Our new White Bean & Chicken Chili isn’t all that new…we’ve just brought it back! This recipe first debuted on our original menu and was just as good back then as it is now. As we ride out the cold winter months we thought this recipe would be perfect to feature. It’s an innovative twist on a classic chili recipe that incorporates green chiles, cumin, white beans and chicken. This hearty meal is topped off perfectly with cheddar cheese and a dallop of sour cream to compliment the heat from the spices perfectly. We’re serving this delicious recipe at all of our locations now through March 27th.

March is national nutrition month. I’m not sure about you but I am always finding more nutritious foods and dishes to add to my never ending queue of recipes to try. I have a number of favorite food blogs and websites (this one included) that offer healthy and delicious meals, do you have a favorite? Read the rest of this entry »

Béchamel Sauce, (pronounced bay-shah-mel) or white sauce is one of the mother sauces of French and some Italian cuisine.  It is typically used as a base for other sauces, and is traditionally made whisking scalded milk into a roux, or butter and flour mixture.

The origins of the sauce can be sketchy, but as far as we can tell it was invented by Louis de Béchameil, and it was an improvement of a sauce imported from Italy to France during the reign of the queen of France, Italian Catherine de Medici.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the last installment of kitchen tips!  Although I know I could go on and on about ways to save time or make things easier in the kitchen.  I’ve learned a few new tricks over the last few weeks that I know I’m going to be trying out!! Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever find yourself on culinary kicks?  For me lately it’s passion fruit and lemons–two fruits I always turn to when berries are out of season.  Passion fruit is really a versatile ingredient…you can make a showstopper multi-step dessert like this, or you can give it a casual spin and make something simple like these coconut cookie sandwiches with passion fruit curd.  They are really good and because they are a little unique, people seem to really dig ‘em.  Recipes below…

Read the rest of this entry »

Making your own nut butter is easier than you may think. After a few pulses with the food processor or blender and adding a little oil for smoothness and a natural sweetener for richness, you have your own nut butter without hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup like many of the store bought varieties are full of. It’s delicious paired with fruit and veggie sticks, or spread on a warm slice of toast. Try this version made with hazelnuts and sweetened with maple sugar. Read the rest of this entry »

Previously known as a peasant food, polenta is now a premium product and is even served in high-end restaurants.

Polenta is most commonly made using ground cornmeal, and is ground coarse or fine, depending on the preference of the region.  It is most popular among the Northern Italians, where polenta is a household must.

Polenta is a slowly cooked dish that commonly takes almost an hour to cook, stirring often.  It is served creamy, or set, as in the picture above.  Now a days, it is common to see pre-cooked polenta tubes sold at your local grocer for around $4 for an 18 ounce tube.  I have even purchased it at Wal-mart, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, I shared some of my favorite kitchen tips with you.  And this week, I’m going to share some of YOUR favorite kitchen tips!! Read the rest of this entry »

If you like chocolate and you like to bake (I’m guessing that’s a lot of you!), then you’ve probably stumbled upon recipes calling for Dutch process cocoa.  When you head to your pantry and discover that your Hersheys powder is anything but, you wonder what the difference is between the two.  Is one better than another?  What’s the dealio here with cocoa anyway?  Well, let’s talk about that…

Read the rest of this entry »

We enjoy the opportunities we have to create recipes that coincide with a holiday.  St. Patrick’s Day is known for wearing green, pinching and our favorite…Irish Stew. We worked on getting the ratio of potatoes, cabbage and vegetables just right to create this hearty recipe.  It was important to us to implement as much authenticity in this classic Irish dish as possible.  After a good amount of research (and taste testing) we came up with a Zupas version that is sure to please.  Celebrate your St. Patrick’s Day with a bowl of our new Irish Stew.