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Balsamic Strawberries

Sweet & Savory My daughter, Zoe, made these strawberries over the weekend. It’s an Ina Garten recipe. She serves it over panacotta. They are great mixed with spinach or arugula and some goat cheese.  Another idea is to spread a cracker with some mascarpone and top it with the strawberries.  Balsamic vinegar and black pepper […]

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  January 26, 2010   No comments

All Day Pork Loin Chili

Winter Warming Comfort Food The weather in Southern California has gone crazy – torrential downpours, flooding, mudslides, thunder, lighting, water spouts / tornados. It’s very unusual, given that we are always coping with draught conditions in Los Angeles. People do not know how to drive, put up an umbrella, get out of the car, select […]

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  January 22, 2010   No comments

Breakfast in a Can!?

I know we live in the land of conveniece, but this is crazy – yes, I bought some!  I really couldn’t help myself.  The nutrition label says each can contains 8 servings, and it’s carries the USDA “Organic” stamp. Gee, if it’s organic, it must be good for you! The Batter Blaster website comes with a video […]

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  January 21, 2010   1 comment

Baking Debunked

My daughter, Zoe, got this amazing book called Baking by James Peterson.  The book features over 300 recipes and 2000 illustrations.  Good technique combined with thousands of step-by-step photographs set James Peterson’s Baking apart from other dessert books. Unlike so much work done in the kitchen, baking demands perfect chemistry and precision, and Peterson provides […]

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  January 20, 2010   No comments

Beef Wellington

Valentine’s Day Dinner I think going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day is dumb, ditto New Year’s Eve.  You pay twice as much for a mediocre meal and free “all you can down”, cheap champagne or a headache in a flute!  No thanks. Traditionally, my husband, Eric, puts on a tux, the girls get all […]

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  January 19, 2010   1 comment

Artichoke Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Grill Me Up Some Jalapeños! My best foodie friend, Chris, introduced me to the chile grill.  Probably one of the coolest low tech culinary pieces of equipment I own.  You can use it on the grill or in the oven.  It is made by a company called Iron Desert.  The come in all shapes and sizes, like […]

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  January 18, 2010   No comments

Help for Haiti

It’s really hard to think about food when there are people alive, hungry and trapped under rubble in Haiti.  From the Red Cross: “Text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate. 100% of your $10 donation passes thru to @RedCross for Haiti relief. Your cell carrier keeps nothing.  Enter Haiti Earthquake in the subject line.

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  January 15, 2010   No comments

Beurre Blanc

A Smooth Operator My husband–who is one and of my greatest supporters and honest critics–hates to cook, which is odd since he studied cooking at one of Europe’s great culinary schools, Le Cordon Bleu.  He can be coaxed into the kitchen occasionally and his favorite thing to make is Beurre Blanc sauce.  At Le Cordon Bleu they told him that […]

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  January 14, 2010   3 comments

Cock ‘n Bull’s Welshman’s Rabbit

Wabbit Season Last weekend we had 2 pieces of stale bread and a suspect tomato. My husband, Eric, made lunch. We could not have grilled cheese, so he made Welshman’s Rarebit. A dish from Wales made with old cheese melted on toasted bread. Often called Welsh rabbit because it is thought the people of Wales […]

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  January 13, 2010   1 comment