Tag: Summer

Let’s Keep Things Simple, Shall We?

photoMy friend Arantza’s motto in life – and in the kitchen – is “back to basics”. Sometimes this way of life is a must, like when you are cooking with limited ingredients or are on a strict budget, but at other times it’s just a good reminder that when it comes to regular, every-day, nutritious food, much ado will not always result in better food. Seeing my friend’s approach to food has been an inspirational reminder that while food is sustenance, nutrition, and key to our health, it does not always have to take center-stage and take over your life. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Let’s Keep Things Simple, Shall We?”

Beat the Beets

I haven’t always been partial to beets, in fact my stance for the first 20 years of my life was that a palate was better served without them (and I wonder where my youngest son Bode gets his food opinions from?!?!). Maybe it was the raw beet juice my mother insisted I have as it was “good for my blood”, because for the majority of my life through young adulthood I equated beets with the taste of earth. And that is not a food experience I was looking for. Things have changed, however, quite a lot. As I got older I made an effort to have at least one slice of beet at a salad buffet and insisted that “this beet is for my mom”. And over time I came to love these sweet, nutritious blood builders (yes, my mother was right, beets are great for the blood). It also helps that beets are one of my husband Doug’s favorite vegetables; did I really have a choice but to embrace this versatile plant? Thankfully the earth flavor association has subsided. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Beat the Beets”

A Bouquet of Cauliflower

Jessica and I continually talk about filling your plate with a rainbow of colors, and staying away from the – mostly- processed foods in shades of white. There are, however, a few foods whose white hue is welcomed, and at the top of this list is cauliflower. Along with the entire family of brassica vegetables, cauliflower contains compounds that give it it’s rightly deserved reputation a potent cancer fighter. And cauliflower is versatile, accessible, and very easy to prepare, so if you have a hankering for some white on your plate, give it a try and come and cook with us!

Mirabelle Jam Anyone?

I’ve lived in Northern California for 3 years now, and in my home in Tiburon for two, so I’ve seen the seasons and how they impact the foliage on my property more than once. Much to my surprise last week, I found two beautiful plum trees on my property, covered in fruit. I swear they were not here last summer, or maybe they simply didn’t have much harvest to show.  This year it was hard to miss the branches reaching high into the sky, however, laden with yellow fruit, and I was immediately taken back to my childhood, as my mother grew many fruit trees on our property in Italy. So, when I spotted them my innter hunter-gatherer-jammes took over. In my family, fruit trees are there to be picked and jammed so that sweet fruit can brighten the morning in dark winter months. I established (by checking with my local nursery) that these were edible fruit, and then harvested them quickly, climbing high into the trees to gather the fruit. When I´d brought in as much crop as I could manage, I reaped the reward, cutting, cooking, canning and finally spreading the “fruits of labor” on delicious bread. Who knew an invisible tree could do so much? Come and Cook with us!
Continue reading “Mirabelle Jam Anyone?”