Clamming In Bodega Bay
Geez! Is it really 2:45 a.m.? Am I crazy? I think a minute. No, I’m not. I really want to go clamming. The day began at this ungodly hour. Picked up Christine and we headed to Bodega Bay to meet forager extraodinare Hank Shaw and nine other people to learn the art of clamming. There’s [...]
Candied Sunflower Seeds
Just sweet enough but not over done. That’s how I describe these candied sunflower seeds. When we were in Madrid last year I purchased such seeds from a market vendor. I’m not one for candied nuts but what possessed me was never having seen them. I went back five or six times before we left [...]
Breakfast Radish, Not Just For Breakfast
As a kid, we always had a garden. My dad cleverly utilized all available yard, planting things about and in between. The thing I do now, which he didn’t, is garden year around. Another thing he didn’t do is make pesto with radish greens. February was the start of my late-winter garden. What didn’t happen [...]
Date With A Date
Hadley Orchards is just outside Indio, California on Interstate 10. I went there once a year as a teen on my way to an annual horse show. The food highlight was a thick, creamy date shake, or should I say several date shakes each trip. Date shakes were mostly forgotten until a trip to [...]
Wine for Valentine’s
February. With the hectic holidays behind us and resolutions intact- or not- the month brings things to look forward to. For me, it’s picking out the perfect wine for Valentine’s dinner. This year it’s a bottle of Molino de Viento. Wine often has priority over food in our house. When that certain bottle speaks to [...]
Scenes to Remember
Food and travel adventures during 2011 were astounding. I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of this delivery scooter, complete with an insultated unit for pig parts. Then there was waking up to a memorable sunrise on the Mediterranean. People talk about sunsets mostly and while I relish a good one, there’s just something about the [...]
Minestrone with Runquist Wine
Crazy Northern California weather this past year confused many plants but the strength of Bacchus in the Amador and El Dorado county wine areas prevailed. New wineries surfaced while many established operations flourished, making stand out wines. In Amador County, I’ve particularly enjoyed wines from a small producer with an unwavering focus on reds, Jeff [...]
Italian Bread for the Holidays
Try this on for size: an easy yeasted bread, Italian in nature with nuts, figs and more that is wonderful toasted with butter for breakfast or eaten as an anytime snack. This is Bisciola. When I first discovered bisciola, pronounced bih-SHOAL-ah, it was presented as yeasted fruit and nut bread. I’ve come to find it’s [...]
The Ultimate Meal
Remembering those meals, the ones that made an imprint, the ones you can see and almost taste again with your eyes closed. The restaurants, the towns, the surroundings. Conversations, ambiance and that friendly wait person who contributed to your delightful evening by adding a little extra something. A big part of my travel is about [...]
