Welcome to the Taste & Savor Blog
Healthy Comfort for the New Year: A Guest Post By, Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
The new year is upon us, and I, like many of you, am trying to bounce back from the holiday season into a more normal and healthier routine. Unfortunately, the unusually cold weather we have had the past couple of days has made me crave something comforting and warm,...
Tropical “Non-Holiday” Salad: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I don't know about you, but as much as I love warm and comforting holiday food, I find that several times during the Christmas season, I need a break from traditional fare. Something healthy and light with non-holiday flavors is just what I crave. Lat week, Chef Nancy...
Healthy Slow Cooker for the Holidays
It seems like time just picks up speed as the holidays near. This calls for action! In this case, the slow cooker. (Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it?) Here are a couple of my all time favorite recipes!Slow Cooker Tagine-Style ChickenMarinade ½ Cup Olive Oil 8 Cloves...
It’s That Holiday Time of the Year!
December is always a wild ride for anyone who loves food and wine and wants to share it with others. Just this week, I've done 4 events, all fun and all attended by wonderful and inspiring folks. I've promised to post my recipes - so here they are. I hope you all...
Add a Little “Spritz” to Your Holidays: A Guest Post By, Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I discovered the "Venetian Spritz" cocktail last summer in Italy and have been an avid fan ever since. This spritz is very popular in Venice and is usually enjoyed as an aperitif. The drink consists of a light white wine, a splash of Campari and topped of with...
Thanks for Thanksgiving Dinner!
We celebrated Thanksgiving Dinner at Cancer Wellness last Sunday. For me, and many of the survivors, it was an especially poignant gathering. One of the participants summed it up in an email by writing, "We survivors have so much to give thanks for." I gathered...
Giving Thanks: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
This year, I started thinking about Thanksgiving much earlier than usual. The reason for this forethought was my fear of copious amounts of butter, cream and other equally indulgent ingredients that are staples in most holiday recipes. Ironically, last year at this...
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
This week I got to conquer one of my lingering culinary fears, Gingerbread. While I have always been fascinated by the beauty and whimsy of gingerbread houses, I was equally daunted by the intricacy and patience this craft surely required. Luckily, I had a great...
Falling for Butternut Squash: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyoligist, Lea Bowen
A couple of week's ago, Chef Nancy and I were joking about how every cook on the planet seems to embrace the ever popular butternut squash as soon as the fall season begins. Recently, we made a wonderful roasted butternut squash salad with an apple cider vinaigrette...
My New Red Hot Latin Love: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I want to introduce you to my new favorite spice. It's smoked paprika. Quite frankly, I have become a bit obsessed with this beautifully hued, smoky spice. It is most commonly used in Spanish cuisine and adds a deep, smoky flavor and a touch of heat. Smoked paprika...
Uncovering Healthy Recipes From The “Me” Generation: A Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I'll just go ahead and admit it. I am a cookbook junkie. At the rate I'm going, I may very well be buried alive under my collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines within the next year or two. Of course, my growing collection and lack of storage space did not...
Eating The Elephant, One Bite at a Time: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
We have probably all heard of the question "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer of course is "one bite at a time". This means that one should not focus solely on the big goal of eating the elephant, but to break down your ultimate goal into smaller more attainable...
Crock Pot Cucina- A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
With the official start of fall fast approaching and a break in the summer heat, I started thinking that it was time to dust off the ole' Crock Pot and start cooking up some cool weather comfort food. Coincidentally, as thoughts of my own Crock Pot entered my...
Respect Thy Mother Grain-A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I first heard of quinoa in culinary school. This word appeared as an answer on a multiple choice quiz. The question was, "What is considered to be the mother of all grains?" Unfortunately, I had never heard of quinoa, and evidently had not done my required reading,...
Don’t Be a Hater: A Guest Post, by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Last week, Chef Nancy and I were testing a recipe for a lighter Caesar salad dressing. The original recipe called for one anchovy fillet. We ended up using the whole can of anchovies in the recipe, in order to achieve a flavor we both agreed on. As we were cooking, we...
Why Orange You Eating Your Greens?-A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
My new favorite dark, leafy green is kale. It is not a vegetable that I had eaten often in the past, however, I do remember it being served with the Brazilian national dish, Feijoada. Kale is a member of the cabbage family and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol...
160 Years of Tradition Inspires a New Recipe: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Last weekend I went to Franklin, N.C. for the Siler Family Meeting. For 160 consecutive years, the Siler Family has been gathering on the first Saturday of August to enjoy family, fellowship and most importantly food. I began attending this meeting with my grandmother...
I’ve Never Met a Cheese I Didn’t Like: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Chef Nancy and I both share a fondness for cheese and often joke that we could easily become "Cheeseatarians". This is the one food that I crave more often than any other. So, it was with great pleasure, that I received a gift of several different cheeses, that were...
Flavorful Garam Masala Dip at Whole Foods!
Yesterday I did a FUN Cooks Warehouse Class at the New Whole Foods in Marietta. (Cooks is opening a NEW store in September - next to Whole Foods.) My intrepid helpers, (Brenda, George, Bobby and Suzanne), and I showed the class how to make a variety of delicious and...
Healthy Fare at the Health Fair: A Guest Post By Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
This week, Chef Nancy and I had the pleasure of participating in a health fair at the King and Spalding Law Firm. We had a great time meeting many people and giving them some healthy eating tips. After all of the meet and greets, book signings etc... that we have...