Tuesday’s Top 5: Holiday Drinks

What better way to drum up some holiday spirit than with spirits? I’ve never really needed an excuse to enjoy a nip now and then (now would be nice!), but the holidays provide many a good reason to imbibe with a bit more frequency, including my birthday next week (hint hint!). Holidays also provide aContinueContinue reading “Tuesday’s Top 5: Holiday Drinks”

Living Legends, Part II

I’ve been working A LOT lately… and I take many an opportunity to complain about that. What I’ve not done enough of in the past several weeks (besides write, of course) is count my blessings. I forget that my “work” would be another person’s fantasy. In fact, hundreds of people are paying a very substantialContinueContinue reading “Living Legends, Part II”

Living Legends, Part I

Jacques Pepin: Recently I had the pleasure of working an event with French Culinary Institute Dean (and beloved television personality) Chef Jacques Pepin. As a chef and administrator at the school, and as an alumna from the days when he was there a lot more often, I’ve had the great pleasure of working near (ifContinueContinue reading “Living Legends, Part I”

Chef’s Night Off – Sardines?

When I was a kid, the older grown-ups (the ones that still spoke Italian at home) considered sardines a special treat that they would relish when we kids weren’t around to make faces and sounds of disgust for the oily, strong smelling delicacies. Now, sardines, like so many of the treats the older generation heldContinueContinue reading “Chef’s Night Off – Sardines?”

Fish Tacos and Jalepeno Margaritas

Before we left for our California vacation, my sister and brother-in-law had a little dinner party to try out a couple of new recipes. The meal was such a success that we repeated it with the rest of our family, poolside, in the hills above Napa. In preparation, my sister infused a bottle of PatronContinueContinue reading “Fish Tacos and Jalepeno Margaritas”

Cravings: Tomatoes and Corn

 When I lived in California, August meals seemed to revolve around two of the seasons sweetest and most refreshing treats – sweet corn and a dizzying array of heirloom tomatoes. For a couple of years, we grew at least 17 different varieties of tomatoes in our garden, and still found ourselves stocking up at the farmers’ market!ContinueContinue reading “Cravings: Tomatoes and Corn”