Wed - September 30, 2009

The Virtues of Armagnac


Before there was Cognac, before there was Calvados, and even long before Christopher Columbus was a twinkle in his father’s eye, there was Armagnac.

Ar-muhn-what, you say with a crinkle of your nose.

Posted at 08:52 PM     Read More  

Fri - September 18, 2009

Thoughts On Music, College, and Cooking From Mother and Daughter


In sixth grade my daughter, Ariel, decided she wanted to play the violin.

Ok, I said, surprised that a stringed instrument so foreign to me would be an attraction for her. She had decided to participate in an orchestra class that was the same time as her physical education class where she had developed an intense dislike for her PE teacher. How convenient.

Posted at 02:18 PM     Read More  

Mon - September 14, 2009

Pain Au Lait And Dreams of Pate A Choux


Culinary school wannabes get a far-off, dreamy look in their eyes when I mention that I am currently a student.

That would be so fun, they say. And I say you too can do it.

I’m awake by 5:15 am, if I sleep till the alarm goes off (some days I’m lying awake from 3:30 am on, eh, such is life), and then it’s non-stop in a kitchen until noon or after, and very possibly, an additional two hours of book work in the evening.

Posted at 03:52 PM     Read More  

Mon - September 7, 2009

Fougasse And A Few of My Favorite Things...



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Thu - July 23, 2009

Big Girls Don't Cry Over Gnocchi


Most importantly, I did not cry.

My gnocchi disintegrated and my angel hair pasta clung together in coagulated dough lump at school yesterday.

Was it a full moon?

Posted at 07:43 PM     Read More  

Sun - July 19, 2009

Lucky Me


After I lost my job in December 2008, my practical side, “get another job, you have a house and two daughters in college” wrestled with my passion, “do what you love”; I wanted to go to cooking school and leave my technology sales career behind.

Posted at 08:46 PM     Read More  

Sat - May 16, 2009

Let's Be Honest About Grapefruit Tart


There’s no hiding a less than stellar result in the kitchen. But I’ve grown to live by the Julia Child approach to such disasters, serve it with a smile and offer no apologies.

And so I did the day I tangled with a grapefruit and lost.

Posted at 06:44 PM     Read More  

Sun - April 19, 2009

Pecan-and-Armagnac-Stuffed Dates


When I needed a French appetizer for a French movie night with friends I turned to Jacques Pepin, one of my favorite French chefs.  I watch him on the local PBS station on Saturday afternoons and always learn something new.  He teaches as much about technique and quality of ingredients as he does the mechanics of the recipe.

Posted at 09:35 AM     Read More  

Wed - January 14, 2009

The Accidental Gardener



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Sun - October 21, 2007

Cowlitz River Salmon with a Soy-Ginger Marinade



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Mon - October 15, 2007

Love At First Sip: Beer Bread With An Apricot Twist



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Sun - September 23, 2007

Sitting Solo At The Community Technology Table


I can count on one hand, one finger actually, the number of times I’ve gone to the movies by myself. I have never been a go-to-the-movies-by-myself kind of girl.

However, I need both my hands and feet including a set of yours to count how many meals I’ve eaten by myself mostly as a solo business traveler.

So what’s a girl to do at supper time when she's alone on the road?

Posted at 09:10 PM     Read More  

Thu - July 5, 2007

A Taste of Freedom


On the early morning of July 4th my cargo included more than 200 patriotically-decorated cookies and cupcakes; my mission was to deliver them to DFW's USO center for troops redeploying back to Iraq and Afghanistan after I greeted the troops just arriving.

It was a match made in heaven.

Posted at 01:27 PM     Read More  

Mon - June 25, 2007

Mission Accomplished in Mt. Pleasant


Despite the torrent of rain that fell a week ago Saturday I made my way to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, for the Smoky-Eyed BBQ Cookoff thanks to some gentle chiding by my neighbor Phil.

“Are you afraid of getting wet?” he asked after I expressed some doubt about attending a BBQ cookoff in the rain.

My first thought was to deny it.

Posted at 08:12 AM     Read More  

Tue - June 12, 2007

BBQ: The Last Frontier


A handful of days ago I traveled to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, for a customer appointment.

The one and a half hour drive was a nice change of pace from my usual, crazy airport-airplane-car-rental-hotel-room-lug-the-suitcase around routine.

Posted at 06:20 PM     Read More  

















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