In keeping with the fiesta theme this week, today we are talking tacos. I have never made it a secret that tacos are one of my favorite foods. And I am not talking about the ground beef mixing with a package of seasonings – though, those are perfectly delicious – I am talking about the homemade kind with great toppings. Over the weekend while I whipped up some chorizo tacos while we were enjoying our sangria.

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As part of my year as a food correspondent for Sargento I am exploring the wild world of mushrooms. It has been awesome so far, playing with new ways to enjoy mushrooms. I love any excuse I can get to find new ways to eat them at home. This week I picked up a few portobello mushrooms and kept them around for a few days until I could decide what to make. I always enjoy a good portobello mushroom burger, but this time I wanted to change it up and come up with something easy and fresh.

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Last weekend my neighbor had us over and she served the kids dirt cake for dessert. I have to be honest, most of the adults had a few bites too. It was a hot mess of sugar, candy, and cookies and was totally, sinfully delicious. Needless to say, the children fell in love with the concept of dirt cake and my daughter begged me to make it for her class for my planned visit. How could I refuse? It is such a cool idea! Since a lot of the children in her class have food allergies I was challenged with the process of making the cake completely dairy and gluten-free.

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My friend Julie is one awesome woman. She runs this great website, Dinner with Julie, is an editor, author, and rockin’ mama. Recently she and a friend started this great website, Rolling Spoon. As a music fan I am super excited that someone has finally decided to contact cooking with rock’n'roll. They go hand in hand! Today Julie is stopping in for a quick interview to introduce her site and give us some hot tips for great food and musical pairings.

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Over the weekend I am pretty sure everyone in Connecticut turned off the heat, threw open the windows, and breathed a deep sigh of relief. The thermometer was north of 50 degrees F for the first time in five months! Naturally, the minute I felt the rush of spring I indulged in some long overdue spring cleaning. Nothing too wild, just the usual rummaging through closets, cleaning out cupboards, etc. It felt so good to get rid of the dead weight and haul a few bags over to Goodwill! Since I know a lot of you are probably in the same boat – spring cleaning like mad people, relishing the chance to start the season anew – today I am sharing my top ten tips for preparing your kitchen for spring and summer. If you see anything I am missing, please let me know!

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One of my favorite things about my year as a flavor correspondent for Sargento is discovering all of the amazing food trucks springing up within ten miles of my house. Turns out Southern Connecticut is a hot bed of food truck entrepreneurs. I LOVE it! To please my daughter, last week we decided to visit a truck popular with both adults and Kindergarten set – Skinny Pines Pizza. It was a Friday night and we were in the mood for an easy dinner that everyone would love.

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I know I am fortunate to not have celiac disease. So many people I know suffer from it and have to cut all gluten straight out of their lives in order to get better. So people handle the news by weeping in their kitchen while tossing all their favorite bread. Others, like April, take a more comedic approach. When April was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago she too shed a few tears. But then she started this cool blog, took the bull by the horns, and made gluten her bitch. Anyone and everyone will love this informative and hilarious book and I encourage you to enter to win it, even if just to give to your BFF with celiac. Trust me, they’ll be grateful!

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Today I am thrilled to kick-off my holiday gift week chatting about one of my favorite causes, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I know cancer isn’t necessarily a fun topic, but making cookies and selling them to support pediatric cancer research is definitely a fun thing to do. For me there are fewer things that feel better or more worthwhile than putting my baking skills to good use during the holiday season. This month I have joined several of my food blogging buddies to create and promote a great Holiday Recipe Video series featuring our favorite holiday cookies to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

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Vegetable Pie  * Quinoa Salad * Roast Lamb * Green Beans * Easter Cloud Cake * Coconut Shortbread with Lemon Buttercream