In the frenzy of packing up everything we own Mr. B had the good judgement to insist on leaving his grill out on the deck. He figured that the deck was high above the potential water line and that a ceramic grill could survive just about anything. In what is now the strangest summer of my life I am happy for Mr. B’s foresight- because with a grill at least it still feels like summer. (more…)

When Mr. B and I were dating our favorite restaurant was a little beach cottage along Highway 101 in Encinitas, California. Owned by a Moroccan who grew up in Spain and France, the food was French in style and Mediterranean meets California in flavor. Live bands rocked the small space every weekend and despite sand between the old wooden floor boards it was impossible to get in without a reservation. (more…)

When life is totally upside down there is nothing quite like comfort food to stop the chaos for a few moments and make everything feel almost normal. This past week we moved back into our home to ‘camp out’ until the water rises or goes away. Almost all of our belongings are still scattered to the wind, boxed up and safely stored until fall. We have a few camp chairs, a card table, our bed and a crib to make the house habitable. (more…)

The annual start of the local Farmer’s Market is a source of much anticipation and excitement in our house. By the time late May rolls around it feels like an eternity since I last tasted freshly grown lettuce or experienced the joy of a ripe tomato. While I’m still waiting for the tomatoes, our market has an abundance of cold weather greens and lettuces. (more…)

This asparagus and Meyer lemon risotto is the last thing I cooked before Anna was born. I had been craving a taste of Spring along with a creamy risotto for several weeks and I thought it might be kind of hard to make risotto once the baby arrived. Hoo boy was that ever correct! (more…)

I am taking a bit of time to recover and spend time with the best thing we’ve cooked up yet. Please enjoy posts prepared ahead of time over the next few weeks. I will be back in the kitchen again soon!

We have a tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at our house. It might be with cupcakes, cocktails, or in this case, with a big hunk of braised beef, but come March 17th we break out the green and have some fun. Now what little (if any) Irish heritage we have is long lost. The real reason I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is because by the middle of March I’m ready to welcome any excuse for a party. Good food, Irish whiskey, crazy music? Count me in! (more…)

I am taking a bit of time to recover and spend time with the best thing we’ve cooked up yet. Please enjoy posts prepared ahead of time over the next few weeks. I will be back in the kitchen again soon!

This recipe goes back…way back… to the days of Leave It to Beaver and drive in movies. I first encountered tamale pie when flipping through a well worn red-checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook pulled from my parents’ bookshelf. Only twelve or thirteen at the time, the thought of making a savory pie intrigued me. Pies were a rarity around our house in any form and I decided to see if I could make one for dinner. I recall a finished dish that blended together brown hamburger, gooey cheese, and warm black olives beneath a crumbly cornmeal crust- classic kid comfort food. (more…)

Growing up, we had an old school pressure cooker. A heavy dull gray pot, it would sit on the stove and heat up until the removable valve would whistle steam and dance around like a bobble head doll. My mom warned us to stay away from the pot when it whistled. I would watch from a distance, wondering if the steam would ever become too much for the valve to handle and send it sky rocketing off the pot toward the ceiling. That never happened, but therein lies the reason most people avoid pressure cookers- fear of exploding pots and ugly ceiling stains. (more…)

For Christmas this year, Mr. B gifted me with a half-gallon of Katz Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar. It was as much of a gift for himself as it was for me- a testament to our collective food geekiness if I’ve ever seen one. Gravenstein apples are recognized as a heritage food by the Slow Food movement, and Katz lovingly takes these special apples and first turns them into a hard cider before aging the liquid in oak barrels to create a wonderful nuanced apple cider vinegar. Mr. B loves the magical ability of apple cider vinegar to transform a dish from ho hum to to fantastic and often suggests a splash of it when helping me tweak a recipe simmering on the stove. (more…)

Mr. B has a thing for cipollini onions. They are the holy grail of sweet onion flavor- causing him to wax poetic and look rather dreamy eyed whenever they appear. Hard to find locally, their rarity only enhances the allure for both of us. Whenever we get the opportunity to purchase a few they go into the cart, no questions asked. (more…)