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November 2, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Individual Mini Veggie Frittatas

When I was growing up, eggs were strictly for breakfast. Occasionally, they were hard boiled and turned into egg salad or deviled eggs. They were never considered party fare for guests. It wasn’t until I started spending time in Italy and saw people ordering artichoke frittatas as a first course that I realized they make […]

October 22, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Olive Tapenade Tart with Ricotta Cheese

This is another one of those recipes that I can put together using pantry staples. I always keep different kinds of olives in my pantry, frozen puff pastry thawed in the refrigerator and whole milk ricotta or soft goat cheese in the cheese drawer. Even though I make my own tapenade, you can even use […]

August 31, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Herb Salad

Many years ago, I had the good fortune to be in a cooking school in Tuscany, at Badia a Coltibuono Lorenza de’ Medici’s home, with Lorenza herself as my instructor. This experience totally changed the way I thought about planning a menu and cooking. One of the things Lorenza did when preparing a salad was […]

June 17, 2015
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Roasted Vegetable Salad with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

This is a composed salad. It looks like a work of art, Dutch Old Masters, when you present it; but then when the guests dive in, it morphs into a Jackson Pollock: a mess of colors and shapes. A composed salad can include anything. I choose seasonal ingredients, keeping in mind what I know my […]

June 15, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Crostini with Gorgonzola & Figs

This is my friend Brent’s favorite appetizer. It is one of those super simple recipes that is easily scaled up or down, depending on the number of guests. I’ve made it for huge parties and intimate dinners for two. Every time I served it, there wasn’t a piece left. The nice thing about this recipe […]

May 20, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Basil, Fontina & Sugar Plum Tomato Pizza

If you read my recipe for White Pizza, you know how easy it is to make great pizza at home. The question now becomes what type of ingredients will you use for toppings. The choices are limitless! This is totally different from the White Pizza and different from a typical cheese and tomato pizza. Most […]

May 18, 2015
At Home with Friends

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White Pizza

I love homemade pizza! I have often made it completely from scratch, even the dough. If you don’t have time to make the dough, which requires time for the dough to rise, this is a great alternative: Readymade raw pizza dough can be found in most supermarkets or at Trader Joe’s! The secret to a […]

May 13, 2015
At Home with Friends

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DING-DONG! The Termites Are Gone!

Last year just before the Moroccan Feast was to take place, I had an infestation of termites in my living room. Termites are very common in California. They like to eat wood, as wooden frames in doors or windows or in my case carved wooden beams in my living room. We tried an organic approach […]