day of distance learning, should start with the right breakfast fuel. In 2015, Catherine McCord realized that […]
The perfect picnic snack, side, sandwich or dessert
One of the few fun, safe outings for families this summer is to picnic – and Anne Kirk, pastry chef at Little Dom’s in Los Feliz, has the perfect picnic recipe. “I love focaccia as picnic food because of its versatility,” she says. “You can really top it with anything – salt and herbs, grated […]
A Scientist Shares Her No-churn Ice Cream Recipe
Maya Warren has a job title that would get most kids’ attention. She’s an ice cream scientist. Translation: Warren is senior director of international research and development/tastemaster at Cold Stone Creamery, and has a doctorate in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in frozen desserts. After being introduced to food science through the […]
Make a Cool Amazebowls Smoothie Bowl
Bryan Leong and Stephanie Wang met as undergrads at USC. Like many college students, they were hungry. Unhappy with the dining options at hand, in 2013, they took matters into their own hands. “We just wanted to eat something more healthy, and it was really difficult for us to find something healthy that was affordable,” […]
Make Casa Vega Guacamole at Home!
The 64-year-old Sherman Oaks Mexican restaurant Casa Vega has been in current owner Christy Vega’s family throughout its history. Now, the mother of four has adapted its menu for a first: to-go service. Classic dishes, margaritas and pantry staples and essentials (paper towels, toilet paper) are now available for curbside pickup. Can’t wait for their homemade […]
Make a Tasty Turkey Bolognese
Brook Williamson, Top Chef winner and co-ownerof Playa Provisions says Bolognese is one of her go-to recipes. “It’s great for an individual, a couple, or a crowd, easy to assemble, and is healthy and filling all at the same time,” she says. “In addition to tomatoes and your meat of choice (ground beef, turkey, or chicken), it’s […]
Make a Crisp with Your Favorite Fresh Fruit
Under normal circumstances, Phil Kastel would be busy cooking at The Milky Way, the Mid-Wilshire restaurant opened by Leah Adler (Steven Spielberg’s mom) in 1977. Kastel, who took the helm as executive chef last year, says that though Adler died in 2017, her spirit still infuses the eatery she ran for more than 30 years. […]
Pancakes Dad can Make for Mom
Zoe Nathan, part of the team behind the Rustic Canyon family of restaurants and author of “Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes From our Kitchen,” got this recipe from her dad. “My father used to make these almost every weekend when I was growing up, and then he proudly made them every weekend for Saturday Morning […]
An Easier Cheesecake with Thai Tea Flavor
This Basque-style cheesecake recipe is the opposite of the fussier New York version, which must be baked carefully (often in a water bath) to produce an unscorched, uncracked top. This version is cooked at high heat so that it cracks and browns deeply – making it almost impossible to mess up. This particular Basque-style recipe […]
A Versatile Way to Make Veggies Appeal to Kids
Elvis Prado, owner of Bad Son Tacos in Little Tokyo, says his mother would prepare this recipe for him and his siblings when they were kids. “She wanted us to eat more vegetables and she found just the way,” he says. “At first, we didn’t want to eat them. Then she’d put a dollop of […]
Lunch is Served with this Easy Grilled Cheese
All kids love grilled cheese, right? This easy and classic flavor combo of turkey and swiss is wonderful on La Brea Bakery’s fan-favorite Three Cheese Semolina Loaf – but feel free to sub in whatever you have on hand. La Brea Bakery Pesto Turkey and Swiss Melt 8 thick slices Swiss cheese 4 tablespoons pesto 8 thin slices turkey 2 tablespoons […]
A Quick Family Breakfast with Your Leftover Bread
One fun side-effect of being at home is that everyone has lots more time to make – and eat – breakfast. This French toast recipe from La Brea Bakery makes use of their wonderful baguette (in case you didn’t finish it off with dinner) and doesn’t require any special equipment or technique. You can put […]
Any Easy New Way to Make Rice a Meal
