Don’t you just love it when you are walking through the grocery store, list in hand, and you bump into a ridiculous deal that you just can’t pass up even though it doesn’t fit in with anything you were planning to make? Yesterday was one of those lucky days for me. Intending on just picking … Read more
Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the snake is looking to be a good one so far and last year, which happened to be my year, year of the Dragon, was a pretty darned good one. So to give a proper goodbye to the old and kick off the celebration for the new, I tried … Read more
I really can not help it, but even before I put the turkey in the oven for Thanksgiving, I am already contemplating what I am going to do with the leftovers. On the simple side, I love just a turkey sandwich on soft white bread smothered with mayonnaise. Or if I am in the mood … Read more
Just in time for Thanksgiving, here is one of my all-time favorite Fall dishes. The recipe was inspired by an African vegetable side dish I read a few years back in one of the many food magazines we subscribe to. I made a few tweaks, transformed it into a soup, and have been making it every … Read more
Crab season opens today here in the Bay Area and that can oly mean one thing – CIOPPINO time!!! Oh ya, cioppino time. I feel so bad for my friends that are allergic to shellfish because this is one of my favorite dishes of all time. Crab season comes along just when winter is starting … Read more
As Fall is in not-so-full effect, I am transitioning from the grill to the kitchen. Somewhere in between though, I typically find myself using the smoker this time of year. Of all the cooking vessels I use, I have to say I am the least proficient with this. Luckily, my last two attempts at ribs … Read more
I had never heard of a lemon cucumber before, let alone seen one, so when our neighbor gave us a few from their garden along with a bushel of tomatoes, it took me a couple of days to figure out what the heck to do with them. The first thing I did was cut one … Read more
New Mexico is one State that has still managed to elude me. I have yet to step foot in this state – not even a drive through or layover. So when a friend of mine sent me a recipe for a dish called Clams Lucifer from some restaurant she visited there, I was intrigued. Reading … Read more
Again, I find myself at the Asian market shopping for seafood that I just can’t find at the major grocery chains. This time the target is whole squid and, luckily, they had plenty. My intention was to make black ink rice for a paella dish, but that subject will be left for another day. With … Read more
Thinking back to my childhood, I remember Sundays as a day when we would most likely have a roast or some form of a meal that maybe took a little longer than beans & wieners or SOS. Subconsciously, I guess I continue to do this in my house as it seems to be the day … Read more