I remember distinctly when the “Chinese” Chicken Salad was on every cool menu in So. Cal. back in the day. “Lunching at Bullock’s Tea Room?…you must order their famous Chinese Chicken salad!”, friends would tell you. It even made it to the Los Angeles Times’ recipe section so that you, too, could have their “secret” recipe.
Making this succulent Maple, Mustard and Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin served with piping hot, flaky and just a touch sweet Cider Biscuits, was, to me, like the beginning of a horse race when the announcer shouts, “And they’re off!”. I felt the adrenaline again— the “runner’s” high if you will. A high that has been sorely lacking for about eight long weeks.
Hi All,
It seems I just can’t get into the swing of things as Fall baking and cooking should be starting to be ushered in. I love Fall…more than any other season and the food that comes with it. But when it’s been in the 100 degree temps on and off for the last four weeks, I simply can’t accept that Fall is near.
So here are some good ol’ apple-y Fall favorites for you to peruse while I try to muster up some motivation to make something other than salad.
My Cinnamon Apple Waffles are a fabulous way to start the day. They are crispy, lightly spiced, a little sweet and just the right thing to get you in the Fall spirit even if I am not.
Times spent around my kitchen table are honestly the best. I think that’s one of the reasons I love cooking and baking so much. The process is wonderful to me, but the outcome is immeasurable. It’s a rare week at my house when we don’t sit down together each night for dinner.
This grilled plum, peach and pluot salad atop peppery arugula, dotted with crumbles of fig goat cheese, sprinkled with toasted pepitas, sauteed pancetta and chopped prosciutto, was exactly what the doctor ordered so to speak. Now, that’s a mouthful, figuratively and literally my friends. It was dreamy.
Food, it’s what I throw at every problem. And no, not as in, “Duck! A tomato is coming your way!”, but as in, “Here’s a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies to heal what’s ailing you.” For the most part, my kids are pretty happy with this first line of defense. I can’t tell you the number of chocolate chip cookies we have eaten while listening to the woes of the first days of school or while studying for exams. Continue reading
I didn’t know it until this blog, but apparently I am a bundt person. This blog is really helping me to get to know myself better and to my surprise I love big bundts. Pun intended. Sorry! Continue reading
I have to warn you…this is going to be a strange post. Let’s start with the important part so when I lose you, and I will lose you, you will have already gotten what you came for—this earth shattering, stop-the-world-from-spinning orange curd tart with a layer of bittersweet chocolate tucked underneath and a light and flaky crust to drive it home. Yeah, it is summer perfection; tart and cool when served with a little crunch of that chocolaty goodness.
It’s totally the dog days of summer. Just about everywhere you look, except London perhaps, is suffering from oven abolishing heat—at least here in the states…and definitely here in sunny, sweltering So. Cal. It is supposed to reach 106 today. Expletives come to mind. I won’t share those with you—today.
Typical Saturday morning at my house: Five a.m. rolls around, and my eyes slowly open up to glance casually at the clock. BIG MISTAKE! Once my eyelids move, my Golden Retriever, Sadie, trots over to my side and sits down, waiting to be petted or scratched. If I don’t acquiesce quickly enough, she begins scratching herself or biting at a paw and jingling her maniacal collar until am I forced to pet her, hoping it will quiet her down. Continue reading
Comfort food. Isn’t that what we all need right now? There are no words that can possibly express my sorrow for those who are suffering the loss of the shootings in Colorado. It’s heart wrenching, gut wrenching and mind boggling. There’s no sense to make of it and makes us question so much. And it makes this helicopter mom want to hover and dictate her childrens’ lives that much more even though I know logically that does not work.
So instead, I usually bake or eat, or both. What is comfort food for you? Is it something elaborate your grandmother used to cook that would stew for hours while you sat in her kitchen, or is it something as easy as a grilled cheese sandwich with the peel and stick Kraft slices you made in your dorm room with an iron and a flat surface? I guess comfort food depends on your culture, how you were raised and what truly soothes your soul. Continue reading
Sweet And Crumby 