Good eats at Palo Alto’s Reposado

Good eats at Palo Alto’s Reposado

Apr 4, 2014

Kid One recently started his First Real Job at a Palo Alto Tech Company, and this was the occasion of meeting him for lunch for the first time. I wanted to choose a place in advance; downtown Palo Alto is chock-full of restaurants and did not want to waste his hour walking around and deciding. Through the magic of Google Maps, I walked around online the night before. Resposado called out to me because we all like Mexican food and I can’t resist queso fundido. I figured it would be fine, maybe even pretty good. I wasn’t counting on it being fabulous.

Au gratin potatoes with spinach and gruyere

Au gratin potatoes with spinach and gruyere

Sep 9, 2013

This easy vegetarian meal tastes even better than it looks. Seriously. Yukon Gold potatoes layered with Gruyere cheese and spinach – and you can top it with a poached egg for a little extra somethin’ somethin’.

Friday night pizza night

Friday night pizza night

Sep 6, 2013

I’ve gotten into the habit of saving pizza nights for guests, because once I cure the pizza oven, make the dough, make the sauce, mince the vegetables, and precook whatever chicken or sausage I may feel like, it just seems like a lot of work when there...
Paleo dinner: beef and vegetable rolls

Paleo dinner: beef and vegetable rolls

Sep 5, 2013

My brother and several of my CrossFit friends are doing the 30-day Paleo Challenge that kicks off this weekend. More power to them; I don’t want to work that hard eliminating food groups from meal planning. But I realized that, with many gluten-free friends...
Pork egg roll with apple, carrot, and jicama

Pork egg roll with apple, carrot, and jicama

Sep 4, 2013

My first homegrown monster Mutsu apples inspired this recipe. Make your slaw in advance; you will have leftovers by design that are wonderful tossed with cashews on a lettuce or tortilla wrap with avocado. The first time I made these these egg rolls with fresh fried...
Fast, hearty, and delicious chicken, leek, and artichoke penne

Fast, hearty, and delicious chicken, leek, and artichoke penne

Apr 8, 2013

Oh. My. Gosh. This improvised dinner that was absolutely, fabulously divine, with a hint of earthiness from the mushrooms, flavor from the leeks, and brightness from the artichoke hearts all coming together to coat the penne with love and delicioiusness. It’s easy to make, with a simple broth of just artichoke water, butter, and olive oil thickened with a bit of flour. Read on!

Fiction for foodies: Baking Cakes in Kigali

Fiction for foodies: Baking Cakes in Kigali

Jan 31, 2013

Every now and then I read a book that just perfectly illustrates how food as a theme unites all the people of the world. Baking Cakes in Kigali is one of those books. It’s most likely not a novel you’ve heard of; at least I hadn’t, although author...
Curried celery root soup

Curried celery root soup

Jan 21, 2013

Here’s a recipe for fabulous warming winter root vegetable soup recipe with celeriac and curry. It’s my delicious and divine interpretation of a soup we tried at Big Sur’s Nepenthe one night. Easily adaptable to a vegetarian diet and completely gluten-free. Enjoy!

Art, soup, and family: Nepenthe

Art, soup, and family: Nepenthe

Jan 14, 2013

Join me for visit to the studio of Big Sur artist Erin Lee Gafill topped with a bowl of Nepenthe’s delicious soup.

From French Chef to Fat Chef in fifty years

Apr 18, 2012

Fifty years ago Julia Child celebrated butter and cream, teaching us how to craft soufflés and beef Wellington on The French Chef. When her show was originally on the air, the average weight of an adult woman then was 140 pounds. In 1997 the International Federation...
Tasty yuzu stir-fry recipe

Tasty yuzu stir-fry recipe

Feb 21, 2012

The tube of yuzu paste a friend brought me back from Japan a few months ago had been mocking me from the refrigerator door for several months. It was something I’d never encountered before; it has in intriguing sweetly sour, citrus and chili flavor that...