beauties from last June Ok, so, I'm skipping ahead a little bit in the produce rotation. But, I'm into images that entice - and those beauties from above do just that. Being in California last week just awakened all the urges to get the seasons going into full gear- and I'm hoping they do, and so….. (What is it with music and me?) Wishin and hopin and thinkin and prayin - playing in my head right now ……thank you to Hal David and Burt … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2014
Love and the Sub-Tropical Dirt Bomb – To See Who Takes the Bait
Love or overt manipulation? There are oh-so-many lessons to learn in the world of parenting - that excruciating teeter-totter of love and happiness, and frustration and difficulty, (are you visualizing the teeter-totter?) we all seem to go into in a relativey blind state. Today, we had a little typical battle of the wills in our house - can't say I don't know where this comes from, and I'm not at all surprised at the outcome - because Ryan … [Read more...]
Nibblin on Spongecake
photo courtesy Edible Santa Barbara - this cake looks perfect to me - has a lovely, sturdy but not tough crumb - not too fine……. Certain recipes evoke springtime in the halls of my memory - one is for Spongecake. Well, you know I just got back from California - currently the land of Strawberry Heaven - during the third week of, yes, March! Not, May, not June, but March! Driving along 101N last week, I could see the bright red awesome … [Read more...]
March Madness, A Sneer-filled Adieu to Old Man Winter and California Dreamin
right outside our door in Rancho Santa Fe, California You may note that I have been off from writing, on a little sabbatical, for a few days. Somehow, I find I prefer not to write while I am actually away on a day-by-day basis, so that my thoughts don't get into a contrived mode. That is usually better for me. So yesterday, I reluctantly boarded a plane in Los Angeles after a short, but blissful interlude in that part of the Country, … [Read more...]
Blustery Day – Chicken/Broccoli and Wild Rice Gratin
We've all had Chicken Divan - that old-standby from, well, way-back-when - some of us with the Campbell's soup recipe. I'm not a fan of those old canned soup recipes and so, I thought, could I do better? Tonight I had two chicken breasts in the refrigerator and have been thinking about a gluten-free "bake" with my two favorite cheeses - Italian Fontina and Gruyere. Lo and behold, and very luckily, Deb from Smitten Kitchen just posted a new … [Read more...]
Cautious State of Affairs and The Orange/Chocolate/Toasted Coconut Scone
one of my pots of thyme from last year, and snow My definition of March: Peckish, Fickle, Feckless, Wavering, Teasing, Impatient, Indecisive, Unsettled, moments of Cranky and Giddy - you know, you're hungry for something but at the same time you can't figure out which way to go - advance, retreat - again and again; cold, warm, freeze, thaw, teasing, tensing and impatient……... Today - Baking and Barking: I've been constantly … [Read more...]
Dreaming of: Swirling Curds and Coulis – The Lemon/Blood Orange Curd Almond Crusted Tart
imagine this: courtesy thetarttart.com with: this ---- that's what I woke up thinking of this morning……….. We all have dreams - good and bad. When I was younger I used to dream about falling out of a high tree. I don't know what this means - perhaps someday I'll consult a dream-analyst. I hope it's nothing terrible in my subconscious! I often dream and then wake up with baking on my mind. Today, my earliest mental activity was … [Read more...]
“Ag-Gag”, the State of Farming, and Environmental Ethics 101
photo courtesy New York Times This is another of those outtakes of the Capital One "What's in Your Wallet?" slogan. Today it's "What's in Your Food Supply?" Just picture Samuel L. Jackson with those wide eyes confronting you! Sometimes ideas will coagulate and sit in my brain over a period of days - and out spills something I can't hold onto any longer. The amalgam of questions just bubbles up like a high-school Chemistry experiment … [Read more...]
Banana-Hazelnut Dirt Bombs – In Honor of Cottage St. Bakery
Banana-Hazelnut Dirt Bombs I wrote a little on two other posts earlier today. Then, I walked by that bunch of ready-ripe bananas….. My mind, being in the oxygen-deprived, season-starved state that it is, went to Summer in Orleans, MA and the Cottage Street Bakery. Their Dirt Bombs are famous. One thing led to another and here's what happened: THE BANANA-HAZELNUT DIRT BOMB 10 tlbs unsalted butter, room temp 2 large eggs … [Read more...]