Author: Deborah

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Mini-Frittatas

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Mini-Frittatas

Springtime means brunch time for many of us. And finally (Finally!) we are slated for dry and sunny days to gather with family and friends. Even if it’s for just hubby and me, I often make a frittata for our Sunday brunch. I make it…

Chicken Smothered in Onion and Mustard Sauce

Chicken Smothered in Onion and Mustard Sauce

Chilly, rainy days are still with us so hearty, warming meals are what’s on our table. This main dish comes together fairly quickly for a weeknight but can also be presented for a celebratory table.  (Especially if you add a few sprigs or slices of…

Pear Almond Olive Oil Cake

Pear Almond Olive Oil Cake

A recipe for an olive oil cake always catches my eye and piques my curiosity. I love them because they bake with a moist and tender crumb and keep for a day or so with little diminution of these ideal traits. It is still citrus…

Chana Dal Vegetable Soup

Chana Dal Vegetable Soup

The recent cold snap, followed by days of atmospheric river rains, have landed me back to the pantry for meal inspiration. Fortunately, I keep a cache of pulses (the edible seed from a legume plant) for just these situations. Channa dal is a type of…

Parmesan Rosemary Shortbread

Parmesan Rosemary Shortbread

These savory shortbread cookies would be right at home on your cheese board where I’d also nestle a few roasted almonds nearby.  We enjoy these from lunch time to cocktail time, anytime the mood strikes. And their salty-sweetness goes dangerously well with a flute of…

Piedmont Persimmon Coffee Cake

Piedmont Persimmon Coffee Cake

Persimmon trees are very common in Bay Area backyards. I’m fortunate to have neighbors on two sides with persimmon trees. One is the Fuyu variety, round and squat, best eaten crunchy like an apple and usually raw as well. The other is the Hachiya variety…

Autumn Brown Rice Salad

Autumn Brown Rice Salad

Autumn in the Bay Area brings delightfully mild, sunny days. While autumn produce has made an appearance at markets, I’m not ready to fully dive into hearty fare just yet. This brown rice salad uses autumn produce but is welcomed on lunch and dinner plates…

Peaches and Cream Cake

Peaches and Cream Cake

This is my version of a German-style peach kuchen. My recipe is written on a three-by-five inch recipe card in a penmanship style I abandoned decades ago. All to say, I no longer recall the origin of this particular recipe to give it proper acknowledgement.…

Summertime Fresh Corn and Zucchini Frittata

Summertime Fresh Corn and Zucchini Frittata

Farmers markets have practically been screaming this combination for a quintessential summertime frittata.  There are so many interesting squashes from which to choose, but using zucchini brings a bright color contrast to the eggs and corn. Use this recipe as a guide and make substitutions…

Piedmont Plum Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Piedmont Plum Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Every summer we are gifted with a generous quantity of plums from our neighbors’ tree.  It was planted by previous owners, so we’re not sure of the variety.  We only know the tree is older and the plums are abundant, delicious, and juicy! So for…