Devouring life, one bite at a time
Sometimes I wish I could buy a magazine company just so my friend, Daisy, could organize all the shoots, spreads, creative content and distribution of it. She just makes everything pretty. To kickoff an especially great weekend, she hosted a gal party at the pond …
It’s true, I eat a lot of pasta. But can you really ever eat too much pasta? The other day, I found myself with a great mix of flavors and textures to make a typical bowl of pasta feel gussied up. This could easily be …
-2 oz. citrus vodka
-1 Tablespoon of elderflower syrup or St. Germain
-4 oz. grapefruit soda (you can use juice, but I like the bubbles for summer)
-slice or twist of lime
Serve up or on the rocks.
Great for a party, or just to celebrate you!
Last weekend I made my first trip to the Asian grocery store in town. It’s time I get away from my Euro-American cooking comfort zone and explore some new terrain. I asked my friend Chuck if she needed me to pick up anything. “Maybe just …
Real women love ribs. And barbecue. And hot sauce. Yesterday I had my first barbecue in far too long for a meat enthusiast to admit. Chuck and I met a couple friends in Calistoga for a luxurious day of mineral pools and hot springs. At …
The culinary highlight was individual picnic baskets, to cut down on dishes. (She thinks of everything!)
Also included were (French Laundry) lemon tarts, fresh fruit, asparagus flatbread, and smoked salmon tartar on cucumber.
Each basket contained: an abalone po’boy sandwich, personally foraged by Daisy’s husband, Trout; a mason jar filled with potato salad (the classy Alice Waters one, not the mayonnaisy kind); a homemade chocolate chip cookie and wrapped caramel; and my special caesar salad (recipe to be revealed soon).
Now that it’s summer, I recommend food that can be served cold. It’s way easier to assemble and you have a little more leeway in serving time. Get an assembly line going for something like sandwiches, and the sides should be one-dish wonders like pasta salad, cous cous, or greens. Make it easier on yourself and invite friends to bring something, or at the very least, wine and apps.
What kind of parties will you be throwing this summer?
Here are some pictures from last week when Stella and I had a doggie date at the beach. Meet Lulu and Julia. Stella and Lulu? Big dog, little dog? Some things are meant to be. Frisbee, dogs and friends. The perfect equation for happiness.
This was intended to be a backpost from earlier this summer when my friend spotted a tarantula in her living room moments before I drifted off on the couch. (Yep, it woke me up.) Very fitting, since I’m housesitting for her this week and guess …
This weekend, I went to Petaluma with my friend Daisy and her pal Roo, in town from Colorado. We hit up the Rivertown Revival, Petaluma’s version of the Handcar Regatta (on water instead of land). It was a gorgeous, hot day and finally felt like …