I am a Weather Geek. And that weather geek is twin to my inner menu-planner. Last Thursday I got really excited after checking the weather forecast – 100% chance of rain all weekend! We had a really, really, really mild winter in Southern California this year. And for someone who cooks/bakes according to season and
Madison Gives Up Meat
“From this day forward I declare that I am a vegetarian!” About two weeks ago Madison issued the above proclomation citing animal rights and just the overall “gross texture” of meat as her reasons for forever forsaking meat. (I suspect it also had something to do with the fact that her mother has NO IDEA
For the Love of Cheese (and Asian Pears)
Let it be known that if my digestive tract could take it, I would probably eat 2-3lbs of cheese a week. Seriously. If I were to become stranded on a desert island, my first request upon entering civilization would be a fruit and cheese platter. I’m not quite sure when I fell madly in love
Homestyle Mac & Cheese – better than the “cheesiest”
Hands-down one of my favorite meals to cook and eat – especially in Autumn – is homemade mac and cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not above eating the “cheesiest” variety that comes in that blue box, but when I’m really craving some pasta and cheesy goodness, I’m all about making it from scratch. I’ve
Preserving For the Future, part two
After overcoming my fear of poisoning my dearest friends and family, I dove headfirst into the, “Great Fig Jam Making Experiment of 2011.” Let me just say that prepping 10lbs of very ripe figs is a very messy process. I had decided to follow a relatively easy, (and pectin-free) fig jam recipe I found online.
Preserving For the Future, part one
Some of my favorite anecdotes in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” are in the chapters where Barbara Kingsolver describes preserving the fruits and vegetables from her family garden. “Putting up”, as some folks call it, was as common a practice as making bread until the American grocery store replaced the need to bake and preserve our own
Hamburger Helper Goulash Randomness
Now that I’ve emerged from my Mad Men induced stupor, (complete with a full bar – but I don’t blame the show. I’ve always wanted a cool cabinet complete with different serving glasses, liquor and mixers and watching 52 episodes of the BEST PERIOD DRAMA EVER finally spurred me to do it,) I’m ready to
Cooking For Madison 