Eat The Love

White Chocolate Green Tea Brownies and Japanese Craft Beer [Sponsored Post]

These luscious and easy to make white chocolate green tea brownies, made with matcha, were inspired by a Japanese Craft Beer tasting I went to recently. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

This sponsored post is part of the Drink in a New Language campaign for Japanese Craft Beer. I was compensated for this post. However, all opinions below are completely my own and not endorsed by Japanese Craft Beer. You can learn more about Japanese Craft Beer on their Instagram account or Facebook page.

“Irvin! I wasn’t expecting to see you here!” said my friend Amy. She’s a food writer and any time I go to a food event (which is more and more rare as I’m finding myself busy doing other non-food related things) she’s there. But I told her that I’m trying to go to more things, thus my presence at the tasting and workshop on Japanese Craft Beer. In fact, I know little to nothing about beer or craft beer, much less Japanese Craft Beer. Other than taking a swig or two of AJ’s major Japanese beer when we get ramen, I’m clueless about Japanese beer. But 2019 is the year I’m trying to push myself out of my comfort zone more so here I was, ready to learn….

Grilled Strawberry and Chocolate Sandwiches

These grilled strawberry and chocolate sandwiches on crusty sourdough are a quick and impressive dessert for dinner dates or casual weeknight meals! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Valentine’s day is around the corner and though I try to not take my relationship with my partner AJ for granted, we’re often times don’t do anything special for it. We’ve been together for nearly 20 years and at this point in our relationship we still celebrate our birthdays, our anniversary and Christmas. But other holidays tend to be footnotes in our everyday life, the sort of thing that we kind of forget about, and then notice when we sign on to Facebook. Oh wait, it’s Valentine’s day today? Huh. Maybe I should run out and grab some flowers or something….

Italian Wedding Soup with Swiss Chard

This take on Italian Wedding Soup uses Swiss Chard instead of celery and other greens for a comforting soup perfect for cold weather or anytime of the year. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Folks often ask me if I have any formal training in cooking. I don’t. I have been baking since I was 8 years old and it’s been a passion of mine ever since. But I occasionally take professional cooking and baking classes here and there to learn new things, and to stretch myself. Several years ago I took a cooking classes for a week, which had me fine tuning my knife skills, making homemade pasta and tea smoking shrimp. But one of my favorite things that I made that week was an Italian Wedding Soup. It’s stuck in the back of my head ever since, even though I haven’t really made it since….

Swedish Meatballs Stroganoff

In the cooler weather, I’m craving comfort food like this Swedish Meatballs Stroganoff, which is a mashup of Swedish Meatballs and Beef Stroganoff. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Though January usually means “healthier” for most folks, the weather often doesn’t cooperate. I want to be eating salads and smoothies (both of which I love) but the cold weather also means I crave comfort food. San Francisco rarely gets super cold – not Midwest cold which is where I grew up. But I’ve been here long enough (about 20 years) that I’ve grown soft. Any dip below 60°F and I grab the scarf and gloves. I’ve become one of THOSE people….

Fig and Hazelnut Scones

These fig and hazelnut scones are simple and quick to make. They are are a lovely Fall or Winter morning, afternoon or anytime snack. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

“Omg these fig scones are EVERYTHING!” texted my friend Betsy. We had just done a photoshoot at her place with an epic spread of breakfast food, and as per my usual self, I baked up a storm for it. I had begged Betsy to take as many baked goods as she could. She made herself a ziplock bag of baked goods and apparently the fig scones spoke to her first. She had immediately texted me after I left to let me know her thoughts on the matter….

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

This curry roasted cauliflower side dish is an easy and comforting side dishes made with easy ingredients found in most pantries! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Cauliflower is having a bit of a moment isn’t it? Or did I miss the trend? I can’t keep up anymore. But for a time period I felt like cauliflower was everywhere. From “pizza crust” to “rice”, it was the carb substitute of choice. Somehow the cruciferous vegetable became the go-to ingredients in the same way that kale was new leafy “it” green a few years ago. And though I think it’s wonderful that folks have “discovered” the lowly cauliflower, I’ve been a fan all along….