Bacon IS a trail snack.

I hope you all had a wonderful Solstice!   In appreciation and celebration of the longest day of the year (I know, I know... every work-day seems like the longest day ) and the fact that summer is definitely here in Shadow Hills,  I thought I'd share a very zippy and fresh tasting grill sauce/dipping sauce/ marinade with all of you! Cilantro Lime Grill Sauce 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 4 tablespoon fresh lime juice 3/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce Put all ingredients into a blender and blend for about :30 seconds. Brush on chicken, pork, veggies or seafood while grilling, or use as a dipping sauce.  If you double the recipe and add 1 cup of white wine, you can use it as a marinade. It's my new favorite "go to" when I hear this coming from the direction of my husband, "Hey honey, are you hungry?"  Which we ALL know translates to "I'm completely sta...

Over the past couple of years I've noticed "cupcakeries" popping up all over our metropolitan locales.  Yes, you read that correctly ... "Cup-Cake-er-y".  I've seen it on store signage... Why the surge in popularity?  I mean geez, cupcakes have been around since 1796 when it showed up in "American Cookery".  I think the first time "cupcake" was used as a reference to  "a cake to be baked in small cups" was 1828 from a cookbook written by Eliza Leslie called "Receipts".  So it seems in truth, cupcakes aren't a "new" thing.   How do you feel when you eat a cupcake?  Full? Satisfied? Happy? Wanting another one?  Yes.  That's it! You want another one because they're so small and it's not like eating an ENTIRE piece of cake now is it?  You'd never find yourself having TWO pieces of cake? Hell no!  But two CUPCAKES?  Why of course you would!  They're only cupcakes, right? Do I make cu...

Still figuring out the whole "social networking" thing.  A bit of a challenge for a lady of a certain vintage.  :o) I started a group called "Ladies who go on afternoon rides" for those fabulous ladies I know and ride with who also enjoy GREAT FOOD! We are still working on selecting a date for our first "ride" and lunch location (remember ladies, your horse must tie... I know none of us are interested in running after a fleeing equine while balancing a glass of wine and baguette!)  Perhaps we should just make our first ride to the Hideaway to discuss possible trails for the upcoming rides? I'm totally making this up as I go along. That said, here are some thoughts on menu: Ham, Port, Gruyere and Black Olive baguette (today's word is, yep you guessed it "baguette") Heirloom Tomato, Basil and Cucumber salad Pinot Grigio Individual Lemon Cakes How's that sound?  For the Vegetarians I'll just make another loaf of th...

I know what you’re thinking… what could a Canadian possibly know about tacos? Crazy, right? Well, let me tell you… I’ve had tacos pretty much everywhere, from a food truck in Sunland on Glenoaks and Sunland Blvd to the deliciously simple tacos I had out of a vendor cart in Puerto Morelos, Mexico with Agent E, (more on Agent E as we all get to know each other..) Some of the BEST tacos, even if I do say so myself (without the hazy aid of our pal Jose Cuervo) are the tacos I make at home after a VERY busy day creating TV magic… all I want is chicken, cilantro, fresh garden tomatoes, some lime, a little cool lettuce and hot sauce all hiding in a heated, hard shell taco… yep, that’s pretty much the only way to end days like those ones, right? Here we go… On medium, heat a sauce pan with 4 tbsp olive oil and add half a chopped red onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, the green end (chopped) of a bunch of scallions, about a 1/4cup of loosely chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup dry vermouth (I kno...

…well, in my opinion it’s not REALLY just a lemon cake… in fact I despise lemon cake or lemon “flavored” anything for that matter. THIS cake however is quite deeeelish. Here we go… (pre-heat your oven to 375ºF) 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda © Tumblr, Inc. Help About Goodies API Themes Meetups Jobs Policy 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tbsp grated lemon zest ( 2 tbsp for the cake batter and 1 tbsp for the glaze, that comes later…) 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice (you can either use juice from the lemons you just zested above OR, any fresh lemon juice from your favorite food shop would be dandy) 3/4 tsp ground cardamom (OR, since this spice costs about a billion dollars in most stores, you can use 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg) 2 large eggs (and YES, it matters what size eggs you use. Here’s a chart just in case: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/EggE...

I received an email asking about delicious alternatives to serving veggies smothered in cheese. Although this saddens me tremendously, I do understand the challenges that folks face when “CHEESE” is the enemy. With that in mind may I offer a few of these helpful (hopefully) hints: For Steaming Veggies: substitute lemon juice for water and add a tsp of dried sage leaves (if microwaving of course…) if steaming using conventional methods pour 1/4 cup lemon juice in with the steaming water as it is boiling. Once veggies are crisp-cooked (that place between not quite raw but not soggy either), drain them in a colander then transfer to medium bowl, tossing them with a crushed garlic clove, 1 tsp of dried sage, salt and pepper to taste. I suggest sage, rosemary, oregano or try 1/8 tsp of cinnamon or ground ginger because they pack big sensory wallop for a small amount of herb. Grilled Veggies: Marinate or not marinate? That IS the question. I guess the answer is a very personal one so I ask y...

We both LOVE goat cheese... that really was never even a question. The question was, how could we make a living at doing something we love? Isn't that always the question though? Wait, I should tell you a little bit about me, us... heck, we haven't even done a legal search of the business name yet? The Shadow Hills Cheese Company. It has a nice ring to it I think? You are asking yourself, "where is Shadow Hills?" I know, I know... it sounds mysterious and fascinating... like me... um, no. But there is never a dull moment in Shadow Hills, I'm here to tell you that! It was a Thursday... I was instant messaging with my Story Producer, we both have a complete love affair with food... we think that any time food is consumed, there should be some type of celebration! And heck, why not? We both work for a mid level, popular, reality television production company. The work is fun, the people are a bit of a challenge sometimes but all in all, a great place to be....