This week has been bonkers. Monday I had an interview with a reporter and then I had to drive three hours each way to chase down medical records, Tuesday I did a podcast interview, yesterday I had to drive an…
Root Beer Rice Pudding
When I was in cooking school, one of my chef’s mantras was “Never miss an opportunity for flavor.” He hated cooking in water because it was flavorless. He’d boil potatoes in milk, cook rice with chicken broth, and for pasta…
Fresh Orange Creamy Slush + A Giveaway!
Whenever Atti or I go to the dentist, or when he’s had a particularly challenging day at therapy, or basically just whenever I feel like we’ve earned a little reward, we go to the drive in and get milkshakes. Atti…
Year of Pleasures: Homegrown Broccoli
This batch of broccoli came from the community garden I planted with my pal Dave. Since I haven’t been on top of my game lately, he did all the work and I still get to enjoy the harvest. Smothered in…
Pigs in Pudding – A treat for sick day!
When I was a kid, chocolate pudding was our greatest treat. It’s not like it’s so exotic, so I don’t know why we got so caught up in it, but pudding was the holy grail to us. Now that I’m…
Recipe: Chocolate Cheerio Cookies
For Atti’s birthday last week I wanted to bring a special treat to his class to share with all the other kids. I started thinking about what treat would make Atti the very happiest, and the truth is that, still,…
Homemade Vegetable Soup
It’s another rainy day here, in most of California that’s as close to a winter storm as we get, and I haven’t been feeling great this week, so I just want to make myself a big cocoon. I’m wrapped in…
Grilled Salad
I’ve been making a whole lot of rich food lately. The cold weather just seems to beg for stews and soups and roasts and I’ve been loving it, but after a stretch of that I’ve found myself craving a big…
Recipe: Spicy Nuts
My idea of a great salad is one that is so full of stuff that it’s no longer diet food. I am a huge advocate for properly made croutons, I love a shredded cheese, and a flavorful nut is pretty…
Recipe: Root Vegetable Rice Pilaf
I’ve been trying to add more vegetables to my family’s diet, which is always a challenge with my two meat eating guys. Lately I’ve been really inspired by the neglected root vegetables, and this time around I reached for beets…