When I get knocked around a little by life, I head to the kitchen to make soup or to bake. I’m convinced that soup, cookies, and cake are the original comfort foods, not just as hugs from my own childhood, but from all the generations [...]
Pin It#SundaySupper: Smoky Kale, Tomato and White Bean Soup
Last night we went to a party to celebrate a milestone birthday of a good friend. He was turning 60 and his wife threw a party at a local restaurant. Forty of us showed up for the feast, fun, and laughter; and something more. While [...]
Pin ItCelery Root – Apple Soup with Leek Confit and Gorgonzola
It’s arguably one of the least attractive vegetables on the shelf; an overweight wallflower with dirt under her fingernails, tucked between popular colorful produce. No graceful long legs of celery stalks to make her stand out, although she’s in the celery family; nor colorful flowing [...]
Pin It#SundaySupper: Tuscan Bean Soup with Rosemary Oil
One of my favorite childhood soups was Campbell’s Bean and Bacon soup. My mother, who became a good cook over time, lacked the confidence when I was young, and likely the time, to delve into making soup from scratch. This was long before [...]
Pin ItFarmhouse Harvest Soup with White Beans
The harvest. Hopes fulfilled. Dreams realized. A time to celebrate and share a bounty with family, friends, and neighbors, that was hard-earned. A time to cook, and for canning what you want to preserve for the winter ahead. Our harvest can be from our [...]
Pin It#SundaySupper: Cider-Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
We’re suddenly launching into autumn here in California. We’ve swung from (really) hot sunny days to changing skies, and a bite in the air. It’s a subtle change, but one that ushers in the familiar changes, sights, and smells of fall. Autumn is [...]
Pin ItBlack Bean, Tomatillo, and Corn Soup
I was all set to go yesterday. I knew what I’d write about. The photo was ready – or well, as ready as it was going to be. A beautiful frittata I made last week with fresh peak-season veggies I’d made several times in [...]
Pin ItSummertime Corn Stew with Seafood
What is it about summer entertaining that makes us yearn for alfresco dining with everyone we know or have ever met? Warm summer nights. Long days of sunshine. Trees at their peak of fullness, a soft whisper of a breeze ruffling the leaves for [...]
Pin ItAvocado and Roasted Tomatillo Soup
Someday, if I ever write a cookbook, it will be on soup. Too narrow? I respectfully disagree. Too seasonal? No way. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate each and every season. Butternut squash and roasted cauliflower soups in the fall and winter; spring lettuce or [...]
Pin ItBowl of Mango Sunshine
On a warm afternoon or evening, nothing hits the spot better than diving into a cold, refreshing fruit soup. Soups made from strawberries, cherries, or plums at their peak of ripe, full flavor are all favorites. So when Food52 staged a competition last week [...]
















