OK, OC METRO! I’m flattered to be included in the 20 Women to Watch list. Not sure that I’m hotter the Betty White! But, here is what they had to say: First job:I taught kindergarten in Fountain Valley at Cox Elementary. Worst job: Selling cheap cologne door-to-door at Christmastime when I was 14. Biggest break: The Register let me write…
Michael Owens, Executive Pastry Chef at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach, shares his recipe and tips for making Moon Pies One of his most popular treats is one of the simplest. His Moon Pie Cookies, buttery marshmallow fluff-style filling sandwiched between dark chocolate cake-like discs, are impossible to resist. Some might argue that these rich cookies should be dubbed…
Nathan Coulon, former chef at True Food Kitchen at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, shared one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, a delectable salad that is so easy to prepare, it’s perfect to make at home. The restaurant’s menu is based on the principals of Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet and food pyramid. Nutrient dense kale, the focal point of…
In my O.C. neighborhood over the last few days, strawberry stands have started selling their bounty. Berries by the basket, and berries by the box. Ready for hungry mouths. One is a Thacker stand. A vendor told me that Thacker opened a strawberry farm 15 years ago in Irvine, now has farms in Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Watsonville. I couldn’t…
My swami loves pancakes. But finding the cloud-like hot cakes that he remembers from his childhood has been a bit of an obsession for this gentle man who holds a master’s degree in Asian medicine. He isn’t a swami, per se. I call him that with respect and affection. He’s a board-certified acupuncturist, a fellow that seems to have found…
Cook soup for a dog? Why not! Twelve years ago, our then 14-year-old terrier Blossom posed for this shot. Close to the end of her life she developed a deep cough. The kind of cough that could peel wallpaper off the wall. So I made chicken soup for her on a regular basis (and wrote a story about it for…
Of course it’s crazy for me to think that I can whittle down my favorite-dish list. I’ve eaten at least a hundred new-to-me dishes in restaurants this year, rejoicing in concoctions that dazzled and comforted at the same time. But we all love lists, right? So here goes – in no particular order … Start with dessert. 1. Stonehill Tavern’s…
I CUT DAYS OF WORK off the prep. My version takes lots of shortcuts. The traditional approach takes three days, so I devised a way to wiggle out of most of the work. And, trust me, it’s delicious. Leave it to the French to elevate a simple bean casserole into a gastronomic masterpiece replete with goose, pork and lamb. No…