Author Archives: Anne

It’s 2012, The Year of Blogging; The Year of Whole Foods


Whoa…has it really been…THREE MONTHS since my last blog post? Thank goodness Google remembers my password to WordPress for me- it’s been that long, ya’ll. It’s been so long I actually forgot the 6th anniversary- November 11- of this here Tuna Toast blog! I’m a bad blog mom, seriously.

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Chewy Oatmeal, Blueberry, White Chocolate & Salted Cashew Cookies

Yes, that is a mouthful. I was in Trader Joe’s when I suddenly got struck by an idea to make this cookie. I have a surplus of oats in my pantry and was thinking of ways to use it up, and this cookie just sort of came to me.

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Settebello: Authentic Pizza Napoletana in Pasadena

Yes, you read that right. Pasadena. The once shining beacon of boutiques, Bullock’s and Hugo Molina that is now more closely associated with chain behemoth Cheesecake Factory and why-are-they-still-in-business mainstay Mi Piace. To be fair, Settebello isn’t located in Old Town- it’s just east of the main drag, in a section that includes the newly-opened Tender Greens and one of the last few non-virtual bookstores, Vroman’s. Could this segment of Colorado become the new, cooler Old Town? I’ve cast my vote. Continue reading

Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market Products (and yes, I’m baaaaack!)



Whoa. How long has it been since I’ve even been on my blog? It’s been a pretty hectic few months and unfortunately Tuna Toast has fallen by the wayside, even though this food blog is honestly one of the reasons why I’m doing the work I’m doing now.

I don’t want to get into it too much, but as the 1.5 longtime readers of this here blog  know, I worked in entertainment media for years up until the end of last year. Since then it’s been a journey- honestly that’s the best way to describe it- to finding something that is both personally rewarding as well as professionally challenging and satisfying. It’s a story you read often on food blogs- blogger works in a non-food industry, is itching to make their passion their profession, makes a leap of faith and either lands on both feet or lands on one foot while the other is still dangling up on a rope somewhere. I think maybe I’m more of the latter – I’m basking in the warm glow of actually working in the food/wine industry while occasionally letting the worry of starting over (hey- I’m not over the hill but I ain’t 25!) damper the experience a bit.  I know I shouldn’t waste any time or energy doubting myself, because it was only a few short months ago that I was bound to a cubicle, daydreaming of working elsewhere. The constant reminder on the nightly news about the state of employment (a complete lack of it!) in this country should also be a reminder that I should feel extremely lucky and grateful to be working at all, much less in a job (make that  jobs) I actually like. Continue reading

Client Profile: Company Weekend Getaway, Pt. 1


Whoa, yes, it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged, but you’re about to see why. Well, I guess I can’t blame it all on this project but it was definitely the largest event I’ve ever catered. Add two new freelance jobs (food/wine related, yay!) to the pile and hopefully you can see why I’ve been away. Now that I’m on vacation (in Tokyo!) I’ve finally found the time to blog. Continue reading

Client Profile: The Bride & Groom



Here’s another post about a catering client- this time, a bride and groom.  A few months ago, the bride asked me to come up with some ideas involving baked goods as party favors for her wedding rehearsal dinner. After sending over photos and packaging ideas for several different sweets, she went with Austrian shortbread bars filled with fruit jam tucked into a pink Chinese takeout box. Continue reading

Quick Bites: Father’s Day Brunch

Wowza- it’s been a crazy few weeks. I had guests in from Japan which was awesome, J left for tour, and it seems I’m caught in a tornado of freelance work which is great, but very busy! Who would have thought that working from home would be such a whirlwind of activity after years of doing the 40+ hour a week office gig? I’m very lucky and blessed to have many opportunities and I’m not takin’ it for granted- it’s just that between my to-do lists for work, home and blog, the blog seems to get pushed to the bottom. I’m also trying to master Quickbooks (trying being the key word…I think I talk to their customer support more than my husband!) which is taking more time than I thought. Poor lil’ Tuna Toast!

So here’s a post, but I have to keep it short because another project (er, DINNER!) calls. There are a couple of dishes in this meal that I’d blogged about recently so I’ll just exclude the recipes since you can find them in my archives.

J’s parents came to visit us over Father’s Day weekend, so we had the rare and amazing chance to get both dads (and moms) together for a nice, Sunday brunch at our place. Since we’d pretty much gorged ourselves on my dad’s famous ribs the night before, I wanted to keep it relatively fresh, clean and light. Here’s what we had:

Fruit salad with a touch of buckwheat honey:

This is MY kind of fruit salad. As you can see, there are no cantaloupe or melon in here- I’m not a fan of either and feel kind of ripped off when I get a fruit salad that made up of just those two, which happens ALL THE TIME in restaurants. This is a summer fruit salad made up of strawberries, cherries, white peaches and nectarines so every bite is a money bite;).

Croissants: I can’t take credit- my dad was nice enough to pick these up on the way to our place. They were HUGE so I cut each in half.

The sausage-stuffed sweet peppers appear yet again! Since this was for brunch, I used a turkey breakfast sausage and they were a hit as always. This dish is the perfect example of how something so simple can be so delicious.

Green salad with champagne vinaigrette. No meal at our house is complete without a salad.

Green veggie frittata with pesto: a great way to make eggs for a crowd. I pile a baking dish with roasted and sauteed veggies and potatoes, cover it with egg, then dot it all over with freshly made pesto. Bake, and you’ve got a healthy and tasty dish.

I know it’s a bit late, but Happy Father’s Day to both dads- you guys are the best and we’re so glad we could all be together on such a special day!

Fairplex 2011 FUN Decanted Event


Having spent the majority of my ___ years here in Southern California, I suppose it seems strange that I’ve never attended the Pomona Fair. I’ve never been to the Orange County Fair either, nor any other fair, for that matter. I do recall attending carnivals and similar events as a kid but I don’t think my family ever made the short trip to Pomona for the yearly fiesta. Just think of all the fried Kool-Aid I’ve missed out on over the years! Continue reading

Client Profile: The Vegan


As some of you may have noticed, I’ve started catering and personal-cheffing because I could no longer push away my desire to cook and feed people. I can say with every fiber in my being that I love cooking more than anything else, and after some prodding from friends and family, I’m finally doing it.

I plan to post the occasional profile of some of my clients, which for the most part will focus on the food and less on the actual person. First up: The Vegan. Continue reading

Bacaro LA Wine Bar

Bacaro, dear Bacaro, how do I count the ways I love you? Now people, I’m not usually prone to hyperbole but Bacaro LA Wine Bar is the Ryan Gosling of L.A. restaurants. There, I said it. It’s nice to look at, yes; but visually isn’t as stunning as, let’s say…Johnny Depp.  But beneath the unassuming exterior lies so much more….much, much more. A swirling tornado of creativity? A bubbling caldron of passion for the culinary arts? Mountains of the kind of kitchen confidence that only grandmothers wielding 100-year old cast iron skillets possess?  Although Ryan Gosling may answer “yes” to the first question, Bacaro gives a thumbs up to all three. Continue reading