recipes

Before even getting into this article (which you will inevitably bookmark) I have to say the goddess of all grape uses is none other than wine itself. And who takes the throne on wine? California. California has the climate to grow grapes for the majority of months throughout the year, and wineries are the second [...]

For many of us, this is the busiest, most hectic, and stressful time of year.  Halloween is over, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas are on the horizon.  We have gifts to purchase and wrap, parties to host and attend, travel plans, work deadlines, and church activities on top of our normal everyday activities and duties. In order to [...]

5 Ideas for Apples

by Sarah on October 4, 2011 · 0 comments

It’s Autumn, which naturally means it is apple season.  We sometimes forget all of the wonderful things we can do with apples. Here’s a list in case your family goes apple-picking, and in your excitement you gather more than you can possibly eat right now. 1. Create a table decoration or centerpiece with apples.  It can [...]

Favorite Casual Brunch Menu

by Sarah on September 30, 2011 · 0 comments

As you know from the previous article, one of my favorite meals to serve to guests is brunch.  Everyone is relaxed and ready to eat, drink, and have a good time with friends and family.  It is a great time of day to honor a bride-to-be, mother-to-be, graduate, or even just to celebrate the beginning [...]

Now that schools are back in session, I think all busy American moms and dads that want to feed themselves and their families nutritiously, are eager to find convenient, easy, and tasty lunch box fare.   It’s as  hard for a child to get excited about peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches or Lunchables day after day, as it [...]

Buy American and Make Some Apple Pie!

by Sarah on September 13, 2011 · 0 comments

Boy, when we sat down to watch all of Sunday’s ceremonies for the 10-year anniversary of the many, many people that were lost in 9/11, I didn’t realize how emotionally moving it would be.  After seeing the beautiful memorial park that was created to honor the fallen at Ground Zero, and after hearing all of the New York Firefighters, widows, widowers, and children [...]

Many fresh fruits are in season, and it’s time to take advantage of  the abundance, quality, and low prices of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, melon, peaches, nectarines and pineapple that abound in supermarkets and on roadside stands across the nation! There is so much that you can do with fresh fruits, from topping cold breakfast cereals, [...]

With bitter-sweet emotions, I have to say, with the inventions of the ipad, iphone, ipod touch, and android phones, 3″x5″ recipe cards and Grandma’s wooden recipe box may be a thing of the past.  I can’t help it, no matter where technology takes us, I still cling to the comforts of tradition in the kitchen.  [...]

There were several comments about the article Basic Cooking Herbs, and one in particular, made reference to the fresh herb cilantro.   It is true, many Latino or Tex-Mex dishes use the herb, but the two are not mutually exclusive.  There are many great non Latino recipes out that use the herb’s fresh and distinctive aroma and flavor.  There [...]

Ribs to Remember (Part II)

by Sarah on May 21, 2011 · 0 comments

Once you have your pork spareribs properly prepared (“trimmed & skinned”) you can start the cooking process.  I say cooking, (and not just grilling) because the best ribs that we’ve ever eaten involve both oven baking and grilling on the gas grill.  Some people would say that the best ribs are slow cooked over hickory, oak, [...]