My stay back in California was filled with good friends, family suppers, and delicious food. It was lovely to be back as a guest in the place that I called home for so many years; sort of like being a tourist without any of the annoying guidebooks, iffy meals at unknown places, and the pressure […]

Brian eats yogurt every day for breakfast. Every. Day. He says that it’s the only food that truly fills him up in the morning. My good little, nutritiously minded husband, opening up some berry flavored yogurt each morning before he heads out to work. Me, I’m more particular (surprise, surprise!). The wholesome nature, the sustenance […]

I remember my grandma’s waldorf salad– an interesting mix of both fruit and vegetables, all mixed up with a paste-like dressing. I have never been a huge mayonnaise fan, but yet I was enthralled with the waldorf dressing. A little mayonnaise, a touch of whipped cream, could it be? Sweet yet tangy, light and lustrous, […]

When we moved to New York, we lost our outdoor space, that tiny patch of land, right outside our front door where Brian and I grew a sorry collection of succulents. We also lost our BBQ. But have no fear, I have a stovetop grill pan. And with that pan comes my latest fixation, the […]

Most of the time I am a thin pancake girl. Almost crispy around the edges, eggy and delightful in the center, and cooked all the way through, yes, when it comes to pancakes I definitely play favorites. Growing up my mom would make delicious, silver dollar, banana pancakes. All of the ingredients were whirred around […]

Tart from the lemon, sweet from the fresh figs, smooth from the cream, and spicy from the chiles. This pasta dish can be described using any one of these adjectives, but I guess I would just call it amazing. I love fresh figs, the gentle crunch from the interior seeds, the sweet nectar of the […]

When I saw this recipe in August’s issue of Martha Stewart Living, I thought it was one that I would have to try. Some of you may remember that Martha and I have a rather contentious relationship. As I thumb through the pages of the magazine, gazing at the beautifully styled food, and wondering just […]

Maybe it is just certain octogenarians I have run into, but most of them do two things: talk about their health, and talk about the weather. And now that I have moved to New York, a place that actually has weather and seasons, I find myself doing the same thing (at least the weather part). […]

Usually I tend to be a rather shy person, quiet until I really get to know a person. But take me to a grocery store, and I get positively verbose. I love to chat with strangers in the check-out line about what they are buying. It is very voyeuristic. For those moments you get a […]

One of my earliest “cooking” memories is making popsicles with my mother. Mom had this set of popsicles moulds, nothing special, just empty, oblong shaped moulds, each with a brightly colored, reusable popsicle stick. Intended for children, they even had cut-outs of circus animals emblazoned on the stick. We never made outrageous frozen treats– simply […]