‘You hungry?’ I asked, one lazy Saturday afternoon, ruffling my kid’s messy mop. An innocent question, but not really. With a preteen, it’s Russian Roulette. ‘Yeah…’ Child replies, and then with an intensity that came out of nowhere, ‘But, like for pizza, you know? With a really good cheese pull.’I blink. ‘Cheese pull?’ ‘Yeah, you … Read more
You know what Los Angeles and New York City have in common? You have to live there to get it. And in my case, ‘there’ is Southern California. Born, raised, never leaving. I don’t care how high the taxes get. Every once in a while, someone will say something to me, some out-of-state soul that’s … Read more
I’ve been making pizza in one form or fashion for years. My first job was actually making pies at Round Table Pizza, so I felt like I knew what I was doing when my kid asked me for pizza a couple weeks ago. No problem, I thought, I’ll even go back to my roots and … Read more
Recently I watched the adorable film, Nonnas, and thought …. who knew both co-stars of Swingers would end up in foodie movies? Seriously did not see that coming. Anyway, I developed this sauce for pizza. But it was when I had to make a last minute pivot and this left over sauce saved my bacon … Read more
I found myself pondering this year how to construct a well-balanced cookie tin. I had a lot of people to give gifts too that I don’t see often so I felt a well-designed cookie tin was a safe bet. But how to make it balanced with the right flavors of Yule? As I prepared my … Read more
Do you even wonder if Santa work’s the night in shifts? If he’s got to make his rounds all over the globe in 24 hours, I’m thinking he must. Either way, I checked with Mrs. Claus and she assured me this is her main squeeze’s favorite thing to come home to after his busiest day … Read more
Is it just me, or did Starbucks destroy the fall in North America by creating the pumpkin spice rage? Pumpkin spice has become a meme that has taken over fall and you can’t swing a bag without knocking over 20 displays of products that are flavored or scented with pumpkin spice. So I present to … Read more
People who will devour a gallon of ice cream in one sitting, eat a slice of cake the size of their head, or have three donuts for breakfast have always confused me. I just don’t have that kind of relationship with sugar. For me, whatever language you want to use – dolche, bonbon, a sweet … Read more
I’ve been making crepes for many years and for some reason I have hesitated to write this blog post. I think my ‘piece de resistance’ was the year I made crepes stuffed with Rosemary Turkey Breast, smothered with Sherry Shallot Gravy and drizzled with Cranberry Coulis. The crepe, while a delightful pain in the ass … Read more
My daughter asked me to make her something pretty one Saturday morning close to Valentine’s Day and I came up with this lovely concoction. Deeply infused layers of chocolate offset by the brightness of raspberries? Both to the palate and the eyes, this dish is a treasure. I will warn you, it took hours to … Read more