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 [...]
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 [...]
Blueberry Goat Cheese Galette
Figs and goat cheese are two of my favorites. Add a glass of Sancerre and you’re in for a treat. I recently put my favorite fig aside and tried blueberries with creamy goat cheese layered in a pastry crust. This is my new choice for an anytime galette. Blueberries and goat cheese weren’t [...]
Padrón, The Frying Pepper
I first experienced Padrón peppers on a trip to Spain two years ago. Glancing at a just delivered plate that sizzled and glistened, our waiter asked what was next. “We’ll have that.” I said in my broken Spanish. I fell in love with the Padrón all over again on my recent trip. Named after Padrón, [...]
Zucchini Parmesan Bread
Here we are in July, and it feels like spring outside–low 80s, a light breeze, and tomato plants just starting to flower. Despite the lack of tomatoes, there are some plants in the garden that love this weird summer weather and none more so than the zucchini. I’m only allowed to have one plant each [...]
Pie Party: Lime Chiffon with Blueberries
When I heard about the Pie Party being organized online by Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl and her friends, I knew I had to participate. I grew up eating pie, although I admit I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have then. Now, I’ve come to realize that my mother makes the flakiest crust [...]
Watermelon Popsicles
I grew up slurping Otter Pops and staining my tongue neon blue. These days, I’d rather color my lips with blueberries—especially frozen into an icy popsicle. I’ve had some of the best popsicles recently from FatFace, the genius gourmet treats from Jaymes Luu. She’s had a stand at the Davis Farmers’ Market for a few [...]
Making Minty Mojitos
At last–it’s warm outside again! I’ve been craving summer cocktails even though it hasn’t felt much like summer in the last month. So now that it’s finally heating up, I need to stock up on simple syrups. If you like to make cocktails, or even mocktails, simple syrup is a must-have ingredient. We use it [...]
Baking with Kids: Applesauce Muffins
I’ve been on a bit of a muffin kick lately, thanks to the weird weather. I suggested them in desperation one day when it was raining (again!) and we needed some warmth. Turns out, though, that muffins are great to bake with my daughter. She gets to stir, it’s an educational activity, and we both [...]
