Exploring life through food and travel
Just this week, my fig tree delivered its first ripe fruit of the season. Every year it produces more and more figs, and besides giving them away to friends and neighbors, I’m finding new ways to use this special, luscious fruit. Last year I made fig and ginger compote—so yummy on toast—and this year, I…
Let me introduce my writing friend, colleague, and guest blogger, Jolie Tunnell. Jolie is witty, sassy, and knows how to tell a story. Her blog at JolieTunnell.com shares humerous tales of her five children, husband, and new kitten and is always a fun read. She’s got a lot more action on her site than just her…
To me, chocolate represents everything good in life. It has helped me through my darkest hours, given me clarity when I am indecisive, and won hearts when it counts. That is why I cannot imagine Valentine’s Day without chocolate. Whether you are wooing a mate or just treating yourself or family, this flourless chocolate cake…
My Gramma has done it again: delivered a recipe with oranges that sounded so incredibly good that I made it immediately and now cannot stop snacking. I came across it during my annual January purge. This year, my studio, which is jammed with multiple writing resources, became the lucky recipient of the clean-out. While rearranging…
On a plane en route to Albuquerque, final destination Santa Fe, I devoured a book by one of my food writer gurus, Ruth Reichl. Her latest book, Save me the Plums, was just released and is a memoir of her life as editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine, my favorite food magazine – ever. I have read…
Home Ec class, circa 1970. Our teacher, Mrs. Talbot, handed out mimeographed recipes for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Exotic! We donned our aprons, made in the sewing class she taught, and organized the ingredients. Our class was the giggly kind but, today, the giggles were replaced by intrigue and excitement. Learning how to make a…
While cleaning out an upper cupboard in my closet last week, I discovered a forgotten box. A treasure full of old recipes I had created when I taught cooking classes, as well as letters and postcards I’d sent my parents from La Varenne in Paris, France. It was like opening a present on Christmas day….
I’m interrupting my travelogue of Sicily to tell you about yet another fantastic paella party I hosted on Saturday. This was our 4th annual party and my mom and I decided to take it to the next level. “I saw this interesting Garcima Paella Burner at Pata Negra,” my mom said enthusiastically. Pata Negra is…
A Pistachio Inspired Pranzo A review of Il Fiorentino, Bronte, Sicily Another lovely blue-skied day in Sicily. Today’s adventure and culinary find takes us from the aquamarine sea to a mountain top and then half-way down the other side. All this to reach our lunch (pranzo) destination, Il Fiorentino, in the paise (village) of Bronte….
Sicilian Pistachio Cake As a former pastry chef, I am constantly on the quest for beautifully crafted and tasty pastries and of course, gelato. What I saw and tasted in Sicily really wowed me and delivered an unexpected surprise. Very similar to beautiful French pastries, only using more of what mother nature locally provides, like…
When the rhubarb arrives in my small local grocer, late spring, it’s like a mid-year Christmas present. I don’t know where I got this fondness for rhubarb but it does seem to be a fetish of mine. Years ago, I remember having dinner in a rural cafe in Hamilton, Montana. You know, the old-fashioned kind…
Pears have this seductive quality about them. They flaunt their curvy hips and hold their stem high, like wearing a tiny crown. Their taste and texture, soft, sweet and flowery, almost melts in your mouth. Rustic, yet delicate describe the Bosc variety, my favorite for poaching and making tarts. They hold their shape and don’t…
She lured me in with her perfect “t” shaped limbs, reaching out like angel wings. “Take me home.” she whispered. Not planning to add another fruit tree to my already demanding garden, this one was like an abandoned puppy. You know, the one that finds you. I’d always loved Fuyu persimmons, their sweet versatility making…
I’ve always had a thing for peaches. I think it’s because my mom said when she was pregnant with me, she craved them. This love must have been passed along in utero because I too, delight in the season of stone fruit. Every summer at the beach, we would excavate the old-fashioned, wooden sided hand…
Lately I’ve been feeling disenchanted with the world. About the only thing I find enchanting is my lovely, colorful garden. This is just a phase I’m going through. We all have them. To console myself, instead of watching evening tv, I crawled into bed with food. Figuratively, not literally! I perused my cookbook shelves and…
