Mini-Morsels for Thanksgiving

Each year as summer’s heat fades and fall’s cooler air moves in, I begin planning my Thanksgiving menu.  It is finally cool enough to use the oven a bit more as I experiment with recipes to test which yield just the right flavor ensemble, which recipes freeze well, and which ones fit my meal courses [...]

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San Diego: Food Expo at the Convention Center

One of the things I certainly know about Food Service and Food Production is that most consumer assumptions are false.  In any restaurant, there is no certainty that your food preparation occurred entirely by human hands or that the ingredients are pure unless you know the purveyor and have verification from their lips.  This is [...]

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Breast of Chicken over Risotto Cake with Garlic Emulsion

Every now and then, an enticing recipe crosses my desk that I would love to serve immediately.  Since I’m not always prepared with fancy sauces and emulsions I must adapt the recipe in order to use it the same day.  While this sometimes compromises the character of the meal, it can also turn out as [...]

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Summer Grilling and Chillin’ with a Simple Salad

Something about summer draws a cook outdoors.  The thought of a hot kitchen pales next to the romantic idea of cooking in a shady spot enjoying a cooling evening breeze at dusk.
Usually all the ingredients for this meal fit on a handy tray and the utensils are few.  Summer is when we enjoy simpler foods, [...]

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Meet Antoine!

Last week was a sad time in the kitchen.  My most valuable and reliable assistant left us.  Anyone who knows me knows the esteem, care and affection I give to the most important help in my kitchen.  Without my assistant, my kitchen comes to a screeching halt as it did last week.
Our trusty, 22 year [...]

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Cashew Chicken, My Way

Chinese style stir frying is a wonderful cooking method, especially for summertime, that uses a minimum of oil and high heat to rapidly sear the food, cook it to perfection and flavor it almost all at the same time.  Stir-frying works equally well on the indoor stovetop as it does on a grill, keeping kitchen [...]

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Grilling Season Salad

An internet search for “grilled romaine” will yield many variations on this basic grilled lettuce.  This is my favorite iteration on a theme for a grilled salad to complete an entirely grilled summer meal.  The task of personalization for this common dish is in the dressing and accompaniments.
I like to serve it with a slightly [...]

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Coquito Nuts, Anyone?

My local produce manager and I enjoy a friendly competition of sorts whenever we face a new food.  While she possesses a (vastly) wider range of knowledge about fruits and vegetables than I do, I own the larger (and more creative) arsenal of cooking ideas and combinations.
Yesterday I knew something was up when I heard [...]

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Queen of the Grain Salads: Quinoa Tabouleh

Lately I’ve been in pursuit of economical meals that are nutritionally balanced, offer a variety of flavors, and easy to prepare.  Middle Eastern dishes that use whole, fresh foods and pungent spices fit the bill perfectly.
Quinoa offered a fabulous spin on a traditional tabouleh salad by replacing the typical couscous or bulgar as the grain.  [...]

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Leftovers? Waste NOT!

Sometimes the rhythm of life keeps me so busy that I barely notice the leftovers accumulating on the refrigerator shelves.  I’ve noticed that when we are entertaining guests, either for dinner or over a several day visit, the leftovers multiply at an alarming rate.

Additionally, during the course of a normal seven to ten day period, [...]

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