Archive | October, 2013

Paleo Pho With Seared Spiced Duck

28 Oct

Photos - 7236I’m a big fan of any cuisine that uses cilantro—Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican. I know that there are people out there that taste soap when they eat cilantro, and if you’re one of those people, you have my heartfelt condolences. I’m so so sorry. Apparently there’s some enzyme that this section of the populous lacks that causes the cilantro-soap conundrum. I must say that I’m glad I’m not one of them. I heart cilantro. I really, really do.

Now, traditional pho doesn’t necessarily feature cilantro, so I’ll get back on track here. I’m not even sure if you can go to a pho restaurant and get a version with duck. Well, in my house you can. Clearly I’m just making it up as I go along. BTW, my first cookbook will be proudly titled: “Cooking By the Seat of My Pants” and the working subtitle is: “Was That the Oven Timer? And Why Is My Martini Glass Empty?” Continue reading →

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Persimmon Almond Cake

20 Oct

Persimmon Cake11I have a confession to make—I’ve been scared of persimmons. Fear of the unknown, I guess, even though they are beautiful and plentiful here in California. When I saw that we had some growing on our tree this year, I figured I’m going to have to do something with them. Nothing would be worse than wasting these gorgeous, bright orange fruits.

So I must admit, I’m pretty proud of this cake. Mainly because I took a recipe that didn’t have any persimmons in it and made it work. I’m excited to credit the excellent blog Mama’s Gotta Bake for the inspiration here. First of all, all of her recipes/creations make you want to lick your screen because of their obvious deliciousness. I’m so glad she lives an hour and a half away, because if I was anywhere near her house (not that I know where she lives, except in the Los Angeles area!) I’d keep stopping by and weigh about 300 pounds.

Then you look at the photography—I swear this woman works for Martha Stewart Living magazine as a stylist and photographer. EVERY photo is amazing—both in composition and lighting. Clearly, there’s not one shred of jealousy in my body. Not one. Nope. Continue reading →

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The Best Picnic Sandwich Ever

6 Oct

Sandwich09This is not your regular sandwich. This is The Sandwich. It’s so wonderfully great for picnics, tailgate parties, pre-concert snacks—basically, it’s your best bet for a portable meal.

And, might I add, it’s awesome.

I’m featuring this recipe for a few reasons: First, we’re having such unseasonably warm weather here in California, it may as well be summer and perfect for picnicking. Second, it’s football season and I hear a lot of people go in for that. The Sandwich would rock a Monday Night Football Party, or weekend game party, for sure. Lastly, it’s so good I don’t want to keep the recipe to myself. Continue reading →

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