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Jazzing up brussels sprouts seems to be the current food craze which I don’t subscribe to. Just before Thanksgiving, I had dinner at one of the hippest new restaurants in Los Angeles (don’t ask for the name) and we ordered brussels sprouts to accompany our shared ribeye steak. They arrived sauteed with truffle oil with […]
We all know Thanksgiving is fairly labor intensive. Anything you can do ahead is a plus. It never occurred to me that it was possible to make mashed potatoes ahead until I read Melissa Clark’s recipe for Mashed Potato Casserole. I admit I had doubts, so I tried it out a few weeks before Thanksgiving. […]
This menu has so many assertive flavors that I wanted a salad that was equally assertive and also fresh and delicious. This salad is really all about the dressing. My tasters were asking if they could just eat it right out of the bowl on crackers. The flavors are a bit exotic and seductive. Maybe […]
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 […]
If you’ve been following my blog, you already know that I serve a lot of vegetables. I never get tired of cauliflower and prepare it many different ways. I’ve been known to serve it Indian style, with potatoes and mustard seeds, which is spicy and delectable. But for this menu I wanted something simple. The […]
Even people who don’t like salad will be drawn to the kaleidoscope of colors and flavors in this dish. I use an organic herb salad mix I find at Trader Joe’s. Next time you reach for that boring bag of lettuce, try this instead. It includes: organic baby lettuce, red and green romaine, red and […]
When I first met my friend Dano, he didn’t eat vegetables. He just didn’t like them. Dano and I had many dinners at my kitchen table which usually included racks of lamb or short ribs or beef fillet with potatoes. I always snuck in some roasted vegetables and put them on my plate. I never […]
This is another composed salad that is simple to make and refreshing and delightful. The key to this salad is blanching the asparagus and plunging them in ice water (shocking them). This preserves the vibrant green color and fresh flavor. The orange zest surprises the palate and makes this a unique taste experience. This dish will […]
* Crudités (GF)
Boneless chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes
* Tortellini salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes and lemon dressing
* Asparagus with artichoke hearts and orange zest (GF)
* Pasta, chard and fontina torte (GF)
Shrimp salad with feta cheese and olives on a bed of fennel (GF)
* Quinoa salad with roasted vegetables (GF)
* Black and white cake (purchased from La Provence Patisserie & Cafe)
* Chocolate dipped coconut macaroons
(GF) Gluten Free
* Vegetarian
It was wonderful news to hear that my friend Krista, who does a lot of the beautiful photography on this blog, was having a baby. Then I got the news that it was a girl. I immediately volunteered to give a baby shower. Krista and I had lots of conversations about the shower and […]
