I picked up a new bamboo stacked steamer at the Asian market. I have an antique set, but I keep that for decoration.So I was off and running looking for things to make in the new steamer baskets. Steaming fresh vegetables helps to retain the texture, color and flavor of the vegetable while keeping its nutritional value intact. It is considered one of the way healthy ways to prepare veggies.

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Sauerkraut and its relative kimchi have become popular again with the back-to-the-kitchen movement of fermented homemade foods that are so healthy. Kimchi is a Korean dish of marinated vegetables, most commonly thought of as a pickle condiment, but it is far more versatile a food.

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My mother attended a holiday potluck and on the table was a delicate, buttery, flakey pastry wrapped salmon stuffed with spinach and mushrooms; there was a warm red pepper sauce on the side for drizzling.  It was a smash hit…

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This is a recipe created by my friend Bunny Dimmel for the day after Thanksgiving main meal. “We had it for supper on Friday,” she wrote on a Thanksgiving weekend. “And it was the best ever. We all liked it better than the Thanksgiving dinner itself.”

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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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Madeleines are small oval cakes with a pretty shell-shape rib molded on one side. These are made from a savory muffin batter baked in the traditional rectangular French madeleine plaque pan that bakes eight cakes at one time.

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Dont have time to make a pie dough? Phyllo to the rescue. Keep a package in your freezer and you are ready to fill with any number of delicious savory fillings, such as goat cheese and herbs, spinach and ricotta,…

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With the myriad of pumpkin recipes that get circulated this time of year, one thing is consistent–recipes call for canned pumpkin puree. Of course with the back to the local and sustainable movement, using a canned product might be passed over as too 1950s. But there is a reason canned pumpkin is so popular–its fantastic.

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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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