Who else is eating an awful lot of rice right now? The pantry staple is easy and comforting, but most of us have quickly run through our repertoire of rice dishes. Fortunately, Chef Margarita Manzke – owner with her husband, Chef Walter Manzke, of that gem of South La Brea dining République – offers us […]
A Simple Berry Crumble Recipe Using Frozen Fruit
Most families are trying to shop less often these days, which means there might not always be fresh fruit in the house. Berries, which are coming into season, are particularly delicate. That’s part of what makes this crumble recipe from lifestyle maven and restaurateur Yunnie Kim Morena particularly handy right now. With some frozen berries, […]
A Healthy Granola Recipe to Make at Home
Here’s a recipe that will help you clean out the various packages of nuts and dried fruits in your pantry and turn them into a healthy snack. It comes from the cookbook “Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets & Recipes From Our Kitchen ” by Zoe Nathan, proprietor (with husband Josh Loeb) of the local Rustic Canyon family […]
A Casserole that’s 4 Recipes in One
Gentle reader, please don’t let the lengthy list of ingredients for this family recipe scare you away. This sneaky casserole, from chef Rich Mead of Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens in Corona del Mar, is like a Russian nesting doll. It actually contains four mini recipes, all of which can be made ahead – and even […]
An Easy Hands-On Tomato Sauce Recipe
Phillip Martin’s mother is Mexican, his grandfather is from the South, and his childhood home in East L.A. was definitely hands-on when it came to cooking. “I remember waking up, and my grandmother making tortillas by hand every single morning,” says Martin. “It’s a really awesome thing to wake up to.” Today, he’s chef at Ray’s […]
Homemade Dumplings for a Taste of Home
Husband and wife Leo and Lydia Lee grew up in their families’ Chinese restaurants (Lydia in Hong Kong and Leo in Mexico). Now, every day, they work to bring a bit of their childhoods to L.A. through their RiceBox Cantonese barbecue restaurant in Downtown L.A. “RiceBox evokes feelings we had as a kid,” says Leo. “It is us […]
Sweet Little Holiday Snowballs
Walking through Little Flower Candy Co. bakery-café with founder Christine Moore takes a bit of time, but not because it’s a long walk. On the way through the tiny eatery at Pasadena’s western edge, Moore stops to chat at a table where three generations who’ve been customers since the beginning are showing off a new […]
A Sweet Southern Treat
Our favorite foods often make us think of “home,” especially near the holidays. Catarah Coleman and Shoneji Robison both grew up in Florida. After moving to L.A., Coleman founded Southern Girl Desserts, head-quartered in Baldwin Hills, and was soon joined by Coleman. The two brought their childhood with them. In their homes, “Thanksgiving is a […]
Try a Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
For some people, pie is all about the filling. For others, it’s about the crust. For Roxana Jullapat, baker and co-owner of Friends & Family in East Hollywood, the crust is about the right flour. She uses Sonora wheat flour milled at Grist & Toll in Pasadena. “It lends itself to that beautiful flakiness,” she […]
Two Fall Tastes on a Plate
David Slay grew up in restaurants. He started cooking at age 11 in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant, began his first culinary apprenticeship at 17 and opened his first restaurant when he was 26. He currently owns three in California, the newest being SLAY Steak + Fish House, opened in Manhattan Beach (where he […]
You Can – And Should – Cook Fish at Home
Andrew Gruel wants you and your family to eat more seafood – and not just because he’s the founder of Slapfish, a chain of fast-casual seafood shacks with locations in 10 states, including SoCal restaurants in Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Brea, San Clemente, Tustin and LAX. “Environmentally, it’s a good choice and from a […]
Sticky Chicken Dodgers Style
