Basil is one of my favorite summer things. I think I could eat some combination of basil, tomato, and cheese everyday until fall and never be tired of it. I love to keep basil growing in our garden so that we have it on hand all summer long. Basil leaves are the tastiest when you … Continue reading Pesto!
The artichoke: a food I never understood as a child. I watched, horrified, when friends and relatives would pick apart their boiled, grey leaves and use them to scoop up gobs of mayonnaise before dragging each leaf between their teeth. I did not understand the appeal. Then one day, on a whim, I tumbled a few … Continue reading Grilled Artichokes
Some people bake great cakes. Some make beautiful pies. I am neither of those people. What I do make are brownies. Brownies that will knock your socks off. Fudgy, nutty, never-from-a-box brownies that can hold their own just as well with a glass of red wine as they can with an ice cold milk. Always … Continue reading Nutty Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies
Happy Autumn everyone! Here in the East bay, we are enjoying the very last harvest of our summer garden as the autumn weather begins to cool our days. Drying our excess tomato harvest allows us to enjoy these garden gems "sun dried" style in sauces and soups all winter long. I have been experimenting with … Continue reading “Sun” Dried Tomatoes
On a hot summer day, few things are as simple to make and as good to eat as a fresh caprese salad. All it takes is five minutes and six ingredients: Tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, salt and pepper. When making simple dishes like this, the key is to use fresh, high quality ingredients. I … Continue reading Caprese
The hot summer weather has brought around one of the best parts of keeping a garden: harvesting tomatoes! Growing up, I hated tomatoes. Tomato slices where cold, slimy, tasteless burger spoilers. They were pale, mealy, mushy sandwich ruiners. It wasn't till I was introduced to garden fresh, vine ripened, in season tomatoes in my early … Continue reading Tomatoes!
I wanted chocolate, so I made truffles. I love chocolate truffles. They were one of the very first things I learned to make as a teenager when I was taught by one of my very best friends. We had been tasked with making a small film project for a class that we shared and took … Continue reading Dark Chocolate Truffles
There is something about ripe strawberries, homemade shortcake and freshly whipped cream that complement warm summer evenings in a way no other dessert can. When I needed to whip up a treat to take to a Fourth of July BBQ, I grabbed a good strawberry shortcake recipe, dug out my 3" star cookie cutters and … Continue reading Star Spangled Strawberry Shortcake
There here!
Every so often, my body wakes up before my alarm sounds. I know this is shocking to those you who know I can sleep forever if not prodded out of bed. Sometimes, these mornings come about after an amazing nights sleep. I wake up feeling refreshed and the new day's sunlight glimmers on the windowsill … Continue reading Strawberry and Rosemary Tea Scones
I love strawberries. As a very small girl, I once sat and ate so many fresh strawberries that I broke out in a rash all over my little juice stained face. My mom loves to joke that this is why my hair is red. When the weather starts to turn warm and ripe berries flood the farmers markets and groceries … Continue reading Strawberries!!
The weekend of Memorial Day is upon us, the school year is ending and everyone is dusting off their BBQs. Summer is coming! Ahhh summer. Land of sunscreen and sunshine! Of camping, of beach days, of foggy San Francisco mornings! Yes fog! In fact, summer is one of our foggiest seasons! But what a beautiful … Continue reading Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Sometimes you just need a homemade cookie. Every family has one perfect cookie recipe that fills the house with the smell of baking butter and sugar and fills our hearts with joy. That just like so-and-so used to bake cookie magic that will cure any bad day. In our house, that recipe is for chocolate chip … Continue reading Chocolate Chip Cookies
We've all done it: bought a bunch of bananas at the store and failed to eat the last one or two before their peels have gone horribly brown. If you are like me, this quickly becomes a celebratory moment: fresh baked banana bread may soon be cooling on the counter. I have a habit of … Continue reading Whole Wheat Banana Bread
I love rainy days! Something about the steady drizzle of rain on my back window makes me want to cuddle up with a hot cup of tea, a fresh-baked goody and a favorite book. The cold rainy weather and my hankering for baking up something sweet felt like the perfect opportunity to try some recipe … Continue reading Blueberry Lemon Tea Bread
In my father in-law's garden, right now, is a Meyer lemon tree dripping with lovely fruit ripe for the picking. Whenever I pass it, it calls my name and whispers to me all the lovely things I could be baking or cooking with its sweet juice or the zest of its golden rind. I had never heard … Continue reading Meyer Lemons!
The Apron Clad Ginger 