Wine: Falco So’ Bianco Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Price: $20 Tasting notes: green grass, herbs, brightly acidic notes of lemon Story: This Sauvignon Blanc from DaVero in Healdsburg, CA (the source of our favorite olive oils) is deliciously …
I hate pickles. Let me be clear: I. Hate. Pickles. Hate them so much that I avoid at all costs what I call pickle contamination: that is, when the juice from an unwanted dill pickle sogs …
Wine: Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah 2009 Price: $12 Tasting notes: tart strawberries; a zippy, acidic wine that’s crisp, refreshing and great with food Story: If your idea of a rosé wine is white zinfandel, then you …
I’m currently exploring recipes for desserts with fewer than five ingredients for an upcoming post on SparkPeople.com. (Tough assignment, no?) With some fresh, local fruit on hand in the fridge, I came up with this super-simple …
Last summer, I shared a house favorite recipe: Corn and Parmesan gratin, also known as “West Chop Corn” from Susan Branch’s “Summer” cookbook of recipes inspired by Martha’s Vineyard. Now that sweet corn is in season, …
Where is it written that a girl can’t bake her own birthday cake? And who says it has to be a quote-unquote cake at all, really? Why not shortcakes, topped with luscious summer fruit? Absolutely. And …
I recently finished up a writing assignment for SparkPeople.com about the stir-fry cooking technique. In a nutshell: stir-frying is similar to sautéeing, but it typically involves higher heat and less oil. Heat a round-bottomed wok or …
I volunteered to bring cookies—lots of them—to Grandma’s 90th birthday fête this weekend. I had in mind to bake old-fashioned kinds of cookies; nothing too swishy, but rather the types of cookies she might have made …
I’ve been seeing lots of recipes this summer for iced drinks made with fruit and green tea, variations on lemonade, and different kinds of agua fresca (water flavored with fruit or even cucumber). They all look …
