From the category archives:

Vegetables & Herbs

Mushroom, Basil and Goat Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups

Thumbnail image for Mushroom, Basil and Goat Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups

There’s this thing out there called Wordless Wednesday. I think food bloggers tire of writing posts, but have some nice food photos to share, so they use Wednesday to get caught up. I like the idea. So, consider this an Almost Wordless Wednesday post. I created this Mushroom, Basil and Goat Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups for [...]

Read Full Story

Farfalle with Mushroom and Prosciutto Ragu

Thumbnail image for Farfalle with Mushroom and Prosciutto Ragu

The Mushroom Channel is a cooking and info blog produced by the “mushroom council” marketing group. Practically every agriculture product in the U.S. has an organized committee such as this, and in my oh-so-long career, I’ve worked for plenty. Frankly, they’re very helpful. I mean, who else knows more about mushrooms than the growers?  If [...]

Read Full Story

Corn & Cheddar Chowder

Thumbnail image for Corn & Cheddar Chowder

It may be summer weather where you are, but it’s still June Gloom here in Los Angeles. Soup is fine. This one of corn and potatoes, seasoned with Mexican spices and topped with cheese is only 233 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving, according to Martha. I tore the recipe out of a [...]

Read Full Story

How to Bake A Restaurant-Perfect Potato – Guest Post with Dr. Potato

Thumbnail image for How to Bake A Restaurant-Perfect Potato – Guest Post with Dr. Potato

This guest post is via my longtime foodservice friend, Dr. Potato (AKA Don Odiorne).  Don spent 40 years in corporate foodservice marketing and operations, owned his own restaurant and three pizza franchises. He supervises a web site and foodservice at the Idaho Potato Commission. Hey Don… How do you make a baked potato at home [...]

Read Full Story

Guest Post by Rachael at La Fuji Mama: Warm Beet Salad

Thumbnail image for Guest Post by Rachael at La Fuji Mama: Warm Beet Salad

From Rachael: Hello friends of Patti! When Patti asked if I would be willing to help keep you all entertained while she was away, how could I say no? I’ve found that I’m a total sucker when it comes to beets. It’s especially bad when the beets are looking good at my local farmer’s market. [...]

Read Full Story

Fee, Fie, Fiddlehead Ferns

Thumbnail image for Fee, Fie, Fiddlehead Ferns

Los Angeles has a long list of farmers markets, but the better ones aren’t the closest to us in Westwood. Our two (one in the village, the other on the VA property) are small, with common offerings. Probably why fiddlehead ferns have eluded me. *sigh* I had never tasted them.

Read Full Story

Saturday Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Thumbnail image for Saturday Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Friday, we start “refrigerator management,” our ritual to unearth mismatched or unplanned-for things in the fridge and figure out meals to use them up. We don’t waste food, including leftovers. I grocery shop once a week, that’s it.

Read Full Story

Seared Sea Scallops in Saffron Burre Blanc with Sautéed Spinach

Thumbnail image for Seared Sea Scallops in Saffron Burre Blanc with Sautéed Spinach

Christmas present to Larry: a cooking class at Sur La Table. He picked “Date Night Paris in April” with Chef Martin Gilligan at LA Farmer’s Market location. I’ll post more recipes soon – watch for them – but to begin, here is one of the easiest: Seared Sea Scallops in Saffron Burre Blanc on Sautéed [...]

Read Full Story

Squash Soup with Cranberry Dollop

Thumbnail image for Squash Soup with Cranberry Dollop

The Gourmet Club tries to meet four times a year. That’s four couples, each responsible for a theme, a date at their home and wrangling the calendars of the rest of us. We’ve had some luscious eats: Cuban, Italian, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Men’s Meal (Hawaiian is upcoming) in the three-plus years this has been going [...]

Read Full Story

Guest Post by Elise at Hungry Hungry Hippie: Spaghetti Squash Mexicana

Thumbnail image for Guest Post by Elise at Hungry Hungry Hippie: Spaghetti Squash Mexicana

From Patti: Elise of Hungry Hungry Hippie is my ‘lil cousin. She’s vegan, a voracious food blogger, and a cardiac RN in NYC. On top of that, she and Kyle are getting married next summer.  My rule in life?  Always ask such “Type A’s” for favors like guest posts while I go on a stress-free [...]

