Every couple of weeks we get a big batch of fresh fruit (apples, pears, bananas, tangerines) delivered to the office. People seem to go to town on the pears, tangerines and bananas, but the sad apples seem to accumulate. Last night I noticed that they weren't looking so great and decided that no one was going to eat them in that state. So, in an effort to prevent food waste, I took all the apples home and tried to come up with some way to rescue them. I ended up with 5 small apples (not sure what kind, there were at least two varieties) and one medium sized one (again, not sure what kind).

While I was looking for something to do with them (they weren't in the best state, and they weren't really baking apples either), I stumbled across an interesting looking recipe calling for 5 1/2 cups of apples and decided that it would be a good starting point. To learn how I turned sad apples into a happy breakfast treat, read more

Turns out that a bowl of delicious miso soup may burn belly fat. Since this is great news and since it's still National Soup Month, I thought I'd pass on this great little recipe. You could always make miso soup with an instant packet (just add water), but a homemade version is going to be a little heartier and taste a lot better. Unfortunately you will need to find miso paste (try Whole Foods or some place like that), but if you can track it down, it'll be worth it. To check out a recipe for vegetable miso soup, read more

A few years ago the boy and I ended up in Sweden for a long weekend (I know, ended up seems like a weird choice of words, but honestly, we looked at air fares and just sort of ended up there). Our adventure took us through many taste sensations (including a lot of salmon and fish) and along the way we ended up at a trendy restaurant (sorry I've since forgotten the name, but do know its logo was the letter F in a circle) where we had a great meal and decided that it would be nicely finished off with a glass of dessert wine.

Well, the wine menu arrived and much to our surprise, the dessert wine was a wine from Bonny Doon Vineyard! At the time the boy was living in Santa Cruz, CA and the Bonny Doon Vineyard was about 30 minutes from his house. We were surprised by how small the world felt at that moment, but not surprised by their choice. Bonny Doon makes a really nice Muscat that contains the usual cinnamon and jasmine aromas with hints of orange blossom and lemon. I also think I can taste a bit of Asian pear. The wine itself is overly sweet, and you really don't want to drink that much, but it's delicious, and makes a really nice after dinner treat.

For a funnier treat, try their cheeky-named Bouteille Call. It's a naughty little beverage with blackberry and raspberry flavors. It's best for dessert, and I personally love to give it as a housewarming gift - the cute label and name definitely spark a discussion.

Every Wednesday, most major US newspapers include a food section in their daily lineup. To ensure that you're not missing out on anything, I'll keep up with it all and bring you links to some of my favorite stories.

• Imported Spanish ingredients, such as chorizo, serrano ham and piquillo peppers, are the new must have items for Bay Area chefs and home cooks. - San Francisco Chronicle
• Beware of the breakfast wars! Starbucks takes on McDonald's with hot egg-and-cheese sandwiches, while McDonald's promotes new higher quality coffee. - New York Times
• Banana's appeal extends to the Fair Trade movement. Includes a recipe for chocolate stuffed bananas. - Boston Globe
• To help you stick to your New Year's resolutions, Chef Wolfgang Puck offers up a lighter version of Bolognese. - Chicago Tribune
• Trade in your box of chicken stock for an easy homemade version. - Seattle Times



• Farid Zadi shares his passion for North African cooking. I'll definitely be trying a few of these recipes. - Los Angeles Times
• Looks like the little ones are jumping on the culinary bandwagon too. Cooking classes, culinary summer camps and private cooking birthday parties are becoming more popular with the wee ones. - Houston Chronicle

If you're like me, and something tells me that you probably are, then you love food! You love the way it tastes, smells and looks! Since sight is part of the whole experience, we've decided to create a new group called Savory Sights. Here's where you can upload your picture-perfect (or not so perfect) eats! So join me and start uploading your favorite food photos. And just because it's called savory, doesn't mean it can't be sweet! So start taking your cameras everywhere and snap up the best eats you can find!

I've started things off with my local grocer's Pork Chorizo. This little guy's lonely all by himself, so join the Savory Sights group and start uploading your own food photos!

As you all know, I've been planning a Golden Globes Viewing party all week long. The event will take place next Monday at my house, where a small group of girlfriends and I will gather to eat, drink, and gossip about the show. Awards shows can be boring, so hosting a dinner watching party is a great way to make them more fun. If you are just starting out as a hostess, I recommend planning an event of these sorts because the show, in this case the Golden Globes, is your main inspiration. Conversation will flow naturally following incidents that happen during the program.

My party plan is under way, I've already addressed and mailed the invitations and selected a (mostly) vegetarian menu. Today I'm thinking about the drinks. To see what drinks I'll pour, read more

See children? Everything in this room is eatable. Even I'm eatable! But that my dear children. is called cannibalism; and that is frowned upon in most societies.

I lost a bet to a friend of mine and now I have to make a super special lunch for him to bring his daughter at school. He is a single dad and doesn't have time to make her lunch. Normally she eats hot lunch from the cafeteria and she rarely has the luxury of a delicious sack lunch. So it's time to go off to market in search of the best lunch items for her.

She is in second grade and the meal must not have any nut products. I want the food to be far more glamorous than plain old peanut butter and jelly, so be sure to include your best recipes for kid friendly foods. Put them in the recipe database and tag them with, School Lunch. Save any other snacks or sweet extras that you come across in the Yum Market - once again tag them with School Lunch.

Interested in learning more about the Yum Market and how to add your own foodie finds? geeksugar has created a simple guide to saving on TeamSugar.

It's a lovely pleasure to enjoy a quiet, savory meal all by yourself. You can take your time, appreciate the food, and eat whatever you like! Of course, these opportunities of peaceful tranquility are usually far and few in between. When I do steal a meal for myself, I like to make a delicious plate of crisp salad. There are endless possibilities and combinations when it comes to salads and since this one is for you only, make it exactly how you want. For the ultimate alone salad, read more