Eat The Love

Shepherd’s Pie – a Savory Ground Lamb Casserole

If you’re looking for a great ground lamb dish, try this shepherd’s pie recipe, made with cheddar garlic mashed potatoes on top! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Spring is nearly here, but the weather has been a bit schizophrenic. It’s crazy cold in the morning with a misty rain and with me regretting not bringing a scarf with me. Then, in the afternoon, it turns warm and sunny, with me shedding my coat and wondering why I’m wearing such a heavy sweater. It’s been messing with my meal planning as well. I have every intention of eating a lighter meal, but then I find myself shopping for comfort food ingredients. …

Fried Char Siu Chicken Dumplings

These fried char-siu chicken dumplings (Chinese BBQ chicken dumplings) are an incredibly tasty appetizer recipe that is a fun weekend project to make. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Some people just casually say to their significantly others “I think I’ll make some dumplings today!” I’m sure of it. Because in their minds, dumplings are something you can just whip up at a moment’s notice. I’m not one of those folks.

I don’t make dumplings very often so when I do, I get myself ready for a weekend project. The truth is, dumplings aren’t that difficult to make but I’m not a pro, so I need to give myself plenty of time to make them. And I also have to give myself permission that they won’t look picture perfect Instagram worthy. I know dumplings are IG gold…but only if they look amazing. Mine never do. But I’ve come to terms with my mediocre pleating skills….

Spiced Lamb and Beef Kebabs

These spiced lamb and beef kebabs have a complex flavor that comes from a wide range of spices that can be found at most grocery stores! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Like all popular things, I am often late to the party. It took me years to finally get around to watching Games of Thrones. I only recently started making avocado toast at home. And though it came out last year to much critical acclaim, I finally got my hands on my friend Nik Sharma’s book Season….

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….