It’s been a busy fall here in Northern California with a strenuous work schedule the likes of which I haven’t seen since I was in my twenties. I don’t mind the hard work – we all do it sometimes – but when you’re pulling long days something has to give, and for me it was my cooking. Sure, I still made something to eat, but when I pulled out the pot to boil water for rice pasta for the third time in a week, after justifying a dinner of cheese and salami just the night before, I realized I’d reached cooking rock bottom. So, over the past few weeks I’ve been attempting to reacquaint myself with the kitchen by cooking a few simple-to-prepare, gourmet-ish recipes. The results vary day by day, and I am patient with myself in the process, but every once in a while I come up with something so good I just have to share. What was this week’s specialty? Something I’m calling F’Au Gratin. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “F’Au Gratin”
Author: Jessica
The Chefs Have Left the Building (and Headed Off to School)
It’s been six weeks (nearly the whole summer) since we started our mini-series on Chefing with Kids inspired by a meal I cooked with Kathrin’s oldest son, Finn one Friday night early in the summer. The meal was memorable – mini hamburgers, home made French fries, and a whole lot of quality time with Finn – and it is my hope that its spirit will live on with you as you get out those pots, pans, and kid-size aprons to cook with the mini-Chefs in your lives. Before wrapping up this series, we thought we’d furnish you with a cheat sheet of the recipes we like to cook with kids. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “The Chefs Have Left the Building (and Headed Off to School)”
Fruity Smoothy Mornings
Over the Labor Day weekend I was lucky enough to have Kathrin’s boys, Finn and Bode, accompany their parents to my house for a sleepover. My end of summer schedule has been hectic, however, so there were slim pickings at breakfast time. I did have some yogurt, milk, and a few little goodies I always keep stocked in my fridge and pantry. So, with two willing helpers at my side I decided to kitchen test the next installment of Chefing with Kids: morning yogurt smoothies. According to the boys they are a winner. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Fruity Smoothy Mornings”
All the Way from Italy
This is a special week for me as my husband Dan and I are headed off to Northern Italy for a belated honeymoon. Yay. We picked Northern Italy for two reasons: first, Dan, who is a winemaker, makes a wine in the style of that region. The label is called Massican and it’s delicious, so I was game for a honeymoon in the region. But the second reason has to do with my friend and blogging partner Kathrin. She introduced me to Northern Italy when she invited me to attend her wedding in her home town in Sudtirol. I am forever grateful to her for bringing this part of Italy into my life and heart, so for this week’s post I’ve asked her to share her two or three favorite recipes from the region. She’s cooked them all for me and I can attest first hand they are delicious. Come and cook with us (in Italy)!
Asparagus with Bozner Sauce
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Hot Love Raspberry Dessert
On Buying Local
There’s been a lot of press lately about the environmental impact of purchasing locally grown foods. Logically, buying locally grown fruits and vegetables would seem more environmentally conscious than purchasing a basket of strawberries from halfway across the world. According to journalist Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics Radio, and a handful of economists including Tyler Cowan, author of the new book, “An Economist Get’s Lunch”, however, it’s not. If this is, indeed, the case (you can listen to Dubner’s arguments here), what incentive do you have to continue to eat locally? Kathrin and I wrote a list of the top reasons why we eat locally to share with you here. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “On Buying Local”
Come and Cook with Us 