Bacon IS a trail snack.

Someone blinked and 2017 is pretty much over.   Not that many of us dare brave the New Year's Eve crowd (amateur night as it is known in the family) anymore.   I prefer to stay close to home and entertain a handful culinary savvy friends to ring in the New Year. Historically I have thrown a New Year's Day party that includes hair of the dog,  a huge vat of white bean and turkey chili, a poker game and of course watching the Rose Bowl Parade...  ...and College Bowl games but I thought that 2018 needed something a little special.   "A Proper, Grown Up Dinner Party". The key is to start earlier so guests can make their way safely home before the ball drops.   Here's my menu and timeline (by no means is it an exact science or following any Miss Manners list!) I hope you find it helpful! December 31st 2017 5PM - Cocktails, hors'derves 6PM - 1...

Every year about this time, all I want to do is bake pies.  Big pies, little pies, one crust pies, two crust pies, fancy-shmancy lattice topped pies.

Although it's topping 114ºF here in Shadow Hills, CA over this long, last-kick-at-Summer holiday weekend, I can't help wishing for that first sign of Fall.  Snuggly sweaters, big fuzzy socks, heavily spiked Hot Cocoa... mmmm, I can just taste it! When we were kids, the end of Summer was always marked by the Jerry Lewis Telethon (was it possible to stay up all night?), shopping for the last bits of things needed to start the new school year and one final Cook Out before Dad would cover up the grill and wheel it back into the garage until next Summer. There were always people visiting at one time or another over Labor Day weekend.  Friends coming back from Holiday up in Cottage Country would stop in, knowing full well the grill would be fired up, ice cold beer in the cooler and that final cannon ball into the pool before they head back to their respective homes in the City.    Man, I think back and smile. Remembering. SNAP OUT OF IT J...

What ground herbs and spices do you have in your pantry?  Go take a look.  Check the expiration dates on them... I bet you will surprised that you've had that plastic bottle of cinnamon since 2009.  Oh and the Cream of Tartar?  Didn't realize it was in a metal box did you?  THROW IT AWAY! I prefer to use fresh spices whenever available but I do understand that most of us need the convenience of having dried spice on hand.  Rule of thumb, be expected to use twice the amount of dry spice if your recipe called for fresh.  The flavor concentration is considerably less in the bottled kind but still works in a pinch. One of the most famous Spice Hunters was Marco Polo. He set out to find a spice route to the far East and ended up getting a little lost.  The "real" story is that he was messing around with the Queen of Spain and the King gave her a choice... either her spicy lover hangs until dead or, he can be banished.  I guess the P/R for the...

Not too long ago I made the move back to an agricultural zoned part of Los Angeles County with hope of getting some goats.  Goats to me = delicious goat cheese and well, goats are just fun to have around (if you can get past the fact that they eat EVERYTHING).  With Cooking/Baking Classes getting underway at The Sunflower in the next week or so, I put together an exciting and quite tasty curriculum for my students which includes an entire 7 week course all about cheese.   Making cheese.  Cheese and wine pairing.  The different types of cheese and of course recipes with cheese as the main ingredient.  Let's not forget the all important party pleaser... the Cheese Board! I didn't understand or even like cheese until well into my 30's.  I don't even recall what got me hooked but I'm so happy I did!   Here's a super easy way to make goat cheese. I've also includ...