Lovely Lunches

Need a sourdough side dish? This extra-flavorful savory sourdough bread pudding won’t let you down. Serve it alongside grilled meats, soups, salads, or as a phenomenal twist to Thanksgiving stuffing! Bakers Gonna Bake Sourdough If you are like me, then you might occasionally (like every week) be baking up loaves of delicious sourdough. Sometimes even …

Traditional Japanese okonomiyaki pancakes get a sourdough makeover. Okonomiyaki is a griddle-cooked pancake made with a savory, egg-based, wheat flour and cabbage batter. Okonomiyaki can be customized with endless seafood, meat, vegetable, and traditional Japanese toppings.  Here’s a little-known fact about me — I’ve visited the tradition-rich Kansai region of Japan and eaten real okonomiyaki from …

This recipe for soft, chewy, sourdough focaccia is sure to inspire many delicious creations.  The recipe has been adapted from a traditional focaccia recipe I used back in my culinary school days. It is a large recipe, making an 18 by 13-inch half sheet pan or two 8 by 10-inch skillets of thick, pillowy focaccia …

Growing up in the Monterey Bay region of California means I had never ever eaten chicken and dumplings! I’m not ashamed of this fact as the recipe is regional to the South, and California cuisine rarely takes its cues from traditional North American cooking. But now that I’ve tried it, I do know what I …

Real Boiled and Baked Sourdough Bagels! It took me a good many years to work up the nerve to try my hand a bagels.  I’ll be the first to admit I was always a little intimidated, knowing that the bagels needed special shaping, boiling, and baking. My intimidation was unfounded. The process is so much …

When I wrote about my Real Sourdough Pita Bread I introduced you to one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Falafel’s Drive In. They have that perfect mix of Middle East authenticity and American drive-in. It’s a great combination! Every time I’m in San Jose, California, I stop in for a falafel or two, a banana milkshake, …

Harvest season is upon us and there is no better way to honor the bounty than with these loaded stuffed peppers! The late summer/early fall produce is so colorful, fresh, and fun that hitting up the farm stand and creating this dish was a delight. To fill the huge red sweet peppers I used super …

Think of these cheesy stuffed bell peppers as an Italian version of a chile relleno. They are stuffed with a combination of sweet ricotta cheese, melty mozzarella, and spicy herby tomato sauce and then baked to tender creamy perfection. These stuffed peppers are easy to assemble with minimal ingredients and bake up in under an …

Now even our dairy-free and low-carb friends can enjoy a super creamy soup! This soup is the perfect combination of rich healthy fats, spicy flavors, and creamy smooth texture. Nobody will guess that this decadent flavorful soup is made with only seven easy ingredients in as little as 30 minutes. Try Some of My Other …

If you love soft chewy pizza crust then you will go gaga for my super chewy, cheesy, sourdough pizza bread. In the words of my husband (who has eaten a lot of pizza over the years) “Pizza Bread Is Life!” If that’s not a good endorsement then I don’t know what is. Seriously though, this …

When life gives you lard, make sourdough tortillas! I have always used a really nice sourdough tortilla recipe that a friend passed on to me. It calls for flour, starter, butter, lard, salt, water, and baking soda. While I like this recipe, it does not call for proper fermentation of the flour. So I set …

You know by now that I’m all about the soaked grains. This sourdough and masa harina cornmeal pizza crust is no exception. This easy crust comes together in a matter of minutes so it’s perfect for those busy weeknights when you don’t have time to prepare a fermented sourdough crust in advance. And the crust …

Every so often I get a real hankering for fried chicken strips! Chicken strips are one of those comfort foods that are so crave-able. I used to make them once in a while with panko and vegetable oil (before I knew better). But now that I have completely quit eating vegetable oils and all commercial …

Homemade sourdough corn tortillas don’t get better than this. If you have ever had a homemade tortilla made with both wheat flour and corn flour then you know that the thick, soft, chewy tortillas that result from this combination are to die for. Don’t be afraid to really load these sourdough corn tortillas up with …

Bring out your clean Green Goddess. This detoxifying Green Goddess soup harkens back to my days working as a cook in San Francisco. If you’ve been following me since my days working at Sweet Jo’s then you may remember this soup from the lunch bar. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve EVER followed …

That’s right I said it, this butter-fried bread cheese is better than any mozzarella stick out there. And I mean it. It’s cheesy chewy bread CHEESE. It’s not bread! It’s a firm cheese that’s been baked so it has even less moisture. It doesn’t melt like regular cheese. Instead it holds its shape even while …