Vintage KFC bucket sign, San Jose
Now that Kid One is living in San Jose, I have a good reason for heading “over the hill” more than once in a blue moon. One thing I’ve discovered is that San Jose has done a great job preserving historic signs. I posted this one from mStephen’s Meat Products a while back. Here’s one near Kid One’s flat – an old Colonel Sanders bucket marking a KFC and Taco Bell next to Zanotto’s Market near the Rose Garden. I love it for the food history preserved here.
Recipe for foolproof pizza dough
Here’s my tried-and-true recipe for foolproof pizza dough. It’s fast, easy, and quite delicious. Bookmark this page for perfect pizza every time.
Special sh#% holiday gift shopping
I saw these bottles and thought it was TOTAL GENIUS marketing. A Texas company called Special Sh$% is making all sorts of seasonings and gift packs, just in case you - or a close frenemy - need a little bit of savory sh&^ in your life. (Or your kitchen.) I can't...
Côte Brasserie, St. Christopher’s Place, London
History sometimes finds tiny, unexpected ways to repeat itself. During a brief business trip through London this past May, LL ate his first dinner and first breakfast at Côte Brasserie. In the spirit of exploring, he wandered out on a warm Thursday evening from his tiny soundproof room at the Marriott in Grovesnor Square toward Oxford Street and Marylebone to see what there was to see. As we were fresh from a family Mr. Selfridge binge, he was happily surprised to stumbled across the store itself and texted me photos. He called from St. Christopher’s Place to tell me about this great little restaurant he’d found.
Social Eating House, London
When visiting a city for just 4 days, and not just a city, but a bustling global capital with an exploding gastronomic scene, a city that’s made up of an entire world of food, how do you ever begin to decide where to eat? Where to spend your limited time and dollars to maximum enjoyment? How to determine in advance if a meal has a chance of living up to its promise? Fortunately, epic is what we found at the Social Eating House.
A world of food in one city
On the recent occasion of my first-ever evening in London: I walked down a street named for the patron saint of travelers. Walked past Lebanese, Chinese, Mexican, and Turkish restaurants, past sushi and tapas and burgers, before eating French and Italian food served by a Spanish woman named Melina. I thought I’d gotten around a bit for a girl raised in the heartland. Alaska and Hawaii, Canada and Mexico, France and Italy. I thought I understood “diversity.” But London! London is in a class of its own. London showed me what “multicultural” really looks like.
Back to my blog
I remember reading some “blogging rules” list way back when I started Life in a Skillet. The only one that stuck with me was “Never apologize for missing a post.” The reason was basically that we all have busy lives – things to do, places to go, people to see – and when it comes right down to it, no one will miss you if you miss a post. I may have taken that a bit too much to heart. I discovered that people DO notice. (Hi Mom!) Most recently my next-door neighbor stopped by and said she really loved reading Life in a Skillet, and why did I stop? Why, indeed.
Beyond Meat Beefy Crumble Tacos
I was excited for this opportunity to test Beyond Meat, a new plant-based sustainable meat substitute, and found that the Fiesta flavor crumbles make a delicious taco topping. Click here for my recipe.
Everything Eats: Humpback Whales in the Monterey Bay
This is a humpback whale, lunge feeding less than 20 yards from shore near New Brighton State Beach in Santa Cruz County. The humpbacks showed up a month or so ago, following massive schools of anchovies into the Monterey Bay. I used to get a thrill seeing far-distant spouts from the beach. I never expected to see such majesty so close to shore.
Because an “amuse bouche” should actually be amusing
There are some things – images, tastes, sounds – that separate the forest and the trees, the dancer and the dance, the beautiful and the sublime. You stumble across them in the most unlikely moments, making every encounter with magnificence that much more magnificent.
Here is one of those things – the most “amusing” amuse bouche ever.
Recipe: Balsamic zucchini “chips” with garlic and almonds
Experimenting with the fruits of our backyard zucchini harvest paid off with this improvised recipe for zucchini “chips” with garlic, almond, and balsamic vinegar. Mmmmm. And it’s delicious year-round.
Recipe: Watermelon salad for a summer BBQ
A Memorial Day weekend spent trying to refinish the kitchen cabinets is livened up with this perfect summer watermelon salad.
Welcome to my skillet!
I'm Maggie, a food-loving, curiosity-seeking, nature-loving mom. I'm here serving up bite-sized recipes, raves, and reviews about food and family, food and culture, food and the environment, and food and travel. Thanks for stopping by!
