Hyperbolic ruminations on food and film
Oh my, do I love salad. Of all kinds. Cobb Salad, Antipasto Salad (coming soon), Cole Slaw, Greek Salad, Salad Nicoise, Panzanella (OMG), Tabbouleh, Caprese… I can’t get enough. And while my ‘last meal’ would probably include a Caesar Salad, ultimately my favorite salad is a green salad. Of a very specific kind. One reason […]
Read MoreMy favorite season is Fall for a variety of reasons, not least of which is I look best in fall clothes and it’s all about me. Summer is wonderful, however, because summer means fresh vegetables everywhere. If a bounty of fresh veg doesn’t mean happiness to you, you haven’t been served vegetables the right way. I have a good […]
Read MoreIt seems odd posting about winter dishes when it’s almost 90 degrees outside and looks like this: Ah, Southern California! Whatever the temperature, it is still winter and for most of the country, a soul-warming bowl of goodness is a perfect dinner. Actually, this kind of dinner sounds wonderful to me even when it’s 90 degrees out. Risotto used […]
Read MoreAs readers of the blog know, I have a more than a few obsessions, chicken being one of them. It follows that eggs are also an obsession. I eat eggs virtually every morning. Along with coffee, there is no better way to start your day. Let me then give you one of my favorite breakfasts, a […]
Read MoreMay I introduce you to your new best friend, a perfect side partner to innumerable dishes including the next recipe that will come up on the blog. This delightment is so good you will even be tempted to eat it alone. Alone meaning by itself. Alone meaning when no one else is around because you will want it […]
Read MoreOccasionally in life you meet someone who truly changes your life. This happened to me in 1998 when I decided the time was right to buy a house. On the advice of a friend, I met with a realtor, Phyllis Harb, who took me on as a client. Two and a half dizzying weeks later […]
Read MoreI am blessed with three wonderful sisters, Diane, Jeanye and Ruth. They came into my life in my 20’s, when my mother remarried after my father died. I’ve had many wonderful and hilarious times with all three ever since. They are the best. Jeanye and I are addicted to cards and will play for hours […]
Read MoreFrom Thanksgiving stuffing to Christmas Cocktails, ’tis the season! I have a number of blog posts lined up but have been so busy I cannot find time to finish any of them. Sounds like a good New Years Resolution… “Finish Blog Posts!” Of course the effect any resolution has on me is less than nil. […]
Read MoreStuffing! There are few things I love more than Thanksgiving. And there are few things I love more on Thanksgiving than stuffing. Just in time for the big day, then, a stuffing post. Or do you call it dressing?? We grew up calling it stuffing. Even though we never stuffed a bird. My mom thought it […]
Read MorePeople keep asking which cookbooks they should buy. If you take a look at the photo below, you can see I am as good as person to ask as any! So I decided I would do a few posts about how to practically build your cookbook library. It should be noted that the photo below was taken […]
Read MoreLast year I wrote about Cookbook Night, a day/night when my great friend Tiffiny and I pick a cookbook we’ve not tried, spend all day making many dishes out of the cookbook, then have people over to gorge on the new recipes. We’ve been doing this for a while; it’s a day the two of us can […]
Read MoreLast year’s ‘Food for your 4th‘ was such a hit, I figured I might as well give you more choices. Hopefully posting in time to prep for your celebration, here are some favorites that cannot be beat! DESSERT *CAFE GRATITUDE’S RAW LEMON CHEESECAKE This year, let’s start with the sweet. Let me introduce you to a wonderful […]
Read MoreIt’s time again for a little Southern Catholic guilt to encourage (shame) you away from the pre-made and towards something homemade, healthier… and better! It’s Volume III of ‘Never, Ever, Ever…!” Just what you have been waiting for, I am sure. As a reminder, Vol. I involved vinaigrette. Vol. II was broth. Today I give you Vol. III…tomato sauce! […]
Read MoreI’m having a difficult time believing it is ‘that time of year’ again. Time seems to move so fast. 2013 may have zipped by much too quickly but not without encountering great food and film that deserves mention. Behold, my second annual ‘best of’ list, with the usual extras. FILM Movies first! 2013 was terrific for cinema. […]
Read MoreEven though it is freezing cold and there are no fresh spring or summer vegetables flooding farmers’ markets and grocery stores, you can still enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures: the salad. I’ve been a fanatic for salad as long as I can remember, all kinds. Even the simplest of salads, correctly prepared, can be […]
Read MoreI wanted to give you a few ideas for Thanksgiving, easily my favorite holiday of the year. I wrote last year about Christmas which, as an overall season, certainly is the my favorite. But when it comes to a single holiday, Thanksgiving reigns supreme. There is no better day to throw open wide the doors […]
Read More3 years ago I traveled to France with my great friend, the lovely Stacey Batzer, for a week long cooking class with Patricia Wells, about whom I’ve written here. The entire week remains a highlight of my cooking adventures, in part because of all the people we met in our group. One of the couples in […]
Read MoreI grew up in one of those neighborhoods that now must seem alien to many. We had a lot of kids in the neighborhood, quite a few my own age and we all pretty much ran free with little or no oversight. In the summertime, for instance, it was not strange to leave home after […]
Read MoreMy good friend Tiffiny Federico is a great cook. She’s a better cook than I, frankly. Tiffiny is also a schoolteacher. When in school, she has very little time. About 5 or 6 years ago, bemoaning our inability to spend quality time together, we came up with an idea: have a cooking day where we […]
Read MoreIt’s still summertime, which means the Farmer’s Market remains filled with fruits and vegetables available only this time of year. I know, I know, we discussed this already here. But we haven’t talked Squash Blossoms, something truly unique and wonderful with which you can cook in the late summer. As any gardener will tell you, […]
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