Growing up, food was often used to exclude people–especially kids with allergies or unfamiliar lunches. But discovering cuisines that were safe for my allergies changed everything. And almost overnight a whole new world opened up. Today, feeding people is one of the main ways I show care and build community. No one leaves my table hungry or wondering if there's something safe to eat. Lately I've been playing with ways to make even simple dishes feel joyful, including turning avocado toast into little passed bites that disappear almost as quickly as they hit the platter.    

Up until the COVID shelter in place order went out in San Francisco in 2020, I’d never heard of Aduki beans. And then, just like that I had a dozen cans. If you've never eaten them, you'll want to go out and grab some and make this one-pot red beans and rice recipe either on your stovetop or in a slow cooker.   NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, preceded by (*affiliate link) .

As a mom I'm always looking for great, make ahead breakfasts. When that convenience can be prepped by a little even better! This gluten-free, dairy-free overnight french toast casserole will be a welcome addition to your morning routine.     How do you simplify your mornings?  

Growing up every Saturday either my sister or I helped my mom make buttermilk pancakes. Weekends, for me, mean pancake breakfasts. However, when you can't have cow's milk, pancakes often fall short of one's expectations. That is until Gates discovered the perfect non-dairy banana pancake recipe.     How do you like your pancakes?  

Ever since attending The Art of The Modern Cocktail a year ago, I've been looking to make a cocktail with farm fresh ingredients. When Pantone announced its 2016 color of the year, I knew I had a simple drink for ringing in the new year: Rose Quartz Mimosas.     How are you closing out 2015?  

There are few kids who don't love Mac and Cheese. When Gates heard there was a Mac and Cheese cook off she was in. That the challenge was typically answered by adults didn't phase her. At almost three and a half she became the youngest entrant. Here's her award-winning Bunny Foo Foo Mac and Cheese. Just one of the dishes Dawn of Not Just A Mommy and I served at our party. More of our menu and details soon!     What cheeses do you put in your Mac and Cheese?  

In California, you can get lemons almost year round. The variety of lemon changes as does the sweetness of the lemon. This variation makes lemonade the perfect vehicle for teaching young cooks about using a recipe as a guide and letting ingredients speak for themselves.     How do you like your lemonade? Sweet? Or Sour?  

I love Fall. The leaves start to turn and the nights get a little bit cooler. It's the perfect time to gather round the kitchen table and serve up comfort food. And this Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters while not breaking the bank!     An added plus? Depending on how you stock your pantry and your freezer, this casserole may not even require a trip to the supermarket!   What's your favorite weekday comfort food?  

SPONSORED POST: This is a paid post. The Road to The Good Life chose to work with Farm Fresh to You because of their commitment to encouraging strong roots for a better food and agriculture system for all. I am part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network . All opinions presented are my own.   For the past couple of weeks I've been enjoying Black Plums in my Farm Fresh to You Organic Snack Pack, Mini Box subscription.   Does this mean I'm tired of plums yet? No way! I love plums. (And if I was tired of plums, Farm Fresh to You makes it super easy for me to substitute them with something else or add them to a don't ever send me this list.)     What it has meant is that I've had the opportunity to play with serving plums different ways: freshly washed straight out of the fridge, sauteed, and baked. I've also been having fun coming up with creative recipes that showcase the bright flavors.   What's your favorite way to prepare plums?  

Gates loves to help in the kitchen. When she was putting everything into her mouth this could be somewhat challenging. Now it's less of a challenge, but with these vegan chocolate chip cookies, you don't have to worry about your little one ingesting raw egg.     Refined-sugar free. Dairy-free. Vegan. Three words that will have a little one turning up their nose before they ever take a taste. But these cookies are sure to be a crowd pleaser. Gates wanted to eat the batter instead of shape and bake a batch of cookies.  

There's something unctuous about lamb. Paired with Moroccan and Turkish spices and a full-bodied wine like Cultivar Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon it's a sumptuous treat. In the summer, I stuffed sweet peppers with lamb and tomatoes. Now in the fall, I'm filling portobello mushrooms with apple and lamb.    

SPONSORED POST: This is a paid post. The Road to The Good Life chose to work with La Crema Winery for their dedication to handcrafted wines at reasonable prices. All opinions presented are my own.   Summer squash is one of those vegetables available year round in California, and similar to peppers and tomatoes is best when eaten in late summer/early fall. Right now there are many varieties of yellow squash and Patty Pan available at your local Farmer's Market.   My love affair with squash didn't begin until I was in middle school, and it began because my mother paired summer squash with bacon and tomatoes and served it over Ala (cracked wheat bulgur). (Seriously, my mother was a genius. Want to get a kid to eat their vegetables or try something new? Try my mom's trick: add bacon or substitute bacon grease for butter or oil. Because, let's face it. What kid doesn't love bacon? But, I digress.) I primarily love summer squash for the color it adds to food, but I al...

