family - Life in a Skillet: food, family, culture

Feeding the Spirit at Soif

Apr 15, 2017

I discovered Soif Wine Bar & Merchants at the end of one of Those Weeks. Kid One was too sick to go to school, but well enough to want to make things. Like marble-and-wire wizard rings and dried apple mandrake heads from a wizard how-to book Grandma got him for his last birthday. Kid Two was sick, too, but well enough to rub clay-dough into the rug and blame it on his brother. Errands and chores multiplied at dizzying speed; on top of the usual dry cleaning, shoes needed repair, and the broken washing machine wouldn’t be fixed for a week.

Riva House Reminiscences

Feb 22, 2017

Every family needs a dependable, kid-friendly restaurant, one with enough of a variety of menu items to interest the adults and familiar enough for children. Ours was Riva House. Our family Riva House tradition goes back to when LL and I were dating, and we would stop in for spring rolls, clam chowder and a glass of wine at the bar to visit with a friend who worked there.

Reinventing the Crepe

Jan 31, 2017

I had lunch at The Crepe Place with a friend who has been doing a great deal of her own cooking lately. She has been busy reinventing the “comfort food” of her childhood into dishes that are, well, healthier. We started with a pot of chai at one of the small tables against the wall in the back room, and she told me about her latest meal reincarnations. Hamburger Helper evolved into turkey sausage with brown rice and peas.

The Amazing Texas-Toast-Bacon-and-Egg-Sandwich

May 5, 2014

Kid Two still loves Texas toast but along the way has acquired a taste for paninis with egg and baby greens with a bit of cheese. It was only a matter of time before he decided to try and combine the buttery crunchiness of Texas toast with savory eggy-ness of his...

One pot meal: chicken-garlic-rice

Mar 13, 2014

This is an easy one-pot meal featuring a whole chicken, lots of garlic, and rice cooked slowly together. Try this when you are looking for a hearty but easy family meal.

Barbecued chicken and gouda pizza

Sep 20, 2013

Tangy barbecue sauce, rich gouda, crunchy tart red onion, and savory chicken . . . one of my favorite combos for Friday pizza night. For any pizza night, really. Here is the lightly topped thin crust in the pizza oven: And the finished pie ready to slice: Delicious!...

Monster mutsu apples, homegrown

Sep 4, 2013

This year’s crop of Mutsu apples are again enormous.

Ice cream bread is a real thing

Aug 28, 2013

(updated 9/28/2023) I thought the email that Downtown Tom forwarded me from a distant cousin was a joke – the one that said “ICE CREAM BREAD TWO INGREDIENT (no joke!)” in the subject line. He commented, “Don’t know if it’s a joke or...

Midnight in Juneau

Jul 15, 2013

Downtown Tom and Grandma Juju, and my sister’s family just got home from an Alaskan cruise, what sounds like a fabulous, relaxing time during which they waved at grizzly bears on the beach, watched whale flukes on Glacier Bay, hunted for John Brown’s...

First fish

Jun 10, 2013

A quick stop at Day’s Market for a bag of ice was the daily de rigueur in the sailboat days of our early marriage. No refrigerator on the Ericson 30 we called home, just a deep insulated box under the speck of formica counter that needed constant replenishment...

Mystery dinner?

May 11, 2013

So THIS is what the Kids are up to when I’m not home to cook. I saw this mystery meal after downloading the photos on my camera; the home-cooked fare I missed going to see the Stones. Kids cooking for themselves. Nice job, guys: Mind if I steal the...

Happy Birthday Grandma Juju!

Apr 16, 2013

Today is my mother’s 70th birthday. She loves flowers almost as much as she loves her grandchildren; since I couldn’t be there to celebrate in person, I was happy to find this clever floral birthday cake to fete her: She has been blessed with four...