A loose recipe for fried brown rice with vegetables that can be adapted to whatever you have in the fridge. Naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and delicious! [Breakfast, January 2012.] Simple Fried Brown Rice Recipe The tide has turned a little: it rained in the night and I woke up intermittently to hear the screen rattling in […]
Looking for Inspiration (+ a Chard Gratin)
[San Francisco this morning, February 2012.] Today: the sky a sweet, deep blue, warm for February. I am eating an orange. Trying to write an article. I just got 'adjusted' and now my right ankle is buzzing away not unpleasantly (I hope this means healing is occurring) and in a few hours will take the […]
All Good (+ Almond Butter Cookies)
[Winter beach, January 2012.] In Maine, where my toes are chillier than usual and the clouds seem tangible (and puffy) enough to hold in your hands. The clouds here are different than anywhere else I've seen them: arranged across the horizon in great billows rather than wisps. The sky this week, clear for the most […]
The Last Friday of the Year
[This morning, December 2011.] December 30th. We are tiptoeing up to the edge of the year and peering over its edge into the unknown. I'm slowly sipping my last Hardcore Espresso coffee for awhile -- to savor it, you know -- after my last swim of 2011, with my feet tucked into the blankets to […]
The Details
[Cran jam, December 2011.] Last night I was so tired from assembling and making -- the industry of which took up most of the afternoon -- that I stirred a pat of butter, a smidge of cream (!), and some bits of cheddar cheese into a pot of polenta and then ate a big bowlful […]
It's That Time
This is the time of year when all I'm doing is making up lists -- constantly, consciously writing lists. Example 1: For a holiday party this weekend, things still left to pick upAcme breadssmall (compostable) platessmall napkinsclementinesnon-alcoholic delicious beveragesbeericesmall cupslightsxmas ornament hangersarugula (This may seem like a lot of things, but trust me it is […]
Into the Woods
[Thanksgiving dinner, November 2011.] This year, Thanksgiving weekend involved a lot of time outdoors and that's perhaps the thing I'm most grateful for in these waning days of 2011. But of course all the other stuff was grand, too. Dinner was lovely -- all turned out well, even the last-minute chicken I roasted with olive […]
Thanks-giving
[Along the Pacific coast, November 2011.]Why I Wake EarlyHello, sun in my face.Hello, you who made the morningand spread it over the fieldsand into the faces of the tulipsand the nodding morning glories,and into the windows of, even, themiserable and the crotchety- best preacher that ever was,dear star, that just happensto be where you are […]
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
It's so easy to make pumpkin pie from scratch! If you've wanted to make pumpkin pie from a pumpkin, here's your chance. Follow my foolproof method to make the best homemade pumpkin pie with pumpkin ever. Skip the canned pumpkin this year and make pumpkin pie from a pumpkin! You won't believe how easy it […]
A Pot of Tea
[Tea, October 2011.] How I love coffee; I sincerely could count the ways: 1. I love it for its little zing of caffeine that, once it enters my bloodstream, delivers a hit of euphoria that can't be beat; 2. I love it because I usually procure it elsewhere, meaning that I don't make it myself […]
Caramel Corn
Crunchy and sweet homemade caramel corn is studded with peanuts and makes for the best snack! Freshly popped corn, brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter come together for something truly delicious. I woke up from strange (seriously, strange) dreams to the sound of pouring rain, but miraculously the sun came out and is now shining […]
More
[Northstar at rest, October 2011.] After all that, after brushing off the crumbs and packing away the dress and wistfully wishing the flowers adieu and trying not to get toooo weepy saying good-bye to beloved family and friends who live far (too far, darn it!), we went north to the mountains for a few days. […]
A Wedding, and Cake
[Wedding cake, October 2011.] It's hard to believe a week ago right now I was driving through the rolling hills of Northern California along Tomales Bay in the bright sun back to Sebastopol with Kate and Emily, talking of this and that (mostly, food, including quinoa) and sipping on an iced coffee from Toby's, eagerly […]
Sunday Morning Pancake-Making
On Sunday the day rose up grey and gloomy and I heard the distinct patter of rain outside as I burrowed my head deeper under the blankets and reminded myself there was no need to get up early; weekend mornings, at least when I'm not going to yoga, are for sleeping in. So I did […]
Soon (But for Now, Carrot Soup)
[San Francisco, September 2011.] Currently, slowly consuming a piece of cake I baked for a coworker's mumble mumble th birthday -- chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache and frosted with coffee buttercream. It's delicious, and immediately after I finish it I will eat a plum to make up for all the butter. No photo because […]
Summer ...
