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
Tag: cooking
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
Oatmeal: the good, the bad and the ugly
First, the good: Oatmeal is about as individual a breakfast item as you can get. Everyone has their own version: instant, flavored, quick, old fashioned; their own way of making it: stovetop, microwave, just-add-water; their own way of decorating it: milk, cream, nuts, berries, dried fruit or yogurt. Some just like making cookies out of
It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
Okay, yes I lifted the title from the Michael Jackson song that played incessantly during my Sophomore year in college while I diligently filled the salt and pepper shakers in the dining hall, but it’s all I could think of when I was asked via Facebook if I had any good chili recipes without beans
Avocado Capital of the World
San Diego County produces 60% of California’s avocados and I’m lucky enough to live in the avocado capital of the world. Really. During harvest season, (March-May), you can actually drive down the road plucking avocados from the trees without even leaving the car – they’re that plentiful. And cheap. (No, I don’t get all of
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Earlier this season on “Top Chef Masters” the chefs participated in a challenge where they had to put a modern spin on vintage dishes like Oysters Rockafeller (never had ’em), Beef Wellington (very Julia Child), Deviled Eggs (love ’em) and Grasshopper Pie (hate it.) Why in the heck wasn’t Pineapple Upside-Down Cake on the list?
Cooking For Madison 