Once a year on his birthday, my husband, born without a sweet tooth, wants dessert. But not just any dessert. He’s not a fan of chocolate (what??), so that rules out most anything I’d pick. He likes lemon, so we generally do some sort of not-sweet lemon cake. But what he really loves is butterscotch pudding.
Fresh cranberries are everywhere this time of year, and I love their sweet-tart punch. Plus, they’re a potent antioxidant and pack a ton of Vitamin C and fiber. But what does one really do with them, besides make a cranberry sauce or relish for Thanksgiving (one that looks pretty, but no one really eats, that […]
Apple picking has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. My auntie used to take us every year when we were kids, to the orchards of Oak Glen or Tehachapi, in Southern California. We’d come home with bushels of apples, and she’d go into apple processing overdrive. Apple butter, apple […]
Even as a kid, I was not a Kraft mac & cheese girl. The neon orange color and lack of any discernible cheese confused me. Give me a layer of melty, crispy cheese on top of some noodles, and now we’re talking. But even then, I’d probably rather just have the melted cheese, or real pasta with loads of salty pecorino. So I did not rush out to create a healthier version of good old mac & cheese. Until I had kids, that is.
The end of summer is technically right around the corner, yet the farmer’s markets in San Francisco are still bursting with peak summer produce. We seem to get everything late, including summer – we’re just now finally getting the streaks of warm weather, without the daily fog invasion. September is the month we look forward […]
We don’t do cow’s milk in my house. Which is sort of sacrilegious, considering that my grandparents and great-grandparents were dairy farmers, and my mom literally grew up on a dairy farm. But it just doesn’t sit well with my tummy, so I started experimenting with alternate milks years ago. Soy grossed me out, and the early […]
I have hundreds of cookbooks. Literally. I’m sort of addicted. Can’t stop buying new ones. I read them cover to cover, like a novel, before bed usually. I plaster them with sticky notes, tagging recipes, plotting out a meal agenda for the coming week, month, year. I know, total food nerd, right? The funny thing is, I almost never follow a recipe exactly.
There is something about broccoli that repels children (and many adults). Maybe it’s the slight stink, or that their first introduction is either raw florets on a crudite platter (when not even ranch dip can make it palatable), or steamed/boiled to a mushy mess (also not good). But when done right, broccoli can be divine! […]
I was never much of a baker before I had kids. I don’t have a huge sweet tooth myself, and I find the precise, unforgiving nature of baking a bit daunting – I’m an intuitive, free-form cook, and following directions is not my strong suit. But somehow I’ve created a cookie monster in my 4-year old son, and the beast must be fed…
I know, I know. This blog is titled Wine with DINNER and my very first post is about neither wine nor dinner. But stick with me, I promise I haven’t led you astray. This blog is really about a balanced approach to enjoying the culture of the table (food, wine and all), on a […]