As our L.A. Dodgers play their way through the season, the team has coaches for almost every aspect of the game, from pitching, hitting and the bases to the bullpen and the bench. There are also strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists on staff. With all this focus on performance, it should […]
Family Recipes: A Mama and Her Pasta
When she’d used the last of the homemade lasagna and ravioli from her freezer, Leah Ferrazzani faced a dilemma. The busy food writer had been making her own pasta once or twice a week. Now, she was also a new mom. “All of a sudden, that time was gone,” Ferrazzani says. She wanted her family’s […]
4 Meals from One Roast Chicken
Our L.A. Parent editors were delighted to be invited for a morning of cooking at the Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories at Santa Monica Place. Co-owner Clemence Gossett helped us be more efficient in the kitchen with her roast chicken recipe that actually creates four meals. Clemence walked editor Christina Elston through roasting the […]
Ful Medames Recipe: A Lot of Little Bites of Breakfast
Tim Hollingsworth grew up eating what he calls “very American” food: chili, chicken and dumplings, Sunday pot roast, tacos, barbecue tri-tip and burgers. As an adult, he’s been on quite a food journey, working with culinary legends such as Thomas Keller, Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay – and eventually opening Otium next to The Broad […]
An Easy L.A. Bread Adventure
The best way for me to introduce Elisa Callow’s delightful book, “The Urban Forager: Culinary Exploring & Cooking on L.A.’s Eastside,” is to share my own experience with one of the recipes: the Twenty-One-Hour Boule. Following the book’s suggestion, I headed to Pasadena flour mill Grist & Toll and was met with a friendly “Do […]
Fun Foods Help Healthy Eaters Sprout
Shannon Payette Seip grew up in California in the 1970s and ’80s in a house that wasn’t too adventurous when it came to food, but still was pretty healthy. “We weren’t trying sushi and eating mangoes. It was like chicken and rice and go get a burger,” she says. “But we didn’t have a lot […]
Love in the Bottom of the Pot
As I turned the pages of Naz Deravian’s cookbook, “Bottom of the Pot, Persian Recipes and Stories,” I was instantly hooked. This is the food of my childhood and carries memories of growing up in an immigrant family in L.A. I was 9 years old when we left Iran, and while just about everything was […]
A Sneaky Take on Granville’s Mac and Cheese
Faced with a toddler who was a picky eater, Glenda Galvan-Garcia resorted to something that has worked for many parents: sneaking vegetables into his food by disguising them among the other ingredients. It worked for a while, until Isaac was about 3. Taking a bite of the macaroni and cheese into which Galvan-Garcia had mixed […]
Take a Crack at Homemade Matzo Ball Posole
Jon Sloan, culinary director of The Crack Shack (which opened its newest location in Pasadena in November), is of Jewish descent and hails from the East Coast. That’s why this mashup of comfort foods, one from Jewish and one from Mexican tradition, felt like something he’d want to try. It didn’t hurt that The Crack […]
What Makes a Cookie Good
Do you remember your first favorite cookie? Ross Canter does. His grandfather was one of the original Canter brothers who ran Canter’s Deli, which at the time had a location in Boyle Heights, along with the Fairfax deli that is open to this day. “I really remember being a little kid and walking around the […]
Choosing – and maybe Grilling – Your Thanksgiving Turkey
Marconda’s Meats and Puritan Poultry is a family-owned meat and poultry market located at The Original Farmers Market. It’s been in business since 1941 and there are three generations of the DeRosa family working behind the counter. So, of course they don’t want you to buy your Thanksgiving turkey at the supermarket. Lou DeRosa, current […]
Shared Plates and a Flexible Pasta Salad Recipe
L.A. Kitchen is a nonprofit dedicated to reclaiming local food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it in the form of fresh, nutritious meals to Angelenos in need. Another L.A. Kitchen mission is to provide culinary job training, and Theresa “Chef T” Farthing, top graduate of the program’s first class, is now the […]
Hearty Sweet Potato Chili Recipe and Cooking Know-how with Clemence Gossett
