urban farm & house remodel (update dec 2011; Part 1)
We moved into our home last Aug 2010; it has been just over a year of ‘fixing’ and converting our little plot into a cozy home and urban farm. Last summer (2010) when we were house-hunting in Seattle, we knew we could only afford a fixer-upper and our goal was to look beyond the house and size up the yard. We aimed to build an urban farm and the more dirt we found to play in: the better. We giddily found and bought our city plot of land, with plenty of dirt for crops, farm animals and a greenhouse.… [more]
4 Comments - your turn to talk!12 Days of Christmas: 12 Easy Appetizers
The 12 APPS of CHRISTMAS
I recently held a class on appetizers; my challenge was to come up with easy to assemble appetizers that maximize flavor while minimizing time. I probably could have presented half a dozen, but what with the spirit of Christmas I couldn’t help myself: 12 appetizers for the ’12 Days of Christmas.’ (Just click on links to find recipes). Next, I organized them according to need: 4 make ahead appetizers, 4 easy to assemble appetizers and 4 last minute apps. I hope you just laughed and rubbed your hands together. I know I… [more]
2 Comments - your turn to talk!holiday cheer: product shout-outs plus TWO giveaways!!
There is always a flurry of products to review, showcase and ‘list’ for holiday shopping. Companies reach out, aiming to be noticed in the middle of the holiday noise. I admittedly delete a lot of them—mostly those that don’t interest me or ‘fit’ with my blog (diet water? frozen dinners? health pills?), but sometimes a few hang out in my inbox due to my curiosity. Some companies send me samples, and a few have put me on a plane so I can ‘meet the farmer’ or vintner or chef. I love that.
This post is a tribute to just… [more]
16 Comments - your turn to talk!risotto. with winter vegetables.
Living in Italy for a year meant I had a lot of time to focus on food, roam food markets and notice which foods ‘grew together’ at different times of the year. Right now any combination of winter vegetables would happily co-mingle on top of a plate of risotto. Kale and chard, carrots, brussel sprouts and onions… winter squash, yams, sweet potatoes. Toss in some raisins or nuts for crunchy or sweet notes… I love indulging in sweet potatoes and roast them up so I can plunk them atop my risotto.
Tips. When I am about to make… [more]
Leave a comment!whiskey bread pudding
This Thanksgiving I made 3 desserts. It seems like a lot, but then again long, lovely meals are about lingering at the table. And the more desserts you have to try—the longer you will sit and enjoy. I firmly believe if ‘Thanksgiving’ and ‘desserts’ are in the same sentence: all bets are off. You can open your plate for business, pile it high, guffaw at nearby dieters. You can hit the gym Monday.
I made a classic apple pie—I had to make at least ONE pie lest they take my firstborn for ransom.
I made a [more]
2 Comments - your turn to talk!blackberry lemon drops
I made these recently. They might be bursting with summer flavors, but the deep reddish hue screams of fall/winter. Besides, you can make it with frozen blackberries and perhaps with a sprig of rosemary—or floating cranberries—it will look just like Christmas. For Halloween I made these in a large batch, put 1-2 drops of black food coloring to darken it—added licorice legs that hung over the martini’s edge—and it became the signature ‘Drunken Spider.’
Whether dressing these berries for summer, fall or winter—this is a great twist on the classic lemon drop.
Blackberry Lemon Drops
… [more]
how to roast garlic. and why you will want to.
Once you roast garlic you will never go back. It will be something you just have to do once in awhile—if just for the aroma.
I roast garlic to put into mashed potatoes, to make Tuscan White Bean Crostini and to tuck onto an appetizer plate next to a wedge of Cambazola. I just said ‘yes’ to teaching a one hour class to a room of professional women—their well-earned lunch break. Guess what the topic is? Easy to assemble appetizers for the holidays. There will be no oven, no kitchen facilities and honestly these hard-working… [more]
2 Comments - your turn to talk!Las Vegas Food & Wine All-Star Event: Best Bites & Sips #giveaway
About a month ago, I gushed my way through a few posts about the Food & Wine All-Star Tasting Event and my weekend at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas (Read about my Day 1, 2 and 3 or the low-down on Jean Georges Steakhouse). I cannot help but write one more post, to swoon a bit more over the best bites and sips of my foodie-filled weekend. And not just because I gloat: more importantly b/c… [more]
7 Comments - your turn to talk!thanksgiving dish re-invented: sweet potato goes gnocchi
I actually teach gnocchi-making, and sweet potato gnocchi is one of my favorite variations. The recipe is inspired by fellow Chef Iole. You pronounce it /ee oh lay/ and yes: she is Italian. You may or may not know this about me, but I have a great affinity for Italian food. It is one of my specialties; I like to tell people that living in Italy for a year taught me ‘a thing or two about tiramisu and ragu.’
One of my favorite ‘unnecessary’ cooking tools is gnocchi paddles (see picture). They look like miniature cheese boards with little… [more]
9 Comments - your turn to talk!roasted sweet potatoes with blue cheese
Just the other night friends came to dinner and I roasted carrots and turnips; often I roast new potatoes with shallots and wedges of fennel. Or under a big roasted chicken: fennel, onions, kalamata. You will see me lube up squash with olive oil, cut beets into uniform chunks and find thyme and fancy salts to sprinkle all over tomatoes, cauliflower or long, thick wedges of rustic potatoes. In summer I turn off my oven and turn on the grill—and then it is one big oil-lubing, salt-smattering veggie fest once again. But fall will always… [more]
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