[Lukens Lake, August 2011.] ... sigh. I know you're out there, still, and I know I experienced you but -- and pardon my language -- what the heck? September first is when? I've swum in Tomales Bay how many times? I've had an iced coffee, like, once? Oh summer. Oh the elusive dream. Well, the […]
Homemade Blackberry Pie Recipe
Sweet and sumptuous homemade blackberry pie sings a song of summer. With simple, wholesome ingredients (and not many of them), this beautiful pie makes the absolute best of blackberry season. Blackberries are my favorite, and every year when they come into season my heart dances a little jig. From gluten free blackberry cake to gluten […]
Oat Flour Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
A rich and sweet vegan gluten free banana bread is flecked with chocolate and a hint of ginger. Made in one bowl! This vegan and gluten free banana bread is an old favorite, made with plenty of ripe bananas and oat flour (sort of a vegan version of my banana nut bread with oat oat […]
Gluten Free Baked Mac and Cheese (Creamy Yet Light)
This creamy gluten free baked mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food - cheesy, rich, and super satisfying. Lightened up with a little less butter and cheese, this version still feels rich. Go ahead and indulge! I love gluten free baked pasta dishes, and a gluten free baked mac and cheese is firmly in […]
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Soft and chewy-crisp chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are packed with the good stuff - butter, rolled oats, whole grain flour, vanilla - and they're just walloped with chocolate. Easily make 'em gluten-free or with whole wheat flour for an extra boost. These chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are sooooo good - soft AND chewy but with […]
About that Wedding Cake ...
[Cake for Leah and Simon, gorgeous photo by Sweet Monday Photography.] A year ago I was obsessing about butter cream -- how much, would it hold up to the heat and humidity of a Maine summer, what kind of vanilla, should I make strawberry jam for the filling for the 1-2-3-4 cake instead of blueberry […]
Another for the Cake-Baking Files
[Cake for Leah and Simon, April 2011.] So because I have so much free time right now, I just baked a wedding cake. I think I honestly might have a slight Baking Addiction -- or at least absolutely cannot ever say 'no' to baking when asked, especially when it's something as important as a wedding […]
Banana Raspberry Bread
An uptick on a classic, this whole-grain banana raspberry bread features a soft, tender bread studded with juicy pockets of fresh raspberries. Make it gluten-free with oat flour or use whole wheat pastry flour for a cozy, homey take on a traditional favorite. Sweet and summery, I truly love this pretty raspberry banana bread! I […]
Asparagus Potato Soup
Creamy, cozy asparagus potato soup will warm you from the inside out! Absolutely crammed with vibrant vegetables like carrots, spinach, and potatoes, this pretty soup is luxe and satisfying. Like my simple vegan asparagus soup recipe, asparagus potato soup is incredibly lovely to look at and to sip! It's also incredibly full of all the […]
Caramel Pots de Creme
Creamy and lush caramel pots de creme are the stuff dreams are made of! They are plushy and smooth, winding flavors of deep caramelized sugar across your tongue - rich, but not overly so. [Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite, February 2011.] And did you get whatyou wanted from this life, even so?I did.And what did you want?To […]
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Soft and buttery gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies are an easy gluten-free riff on a classic cookie recipe. Spiked with a little cinnamon, packed with juicy raisins, and oh-so chewy and tender, these cookies are impossible to resist. Once you bite into these gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies I bet you will never eat an oatmeal raisin […]
Home, with Penne and Pesto
[Sonoma Coast, January 2011.] I took today off. No working from home, no working at work, no working, really, at all. I pushed off thoughts of my Friday deadline and went for a run in the morning -- just a short one, because I'm doing a ½ marathon this weekend and wanted to save myself […]
Rice Pudding + Cold Afternoons
[On the table this morning, January 2011.] Sunday afternoon post-pint (a Smithwick's), I made rice pudding. And you know, I don't really love rice pudding. I mean, I don't mind it, though I definitely wouldn't call it one of my Favorite Things. But when someone gets excited about a particular dish -- in this case, […]
