How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
I’ve decided this year to make gifts for my friends and family. I LOATHE holiday shopping....
I love ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies and some of my favorite are from Specialties Bakery in San Francisco. I have been trying to re-create the recipe and wanted a cookie with a little crisp on the outside but ooey, gooey on the inside. I added some sea salt to […]
I looooove a good caramel, especially dulce de leche. Dulce de Leche translated means “Sweet of Milk” and this is a simple recipe made with 1 ingredient. You need 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. I use Eagle brand but you really can use any kind. You cook it slowly […]
Avocados are now in season at my farmers market and they are absolutely perfect. Creamy with a grassy flavor. I have been eating them so often that I actually had to google to see if I was eating too many avocados. I have been putting them in salads, making a […]
March 14 is National Pi Day. You may think I have forgotten an “e” but I am talking about Pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter….what better to celebrate National Pi Day than with some PIE!! You all know my love of pies….I prefer them to […]
We have started skiing and snowboarding as a family and one of our favorite treats apres ski are the delicious waffles you get at the little food kiosks at the mountain. They are these buttery, yeasty treats with caramel flavors. I became obsessed with how to make them. After researching […]
Over the summer I was hanging out at our family yacht. Who am I kidding, some generous family members loaned it to us for the weekend so we could get a taste of the high life 😉 One of the magazines on board had pie recipes that were submitted to […]
I’ve decided this year to make gifts for my friends and family. I LOATHE holiday shopping....
In this previous post I wrote about how much I LOVE getting a weekly milk delivery. It has...
I love cooking with ricotta cheese. It is great in lasagnas or you can sweeten it up and...
I love ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies and some of my favorite are from Specialties Bakery in San Francisco. I have been trying to re-create...
We have some great new tomato varieties in our garden this year. This year we added San Marzano Redorta and Aunt Ruby’s German Green. San...
It is springtime and we have an abundance of eggs. My younger son loves scrambled eggs but I have not been able to get my 4 year old to eat...
I’ve been preparing this Juniper in my backyard ever since we bought the house 5 years ago. I finally collected it yesterday and put it...
Due to the drought conditions here in California I decided to install a rainwater collection system to capture rain water from our roof. Here...
A few of my neighbors have asked where we found the exterior bullet lights that we have on the front of our Eichler, so I’m posting the...
I love ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies and some of my favorite are from Specialties Bakery in San Francisco. I have been...
I looooove a good caramel, especially dulce de leche. Dulce de Leche translated means “Sweet of Milk” and this...
Avocados are now in season at my farmers market and they are absolutely perfect. Creamy with a grassy flavor. I have...
March 14 is National Pi Day. You may think I have forgotten an “e” but I am talking about Pi, the ratio of...
We have started skiing and snowboarding as a family and one of our favorite treats apres ski are the delicious waffles you...
Over the summer I was hanging out at our family yacht. Who am I kidding, some generous family members loaned it to us for...
Due to the drought conditions here in California I decided to install a rainwater collection system to capture rain water...
Labneh is strained yogurt and is the consistency of cream cheese (some people make it looser of firmer depending on their...
Well I am sure you have read about my weekly yogurt making ritual. I love making yogurt and if you want to give it a shot,...
My kids have been on a smoothie kick and their favorite is yogurt, banana, cherries with acai juice. We make them almost...
I love a good rice pudding. It is such a simple yet satisfying dessert. It can also be made in less than 30 minutes with...
Whenever we get invited over to a friends house for dinner, we always offer to bring desserts and pies are always a hit! During...
We are prepping our garden beds for our summer gardens and I am really excited this year. Usually we focus on tomatoes...
When I was in high school, I took home economics and one of my favorite recipes from my teacher, Mrs. Barsha Elzey, was the...
I used to love microwave popcorn from the store but after reading all the yucky ingredients in it, I banished it from my...
My boys LOVE cookies. My husband especially loves cookies that are a little more toothsome and chewy and not too sweet. I...
Many of us in California are lucky enough to have a Meyer lemon tree or at least know someone who has one and is willing...
It has been so busy here over at our little homestead and I have not had a chance to update with any recipes lately. A couple...
We decided to purchase a mature tree for the centerpiece to our front yard landscaping project. Here are the steps we took 1....
I’ve been preparing this Juniper in my backyard ever since we bought the house 5 years ago. I finally collected it...
A few of my neighbors have asked where we found the exterior bullet lights that we have on the front of our Eichler, so I’m...
I am a sucker for French Pastries. I cannot walk by a bakery without filling a box full of croissants, eclairs, profiteroles,...
The seasons are changing around here. Although the days are still warm, it is chilly in the morning and at night. The leaves...
We have been on a juice cleanse kick lately (I’ll post more about it as well as recipes soon). You can tell from my...
If you have not tried plum jelly, you MUST! It is one of my favorite jam/jelly. It is sweet but has great aromatic, floral...
September is here and heirloom tomatoes are cheap at the farmer’s market. Tomatoes seem especially tasty this year,...
We have some great new tomato varieties in our garden this year. This year we added San Marzano Redorta and Aunt Ruby’s...
I put some thyme in the garden 2 years ago and it never did much. I would be able to get some sprigs here and there but...
I have been a jam/jelly making fiend this summer. I have enough jam to last me through the winter! I was craving some jam-type...
Joining your local Bonsai club is absolutely the number one way that anybody should go about learning the art of bonsai. That...
