Fresh Peas: A Springtime Indulgence

Peas are playing hard to get this spring in San Diego. For the past several weeks, I have been seeking them out, to no avail. Then a couple ...

Summer is Time for Salsa and a New Handbag

There aren’t too women I’ve met who don’t love handbags (and shoes, but that’s another post). Recently, I was in Nordstrom when I overheard ...

Why I Live in California Reason #2: Carrots

Despite grueling traffic, exorbitant real estate prices, and perpetual smog, Jeff and I have decided to stay in Southern California when he ...

Kisses & Kumquats

We tend to remember firsts in life. Our first kiss, our first concert, our first kumquat. I remember my first kumquat. It was on Sunday, Fe...

When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Like A Big Broccolini Pie, That's Amore

When Jeanne from Cook Sister! announced that pies would be the topic for this month’s Waiter, there’s something in my… food blog event, I k...

Forget Chocolate, Eat Fennel on Valentine's Day

As a little girl, my favorite candies were Twizzlers ® and black jelly beans. Every Easter I would pick all the black jelly beans out of the...

Of Yankees and Yams

I always thought yams and sweet potatoes were different vegetables. A few years ago a farmer taught me differently. We had just moved to Nor...

Squash's Swan Song

Growing up in New England, I’ve always anticipated the arrival and lamented the passing of the seasons. Having lived in Southern California ...

Broccoli Marries Pasta

The final featured vegetable of the cruciferous make-over (see Brussels Sprouts on Botox and Cauliflower Gets New Clothes ) is broccoli. O...

Cauliflower Gets New Clothes

The second featured vegetable of the cruciferous make-over (see Brussels sprouts on Botox ) is the cauliflower. And there will be no boiling...

Brussels Sprouts on Botox

It happens every Sunday. Clamoring crowds jostle for space around the popular tables at the farmers’ market to check out the hip Meyer lemo...

Citrus Crisis

Southern Californians (which now includes me) complain a lot about the weather. If you’re not within 100 mile radius of the 90201 zip code, ...

Patriots' Potato Pizza

Like most Italian families, my mom did the cooking, my dad did the eating. There were however certain culinary “events” that my dad performe...