When Clemence Gossett was a little girl, she made cream puffs with the help of Jacque Pepin’s classic cookbook “La Technique,” a gift from her parents. Today, she’s co-owner of The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories (thegourmandiseschool.com) at Santa Monica Place, and mom of three kids who love to cook. “My oldest is in […]
Barbecue Chicken Recipe: A Labor of Family Love on the Grill
It’s fair to say that Vanda Asapahu grew up grilling. That’s partly because she grew up Thai. “I’m a second-generation Thai American. My dad is Thai Chinese and my mom is northern Thai,” says Asapahu, who now runs her family’s restaurant, Ayara Thai Cuisine, in Westchester. Her parents are self-taught chefs who founded the restaurant, […]
This Crisp, Colorful Salad is Perfect for Summer Grilling
When you hear the word “succotash,” maybe Sylvester the cartoon cat and his catchphrase (“Sufferin’ succotash!”) come to mind. Or maybe you think of a hot dish with mushy corn and lima beans sautéed together. Chef Maire Byrne had neither of these in mind when she created her recipe for Summer Succotash. The founder of […]
Summer Shortcakes You Can Make at Home
As a little girl, Ann Kirk was all of us (and all of our kids) who have mothers who bake. “My favorite thing to do would be to sit on the counter and just wait for that spatula or anything that she would give me that had cookie dough or brownie batter on it,” Kirk […]
Kid-Friendly Dining for Grown-up Palates
When Michael Franks, co-owner of Chez Melange in Redondo Beach, got into the restaurant business several decades ago, there were two distinct differences: very little fresh food was served and many restaurants didn’t allow children. Much has changed. Most eateries – including Chez Melange, which opened in 1982 – now welcome families. “We grew up […]
Simple as One Potato: Spring Vegetable Pasta Recipe
Catherine McCord really wants you to cook – and eat – with your kids. The L.A.-based family food blogger, chef and cookbook author behind Weelicious has even created a meal-kit service to help make that happen. Launched two years ago in California and expanded this past year into seven other states, One Potato (onepotato.com) offers […]
Healthy Make-at-home Fun: Vegan Date Truffles Recipe
Who would have thought that vegan date truffles would be the perfect confluence of D. Brandon Walker’s roles as chef and dad? At the time he created the recipe, Walker was working as personal chef for music producer Russell Simmons, who is co-founder of Def Jam Recordings – and also a vegan. While upping his […]
Chocolate Chip Cookies You Don’t Have to Bake
“Why do we bake them?” my husband often asks after snatching some dough from the batch of cookies I’m making. With this recipe from Pastry Chef Lindsay Kirk of Small Batch Ice Cream in Mar Vista, you don’t have to. You can have your cookie dough and eat it, too. “It’s less messy, more portable,” […]
Family Recipe: A Different Kind of Hummus
A house specialty at Panini Kabob Grill, which has several SoCal locations including Woodland Hills, Bevery Hills and Glendale, is the hummus trio. It includes traditional chickpea hummus, black bean hummus and this edamame hummus. “Parents love this for their kids because it’s healthy,” owner Ali Kazemi explains. “Kids like it because it’s easy to eat.” The spices are […]
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding: Dessert or Side? You Decide
Jeremy Cantwell grew up in San Diego eating his mom’s and grandmother’s Japanese- and Hawaiian-inspired cooking. He’s also classically trained in French cuisine, which gives him a special appreciation for the Cajun-style food at the House of Blues in Anaheim, where he is executive chef. “There’s a lot of tradition that comes with the Cajun […]
5 Tips for Happy Holiday Cooking with 3 Sweet Recipes from L.A. Chefs
Hooray for the holidays – lights, music, love, joy and a chance to spoil family and friends with delicious homemade food from your cozy kitchen. What? Holiday cooking isn’t your absolute favorite thing to do? You avoid the kitchen most of the year, and get stressed out by the pressure to produce a festive meal? […]
Make Your Own Pizza for National Pizza Month