Read Full Story

Westwood Village Farmers Market and How to Sauté Mushrooms

Thumbnail image for Westwood Village Farmers Market and How to Sauté Mushrooms

One recent Wednesday, I wanted to walk to our Westwood Village Farmers Market but had forgotten the hours. Google, google, google… where the heck is their website? All I found were press releases from last summer’s reopening after a lengthy absence due to construction, and plenty about our OTHER Farmers Market at the Westwood VA [...]

Read Full Story

How to Make Perfect, Best-Ever, Excellent Mashed Potatoes

Thumbnail image for How to Make Perfect, Best-Ever, Excellent Mashed Potatoes

What you’re looking at are riced russet potatoes (not actually rice). It’s a step before whuupin’ em with butter and milk to make mmmm mashed potatoes. While volunteering this week at Project Angel Food, we prepped 250 lbs. of potatoes for Chef Adrian. Then, they were cooked in a humongous brazier, mashed in a monstrous [...]

Read Full Story

Thai Green Papaya Salad

Thumbnail image for Thai Green Papaya Salad

Well, I now know what to make when our four-couple Gourmet Club has a Thai themed dinner – this delicate Thai Green Papaya Salad. The dressing is Thai-YUM, I wanted to lick the bowl.  It’s a combo of textures, too – crunchy almonds to crisp cucumbers to soft papaya to airy fried rice sticks. But [...]

Read Full Story

Paula Deen’s Warm Potato Salad (almost)

Thumbnail image for Paula Deen’s Warm Potato Salad (almost)

What would YOU bring to a potluck of food bloggers? Thanks to blogger In Erika’s Kitchen for pulling this growing group together! I hoped offering a side dish would give me wiggle room to ponder… salad? Veggie? Rice? Pasta? There would be husbands and kids. And of course, really good cooks (those dang food bloggers). [...]

Read Full Story

Greek Potato Salad from LA Greekfest

Thumbnail image for Greek Potato Salad from LA Greekfest

Some cooks need an actual recipe to feel comfortable, so this was the PERFECT demo to help break free from those shackles.  LA Greekfest instructors Akrevoe Emmanouilides and Pitsa Captain were “a little of this, a little of that” cooks, and the audience ate it up. By the end of the salad session, we all [...]

Read Full Story

Garbanzo, Onion and Tomato Salad from LA Greekfest

Thumbnail image for Garbanzo, Onion and Tomato Salad from LA Greekfest

OPA! For years, I’ve wanted to attend Greekfest at LA’s stunning St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral. I’m a native Angelino, yet had only been inside once before for the wedding of our favorite Greek, Helen. Larry’s been there often; his high school, Loyola, is next door. No waiting for the right year, I attended yesterday, [...]

Read Full Story

Fresh Basil Soft Pretzels

Thumbnail image for Fresh Basil Soft Pretzels

Jen, our way-cool yoga instructor at Camp GetAway for Mothers & Others had an explosion of gorgeous basil growing in her victory garden.  She was asking me about making pesto — just as I was thinking of making pretzels.  The ideas collided. The March 2004 issue of Gourmet had a Kitchen Notebook story on how [...]

Read Full Story

Emperor’s Farmers Market Salad

Thumbnail image for Emperor’s Farmers Market Salad

Entitled “Cucumber, Carrot and Tomato Salad,” the recipe served 130.  That’s a good sized “cooking for a crowd” recipe, but considered small at Project Angel Food.  This was my cooking task last week with fellow volunteer, Sarah.  Since it had great blogging/household dining potential, I wrote the full size recipe on a box sticker to [...]

Read Full Story

Tri-Color Bleu Cheese Potato Salad

Thumbnail image for Tri-Color Bleu Cheese Potato Salad

Picture a Sunday picnic at a countryside winery with good friends who like to cook and eat.   Homemade gourmet, local wine and a tinge of sun-kissed cheeks on a glorious Southern California afternoon really makes you believe that “life is good.” Larry and I enjoy Gourmet Clubs, which amounts to three or four couples agreeing [...]

Read Full Story

Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto

Thumbnail image for Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto

“Anyone can make risotto, it’s impossible to screw up,” friend and former client, Carey, said.  We worked together when she was with Waterford Wedgwood.  And we worked together before that when she was with Kahlua.  My little foodie boutique firm did PR for those brands plus a bunch of others.  Carey told me she makes [...]

Read Full Story