2011 December | Life Tastes Like Food

Green Turkey and White Bean Chipotle Chili

Cooking, Dinner, Food, Guest post, Holiday, Life, Recipe 1 Response »

Dec 302011

Green Turkey and White Bean Chipotle Chili

Today’s Blogger Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Hayley from Simply Scrumptious [This is our last post for The Holiday Project, and we're bringing it back to where it all started...San Francisco! Hayley's blog is so amazing. Check out her tasty recipes when you get a chance!] ******************************************** Hi! I’m Hayley (or Hayles as my friends refer to me) over at Simply Scrumptious. I’ve been writing my food blog for over a year now – jeez does time fly – and sweetheart Stephanie asked me to contribute a guest post as part of her Holiday Blogging Project. An honor indeed! Stephanie just moved to San Francisco, which has been my home for about 4 years since I graduated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. San Francisco is a diverse foodie city where you can find amazing ingredients at your local farmers’ market or grocery store or eat out at world-renowned restaurants. [Continue Reading...]

‘Banh Mi’ — A Gourmet Vietnamese-Style Sandwich

Cooking, Dinner, Food, Guest post, Holiday, Life, Lunch 3 Responses »

Dec 292011

‘Banh Mi’ — A Gourmet Vietnamese-Style Sandwich

Today’s Reader Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Nicole and Sheeter from Davis, California [These two make an awesome team. Sheeter makes the best homemade BBQ sauce and ribs while Nicole bakes up the most delicious treats. It's always so much fun going on food adventures with them!] ********************************************************* Banh mi (pronounced ‘ben me’ most places [although its southern pronunciation ‘bang me’ is, arguably, way funnier]) literally means bread in Vietnamese. But it’s much more than bread. It’s spicy and sweet, sour and savory, crunchy and chewy … all at once, which is probably why this Southeast Asian sandwich has such a cult-like following. Banh mi shops can be found in virtually any major city like say, San Jose, CA, home to some of the best banh mi outside of Vietnam and, more importantly, Lee’s Sandwiches, the most successful banh mi chain ever. Full disclosure: There may be some [Continue Reading...]

The Power of the Internet and Friendship

Baking, Dessert, Food, Guest post, Life 5 Responses »

Dec 272011

The Power of the Internet and Friendship

Today’s Blogger Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Camille and Marie from myFudo [These two ladies have never met but co-manage their blog together. It's wonderful to see how blogging and the internet can bring people together. Below, Camille and Marie talk about their favorite dessert and how they would share it with the other if/when they get to meet in person!] *************************************************************** The two creators of myFudo, one of the most fun and informative food community sites in the Internet, are great friends who have not yet seen each other in “real” life. If asked what they would do if they did get to meet, these would be their answers: Camille: My dear friend Marie and also my partner in myFudo is faced with a dilemma far from anything I’ve ever experienced. She resides a world away from her childhood home. I admire her strength for as I found [Continue Reading...]

Lasagna with Bolognese and Bechamel

Baking, Cooking, Dinner, Food, Guest post, Holiday, Life, Recipe 1 Response »

Dec 262011

Today’s Reader Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Lori from San Diego, California [Lori and I LOVE to share meals with one another and try to find time to cook together when we can. She's so much fun, and I just love it when she's around. Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!] ************************************************************** Hello fellow foodies and readers of Life Tastes Like Food! My name is Lori and I loooove food. I love to make it, bake it, watch it, talk it, read about it, and I have discovered I also like to write about it! Thank you Stephanie for letting me participate in your Holiday Project and for all the wonderful food memories we have shared!! So it’s the day after Christmas. You are exhausted and if you are like me have just spent practically the entirety of the last 2+ weeks in the kitchen baking hundreds of cookies [Continue Reading...]

Merry Christmas!!!

