Cook & Be Merry —

A Roundup of Soups for the Coming Holidays

November 10, 2011

Winter has finally come to Los Angeles. Yea!! It’s cold and rainy, and I can finally turn on my oven and start baking. And dig out the big pot and make tons of soup to fill my freezer with little containers. There are also three big holidays coming up, which may mean you’ll [...]

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Sangria Glazed Pears & Honey Almond Cream From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

November 6, 2011

In September I attended Grace-Marie’s Sizzlin’ Spanish Paella cooking class, which culminated with this Sangria Glazed Caramelized Pear & Honey Almond Cream dessert. I love to go to her classes because the food is so beautiful and I get to take marvelous photographs. It helps that my camera is a wizard, I realize. I am [...]

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The Halloween Pumpkin That Won the Prize!

November 1, 2011

My husband, Scott, created this work of art for his company’s pumpkin carving contest. And he won the prize! Congratulations!!

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Cadillac Culinary Challenge Oct 15, 2011, Irvine, CA Chef Mary Sue Milliken vs. Chef Yvon Goetz

October 25, 2011

Aji Amarillo Ceviche by Chef Mary Sue Milliken
The Cadillac Culinary Challenge I attended took place on a beautiful, hot, Southern California day in the Irvine Spectrum Center courtyard next to the ferris wheel in a black open-sided tent. Inside there was a stage in front with two cooking counters for the two challengers, celebrity Chef [...]

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Orange Marmalade and Almond Crostate from The Mozza Cookbook

October 18, 2011

The last time I was at my book store, I was so delighted to discover Nancy Silverton’s fabulous new creation, The Mozza Cookbook, was now on the shelf. When I paged through it, I found that there were recipes for each of the dishes my friend Michele and I had eaten at Osteria Mozza a [...]

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Kalamata Olive & Sun-Dried Tomato Toasts

October 15, 2011

I recently wrote a post about the book Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole and my fascination with keeping chickens. If I lived in a place where that was possible, I would have a whole flock, I think. So when Kim, of Rustic Garden Bistro, invited me to a little blogger get-together to see her [...]

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Cornbread ~ Soft, Sweet and Buttery

October 10, 2011

You wouldn’t think a thing as wonderful as cornbread would be something people would be ready to get in a fight over. But I have heard it said that there is something called Real Cornbread, that has no wheat flour or sugar and is baked in a cast iron pan. That is Southern Cornbread and [...]

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Baked Eggs with Goat Cheese & Basil-Mint Pesto

October 3, 2011

I should never go to a bookstore, because no matter what my original mission was, I invariably end up in the cookbook section. Without fail. I make a stack of all the new ones with beautiful photographs on the cover and find a place to sit where I can look at them page by page, [...]

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Sizzlin’ Spanish Paella with Chicken & Chorizo from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

September 26, 2011

Last Saturday I made a special point to attend the cooking class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen because she was making Paella, which I have tried to make a couple of times, but wasn’t happy with the results. Grace-Marie’s recipes are always so well done and delicious, so I was really looking forward to seeing how she [...]

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Blue Baby Potato Salad

September 22, 2011

I have several ways I usually prepare potatoes: mashed, baked, fried, in latkes, in potato salad, Potatoes Anna, scalloped potatoes, the usual American fare. So when Frieda’s Specialty Produce Company contacted me and offered to send me some little potatoes, I decided I wanted to do something different with them, that I had never done [...]

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Redondo Beach Lobster Festival Sept. 23-25, 2011

September 17, 2011

The Redondo Beach Surf “N” Turf Lobster Festival is three days of eating, dancing and drinking in the Seaside Lagoon Park at ocean-side, which will be taking place next weekend, September 23-25, 2011. There will be fresh Maine lobster dinners, or Certified Angus Beef New York Strip Steak and Main Lobster Tail dinners, [...]

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Maple Pecan Pie Bar Cookies

September 11, 2011

The 2011 Holiday Season is upon us and it is time to start thinking about what desserts we are going to be serving at our feasts, buffets and cookie exchanges, and to give as gifts. That is why I love these cookies, because they can be make 3 days ahead and kept at room temperature. [...]

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22 Food Porn Sites that are Not TasteSpotting

September 7, 2011

The last 8 photos I submitted to TasteSpotting were declined. I was disappointed, naturally, because getting my photos accepted does wonders for my traffic. However, since the people who view TasteSpotting also view FoodGawker, where 6 of those same photos were accepted, I figured it was TasteSpotting’s loss.
When Sarah Gim, who runs TasteSpotting, spoke at [...]

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The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

September 4, 2011

When I was a kid, my Mom would make grilled cheese sandwiches for my lunch from Wonder Bread and Kraft American Cheese. You know, the one the size of a brick. I remember enjoying them very much, along with tomato or chicken noodle soup. Campbell’s, of course.
However, things have changed since back in the day. [...]

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Tuscan Picnic Chicken Wings with Balsamic Sauce from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

August 31, 2011

The theme for the cooking class at Grace’Marie’s Kitchen last Saturday was Concert in the Park Picnic, featuring dishes that could be make ahead of time and eaten at picnic temperature. The menu included these Tuscan Picnic Chicken Wings, Mini-Red Bell Pepper & Pesto Bites, Chilled Leek and Zucchini Soup, and Limoncello Squares.
These Chicken Wings [...]