Sweet muffins are so last year. This year it’s all about savory muffins; delicious muffins that you can eat as  an easy breakfast or as a side dish with any meal. And when we discovered these savory muffins from Pure Flour From Europe, we knew we had a winner. Savory Muffins Made with Italian 00 Flour What’s different about these muffins? Well, for one thing, clearly, they are not sweet. They’re also make with Italian 00 flour, one of our favorite discoveries from our flour trip to Italy last year. Italian 00 flour is one of the lightest flours and it’s perfect for baking.  (The 00 ..read more

What could possibly be better than peanut butter cookies? How about… Peanut Butter Ginger Cookies? These cookies are our new favorite addiction. They give you all the salty-sweet pleasure of peanut butter cookies with just that extra *zing* of ginger. Adding Ginger to Cookies Similar to the Triple Ginger Cookies we made recently, there are plenty of ways you can add a ginger flavor to cookies. Of course there’s your typical powdered ginger you’ll find on your spice rack. But there’s also fresh ginger, which is going to give you an extra boost of ginger-y flavor. To grate it, you gently peel o ..read more

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful vision of paradise than relaxing at a Tuscan farm under an olive tree, watching the breeze blow by and enjoying the delicious fruits of your labors. That’s the little slice of heaven that we had a chance to experience while joining Olio Piro olive oil for their olive harvest. Olio Piro is the award-winning olive oil company run by brother and sister Romain and Marie-Charlotte Piro with master miller Daniele Lepori. Olio Piro makes its extra-virgin olive oil in limited batches with supreme attention to detail every step along the way. Since 2018, when the ..read more

What is pandan? And why are these waffles green? We’re sharing these pandan waffles because they’re so delicious and we feel like everyone should have a chance to enjoy this delicious waffle flavor. (This post contains affiliate links for an Amazon product. By purchasing a product through this link, Jolly Tomato will earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support of Jolly Tomato.) What Is Pandan? Pandan is a fragrant plant with long green leaves, grown primarily in Southeast Asian. People use pandan leaves whole, or in the form of  paste, powder, or extract. Its fl ..read more

We have some ginger fans in our house who can’t seem to get enough of that spicy kick.  So if you like your ginger cookies SUPER ginger-y, this Triple Ginger Cookies recipe is for you. Why so much ginger? In previous years, we would make ginger cookies and hear: “Can you make it more ginger-y?” or “Can you make it even more ginger-y?” So to make it the most* ginger-y cookie ever, we started making these triple ginger cookies. *We actually found a way to make it even more ginger-y, but we’ll get to that later. Making Triple Ginger Cookies Your classic ginger cookie recipe is probably goin ..read more

This Butternut Squash Cranberry Cake is a total delight. Whether you’re making it to use up that leftover squash and cranberries, or whether you’re making it because it’s so delicious… it’s a great coffee cake to have on hand during the holidays. This cake essentially has four layers: Cake, streusel (crumbly topping), cake, streusel. The streusel that’s in the middle is a delicious surprise when you slice into it and find an unexpected layer. We love serving this cake warm and just out of the oven, but it’s surprisingly delicious the next morning as well. Butternut Squash Cranberry Coffee Cak ..read more

I recently had the opportunity to make a presentation on “How to Make Pasta Without a Machine” at the Orange County Fair. For those who couldn’t make it, I wanted to share that information here. I have answers to your questions about which flour to use, which are the easiest shapes to make, and more. At the OC Fair Promenade Stage for the pasta demonstration (Photo credit: Altalunas International) (This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy certain products through links from this page, I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support of Jolly Tomato.) Why ..read more

Yes, this is a recipe for a chilled avocado soup – but there is a also a rich story behind it. Chilled Avocado Soup The chilled avocado soup is perfect for a hot July day like today. It’s creamy and refreshing, not too heavy, with just the right amount of “kick.” Where did it come from? That’s the better part of the story. This recipe comes by way of Barbara Hansen, a friend and food writer extraordinaire. Barbara passed away in January 2023, at the age of 90. She left behind an important legacy of food and restaurant writing – and a lifetime of friendships. Remembering Barbara It’s hard to ..read more

A Point Loma weekend has just about everything you could want in a San Diego getaway. We’re talking food, drink, beach, hiking, nature, sailing, shopping, history, and more. In fact, if you’re looking for a weekend with family members who want to do separate things (like ours) but meet up at the end of the day, Point Loma will likely have something for everyone. Where is Point Loma? First things first: Where in San Diego is Point Loma? The Point Loma Peninsula is like a little downward-curving finger that curls past San Diego and Coronado Island. On the western (ocean) side, there’s Ocean Beac ..read more

Of all of the initiatives we’ve heard about to minimize food waste, this one is probably the most delicious: upcycled ice cream. That’s right – upcycled. The iconic West Coast ice cream brand Salt & Straw has made five “upcycled” flavors for the month of June. These flavors all use some pure, fresh, and perfectly usable ingredients that would otherwise go to waste in the production process. The whole menu is “Upcycle Certified,” which means that at least 10 percent of the ingredients are foods that would have otherwise gone to waste. This Salt & Straw ice cream cone has (from the top ..read more