This first Saturday of spring brought a perfect morning for visiting the College of San Mateo (CSM) Farmers' Market: sunny, clear blue skies, and just a touch of coolness in the air that you know will make way for a pleasantly warm day later. Bliss! This kind of day is one of the reasons I'm … Continue reading Shop Local: San Mateo Farmers’ Market
A decade ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find macarons in the Bay Area, let alone in the 650. If you mentioned macarons to most people, they'd think you meant a macaroon -- the coconut cookie popular at Passover -- or that you were trying to be fancy when what you should have said was "French … Continue reading Have You Had Your Macaron Today?
Since starting this blog I've been writing about the CSA boxes that arrive on my doorstep twice a month, along with the various market-basket projects I've been pursuing with them. It's been a Christmas-morning, present-opening palooza of soups, salads, side dishes, and pastas -- complete with food porn. What I haven't been sharing with you … Continue reading Inspired: Food Waste
My Sunday mornings are usually relaxed and schedule-free. Sunday afternoons are spent catching up with family, running errands, and planning the week to come. But Sunday mornings are for lounging and just enjoying the indulgence of no obligations. This morning as the clouds dispersed and sunlight found its way through my kitchen window, I was … Continue reading Sunday Morning Scones
Good morning campers -- today is National Margarita Day! Have I mentioned how much I love margaritas? No, not those frozen, icky-sweet concoctions that come out of a blender, or some mess of bottled sweet-and-sour mix thrown together with Jose Cuervo Gold! I'm talking about the simple, delicious elegance of 100% blue agave tequila, Cointreau, … Continue reading Oh My… Margaritas!
In the middle of January's Food-palooza -- as the Good Food Awards segued to the Fancy Food Show -- was a timely panel discussion co-hosted by CUESA, Kitchen Table Talks, and the Good Food Awards. The topic: "Scaling Up Artisanal Food: How Big Is Too Big?" The event, held at the San Francisco Ferry Building … Continue reading How Big Is Big Enough?
Did you know that there's a food "holiday" almost every day of the year? Yep, and today is National Chocolate Fondue Day. (Apparently it's also World Nutella Day, but that holiday is getting plenty of coverage elsewhere. I thought National Chocolate Fondue Day deserved some love here.) It's been a long time since I've had … Continue reading Another Excuse to Eat Chocolate
Today is National Pisco Day! You know what that means -- Pisco Sours! (Pisco, by the way, is a clear brandy and can vary in flavor profile and alcohol intensity, depending on the distiller.) While I don't usually write about cocktails, Pisco Sours are rivaling my long-favorite Margarita as my choice cocktail. Last year I … Continue reading When Life Gives You Lemons… Make Pisco Sours
You never know what little bit of information might bring inspiration -- or where that could lead. Earlier this week, Food52 posted a short, useful article about how to determine "good" cocoa powder. Basically, lesser cocoa powders contain 0.5 grams of fat per 5-6 gram serving. Good quality cocoa powder contains about 1 gram of … Continue reading Inspired: Local Chocolate Cake
Coco Delice was my first stop on the Confections tour. Founder Dennis Kearney and I started our businesses at about the same time (he in the East Bay, me on the Peninsula). It was nice to have a few minutes to chat about his success and growth. His Bison Black Magic beer bonbon was a … Continue reading Special: Good Food Awards Marketplace, Part Deux
