What is Food Writing?
What is food writing? I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week, since I was part of a panel of food journalists at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. It was for an Introduction to Hospitality class with about 70 students. Besides myself, there was Mike Dunne, former restaurant critic and wine writer for [...]
Summer Tart Reinvented
Fresh figs, creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions and arugula- who can go wrong with such flavorsome items found on many a menu. The perfect base for this summer vegetable tart is a buttery ground almond crust brushed with rich berry or fig jam. Finish the picture drizzling a balsamic or fruit reduction sauce and DaVinci [...]
Term of the Week: Gluten Intolerance
I’ve been wondering lately about gluten intolerance. It seems like everyone is selling gluten-free products these days. So I did a little research to learn more about what gluten intolerance means and whether there really are more people out there who need gluten-free products. This is what I learned: Some people have a wheat allergy, [...]
Best Friend Fridays at Sierra 2 Center
Wouldn’t it be fun to get people together Friday after work to kick off the weekend? And at the same time build community and relationships? That’s just what Terri Shettle, Executive Director of the Sierra 2 Center and Neighborhood Association, a Curtis Park based non-profit is doing. The idea behind Best Friend Fridays is a [...]
Stubborn Brats Taste Good
Sacramento has some new brats, courtesy of Testa Duro Salumi. Made by chef Jason Azevedo, these sausages really stand out for their authentic flavor and texture. My husband grew up eating German bratwurst and he loved the fine texture and flavoring. Testa Duro brats are flavored with ginger and nutmeg, instead of allspice, which many [...]
Cackleberries – Term of the Week
“There’s nothing like cackleberries on a fine-morning like this!” I turned to Jim, an inquisitive look on my face. Sitting in the kitchen with the in-laws recently, I felt groggy from the additional glass of wine consumed but I knew I heard him say cackleberry. What the heck is a cackleberry? The first time Jim [...]
Unprocessed October
This magnificent Sunday was unprocessed for me, and for 300 or so others who’ve decided to take the challenge for the month. I’m talking about paying attention, thinking about nourishing oneself. No there won’t be any processed food in this house during the month. I’m busy eating unprocessed. Think about it. If you go to [...]
Tomato Canning, The First Batch
45 minutes after I’d put seven-pint jars of tomatoes into a water bath, I removed them to a white towel on the counter. Uh-oh. I saw red on the towel. Uh-oh. One of the jars continued to bubble inside like a recently poured glass of champagne. Bummer. The tomatoes floated to the top with the [...]
Pistachio Pesto à la Kris
Talk seems to always loop back around to food. Like a cat taunting a mouse- circling, pursuing then whacking it about before reeling it back in. Could be an amusing find, a newly discovered item or something revisited- the topic is inevitably exposed. Such was the case recently catching up with my friend Kris. I [...]
United States of Arugula
Lynn and I recently joined a book club dedicated to food books. I hate to say “foodie” club, since that doesn’t seem accurate. We’re all interested in cooking and eating, but also in learning more about the history and literature of food. So the first assignment was to read The United States of Arugula: The [...]