Cooking in the summer is nearly effortless. You have so many fruits and vegetables to choose from and so many colors. Dishes that are both pleasing to the palate and to the eye come together with almost no thought. One vegetable that should be actively sought out (and prepared for the long winter season) is the sweet pepper.   What's your favorite way to serve sweet peppers?   This summer a love affair began between sweet peppers and me. It started with a Ruffled Pimento Sweet Pepper that I found in the produce aisle of Bi-Rite Market. Now don't get me wrong I've always adored chile peppers and bell peppers. I'm quite liberal in my use of bell peppers, especially the red, orange, and yellow ones. But not because of their taste; my prior love affair was all about the variety of color. If a dish was lacking visual appeal, and the flavor profile wouldn't be terribly affected, in went a pepper or two.  

As a participant in the Walmart to Go First program, I’ve received a personal invite and payment for my time and efforts in creating this post. Convenience and ice cream don't go together when you're allergic to cow's milk. If you want any flavor other than chocolate or vanilla, you're often left to your own devices to make it. So, you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered Walmart To Go had all of the base ingredients for gluten-free, vegan ice cream, in stock and ready to deliver to my door.     Have you thrown an ice cream social before?   In the past I've made gluten-free, vegan ice cream using my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. Sometimes it would come out rich and creamy, and other times with an odd texture and little flavor. This time I decided to abandon my ice cream maker and freeze my ice cream in a stainless steel bowl and taking it out of the freezer and blending with a hand mixer and refreezing for a few hours. And... it worked like a charm.  ...

SPONSORED POST: This is a paid post. The Road to The Good Life chose to work with La Crema Winery for their dedication to handcrafted wines at reasonable prices. All opinions presented are my own.   One of the first vegetables I remember eating fresh from the vine were tomatoes. My grandmother grew them in containers supporting the vines with cages. And, later when I had my own square foot garden, I grew them. How do you eat tomatoes?     When I planned my square foot garden, I had this idea that gophers and birds, as well as the weather, would get half the harvest. So to be sure I had tomatoes for tomato sauce, I planted six tomato plants in a 2 foot by 3 foot space. As luck would have it, all of my plants thrived and thrived and thrived. Because of California's mild weather and raised beds filled with homemade organic potting soil (a mix of compost, rock, and sugar), all of my plants began producing in late Spring and continued producing far into the Winter. I h...

San Francisco is a town known for its mixologists and its chefs. And at least once a week there's an event showcasing the talents of one or the other or both. In May, the event was The Art of the Modern Drink: Spring Cocktails of the Farmers Market, where eight chefs teamed up with sixteen bartenders from fourteen bars and restaurants to bring modern art to life in the form of a cocktail. It's not often parents can be spontaneous on a weeknight. But yesterday there must have been magic in the air, because first, I won tickets to an event (that seriously never happens), and second, one of our regular go to sitters was available on short notice. So off we went to The Art of the Modern Drink, a special event hosted by CUESA (Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture) and the San Francisco chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) in collaboration with the SFMOMA . We arrived shortly after doors the opened at 5:30PM with a plan. Taste all the appetizers...

Food has the power to transport me. To change my mood and to close the distance between loved ones and me. I eagerly await late spring/early summer every year, for one farm's fruit: apricots from Frog Hollow Farm. I wasn't very old when my great grandmother passed away, six at the most. The only memory I have of her is of her rose garden. My sister and I had played tag and hide and seek amongst the roses and showered rose petals everywhere. I don't remember if she was amused or angry. I only remember two firsts that came next. My first ice cream sandwich sitting with my great grandfather on the back steps of their house staring off into the rose garden and my first apricot. I've loved both ice cream sandwiches and apricots ever since.   In July 2011, cubes and I had the opportunity to support The Chez Panisse Foundation and The Edible Schoolyard Project and to dine under the stars at Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood, CA. The owner of Frog Hollow Farm, Al Courchesne, a...

My earliest childhood memories are of weekend mornings. Me in the kitchen "helping" my mom with pancakes or waffles. Measuring. Stirring. Beating egg whites. Folding egg whites into the water.   So, it's only natural that I've had Gates already in the kitchen baking and helping "prepare" some of her meals. When I stumbled across Rise & Shine: A Challah-Day Tale ( *affiliate link ) I knew I had an opportunity for three generations of women to make a special memory.     Have you started a regular baking tradition with your little one?  

It's said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But day in and day out, rushing to get out the door, it can become a little bland. The same old, same old.   So why not grab some fresh apples (or pears) and whip up a pitcher of yogurt smoothies instead of grabbing a breakfast burrito or fruit-filled pastry?     What's your favorite on-the-go breakfast?  

To kick off the holidays this year, my mom and my sister joined Gates and I in the kitchen to bake some of our childhood favorites. The most toddler friendly recipe we baked was a chopped apple pear cake.     What's your favorite fall fruit recipe?