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Quinoa translates to “mother” in Quechua, one of the main languages of native Andean peoples and Incan descendants. It was a staple highland grain of equal importance as maize, and considered a premium food source of strength and endurance for working in the thin mountain air.
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January 1988 started what was to be a good year for catering. It was an election year and Reaganomics had the country in the lull between Iran-Contra and the end of the Cold War. People were entertaining at home nonstop. I had a lot of private parties scheduled way into the summer. January is a great month to entertain since people are looking for some excitement in the dreary cold month following the Christmas holidays.
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While I was catering, over the decades, I worked for some really wonderful people who owned businesses and needed to have catered affairs as part of their PR. One of these was the now-defunct Sunbird Fine Art Gallery in Los Altos,…
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What are crostini? Literally translated to “little crusts,” they are Italian-style appetizer croutons. Usually slices of bread are toasted slowly until golden and then spread with a variety of tasty savory toppings, they are a clever way to use up day-old bread.
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A well-made combination salad is an irresistible delight. Especially on a hot night. It is healthy eating at it’s best and appeals to all types of eaters, fitting all palates (those on special diets appreciate lusty main dish salads they can dig into with abandon as well).
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Tamales are the epitome of Mexican food and one of the classic tastes of the Hispanic kitchen. Tamales are “mother” food or comfort food, Latin style. The dough is made from masa harina or “masa flour,” the ground corn that has been soaked in lime, then dried for storage, to make the corn kernel softer and more digestible than regular cornmeal. It is the corn flour used to make tortillas and tamales have that wonderful strong corn flavor that is so characteristic in Mexican cuisine.
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Taco salads are a variation on tostadas, but with the base tortilla shaped into a bowl, and began to sprout on Mexican restaurant menus in the 1960s. Its all the ingredients you would eat in a hand held taco, but with lots more lettuce on a plate, so dieters like the taco salad. Taco salads are so everyday, but with fresh ground turkey meat and all delicious add ons, it is a fantastic all-weather meal.
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Frito Pie, one of the great fun foods of the Southwest, consists of chile con carne (beef in red chile sauce) ladled over Fritos corn chips, and topped with shredded cheddar cheese and, if desired, raw onions and, if you’re feeling flush, pickled jalapenos and sour cream.
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I went to a buffet at a friends’ right after she returned from her first visit to Rancho La Puerta spa, right over the border from San Diego in Tecate, Baja, Mexico. She served quesadillas, a recipe she brought back.…
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While turkey, stuffing, and pies are easy for most holiday cooks, the one portion of the meal that can really be challenging year after year is the side dishes. Certainly everyone has perennial family favorites, the ones made over and over. But sometimes you want to try something new…
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