Crisp autumn air means the start of baking season for me, although I can rationalize a quick baking project on even the warmest summer days. In our house cookies reign. I saw this recipe in a recent newsletter feed and it got me thinking…
In the span of a recent week I had been out for dinner several times and, upon slight reflection, I realize I ordered meatballs every time. Three meals, three orders of meatballs! The selections were of a Mediterranean bent, Italian, Greek, etc. and all equally…
A VEGAN recipe? Well yes, but I haven’t done a 180-degree turnabout from my preferred eating habits. I recently created this egg and dairy-free recipe for a hostess gift to a dear friend who is seriously allergic to both. I brought them to a…
For years, actually decades, my family owned the Chinese restaurant within the large Roseville, California farmers market. One of our keys to success was everything we prepared used fresh, quality ingredients and all dishes were from scratch. This included making our own stock from chicken…
We are finally getting our winter storms here – as I write in the first week of March it’s finally raining. Much needed raining! But previous bouts of warmer weather have brought some spring produce to market earlier than usual, and just in time to…
My publisher made a request for an orange loaf cake – he has a fond food memory of a cake his mother baked; redolent with orange in every bite, including on top of the cake. So off to my collection of classic cookbooks I went,…
Is it just me, or did September fly by? I must have been ecstatic last month, (“Time flies when you’re having fun…”). So it’s with a bit of a rush that I prepare this month’s Piedmont Pantry column for The Piedmont Post, because I blinked…
It’s time to get the grill going! We’ve got birthdays and Father’s Day cookouts planned at our house – and I’m hoping for a few fog-less evenings so we can enjoy a dinner al fresco. (Warm nights are not guaranteed here in the…
A walk around my neighborhood tells a tale of bumper crop lemons. I am only seeing front yards, and they are laden with lemons! This quick loaf cake recipe uses only the lemon rind, leaving you with options for using the juice. I…
Paula Wolfert is a culinary icon, and one I admire greatly. You’ve seen her inspired recipes from me before, as her focus has been flavors of the Mediterranean; a climate much like ours here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Paula has been…