There’s a small chain of French bistro type restaurants in the Bay Area, Left Bank, which used to have a location in our neighboring town of Pleasant Hill.  The rumor is that the owners of Left Bank decided to expand, opening one or two other restaurants (not branches of Left Bank, but another venture, I believe), right about when the recession hit hard.  Suddenly quite short on cash, they closed two of their five locations, including the one near us.  I was saddened by the loss, because Left Bank was one of my go-to restaurants when I wanted something delicious, semi-casual, and close by.  I even went there once to…

Back when my mom was in the hospital in Anchorage, One day I found myself looking for lunch outside of the hospital, and landed at a TGI Friday’s. There’s probably nothing wrong with TGI Friday’s, but it’s not a place that is really on my radar when I think of a place to go. But I had a really yummy dish called Dragonfire Salmon, which I enjoyed with a glass of wine before walking back to the hospital in the balmy February Alaska weather. It was nice. Enter Facebook, where I ‘like’ Barbecue & Grilling at About.com, because Ted’s cousin writes for them. He posted some grilled salmon recipes, one…

This has been a ridiculously cool summer here in Northern California. While the rest of the country swelters and bakes, it’s been unseasonably cold, with foggy nights, and many foggy days as well. I’m not complaining, because I love cool foggy weather, and besides, I suspect those of you melting back east would probably put a hit out for me if I did. So it was quite a shock to the system yesterday when the sun came out full force and decided that it really is actually August. It was either 98 or 104 yesterday, depending on whom you trust. It’s 101 outside right now, and it’s not quite 3:00…

We pay way too much for cable around here.  The thing that keeps me from cutting back and giving most of it up to bring our payments down is On Demand.  We don’t have a DVR, so On Demand and the Netflix feature on our XBox Live are the closest we can get.  One thing I like to watch on On Demand is the cooking/food shows on our local PBS stations, including Jacques and Julia.  I liked this show a lot when it was originally on, and I have the cookbook.  Even though I have all of the recipes, it’s fun to see how they come together on TV vs.…

I’m not sure what’s with me lately.  A week or so ago, my blog/facebook friend Lotus posted a link to foodgawker on Facebook. I looked through the pictures, and saw one that claimed that the Chicken Gyros were the best dinner she had made in a long time. I was intrigued. Then when I looked at the recipe, she said it was even more delicious with homemade pita bread, which was so much better than the store bought. So I tried that. The result? It was indeed far better than store bought. But still a lot of work, with all of that letting the bread rise and so on. Actually,…

I have no right to post this recipe on my blog. This is Amuirin’s Great Grandma’s recipe. If you haven’t been over to her blog, Stop & Wander, you might want to pop on by. She’s an amazing writer, and I find myself touched and impressed by her turn of a phrase. Anyway, I wanted to make sure I had this recipe for my new recipe tab up there, so I don’t lose it. I thought of just linking to her post from that tab, but if she should decide to take her blog down, I’d lose it, and it’s a mighty good recipe. We tried them on Sunday morning,…

(picture found here) I enjoy cooking, but the task of figuring out what to eat is sometimes a frustrating one. I can ask Ted and Maya what we should have for dinner, but then there’s the risk that they’ll pick something that I don’t want. Then I feel guilty for not making what they suggested. But yesterday, when I presented Ted with the question, what should we have for dinner, he said, “Not chicken. How about skirt steak fajitas?” Oh, um. YUM. I love fajitas, esp. steak fajitas, as any of my friends who have been to Chevy’s with me will tell you. Mmm. Tex Mex. Usually, when I make…

Or, Oven-Fried Chicken, two ways.  For Ted’s birthday this year, he wanted to have a picnic in the park.  I didn’t know the grill situation there, and I’ve never really used the public grills in parks and surely there’s at least bird crap on them, right, if not far worse?  So I decided to make fried chicken.  It’s traditional picnic food, right?  Problem is, I’m lousy at making fried chicken.  I mean, I haven’t tried in probably 15 years, so maybe I could do it now, but I think I always heat the oil too hot, and I crowd the chicken, and I’m impatient, so it turns out burned yet…

(Picture found along with recipe, here) Yahoo recipes had this yummy looking fajita dish on their weekly meals plan the other day, and I decided to try it. What I didn’t really realize was just how much the recipe made. I knew there’d be leftovers, just not how much. So, the first night, I made the recipe as is. Shredded Beef, Bean, and Corn Fajitas Shredded Beef Ingredients: * 3 to 3-1/2 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast * 2 large onions, cut into thin wedges * 2 cloves garlic, minced * 1 14-oz can beef broth * 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce * 2 tsp. dry mustard * 1 tsp.…

This time of year is usually quite warm and sunny in our parts, but we experienced a few days of cool wet weather the other day, inspiring Ted to make an old favorite winter time dish of ours, Cottage Pie. The little index recipe card I have (much stained and well worn) says the recipe came from the April 1994 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. I found an online copy of the recipe, and it says to use ground beef, and beef broth. Back when I started making this recipe, Ted didn’t eat beef, so I substituted lamb stew meat and mushroom gravy, and since we really like it this…

One of my favorite cookbooks is the Greens Cookbook, by Deborah Madison.  Oddly enough, I’ve never been to Greens Restaurant, though it’s local and well regarded.  Anyway, our friends Matt and Casey gave us the Greens Cookbook years ago, and we’ve enjoyed it like crazy.  A leak from our upstairs bathtub into our kitchen a couple of years ago killed the cookbook (along with several others), but I missed it enough that I went out and got another copy.  Actually, I think I received it as a gift. One of my favorite recipes from the cookbook is for Cockscombs, Tomatoes, Garlic, and Parsley.  It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s healthy, and…