Recent Posts

Rustic Portuguese-Style Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage

Rustic Portuguese-Style Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage

This recipe can be the start of many improvisations on its theme.  I always appreciate an easy, mix-and-match, recipe that’s built for flexibility depending upon what might be on hand. By now we have grown accustomed to making swaps to recipes, old and new, based…

Pear Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Pear Cranberry Upside Down Cake

2020’s Holiday Season will be different for most of us. Scaled back. Way back in our family. I usually bake in volumes (well more than usual volumes) whilst we enjoy gatherings and gifting with friends and family. Sometimes my holiday baking projects are fancy but…

Soba Noodle Soup with Salmon and Broccoli

Soba Noodle Soup with Salmon and Broccoli

Working from home for eight months at this point, and into the foreseeable future, has meant preparing lunch at home too.  Most days I cobble together a plate of leftovers, but sometimes making lunch from scratch is the way to go. Eating out for lunch…

Chile Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Delicata Squash

Chile Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Delicata Squash

Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts and delicata squash are a clear signal we’re transitioning from summer to autumn meals.  This is my third published recipe using delicata squash in as many years  (check out here and here for them), and we enjoy this seasonal favorite countess times…

Chocolate Coconut Tart

Chocolate Coconut Tart

It’s early September in Piedmont and it is rough going outside for myriad reasons.  There’s the pandemic.  Unhealthy air quality due to the wildfires.  And an excessive heat wave with record-breaking temperatures.  If there was ever a time when I had to rely upon preparing…

Five-Spice Rubbed Chicken with Fresh Plum Sauce

Five-Spice Rubbed Chicken with Fresh Plum Sauce

Over five months into the shelter-in-place, pandemic kitchen and I am missing the variety of meal options we usually enjoy.  I particularly miss shopping for foods, fresh and prepared, from the diverse variety of global foods readily available in the Bay Area. A recent craving…

Diana Kennedy’s Arroz a la Mexicana

Diana Kennedy’s Arroz a la Mexicana

Diana Kennedy is one of my culinary s-heroes.  Back in May when I learned of the opportunity to watch the documentary film Diana Kennedy:  Nothing Fancy from my pal Gabrielle, I ordered the movie rental that day (via Rafael @ Home) and signed up for…

Roasted Carrot Soup with Ginger and Turmeric

Roasted Carrot Soup with Ginger and Turmeric

One of the things I miss dearly from sheltering in place and physical distancing is not going to our local farmers markets.  I’m of the age where it’s better if I maximize caution in venturing out.  So, I’ve left shopping and selecting to others, most…

Apricot and Almond Tea Cake

Apricot and Almond Tea Cake

This is a bonafide pantry cake!  It was created as “Plan B” to my original idea for this month’s blog since the main ingredient for “Plan A” was not available due to restricted shopping and limited options.  It’s apropos to these days of sheltering-in-place with…

Korean-Style Spicy Chicken

Korean-Style Spicy Chicken

We’ve been sheltering in place around the Bay Area for several weeks.  I think there’s no time like the present to bring spice into our days that are blurring one into the next.  This chicken packs a spicy punch for a “Blursday” dinner and will…