Food, Friendship, Holiday, Life No Responses »

Dec 252011

Merry Christmas, Friends! The picture above is of our little tree in San Francisco but I’m actually at home in the North Bay with my family! I hope everyone is having a truly lovely Christmas filled with joy, happiness, loved ones, and of course, delicious food! xoxo, Steph

Baked Brie with Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce and Glazed Pecans

Baking, Cooking, Food, Friendship, Guest post, Holiday, Life, Recipe No Responses »

Dec 242011

Baked Brie with Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce and Glazed Pecans

Do you need a last minute Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year’s appetizer? Fear not, I’ve got your back. This is an instant hit at any party. And each bite screams holidays! Crunched for time? Replaced the homemade mulled wine cranberry sauce with store bought sauce or a nice raspberry preserve. It will still taste excellent. Although I must say the mulled wine sauce is top notch. We all deserve to eat some nice cheese and drink some good wine around this time of year. Really, ANY time of year in my book is an excellent time for fancy cheese and wine–but this dish is special. Promise. Head over to Simply Scrumptious to read my guest post and to get the recipe! Merry Christmas Eve, Friends! :) Oh, and if you haven’t “liked” Life Tastes Like Food on Facebook yet, you should! If I reach 200 fans before the new [Continue Reading...]

Speculaas (Dutch Spiced Biscuits)

Baking, Dessert, Food, Friendship, Guest post, Holiday, Life, Recipe, Travel 2 Responses »

Dec 232011

Today’s Blogger Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Yasmeen from Wandering Spice [Yasmeen is such a sweetheart. I wrote a post for her blog not too long ago. These cookies seem just perfect for some holiday baking. Yum! Oh, and the boyfriend she talks about in the post? He's her fiancee now! Congrats, Yasmeen! So happy for you!] ************************************************************************* Hi there, dear readers of Life Tastes Like Food! I’m Yasmeen – food lover, recipe writer and photographer at Wandering Spice. First, a big thanks to Stephanie for sharing her beautiful space with me. I was thrilled to accept her offer to participate in The Holiday Project. What a fun way to get to know other readers, bloggers and food enthusiasts, and learn a bit more about your holiday traditions! When I heard about the theme, I knew almost instantly what I’d make – Speculaas, a Dutch spice cookie. It’s a [Continue Reading...]

Tres Leches Cake

Baking, Dessert, Food, Guest post, Life, Recipe 3 Responses »

Dec 222011

Today’s Reader Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Alberto from Woodland, California [I can vouch for this cake. I've eaten it, and it's deliciously moist! Oh, and what a friendly reminder that guys like to bake too! All you other guys out there, step it up. Thanks, Alberto!] ***************************************************************************************** I am a January baby. Being so, I enjoy the crisp cold air of winter and the dark gray tint of the winter sky. While many people get a sort of depression upon the return of Jack Frost, I relish in the incoming cold weather. Alright! I know I have a strange fascination with cold weather, and at this point I should explain that I was born and raised (and currently go to school) in California! I can sense the non-Californians chuckling at the idea of a California winter, I know, I know.. I might not have the full experience of [Continue Reading...]

so happy i could burst.

Baking, Dessert, Food, Friendship, Holiday, Life, Travel 2 Responses »

Dec 212011

“The days are long, but the years are short.” last saturday was spent wearing an ugly christmas sweater and drinking the best homemade mulled cider i’ve ever had… last sunday, i watched christmas movies, had dinner delivered, and baked up these chewy peppermint mocha cookies from Eat, Live, Run for a cookie exchange… on monday, i got to hang out with friends and watch the christmas edition of SNL with jimmy fallon hosting and michael buble as the musical guest (i LOVEEE michael buble)… yesterday, i stuffed my face with pizza during lunch with my co-workers and then scarfed down even more cookies after that for our office’s cookie swap (where i brought the peppermint mocha cookies i made on sunday)… also yesterday, i was notified that i was the daily winner in ZAGAT’s “12 days of foodie cheer photo contest” on Google+. the picture i submitted was of the marbled peppermint [Continue Reading...]

Holiday Health

Food, Guest post, Health, Holiday, Life, Self-Exploration 1 Response »

Dec 202011

Today’s Blogger Guest Post for The Holiday Project: Liz from It’s Unbeweavable [I've followed Liz's blog for a while now. It's so inspiring, fun, and encouraging to read. She's real. She's honest. It's amazing! So happy to have her on Life Tastes Like Food today!] ******************************************************************************************* {photo via} Hi there! I’m Liz, and I am honored to be a part of this project. I’ve blogged over at It’s Unbeweavable for the past three years, and am transitioning my blog from fashion to fitness based, because I’m a firm believer that as you grow and change, so should your blog. By the time you read this, I will (fingers crossed) be a certified personal trainer. Woo! Why fitness? Last year, I lost 100 pounds. It still feels odd saying that. I’ll spare you the back story, but as anyone who has lost any amount of weight knows, maintenance is actually harder [Continue Reading...]