Eat The Love

Photo Essay: Meals on Wheels Star Chefs and Vintners Gala 2018 (part 1)

The first of two photo essays for the San Francisco Meals on Wheels Star Chefs and Vintners Gala fundraiser of 2018.

I am always in awe of the annual San Francisco Meals on Wheels Star Chefs and Vintners’ Gala event. With over 200 volunteers for the event, this year’s gala raised 3.3 million dollars! That’s enough to feed 660,000 homebound seniors. As always, AJ and I were lucky to attend the event, take photos, meet the chefs, watch them prepare the food, and, of course, eat and drink until we couldn’t eat and drink any more. Here’s a sample of the food that we ate during the beginning of the event, during the appetizer section of the evening before we sat down for our meal. Check out my second photo essay to see images of the four-course meal, including the plated dessert, along with behind-the-scenes images of the chefs prepping the food!

Special thanks to Meals on Wheels San Francisco for providing tickets to the Star Chefs and Vintners’ Gala. I was not monetarily compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.…

Strawberry Rhubarb Buckle with Cheesecake Topping

This Strawberry Rhubarb Buckle (which is just an old school comfy cozy name for a strawberry rhubarb coffee cake) has an easy cheesecake topping that just brings the entire baked good to the next level! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

There are days I absolutely hate the internet. And I don’t say that as an old grumpy person (get off my lawn!) that pines away for the times when kids didn’t stare at the phone screens constantly. I’m talking about the constant struggle as a recipe developer to figure out exactly what is an SEO friendly title for a dessert that really doesn’t have a good name….

Rhubarb Meyer Lemon Cake

This Rhubarb Meyer Lemon Cake has a swirl of tart rhubarb that is boosted with hibiscus tea, making it the perfect Spring time cake for afternoon coffee or tea. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

There are times when a recipe in my head doesn’t quite match the way it comes out of the oven. This is one of those times. In my dreams, I pictured a magical swirl of ruby red rhubarb layered in between lusciously moist Meyer Lemon cake crumbs. Instead I got a bundt cake that is tasty, even bordering on delicious. But alas, it was not picture-perfect Pinteresting. But I’m sharing the recipe anyway. Because not every recipe needs to be Instagram worthy….

Pinterest Best Practices for 2018

Here is an easy-to-understand list of best practices for Pinterest to help maximize your reach and your business in 2018. All information is direct from Pinterest themselves!

Pinterest is one of my all-time favorite platforms to share and save recipes (and other awesome ideas from around the web – have you seen my ceramic inspiration board?). But for bloggers and content creators it can be a moving target for best practices and what to do. What used to work doesn’t and what didn’t work all of sudden is what we all should be doing for optimal exposure. After visiting with Pinterest for their Knitcon conference and chatting with folks that work at the mothership, here’s the inside scoop of what you should be (and should not be) doing on Pinterest in 2018 to help grow your business….

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

This bakery style chocolate chip cookie recipe is thick, chewy and packed full of chocolate. It also has tips and tricks on how to make the best chocolate chip cookies look and taste like professional bakery cookies! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

I’ve written before about bakery style chocolate chip cookies but it’s an older recipe, one that really needs to be revisited. I’ve been making them ever since the article by David Leite in the New York Times came out and honestly, I’ve tweaked the recipe again and again trying to make them as great a possible. I’m still in love with the original recipe that I posted here years ago, but after teaching two classes at the San Francisco Cooking School on the topic of chocolate chip cookies, as well as teaching two workshops at the Pinterest headquarters at their annual KnitCon on the topic, I figure it was time to revisit the recipe….