I love making this Meyer Lemon Tart for potlucks or when we have friends and family over. You can make most of it the day...
I have been seeing these jars all over Pinterest and thought they were adorable and so practical. As I mentioned in an earlier...
It’s time to lose the extra winter weight I put on. We have our trip to cabo and our weekly pool days so it is time...
Spring is HERE and our garden is rocking away. The strawberries are ripening and we expect some blueberries and raspberries...
One of my favorite things to make and eat is quiche. I love great quiche. It is great for brunch, lunch, dinner…practically...
I love springtime. The fruit trees are blossoming and setting fruit. I know summer is right around the corner so we...
Spring is definitely here! The plum and peach trees are blooming. My chickens are laying and in a few weeks we will...
My girlfriend, Becky, is coming over on Thursday for lunch. I am super excited to see her because since the babies came...
I’m RICH!!! Rich, I say! I am rich in meyer lemons and eggs. The ladies are loving the sun and warm weather and...
It is springtime and we have an abundance of eggs. My younger son loves scrambled eggs but I have not been able to get...
My dear friend Wendy is expecting a baby girl so the ladies decided to throw her a small baby shower. We had a pretty mixed...
We love our chickens. They give us the most amazing eggs. So fresh and full of nutrients. Many people do not know that...
I love bean dips…hummus….yummy….mexican bean dip…delicious. One of my favorite dips to make when...
I know…I watch way too much tv! I go through periods where I will watch hours of cooking shows…now I am more...
I purchased this Acer Buergeranum from Lone Pine Gardens in Sebastapol, CA in December of 2006. It was on consignment from...
My friend Kat came to San Francisco to visit. Unfortunately I was not able to see her (sick babies) but I did get to live...
This is an experiment that I began on 4/15/06 where my goal is to create a ficus bonsai tree that will appear to be very...
I purchased this Arakawa online from The Growing Grounds bonsai nursery who are located in North Carolina. It arrived here...
I purchased this Cryptomeria Japonica (Bandai Sugi) from Lone Pine Gardens in Sebastapol, CA in May of 2007. It is over 20...
This is a really easy sauce to make and it goes with pies, on sundays, and much more. It is a sweeter caramel sauce than...
This pie crust is so superior to what you can get in the stores. It is really simple to make and you can freeze it for...
I watched a few episodes of Pioneer Woman on Foodtv. I actually really like her show and seeing snippets of her family....
I love making this bread because not only is it really easy to make, it does not take any fancy appliances, AND it costs...
This is one of my favorite salads and it has all of my favorite things in it: Bacon, carmelized onions, eggs, and brussel...
Ingredients: 1/3 cup warm milk 2 tablespoon instant dry yeast 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 4...
We have a Cheesecake Factory about 15 minutes from our house. I LOVE their White Chocolate Truffle and Raspberry Cheesecake....
My Family and friends love this dish and always rave about it. It is rich, creamy, savory and just delicious. I usually...
I LOVE peppermint bark. It is the perfect holiday gift. I remember when I worked in real estate, some co-workers used...
Almond Roca is one of my favorite candies! I have loved it ever since I was a child. I remember one of my first cookbooks...
This weekend I am scrambling to get some homemade gifts to friends and family. It seems like there is so much excess in...
We’ve been in our Atrium Eichler for 4 years now and after watching heating bill spike up during the cold months each...
I love when my friends stop by for coffee. I brew a strong batch of my favorite Sumatra coffee and I can whip up these scones...
I’ve decided this year to make gifts for my friends and family. I LOATHE holiday shopping. It stresses me out....
The holiday season is officially upon us and baking season is about to begin. Right now is the PERFECT time to make Vanilla...
In previous posts, I wrote about my LOVE of Fair Food. I posted a really easy recipe on how to make funnel cakes. Lately...
My husband is not a huge fan of sweets. He doesn’t like cake that much and prefers a crispy cookie to a mousse. One...
One of my dear friends just had a baby so my nurturing tendencies kicked in. I was raised in a family that showed love...
My poor husband has been sick for the last few days so I thought I would make something yummy for him. At first I thought...
I have been in a bad mood because 2 or the 3 chickens that were laying eggs went broody so I was only getting about 1 egg...
My husband LOVES figs. He likes that they are not too sweet and loves the crunch of the seeds. I...
We had a late summer this year and it did not really get hot until September but I am not complaining because we are lucky...
It looks like we are having another Indian Summer. It is the end of October and still 80’s out. Time to harvest...
I just got a membership to Costco. I was going to make dinner and needed 4-5 carrots and bought a bag from Costco. It...
In this previous post I wrote about how much I LOVE getting a weekly milk delivery. It has inspired me to make cheese!...
As you can imagine with 2 little kids, we go through ALOT of milk. We use at least 2 gallons of milk a week and about a...
We were so excited to come home from a family wedding. We were only gone for the weekend but I did miss my chickens. When...
I have been craving oysters lately so Steve hopped in the van and made his way over to Hog Island Oyster Company. We like...
Redwood Empire Bonsai Society (REBS) 2011 Annual Show I had the good fortune to be able to visit the annual REBS bonsai show...
So I just posted about what I harvested from the garden yesterday. I have been anxiously waiting for my first batch of...
It was a cooler spring and summer but the garden does not seem to mind much. The plants are happy and producing...
CMMNTS