It’s National Pizza Month, and yes, you can make your own – with the kids. California Pizza Kitchen’s Senior Vice President of Culinary Innovation Brian Sullivan has made a lot of pizza with a lot of people at the iconic chain’s parties and events. “Everybody just seems to love it. It’s just fun,” he says. […]
Introducing Solid Foods With Born to Eat
Introducing little ones to solid foods can be fun and exciting for you and your baby, but can also bring many challenges. In their new book “Born To Eat—Whole, Healthy Foods from Baby’s First Bite,” authors and nutritionists Leslie Schilling and Wendy Jo Peterson outline the basics of whole-food introductions for babies in a safe […]
Family Recipes: A Healthier Frozen Treat by Sweet Rose Creamery’s Shiho Yoshikawa
Shiho Yoshikawa is co-owner and executive chef at Sweet Rose Creamery, local purveyor of small-batch hand-crafted ice cream in gourmet flavors such as salted caramel, malted milk with mocha ripple, and blueberry muffin. But because she also has a 4-year-old son, sometimes she is looking for something with just a touch less sugar. That’s when […]
Cookbook Review: Food Intros for Baby Made Family Friendly
Gone are the days when feeding Baby solid foods meant opening a jar or making purée after time consuming purée at home. With “The Baby-Led Weaning Family Cookbook” from Gill Rapley, Ph.D., and Tracey Murkett, a baby just beginning to enjoy basic foods doesn’t need to have a separate meal from the rest of the […]
Family Recipes: A Sweet Summer Salad from Fabio Ugoletti
A traditional Italian panzanella salad, a Tuscan classic, includes tomato, onion, cucumber and chunks of sturdy bread. But Fabio Ugoletti, chef at Bettolino Kitchen in Redondo Beach and father of daughters ages 5 and 9, gives his a kid-friendly twist. The Michelin-starred chef substitutes watermelon for the summer tomatoes. “The flavor is a little sweet,” […]
Sanity-Saving Family Recipes For the New School Year
After a long day of rushing the kids to school, working, running errands and after-school activities, the last thing anyone wants to think about is where to find family recipes. Let Laura Keogh and Ceri Marsh serve as your fearless leaders in this quest for survival and sustenance. Together, they developed “The School Year Survival […]
Cooking Class with My Daughters: Sharing the Flavors of My Childhood
Even though I have been living in Los Angeles since I was 10 and married the boy from the Valley who grew up with peanut butter and jelly and tuna salad, my favorite food is and will always be Persian. The aroma of cardamom, coriander and cumin is my childhood, my family home, my parents […]
Easy and Fun Recipes for Busy College Students
Healthy, low-cost food options that are dorm-room friendly have been traditionally hard to come by, but “The Quick and Easy Vegetarian College Cookbook” from Adams Media offers more than 300 meals that fit the bill. Staying healthy amid the hustle and bustle of college life can be tough, but this recipe book offers delicious meals […]
Light, Healthy, Family-Friendly Meals Made Easy
It can be tough to find healthy, kid-friendly recipes everyone in the family will actually like. Food writer Victoria Dwek knows firsthand how challenging this can be. In Dwek’s new book, “Secrets of Skinny Cooking,” co-created with nutritionist and dietitian Shani Taub, you’ll find more than 135 delicious recipes with tips and suggestions for cooking with […]
Family Recipe: Asian Sweet and Sticky Wings
Yunnie Kim Morena grew up in and around SM Pier Seafood, the Santa Monica restaurant her parents opened after emigrating to the U.S. from Korea in 1977. “I loved being in the kitchen at the restaurant,” says Morena. “It was so exciting.” Morena describes her parents’ restaurant as a market-style place with lots of fish […]
Family Recipe Fun with Fair Foods
While I was growing up, summer always meant warm nights, family fun and trips to the fair. Although I loved the rides, my favorite part was always the yummy food I could find there. In George Geary’s new recipe book, “Fair Foods—The Most Popular and Offbeat Recipes from America’s State and County Fairs” from Santa […]
Innovation in the Kitchen: Spiralizer Fun!
