Here are some of my favorite photos from Thanksgiving on Thursday, using Pictobrowser: [pictobrowser 30117817@N02 72157610493532049] By the way, the crab pictures are from the night before Thanksgiving, when we have our traditional pre-Thanksgiving Crab Feed in Santa Cruz. The new season of crab just started a couple weeks ago, and while the initial fishing [...]
Mince Meat PiesTomorrow, I will be bringing 4 pies, two side veggies, an appetizer and a cocktail. I do this every year and love it. Since blogs were designed to be online journals, I am going to document my progress, so that next year, I can find all the recipes! Each year, I recreate the [...]
Several weeks ago (oh, wow, I think it might have been October!) I wrote about our family visit to Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville. While there, I purchased a bushel of apples, two kinds, Pinova and Golden Delicious. And today I finally got around to making applesauce! With my pressure cooker, it was pretty quick and [...]
Beet RisottoI have been playing around with my pressure cooker quite a bit lately, most notably during the New New Mexican Fiesta from a couple weeks ago. Cooking pinto beans is a snap, but that recipe has a large margin of error, as mushier beans are a good thing. My experiment with pumpkins in the [...]
SpicesYipee! Menlo Park is now home to the second California outlet of Penzeys Spices, my favorite mail-order spice company. I have been ordering from this family-owned and operated company for about 5 years now, ever since my neighbor Lisa turned me onto their Adobo Seasoning, which goes great in White Turkey Chili (see recipe below, [...]
Finally, we had a break in our schedule this week and could tackle a more complicated cookie. Our choice, Chocolate Surprise Cookies, from the Chocolate Surprise CookieMartha Stewart’s Cookies book, was more complex, but not at all over the top. The directions were fairly simple, and even with a three-step process, we managed to get [...]
On Wednesday, I posted a list of the Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets under $10. Today’s list focus is gift gadgets for the holiday season. Some are a splurge, others will end up saving you money. Some are new, some have been around for years. Hopefully, by getting this up before Thanksgiving, you will have plenty [...]
Ginger SnapsOh so snappy, these ginger snaps. The recipe is from Alice Medrich’s Cookies and Brownies. Alice is one of my favorite cookbook authors – her voice is so apparent in all her recipes. She is firm, yet helpful, and wants everyone to create masterpieces with or without chocolate. I have had much fun with [...]
Yes, it is that time of the year! Time to start thinking about what to get the super-chef on your list. I have a many opinions, all of which I am willing to share with my loyal readers. And because there are so many wonderful tools out there, I have divided my list into two [...]
Roasted Tomato SoupOur veggie box this week included several pounds of tomatoes, the last of the summer season. Since the temperatures have dropped and a chill is now in the air, I craved soup for dinner. While Sunday Suppers tend to take a while to prepare, perhaps even the whole day, this soup did not [...]
Egg beaterA few weeks ago, I posted my standard get-to-know-y’all question on Twittermoms, a new social network for moms who tweet (a description I just barely fit). I asked the other moms what their favorite kitchen gadget is, and asked them to post their blog URLs too. And here is the roundup! Kelly from The [...]
Short ribs with turnipsAfter a super-busy week, coupled with two days of rainy weather and cooling temperatures, I was really looking forward to warm, slow-cooked, comfort food for Sunday dinner. My new cookbook, Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients by Jesse Cool, had just the recipe – Short Ribs with Baby [...]
Wanted to be a little lower for a different angle, but loads of construction going on. (Taken with instagram)