Thanksgiving Rolls, Just Because
[Bay leaves, Point Reyes National Seashore, November 2010.] Last night I dreamed about soup -- butternut squash soup, perhaps because I ate a bowl of it for lunch on Saturday at a restaurant in North Beach. We sat outside and sipped glasses of white wine under the heating lamps and watched all the passersby -- […]
The Feasting
[Before, November 2010.] Home again, home again after a four-day weekend that whizzed by much too quickly. I know there was lots of cooking, lots of sleep (10 hours one night, even), many cups of tea, fires in the fireplace, reading (currently -- and appropriately -- "Mayflower," about the Pilgrim emigration to the Americas and […]
Thanks, the Giving of
[Apple pie, November 2010. Recipe here.] I am thankful for this sunny day.I am thankful for this good food, that I have enough when so many do not.I am thankful for my friends and family.I am thankful for sweet dogs.I am thankful for the Pacific Ocean (and all the oceans of the world).I am thankful […]
Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Main Dishes
[Dinner, quickly, November 2010.] I had planned to do a post today about vegetarian main dishes appropriate for the holiday table, but all that has fallen by the wayside because on Saturday night I had a dinner party, and at that dinner party I served something I must tell you about right now immediately because […]
Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Starting Off
Anyway, though, regardless of decadent chocolate cake and the strange weather in Northern California this weekend (in the 70s, dry and sunny, the poor trees shedding their leaves must be so confused), we all are well-aware of what's coming up next week: Thanksgiving. I often like to post some of my favorite (vegetarian) Thanksgiving recipes […]
Moments
[Maine, June 2010.] full black swan film hd In the past two weeks: * Riding an off-road vehicle thing through the woods behind my aunt and uncle's place in Vermont with two of my cousins, up the hills and past the apple trees and along the snowmobile trails, bumpily, and never being happier to smell […]
Almost
[Note: this is not the actual wedding cake (!).] In two weeks it will all be over, I tell myself. Not that I want to wish time away, just ... for the past month my mind has whirled with thoughts of buttercream, traditional; buttercream, Swiss; chocolate ganache; butter, what kind; sugar, how much I will […]
Items*
[Pre-breakfast, June 2010 buy i spit on your grave the movie the company men dvd rip buy the film .] * Today's word is: smitten. It's such a sweet, small word, with those two 't's' packed tight together like a little fence. Lately I am smitten with: my friend's dog, a 6-mile run straightaway after […]
Here's What I Do
buy the the man from nowhere (ajeossi) film [Breakfast, May 2010.] Well. All of a sudden it's May (May!), the month swept in on a rush of sunlight and wind. I sat in the park yesterday for almost two hours, nibbling on milk chocolate and finishing a book, glad for once I hadn't brought my […]
April Showers
[Flowers in West Marin, March 2010.] Hey April, I have a bone to pick with you. I know Mr. Eliot called you 'the cruellest month' and then there's all that nonsense about April showers bringing May flowers or some such (and, I swear, that had better come to pass), but what about, you know, the […]
Cornmeal Cake
This cornmeal cake could hardly be simpler to make and is full of gorgeous bubbly texture from the cornmeal. Top it with coarse sugar before popping it into the oven, and serve it with whipped cream and fruit. Simple Cornmeal Cake Recipe Suddenly, it's raining and I am drinking an americano (Blue Bottle, double shot, […]
Mustard (!)
[Mustard greens from the market, March 2010] download wake trailer Never let it be said that I'm not stubborn. I'm the girl who will, if you offer to pay for dinner, cheerfully (but cheerfully!) fight with you over the bill (just ask my best friend). I'll finish books I'm not enjoying all that much (see: […]
On Misremembering
[Coconut bread, and tea, January 2010.] Quite a few years ago I read a book that would become one of my very favorites -- My Dream of You , by the Irish writer Nuala O'Faolain -- and which I subsequently have passed around to various loved ones. I first read it one long weekend in […]
Once, in Greece
[Spetses, 2007 .] If I were a better writer, I'd have some sort of lovely observation about this (endless) rain and how, if I didn't have to work, I'd like to be sitting in the Japanese tea garden in Golden Gate Park watching puddles pile up near the coi pond and crunching away on that […]