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Mother’s Little Helper
It’s the 1920’s and its Sunday morning breakfast time. You’re 5 years old and Mom’s making your favorite - waffles! The only thing that could make the morning better is if you could make waffles too. Mom has a surprise for you. With the help of the Stover Company, you...
“DUTCH BABY”, BABY
You wake up Sunday morning, can’t figure out what to make for a change of pace. Omelet? Been there. Pancakes? Been there too. Try a Dutch Baby. It’s a sweet omelet, its an "eggy" pancake, it’s a multi person crepe. Think of it however you want. But know this –...
Dry Creek Valley – A Sonoma Wine Area Gem
If you live outside Sonoma county and have not heard of Dry Creek Valley you are like the most people, and you have a lot to look forward to. The fame of the larger wine regions like instance Napa and Alexander Valley has made them known worldwide for high quality...
Cast Iron Cooking Is Going to Europe!
Today’s post is about Aebleskiver (or Ebelskive), the Danish pancake/pastry that is sure to wow your guests! Serve them with jam and powdered sugar for a delicious, sophisticated addition to Sunday Brunch. The ingredients (listed below) are very “pancake-like”. If...
Food & Wine Pairings: Kitfox The Closer Chardonnay and Peterson Mendo Blendo Red
Kitfox The Closer Chardonnay Around this time of year when winter is starting to feel endless with its short days, long nights, and chilly weather — we all need something to remind us that warm summer days are right around the corner. When I needed to shake off the...
Adapting to Climate Change Bordeaux Approves 6 New Grapes For The Region.
The world famous French wine region of Bordeaux has been facing the need to adapt to climate change the last few decades. Warmer temperatures and changes in weather patterns means the region needs to adapt to different growing season timing and the evolving impact of...
Waffles! (part 2)
Those of you who saw my last post about cast iron waffle makers are familiar with the many shapes, sizes and types of waffle makers dating back to the early 1900’s. In this post, I put one of them to the test. I used a Wagner high base waffle maker over a gas flame....
Cast Iron Waffle Makers
As we continue our blog journey into the world of cast iron cooking let’s talk waffles! When I started to collect vintage cast iron, I had no idea how interesting it would be to explore waffle makers. They really are functional works of art. This blog post will...
A Toast to Cesar! Long live Cesar!
The historians tell us that the art of toasting likely originated from the ancient Greek and Roman cultures where a toast was used to honor a God or a Ruler such as Cesar. With wine being a core element of both cultures, both Dionysus – the Greek God of wine, and...
Cast Iron Cornbread
Most everyone has a cornbread recipe and there is no better way to make cornbread than in cast iron. With cast iron you get the benefit of a very hot pan, a non-stick surface and making cornbread is one of the best ways to build up your pan’s seasoning. The...
Cast Iron Comeback!
You’ve probably heard that cast iron cooking is making a huge comeback. Fueled by this new popularity are numerous internet sites extolling the virtues of cast iron and collectors’ forums focusing on cast iron of all types. Sites often characterize items as “users” or...
Natural Wine: Your Funky, Favorite New Find
Sustainable, organic, biodynamic — these are all particulars you can see listed on bottles when you’re shopping for wine. But there’s another phrase that has become increasingly common among both niche connoisseurs and mainstream wine drinkers in recent years: natural...
Delicious Delicata
Sometimes you make a meal where the side dish competes with the main dish as the standout of the meal. That was my experience with my first Delicata squash dish. The main course, in this case, was a whole Red Snapper roasted with sliced lemons and Rosemary. With that...
Do wine experts really know what they’re talking about?
We’ve all had that moment when, after picking up a new bottle of wine and reading the description full of flowery tasting terms or listening to a restaurant’s sommelier talk at length, we wonder: is this person really such a connoisseur of wine tasting? Sommeliers and...
It’s Almost Time!
Around this time of year we begin to anticipate the Thanksgiving Holiday and meal. For many of us in Northern California that means Dungeness Crab. This year Thanksgiving occurs on Thursday November 28. Will Dungeness Crab be in season and available? As of right now...