The Scent of A City
I met Maryellen Burns over a year ago. Our meetings and conversations became frequent as we discovered our common interest in food. Not to mention her extensive Sacramento area food history knowledge (she can paint pictures that take you back to what it was like and make you smile), she’s a lively character, great cook [...]
The Traveling Tajine Project: Take Two
I wrote previously about this neat project, where a different person gets a cooking tajine for each month this year (thanks Garrett!). We just have to cook with it and write about our experiences. So last time, I made a basic Chicken Tajine for the Oven. This time around, I wanted to adapt a lamb [...]
Eating in a Heat Wave
What is with this heat? How can you bear to eat anything but ice cream when it’s this hot? (Not that I discourage that desire, of course.) But if you want to eat something that isn’t sweet, have I got a tip for you–Charleston Chicken-Pecan Salad. It’s from my cookbook and I’ve made at least [...]
Support a Local Author!
You may have seen the link on the right side of our blog for a while, but my first cookbook, Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People is out and available! All of the recipes are easy to put together and then need no watching or stirring as they cook. There are lots of [...]
Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches with Honey Chutney
Demonstrated today at the State Fair Honey Chutney 1 pear, cored and coarsely chopped ½ cup (about 10) chopped dried apricots ½ cup (about chopped stemmed dried figs 1/3 cup alfalfa honey ¼ cup fresh orange juice ¼ cup white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ to ½ [...]
Chicken-Pear Calzones
Hands Off: 25 minutes Calzones are essentially a larger version of empanadas, which are little meat pies made all over South America and the Caribbean. You’ll often find them made there with beef and onions, olives, or peppers. The Argentineans like to add fruit like pears and peaches, though, and I like the idea of [...]
Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Salad with Homemade Croutons
This is a great way to try a variety of colors and types of heirloom tomatoes. Choose the ripest ones available. To make this vegetarian, leave out the chicken or add another summer vegetable to the mix, like zucchini or eggplant. 3 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 teaspoons red wine [...]
