This is one of the easiest, tastiest dinners that has become a reliable favorite on nights when I don't have inspiration for much more. Like last night. Just three things to buy at the store: chicken thighs, yogurt (and no, you can't use nonfat yogurt for this, not allowed) and [...]
Last weekend, in the midst of our mingling and visiting before sitting down to dinner here, a friend pointed out my bottle of cassis from Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon, noting what an extraordinary example of the traditional black current liqueur it is. Yes, I agreed wholeheartedly. And despite the fact that [...]
Yes, we are going to "spring forward" tomorrow. And the vernal equinox is just two weeks away. But the little crocuses blooming in my planter boxes can not drive away the winter chill. Earlier today at my house in West Seattle (very near the highest point in the city) it snowed [...]
Interestingly, it was Bob's idea that we go for the menu degustazione on Saturday night. He's definitely not a picky eater but for health reasons has to be a little selective about what's on his plate. Maybe he was just feeling indecisive. Or adventurous. Or maybe this was just one [...]
These days more than ever, it's nice when you can make a dollar spent go farther. If you're a fan of wild Northwest salmon and have an interest in supporting the livelihoods of the people who work to bring food to your plate, here's a delicious opportunity for you to [...]
I fell in love with endive while at cooking school in France, one of many ingredients I'd had little interaction with before embarking on that adventure. Among salad greens, endive has a bit more character and flavor than everyday lettuce, not as bitter as radicchio, and is more versatile than [...]
One of these years I'm going to make it down to the Artisan Cheese Festival myself, though this probably won't be the year. I first learned about this cheese-lover's dream weekend when doing research on Sonoma County food events for a magazine article. I've actually done a couple of articles on [...]
This wine "holiday" has become one of the highlights of the year around our house. For me and my friends, it will be Open That Bottle Night number three, though the occasion is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. I was just slow to catch on! Open That Bottle Night [...]
"Come over for dinner tomorrow night, why don't you?" I asked a friend Friday. "Sure, sounds great. I'll bring the wine, I was recently at a tasting of Portuguese wines and have a couple of bottles to share," she tells me. Oooh. Portuguese. That sounded like fun. My plan for [...]
I don't think anyone will complain about there being too many chefs in the kitchen for this upcoming dinner series. The brainchild of Thierry Rautureau, chef and owner of Rover's restaurant (with whom I wrote the Rover's cookbook!), at these dinners the same six chefs will collaborate on the meal, each [...]