How to Ice Cookies

By Allison Kociuruba

‘Tis the season and like many of you, I can’t wait to make holiday cookies for gifts (and to satisfy my sweet tooth). If you liked my simple methods for decorating sugar cookies from a couple weeks ago, check out this more advanced technique. Learn how to make royal icing and create cookie creations straight out of a bakery window. It’s easy to do with a little time, patience and lots of confectioners’ sugar!

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Sugar Cookies for the Holidays -- Ready, Set, Bake!

By Allison Kociuruba

It doesn’t get more festive than decorating sugar cookies. It’s quick, fun and easy to do for almost any holiday or occasion.

Start with your favorite sugar cookie dough or this easy one from Elinor Klivans’ Big Fat Cookies cookbook, published by Chronicle Books.

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Almond Tabbouleh in Tomato Cups

By Allison Kociuruba

There’s nothing like tomato season in my kitchen. From caprese to BLTs and fresh pasta sauce, I am constantly searching for ways to serve tomatoes for dinner. This week I’m trying an easy, virtually no-cook recipe that can be served as a first course or a vegetarian supper.

Tomatoes, particularly the large heirlooms we find at the farmers’ market, are great for stuffing and you can find uses for the pulp after you hollow out the tomatoes, so there’s no waste! This tabbouleh, studded with roasted almonds and the vibrant flavors of fresh parsley and mint, comes together easily and makes the perfect filling for the tomatoes.

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Fresh Nectarine Galettes

By Allison Kociuruba

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have quite a few houseguests. And by quite a few, I actually mean a LOT. It’s the blessing (and curse) of living in a popular travel destination.

Truthfully, I love it. We live far away from family and most friends so I relish in entertaining familiar faces and sharing the hidden gems of the Northern California coast.

Because we often eat out with guests, I don’t get to cook as much as I’d like, so I try to surprise everyone with baked treats when they wake up. I’ve done the yeast-risen cinnamon bun thing but setting the alarm to wake up over an hour before everyone else was not much fun, so my latest trick is these fresh fruit galettes.

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Chicken Piccata – Easy Answer to a Busy Weeknight Dinner

By Allison Kociuruba

When I’m having a busy week and need to get dinner on the table, I turn to an easy one-skillet dish, Chicken Piccata. It’s delicious and requires a few ingredients that I usually keep on hand (or on a short shopping list to pick up).

In this classic Italian recipe, a simple sauce of butter, lemon juice, parsley and capers adds a punch of flavor to chicken breasts. I serve it with a simple side of steamed vegetables or a spinach salad. Depending on my mood, I’ll sometimes add chopped artichoke hearts or green olives to the sauce.

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