Category: Guiding Principles

The good lessons we have learned along the way

Comida y Amigas: an Ode to Spanish Food and Friends

Even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to fall into bad habits when it comes to eating and cooking. It happens to the best of us, including food-blog-writing me, so a trip to visit my friend Arantza in Spain is just what I needed to remind me how important it is to eat well. Arantza has always had a knack for good nutrition, and when it comes to food the Spanish don’t take shortcuts. They use the best ingredients, individually selected from a specific region in Spain, and expertly put it all together in a meal that is long on nutrition and short on process. Join me for a short review of what it means to eat healthily in Madrid, Spain. Come and cook with us!

Continue reading “Comida y Amigas: an Ode to Spanish Food and Friends”

Sweet 16, it’s the Magic Number

As two former New Yorkers who are also strong advocates of cutting sugar consumption across the board, Jessica and I could not remain silent on Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed ban on serving sugary drinks bigger than 16oz. We see both sides of the argument, and applaud the Mayor for bringing to the forefront the idea that as a nation we consume too much, and in particular too many sweet foods and drinks. While it seems over-the-top to have your drinking rights regulated in – by some measures – the greatest city in the free world, it is a proven fact that the larger the portion size the more we consume.  And, as the size of sugary drinks has risen from a standard of 6.5 ounces in 1960 to 20 ounces today, Mayor Bloomberg may just have a point.  Because if it’s water or vegetables we are talking about, certainly more is better, but when the item in discussion is sugary soda the result is less than ideal and bordering on dangerous. So, in honor of the Mayor’s bravery and willingness to talk about this issue, we dedicate this week’s post to portion sizes, big and small.  Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Sweet 16, it’s the Magic Number”

Bitter is Better

There are many beliefs and opinions on food that I share with Jessica, but there is one thing about which we disagree: bitter food. Jessica loves bitter food; I, on the other hand, struggle to stomach it. Growing up it was the one taste sensation that was very hard for me to … swallow.  And even though today I understand that bitter food aids digestion by nature of its molecular structure, which is similar to the juices in our stomach, I remain skeptical. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal Review “For Healthy Eating, Bitter is Better” written by Barb Stuckey gave me enough of a nudge, however, to consider balancing my sweet nothings with a little bitterness every now and again. Come and cook with us!  Continue reading “Bitter is Better”

Why We Do It!

A week and a half ago my mother, Anita, arrived in Tiburon for her annual visit. I look forward to these trips not only because she is my mother, but also because she is the best cook I know, she thinks riding a bike to your destination is always better than driving, and at 71 she can still out climb me (as she did this past weekend in Yosemite).  What’s more, she is the quintessential native Italian woman, as she does not suffer fools when it comes to food.  While sitting in a local diner in the Yosemite area she turned to me and said, “With the way food is made here in the US, no wonder you put so much emphasis on cooking your own meals.” Luckily she didn’t say it in English, but if I were to be completely honest I’d say she’s right. While we have multiple different convenient ways to feed ourselves, we can very rarely find well-prepared, wholesome, healthy store-bought or restaurant food. So, read on to hear our top reasons why you should make home cooking a priority (besides that you’ll make Anita happy). Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Why We Do It!”

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”