It's a fine line between the end of summer and beginning of fall here in the 650. Our warm, sunny days might continue right up until Thanksgiving, making you wonder how the holidays came up so quickly. The clues are there: leaves turning from bright green to brown and vibrant red (but slowly, not all … Continue reading Weekend Recipe: Seasonal Salad of Greens, Fruit, and Goat Cheese
Blueberries are back in season, and they're everywhere right now! Local market providers Triple D Ranch and Sierra Cascade (one of my favs for their sustainable practices and sweet berries) are bringing their berries to farmers' markets and local stores. Whole Foods recently had a good deal on San Joaquin Valley berries from Delta Blues. … Continue reading Get the Blues
College friends of mine get together every summer for an annual birthday party. Well, not just a birthday party. The birthday party is the capper on a week-long reunion at a low-key vacation spot (think: Bend, OR or Cape Cod, MA). What started out as a lobster-and-Freixenet dinner party in a college fraternity house (more … Continue reading Weekend Cocktail: Orange Margarita
When was the last time you took a good look inside your freezer? Do you know what's living in there, under the frozen peas and ice cream? For many of us, the freezer is like a hall closet for food. We just keep shoving stuff in there until one day it all comes tumbling out, … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: Strawberry-Orange Compote
Broccoli is a staple in my house. Exciting? No. Reliable? Yes. When I'm too tired or uninspired to cook (yes, it happens sometimes), steamed broccoli is my standby. Seven minutes from refrigerator to table. No kidding. Broccoli is a substantial partner to quick-cooking brown rice or 4-minute soba noodles. Throw in some homemade peanut sauce … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: The Other Broccoli
Ah, limoncello! That little glass of sunshine on a cloudy day (or a sunny day, or... any day). Limoncello is lemony-sweet boozy goodness that you can enjoy as an apertif, a digestif, or anywhere in between. If you've got some patience, lemons, clear alcohol of at least 80 proof (vodka, for example), and simple syrup, … Continue reading I Got Sunshine: DIY Organic Limoncello
Waste-Less Wednesday posts are all about ways to reduce or eliminate food waste, particularly at home. Most of the posts to date have focused on creative ideas for using more of the food that comes into your kitchen, especially fruits and vegetables. We've looked at ways to repurpose carrot greens, enjoy a glut of backyard … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: Fava Leaves, Hold the Chianti
March was full of activity Chez 650Food, and things have been busy, busy around here -- lest you think I was taking a hiatus and had run off to some tropical beach. (sigh. I wish.). Following home reno projects, spring cleaning, and a trip to our nation's capital for the International Association of Culinary Professionals … Continue reading Wasteless Wednesday: Blood Orange-Rosemary Marmalade
Last Friday's Birthday Week Indulgence was lunch at one of my go-to "quick food" spots in the 650: Asian Box. (More about that some other time.) While I was watching the locals fight it out for lunch-time parking spots in the ridiculously crowded Palo Alto Town & Country shopping center and digging into my usual … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: Peanut Sauce
Today's Birthday Week indulgence is homemade comfort food that brings together two recent Waste-Less Wednesday ingredients: lemons and herbs. Remember those 7-Day Preserved Lemons? After a week of climbing the kitchen stepladder to shake those babies up, it's time to crack them open and take them for a taste test! Opening the mason jar of … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: Soba Noodles with 650 Gremolata