Looking for a fun, new way to bring more excitement into your family meals? “The Spiralizer Recipe Book,” by Carina Wolff, is sure to change up your dinnertime routine. It features 150 easy-to-make recipes the whole family is sure to love. Spiralizers are new, must-have kitchen gadgets that help turn healthy fruits and veggies into […]
Summertime Meals by the Campfire
“The Outdoor Adventure Cookbook,” from camping-equipment company Coleman, is your go-to guide for a fun and stress-free camping experience and some great family recipes. The cookbook offers more than 100 recipes that make it a culinary campsite resource, and also outlines several tips and suggestions for creating the ultimate summertime outing. The cookbook is divided […]
A Delicious Guide to Dairy-Free Ice Creams
If you love ice cream, you’ll really enjoy “Guilt-Free Nice Cream,” a new recipe book by Margie Broadhead featuring more than 70 delicious desserts that will have you astounded that no actual ice cream is involved. Broadhead, well known for her popular food blog “Made by Margie,” is a professional chef and owner of a […]
Family Recipe: Meatballs – Spicy or Mild – For Sharing
Meatballs are often a kid pleaser and a crowd pleaser and Oscar Chavez, executive kitchen manager at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern, which recently opened a new location in Santa Monica, says these are no exception. He has a 15-year-old son and daughters ages 9 and 11 and makes this recipe at home – adjusting the […]
A Cookbook With Lots to Love
“Love Real Food,” by Kathryne Taylor, is a vegetarian cookbook that’s all about simple, flavorful and wholesome cooking. Taylor is the creator of the popular vegetarian blog, Cookie + Kate. In her debut cookbook, she brings us her 100 feel-good favorites. The book is a visual delight, with gorgeous photos of Taylor’s food creations and […]
Huckleberry Chocolate Chunk Muffin Recipe
Zoe Nathan likes doing good. And the co-owner of the Rustic Canyon family of restaurants, author of the cookbook “Huckleberry” and mom of three does a lot of good baking. Her latest adventure, Gather For Good, began with a series of bake sales featuring Nathan and her celebrity baker pals. At Bake & Gather events, […]
True Food Kitchen Guacamole Recipe: Getting Sneaky With Kale
True Food Kitchen offers healthy, tasty cuisine at locations across the U.S., including five in Southern California. It’s not exclusively vegetarian, but it is a great place to show the kids how fun veggies can be. True Food Kitchen El Segundo‘s Executive Chef Jordan Herigstad recommends the restaurant’s Kale Guacamole as a fun dish for […]
A Fresh and Classic Pasta Sauce
Maurizio Mazzon started cooking in restaurants at age 15, but he was working in the kitchen long before that. Born in the Veneto region of Italy, he grew up in a home with a garden full of vegetables, where the pasta was always hand made. “In Italy, you start from the day you’re born,” says […]
Cooking Empanadas With Love
Guillermo Zapata grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And when he moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to pursue a modeling and acting career, he brought a taste of home with him. He renovated a small space in West Hollywood and opened SUR Restaurant and Lounge, now expanded and known as quite the trendy eatery. […]
Celebrate Chinese New Year With Potstickers
The first day of the Chinese New Year is Jan. 28, and we’ll welcome the Year of the Rooster. The delicious little dumplings called potstickers are a traditional food this time of year because, according to chef Katie Chin, they resemble gold ingots and symbolize wealth. Chin, L.A.-based cookbook author, food blogger, TV personality and […]
Be Bold and Bake Your Own Cinnamon Rolls
Imagine the smell of warm cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. Now imagine waking your family on a Saturday morning with that delicious, warm aroma. Yes, you can! Gemma Stafford, creator of Gemma’s Bigger, Bolder Baking (www.biggerbolderbaking.com), is dedicated to helping home cooks bake cinnamon rolls and a variety of other tasty dishes. “I grew […]
Rosa’s Mud Cake From “How to Celebrate Everything”
Jenny Rosenstrach doesn’t just write about food. She writes about family, rituals, traditions and how food brings all that together in the most delicious way. “One ritual, family dinner, is so fundamental to the psychological health of our household that we think of it as our North Star, something worth organizing our days – maybe […]
