One thing I never expected about Scotland was their attentiveness to inclusiveness when it comes to their food menus. Vegetarian options? YES! Vegan options? Mostly! Gluten-free? YES! Asking if anyone at the table had food allergies? YES! It was refreshing to see, and my favorite thing I indulged in at literally every point possible was the vegetarian full Scottish breakfast. The items that encompassed a full vegetarian Scottish breakfast varied a bit by place but was fairly consistently similar. Here's what is generally included in a full Scottish breakfast, take or leave a few things here a ..read more

I love buying unusual flavor extracts, but it can be hard to not get tired of using it for the one purpose I bought it for. The original intent was for pandan lattes, which I made once. So I found myself with two bottles of McCormick pandan extract, and they sat in my cabinet for about a year before I decided it was time to do something about them. I went on a bit of a waffle making streak this winter, and waffles use vanilla extract. Pandan has a bit of a vanilla-y flavor. So why not make pandan waffles? What Does Pandan Taste Like? Pandan is a tropical plant where the leaves are used to flav ..read more

On Sunday we walked to Waverly Station in Edinburgh for a 3.5 hour train ride north. We paid for the first class seats but didn't realize they oversold first class so we ended up on a regular car, which kind of sucked. But the ride was gorgeous, with lots of countryside to see whizzing by. Inverness Day 1 We got to Inverness and had lunch before we could check into our Airbnb there. After we dropped off our bags my friends wanted to go to some Outlander field but I wanted to see the downtown area so we split up. I walked around Inverness in the bright autumn sun and was certain I might get s ..read more

This year our girls trip took us to Scotland! My friends like Outlander, and I like going new places, so we set off for the Highlands (and the Lowlands, because Edinburgh is the Lowlands, while Inverness is the gateway to the Highlands). This post will just be about Edinburgh though. Day 1 in Edinburgh We flew in and out of the Edinburgh airport and took the train to St. Andrews Square because we were hungry and needed to wait for Kara to join us from England. This brings us to my first vegetarian full Scottish breakfast at The Ivy! We just randomly found it on Google maps and it was perfect t ..read more

It's been well over a year and a half since I have posted, and it's for predictable reasons: I got a new job in early 2022. And I realized I was never going to Make It as a professional food writer or blogger so I just stopped trying. But I still pay for my URL and some blog plug-ins, it's always good to keep my minimal WordPress skills up to par, and I just like having an outlet in which to write randomly. So I am going to plan to start blogging again, but with some changes. It's nice to have a chronicle of my life to look back on and remember what happened throughout a year. I won't have a s ..read more

We are looking back at 2022 — in hopes that 2023 might be the year to finally (fill in your personal blank)? I love looking back at these reflective surveys each each and seeing what I was thinking, feeling, and experiencing at the time. Some things never change, and some things do, radically. Here are ones from New Year's Eve 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011. 1. What did you do in 2022 that you’d never done before? Had a job I liked the whole time. Flew to a new country and got a passport stamp. 2. Did you keep your new year’s res ..read more

Blue food and drink is a minor obsession of mine. I guess because it's rare and special. But what's even more rare and special is when blue food and drinks come by their color naturally instead of with food coloring. I first learned about the butterfly pea flower from a pasta cookbook, of all places, and became incredibly curious about it. Butterfly pea flowers come dried, ground into a powder, and you can even grow butterfly pea flowers under the right conditions. Get the right swirl To ensure you get a good swirl, use the listed ingredients. The heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk prov ..read more

Mardi Gras is a fun season, even for those of us who live outside of Louisiana. I find ways to enjoy it, because it's all about hedonism, enjoying yourself, and preparing for a season of self-reflection and quietness. Oh, and it's a super colorful day of celebration, which I definitely love! I have a tradition of sharing at least one new Mardi Gras themed recipe each year, and this year instead of going sugary sweet, we'll start the day off with a vibrantly colored, cheesy, flavor-filled breakfast dish — Mardi Gras Grits! This isn't the first time I've used bell peppers and onions to veg up Ma ..read more

Why should salami have all of the fun when it comes to making flowers out of deli items for pretty charcuterie boards? A cheese rose can have a place (or two or three!) on your Valentine's or spring themed charcuterie board too. The trick is to pick the right kind of cheese to make a cheese rose, because not all cheeses are going to be be able to stand up to the rolling. What kind of cheese to use to make a cheese rose The obvious answer is cheese that comes in round slices, like provolone usually does. But if you want to use a non-round cheese, you can cut it into circles yourself. I searche ..read more

 “I call it a Temple Grandin because it makes me friendly and compassionate." -Jess Day In an attempt to better myself through binge watching TV, I've been watching new series on Netflix instead of rewatching the same stuff from our server, which led me to New Girl. It was on TV from 2011 to 2018 so it's been off the air for several years now, but the bubbly optimism and fun jokes are making it an enjoyable watch during this cold, dark time of year. Does anyone else feel horrified that 2018 was five years ago? Because I feel like it was just the year before last, at most. During the sev ..read more