Sate is prevalent throughout Southeast Asia. On nearly every street corner from Jakarta to Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur you can find a sate vendor. Crouched low on their heels, over a coal braizer, smiling men and women will cook skewers of marinated meat for just a couple of ringget or baht. Each vendor, of course, [...]
Memorial Day weekend we visited my in-laws in Napa. Napa is not a bad place to have relatives. Julie and Walter have lived in Napa for over 22 years. The very first winery they visited was Prager Port Works. They’ve been loyal drinkers ever since. We visit Prager just about every time we’re there and [...]
It’s artichoke season again. Yeah! I love artichokes. Especially the heart! Yep, I know it’s a lot of work to get to the heart. There really isn’t much “meat” on each leaf. Dip, scrape. But I think of them as slow food. You really can’t rush eating an artichoke. That’s a good thing. I rush [...]
I first heard the term “amuse-bouche” in 1984. I was one of several students from the California Culinary Academy who were hired to assist in one of two meals at a private winery called Far Niente. I had just taken the course, “Food and Wine Pairing”, and the instructor, some big name wine dude whose [...]
Poor gray! It has been given such a bad rap. It connotes gloom, sadness and negativity…a dreary, gray day or the “gray area”. Yet, I love the peacefulness of gray days and I think gray is my favorite of all the “non-colors”. Not as harsh and heavy as black, not as light and airy as [...]
Growing up, I was a tom boy. I preferred playing football with the boys on the cul-de-sac to Barbies. My dad taught me how to throw a spiral and was so proud when I joined the girl’s football team in junior high as a running back. I loved spending weekends watching football with him and [...]
