As we are putting the final touches on our Labor Day weekend plans, we here at Come and Cook with Us think it is the perfect time to remind everyone that summer is coming to an end (so sorry to be bearer of this bad news) and with that, also, the abundance of summer fruits. So when you find yourself at the farmer’s market this weekend, grab another basket of strawberries, peaches and nectarines and fill your tummy with that beautiful sweet taste of summer. Continue reading “Fruits of Labor”
Island Hopping in Greece
In the summer of 1994 my friend Susanne and I packed our bags and took the train to the Munich airport with a few weeks of summer holiday to spare. We were in search of a last-minute trip somewhere fabulous. And while we were thinking of Bali, Fiji or Tahiti, we were equally thrilled when the best tickets for sale allowed us to spend three weeks island hopping in Greece. Continue reading “Island Hopping in Greece”
Summer Salsa
School started in Calistoga this past Monday. I couldn’t believe it. As I drove past the high school I saw students gathering in the parking lot, and the telltale “Welcome Back Wildcats!” message hanging across the front of the building. I was a bit sad – we start school early here in Northern California, no doubt, but no matter how early it is school still means one thing: summer’s almost over and fall is about to begin. So, in honor of the end of summer (that luscious season filled with juicy sweet stone fruits, berries and endless sweet melons) Kathrin and I have chosen to dedicate this week’s post to that fantastic “sauce of summer”, salsa. Continue reading “Summer Salsa”
Variety, the Spice of Life
I was lucky to learn to cook at my grandmother’s side; she was an experienced Italian home cook, and her food was delicious. At some point in my history of cooking, however, I noticed that everything I made had a combination of garlic, onions, olive oil, basil, tomatoes and cheese in it. We were of Italian descent after all; this was what she knew and what I learned. Continue reading “Variety, the Spice of Life”
A Love for Lentils
Growing up in Brooklyn in the 70s, the food I ate was standard for an Italian kid from Bay Ridge: almost always prepared by my grandmother, and generally assigned to a day (chicken soup on Monday, pizza on Friday, meatballs and macaroni on Sunday, and a rotation of five or six other dishes in between), it was the food we and all the other Italian American families around us ate. One particular dish my grandmother made that survived the transition into my daily repertoire is lentils and macaroni. And, it is from that dish that I began to understand and explore these fantastic legumes. Continue reading “A Love for Lentils”
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