One of my favorite light summer dinners to make is refreshing gazpacho. This chilled soup is sure to quickly soothe an overly hot body. The recipes that I prefer are those without bread, making them lighter and healthier (especially if you’re dieting).
This recipe is from my mother’s friend, Vicki Sebastiani, founder of Viansa Winery in [...]

[Read more →]

I’ve been painting my kitchen all weekend. And if you’ve never taken on the task of painting a room, let me tell you something, hire someone. Or at least know what you’re getting yourself into. I took a look at our kitchen and cockily exclaimed, “Psh, I can totally do this myself!” And I did [...]

[Read more →]

When the weather starts to heat up nothing is better than nice, cold cucumbers. So mild, crisp and freshening on a hot day. They just seem to scream, “Summer!”
With so many different varieties out there it’s nice to explore new ways of preparation. They’re not just for salads! My ultimate favorite is the lemon [...]

[Read more →]

Barnaby has the uncanny ability to look into the fridge and be able to whip up some fabulous gourmet meal. I, on the other hand, will take a look and immediately say, “We have nothing, nothing at all. We need to go to the store.”
Last night was one such night. I saw nothing and Barnaby [...]

[Read more →]

Mmm…clams.
Clam chowder, clambakes, marinated, fried, steamed, stuffed, oh my!
However you like them, and wherever you are from, there seems to be a myriad of delicious way to prepare them. Last night we dressed up our buttery little Manila clams in a garlic white wine soup.
Zuppa di Vongole (Clam Soup)

3 dozen small hardshell clams (we used [...]

[Read more →]

In 1973, at the age of 5, my family moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sunriver, a little resort town in Central Oregon just south of Bend. Sunriver is nestled at the feet of the beautiful Cascade mountains and hugged by both the Big and Little Deschutes rivers. My parents, who had visited [...]

[Read more →]

Trader Vic’s Part II:
One of my favorite soups at Trader Vic’s, actually anywhere, is Bongo Bongo soup. This signature dish is a spinach and oyster purée topped with a dollop of lightly whipped cream. If the thought of puréed oysters makes you gag, fear not, they add just a hint of wonderful background flavor and [...]

[Read more →]

Oy vay.
I. Do. Not. Feel. Good.
So last night Barnaby was kind enough to brew up some of his super-secret-family-recipe matzo ball soup. What a mensch. I don’t know if it’s actually a secret recipe, but it’s a mystery to me. All I know is somehow he transformed a chicken carcass, a bit of its meat [...]

[Read more →]