The other day as I was whipping up a lemon chiffon cake in my Kitchen Aid, I felt this rush of love and adoration for this appliance that has been the stronghold of my various kitchens for over 37 years. I know it sounds crazy to be in love with a kitchen appliance but really,…
I think my favorite thing about Valentine’s Day is the spirit of kindness and love that seem to carry on throughout the month. Yes, it’s commercial but love is everlasting, right? As a child, it was my favorite holiday. We would fold red, pink and white construction paper in half, then draw the curves that…
Introducing the Vodak Girls: Carrie, Mary, Carolyn, Aunt Barb, Cousins Fran, Jane & Nancy It’s all about a cake! I collect cookbooks. Hundreds of them line shelves in my kitchen, studio and even bedroom. I have signed books by Julia Child, James Beard, Jacques Pepin and now Ina Garten! These were my mentors during my…
My aunt Barb is a baker. Not just a home baker; she owned a bakery and can recite a recipe for a cake without blinking an eye. That is why, when she came for a visit, my task was to make for her a birthday cake that was so extraordinary she would be speechless. I…
What is your heart’s desire? When I ask myself this question, the first thing that comes to mind is, “love, always love.” Rather than one specific “love,” I desire this love be spread out over my family, Sparky, my friends and my garden. Of course we all have secret wishes and desires. These drive our…
The Winter Solstice called to me to celebrate its commencement and what better way to honor this day than with a party for dear friends who have enriched my life. These gatherings always lighten my spirit and give me an excuse to create good food with maybe one show stopper. Pots of minestrone bubbled on…
My visit to Galantino in Puglia, Italy, was a composition of olive oil familiarization, in-depth visits to Puglia’s cheese makers, ceramists, bread artisans and olive groves and, the fun part, cooking lessons with Galantino’s head chef Leo. I joined a group from Holland who was also there for the same adventure. Each day we prepared…
Are you interested in learning some authentic Italian recipes from a bona fide cooking school in Lucca, Italy? If so, read on. Davino, my host from La Mimosa, had arranged for me to attend a cooking class at the International Academy of Italian Cuisine in Lucca, just on the other side of the hill from…
This time of year, my thoughts return to my childhood and fond memories of Easter. Sentimentalist that I am, I still have my first Easter basket left by the Easter Bunny. Well-made, it has stood the test of time, the pink weaving now faded. I retrieve it from the upper cupboards of my closet every…
Did you know that leprechauns are fairies? I love St. Patrick’s Day. Not for the beer drinking necessarily but for the sheer fun of it. It’s a day to believe in faeries, shamrocks, 4-leaf clovers, and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Dress in green, give a pinch here and there,…
Olive oil is so – Italian! Its warmth and/or sassiness can jazz up almost any dish, imparting different nuances for whatever food you want to enhance. The Italians are proud of their olive heritage and like to joke that butter is “forbidden” in Pulia. Instead of butter at the table, one often finds a bottle…
When I think of lemons, this folk tune often sings in my head, “Lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.”* The author, of this song, Jose Carlos Burle, must never have tasted a Meyer lemon or he wouldn’t have written this…
Happy New Year! Let’s celebrate Le RĂ©veillon (a huge feast and party) with Le Galette des Rois (King’s Cake) The new year brings hope of new beginnings and closure to old endings. I started January 1st by watching the sunrise at Shelter Island and then viewing a brilliant, fiery sunset at Mission Beach in San…
Mirna, my sister-in-law or ma belle soeur, as we fondly regard ourselves, never ceases to amaze me with her culinary creativity. While visiting Denver a few weeks ago, as I do every autumn, Mirna shared with me a recipe she devised that is gluten-free, full of apples and delicious. It all started with a visit…
As a pastry chef, fruit desserts were my specialty as well as my favorite pastries to create. If fruit was in season, it showed up in abundance in my pastry case from Strawberry Napoleons to a Blueberry Bourbon Cream Cake, a tall tower of thin cakes spread and layered with a light bourbon cream and…
Hi my faithful readers, Do you sometimes get that overwhelmed feeling? That’s where I am today. I so want to share with you everything that is swirling around in my head. But where do I find the time? Since returning from France with a million ideas to post, I find that my garden, my home,…
Bonjour mes amies! To celebrate my friend, Liz’s birthday, we dined in a tiny restaurant with a downstairs cave or wine cellar. So intimate, and uplit to create a warm glow, Le Sixieme Sens was about to become one of my most memorable meals ever. The combination of rustic stone, bright green place settings,…