I love using leftover chicken to make quick and easy dinners. These enchiladas, from Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends, are always a hit. No time to make homemade enchilada sauce? No worries- open a can of your favorite sauce. Stir a spoonful or two of salsa and chopped cilantro into rice for a simple side. Make a really hearty rice by stirring in cooked black beans, too.

It was so much fun gathering all of these talented women for a photo shoot at The Krohn Conservatory today. We were shooting the photo for “Goddesses of the Harvest: A Celebration of Women in Food” to be  held August 28th at the grand re-opening  of the Krohn, which is currently closed for remodeling. The Goddesses are: Chef Ann Kearney (Rue Dumaine) Chef Julie Francis (Nectar) Chef  Renee Schuler (Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts)  Chef Summer Genetti (The Palace) and Wine expert/Big Fish owner Renee Koerner.  That stray  man is no goddess- he’s Ryan Kurtz “photo God”! Want to come to the event! Register via The Party Source website- just click here.

The Kenton County Public Library Foundation is hosting an event on Friday, August 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the Mary Ann Mongan Library in Covington, Kentucky.

Enjoy more than two dozen Kenton County restaurants as they sample some of their cuisine to help raise funds for the Kenton County Public Library’s literacy outreach programs at the Taste of Kenton County on Friday, August 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the Mary Ann Mongan Library, 502 Scott Boulevard in Covington. Entrance to the event is free but donations are encouraged. Silent and live auction. Register by calling 859-962-4063 or www.kentonlibrary.org/events. This is an adult only event.

Restaurants include: Metropolitan Club, Molly Malones, Oriental Wok, Montgomery Inn, Argentine Bean, Greek To Me, Indigo, Bean Haus, Chef Barone, Affordable Wedding Creations, Chez Nora, Colonial Cottage, La Cherie Bakery, Madison Café & Deli, McAlister’s Deli, McHale’s Catering, Noble Roman’s, Red Light Café, Reeves Produce, Remke Markets, Rima’s Diner, Willie’s Sports Bar, Servatii’s, Strasse Haus and Eastern Panda.

Great place to put your head on a Monday morning! Now go conquer the week ahead!

“If you allow yourself to breathe into the depth, wonder, beauty, craziness and strife—everything that represents the fullness of your life—you can live fearlessly.”
—Oprah

Many thanks to Jean Strasser for sharing a recipe from her upcoming class, Singin the Blues, at EQ at The Party Source! The class is sold out but make sure to check out the other fabulous classes on the schedule! Listen to the interview.

Gumbo YaYa [Read more →]

Listen to the interview.

WHAT: 17th Annual Cincy Blues Fest

WHEN: Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2009

WHERE: Sawyer Point Park, Cincinnati

Back for its 17th year, the Cincy Blues Fest brings more than 50 local, national, and international blues acts to the banks of the Ohio River, at Sawyer Point Park, August 7 and 8. [Read more →]

Listen to the interview

Weight training is a great way to get nice muscle definition. I asked Lisa  Branzel, a Certified Athletic Trainer at TriHealth Pavilion, to give a few tips on how to get the best results. Bottom line- consistency and lifting enough weight is what it takes to see results. Many women are lifting enough weight- or lifting often enough!  Want results? The hard cold truth is you need to work at it!

I scream for ice cream. I do. I love soft serve ice cream and Doc treated me to a Putz Creamy Whip cone this morning. Yum! Listen to the inteview.

Here’s Doc’s list of great soft serve ice cream places in the Cincinnati area. Grab the kids and get a cone!

Putz’s Creamy Whip Ice Cream [Read more →]

Rita Heikenfeld is  a certified modern herbalist and her weekly column in the Community Press Newspapers often features tips and recipes for cooking with herbs. For more information, visit Rita’s website.  Listen to the interview.

I can’t wait to make Rita’s Spa Water.  Fill a pitcher halfway with peppermint. Add lemon slices. Fill with good quality water and then bruise the fruit and mint with a spoon as you stir it all together. A single stevia leaf can sweeten the entire pitcher, or you can add a bit of honey. The water, of course,  keeps your hydrated. The peppermint fools your brain into thinking  it’s full and is  an energizing herb. The lemon helps you to burn carbs more efficiently, helps to form and repair collagen and is a gentle liver cleanser.  Rita’s site has tons of other great spa product recipes you can make at home, too.

Yum. Really, yum! My Mom would never (okay rarely) buy me Hostess pies – we had to eat homemade baked goods.  These are just like those coveted Hostess beauties.  I smile at the irony when I make a  batch from scratch.

Blackberry Hand Pies

Makes 12 

3 cups blackberries (or blueberries, or peeled chopped peaches, apples or a combination)
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon [Read more →]