Did you know California accounts for about half of the nation’s nuts? (Yeah go on, have a giggle with the double entendre…) And tree nuts are the number one export for our Golden State. A short drive outside of our Bay Area urban…
Stay with me here, as we jump into the already crowded field of pumpkin-mania…This entry is a keeper. I knew I was onto a winner when the batter tasted like pumpkin pie filling, before it’s baked. With an intentional light hand with the…
Whenever I see an Asian pear, I’m transported back to my youth and the pear farms near my family’s home in southern Placer County. Rocklin, California, to be precise. We were fortunate to have many Japanese friends, who brought Asian pears to the…
A recent trip to Hawaii is the inspiration for this chicken recipe. Within a short week’s time, I enjoyed several variations of the wildly popular misoyaki butterfish, made famous by chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Small wonder this dish is so popular. It. Is. THAT. Good!…
Picnic season is upon us! If it’s a fried chicken, potato salad type affair, this recipe is my go-to. Frankly whenever I’m craving fried chicken and yearn for crispy, crackly, crunchy chicken, this is the one. The sesame seeds add to the flavor…
Warm scones with a dollop of clotted cream and jam are a simple pleasure pretty much any time, any season. But with Mother’s Day around the corner, these beauties will be a winner at your table, and easy enough for young hands to…
Chocolate is my favorite, and I’m way past due on posting a chocolate something! Since February is a big chocolate month for lots of folks, and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) brings out some French in us, this simple French-style custard seems a perfect…
Truly easy, this soup comes together quickly as far as soups go; and you will be rewarded by multi-layered flavors and textures. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal on a cold winter’s day. When the original recipe came to my attention,…
This is the time of year when I crave gingerbread. I love the homey, warm spices and the distinctive molasses flavor. I don’t know why I wait until winter though, as the house is cool and the molasses sure takes its own-sweet-time to…
It’s an excellent situation when I’m faced with what to do when gifted a King’s Ransom worth of saffron! Oh. My. Yes. Thanks to my dear friend Joan, who brought me oodles of fancies from Spain, I will be luxuriating in saffron dishes…