It’s Pie On a Stick
When we met Stephanie Norcio, she was in charge of the beautiful test kitchen at Surfas Culinary District, which was then located in Culver City. Surfas is still a mecca for top-notch cooking equipment and classes that cater to everyone from young kids to aspiring Master Chefs. Norcio, a whiz of a chef who is […]
Easy Fish Tacos from “100 Days of Real Food”
As moms on the go, we’re always looking for healthy meal ideas that are also easy to cook. “100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous: The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food” by Lisa Leake gives us exactly what we we’re looking for – quick and tasty recipes for breakfast, lunch, […]
Family Recipes: Pancakes On the House
Chef Kristina Mikyste of Doma Kitchen shares a fun dish you can top any way you like Ricotta cheese is an unusual addition to pancakes, but it is similar to the farmers’ cheese Kristina Mikyste used growing up in Lithuania – in a family of chefs. Needless to say, the family did a lot of […]
Recipes for Kids: Pasta and Possibilities
Diana Stavaridis, head chef at Manhattan House restaurant in Manhattan Beach, started cooking with her grandfather when she was a child but didn’t have the chance to imagine cooking as a profession until years later. Now she works with GrowingGreat, a community garden program that helps local elementary students grow school gardens, then brings fourth […]
Blackberry Crumble: A Sweet Taste of Childhood
Katie Shyne of Taste on Melrose shares fond memories and a Spiced Blackberry Crumble recipe. Doesn’t blackberry picking with your mom sound like a delicious way to spend a morning? Katie Shyne, executive pastry chef at Taste on Melrose, brings her childhood memory and a childhood favorite recipe to life in this Spiced Blackberry Crumble. […]
5 Steps To a Balanced Breakfast Smoothie
It’s time to create a new breakfast staple with fun ideas for kids. Although breakfast is the most important meal of the day, a typical kid’s breakfast includes foods such as cereal, pancakes, bagels or waffles, which are high in processed grains. These breakfasts are easy to make, but don’t include the ideal nutrient balance your kids need to start their day. A balanced breakfast contains […]
5 Tips for Healthy Summer Camp Lunches
Camp time is here. You want your kids to be well nourished and enjoy their lunch, but kids often get bored with the food parents pack, and parents have a challenging time coming up with new lunch ideas. Kids enjoy camp lunches that have balance, variety and include surprise treats. The treats are small, but […]
Ready For Summer With Pie
When strawberries come into season in the spring, at my house we start out by just bingeing on them plain – or with maybe a touch of whipped cream. Eventually, we get around to some shortcake. Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections – with locations in L.A., Echo Park and at Grand Central Market downtown – […]
Holiday Recipes From Milo and Olive
When Erin Eastland was moving to Southern California from New York in 2005, it didn’t take her long to figure out that she wanted to call Santa Monica home. It helped that she and her family scoped out the city on a Wednesday. “We came upon the farmers’ market and I was like, ‘We’re done,’” […]
Have a Fabulous Fiesta Birthday!
Lucky and I love throwing parties, celebrating with friends, laughing, drinking and eating. Lucky is the chef of the house and I am the party planner – but neither of us likes doing the dishes! Here are our tips for a great fiesta with plenty of fun ideas for kids: Mix up the guest list. […]
Party-Time Treats
Food can be a fun part of any party, but can be a real headache if you’re the one doing the planning. Keep it simple (and fun for you) with these great recipes from Home & Family’s Tanya Memme. Tanya’s Birthday Party Popcorn! Everyone loves popcorn! Be a hero at your child’s next party with […]
Love In the Lunchbox
Freshen up your approach to school lunches with help from Catherine McCord of Weelicious By Christina Elston Maybe you started the school year with a great plan to pack your child a tasty, nutritious lunch every day. Maybe things even went well through most of September before you exhausted that back-to-school energy or just ran […]