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…

     The arrival of November means winter baking mode begins here – especially pies and tarts, which generally take longer baking times to warm the house and fill the air with fruity-buttery goodness.   [Well that is until the juices and butter get a little…

     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…

     New Orleans has been figuring large on my mind these days.  The 10 year anniversary of The Hurricane and a recent trip to one of my favorite places for R&R, food and music – the Crescent City.      Chef Steve Herbert is…

     Foggy summer days here in the Bay Area make it easy to enjoy this versatile dish.  It takes a bit of oven time, and you will want to bake it early in the day in any case to allow the flavors to develop…

     Can we all agree backyard fruit crops are splendid?  My neighbor’s apricot tree is having a bumper crop this year.  And lucky for me, there are several large branches filled with fruit, and growing on my side of our fence!  They are just…

Fresh blueberries are available everywhere these days – your local farmers market, supermarkets and yes, Costco too. As you may have noticed:  I.  LOVE.  DESSERT!  So while my first response to blueberry season is often a cobbler or cake, I figure it’s time to take…

     A strawberry pastry was part of my own Mother’s Day celebration for years.  The school my son attended from pre-school through sixth grade created a Mother’s Day Tea for moms, with even the littlest hands diving in to wrap refrigerated crescent roll dough around…

     This salad uses vegetables that highlight the best of spring:  the peak of local asparagus and spring radishes, combined with a bit of cauliflower that’s still in abundance.  The lemony-honey-mustardy-spicy-bitter-sweet-ish dressing will glorify pretty much any salad; screaming for experimentation with a variety…