Pomegranate seeds with their sweet-tart flavor, garnet color, and crunch make a nice garnish on autumn salads, entrees, and desserts. Unfortunately they are messy to retrieve from the interior of the fruit without ending up with little red stains all over your clothing from squirting juice. To easily remove pomegranate seeds, follow these simple steps: Fill a large bowl with … Read More
Pomegranates
Pomegranates are considered to be one of the oldest fruits in the world. Some even speculate that it could have been the fruit that tempted Adam & Even in the garden of Eden. Believed to have originated in the area of Iran and the Himalayas, they spread throughout the mideast, Mediterranean, Europe and as far east as China as early … Read More
Park Avenue – Rochester, New York
On my recent trip to visit friends in the Rochester area of upstate New York I had the opportunity to experience a little more of downtown Rochester. Most of my previous visits have centered around the Finger Lakes which are beautiful on their own but I’ve been wanting to get a better “taste” for Rochester itself. Before my friend Tom … Read More
See it Wiggle, Watch it Jiggle!
My good friend Tom Weaver, whom I met while working at Walt Disney World in Florida, is originally from the area around Rochester and the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. He returned several years ago to make it home once again. Through my friendship with him I’ve also become very good friends with the rest of his family … Read More
Hands-on Chocolate Making and Confection Classes
Are you a self-admitted “chocoholic”? Does your family bring you chocolate before breaking you bad news? Does chocolate just make everything better? If you answered YES! to any of these, this event is for YOU! Kristen Hard of Cacao Atlanta will be doing a two-day chocolate making and confection class at 700 Kitchen Cooking School in Savannah, GA. the … Read More
September Travels
I’m certain that just yesterday I was anticipating Labor Day Weekend. Now as I look at the calendar I’m realizing it has been three weeks since my last posting! Wow, has this month passed quickly! Thank you for your patience in waiting for something new. The past month has been filled with lots of great guests, fun travel, and … Read More
Laborless Labor Day
When I was a kid summer seemed like it was half a year long. There was this seemingly endless supply of lazy days to enjoy, and if something didn’t get done today, well there was always tomorrow. When did that all change? I suppose this means I’m “getting old”, right? When I lived in California, most cities in my area … Read More
My, What Lovely Melons You Have…
When was the last time you said this to your produce manager or farm stand owner? Heck, would you even know if their melons were “lovely”? I frequently have people ask: “what should I look for when choosing…._______(fill in the blank)?”. This is the height of melon season and with so many flavorful and sweet options to choose from, it’s … Read More
Take a Dip or Dress it up: Romesco Sauce
Here are a couple of ideas for using the recipe for Romesco Sauce which I recently posted. These are just a few of many uses. After seeing my post, Jeff Parker a chef friend and fellow blogger, said he was thinking of using it as a pizza sauce…olives, cheese, anchovies…good stuff just waiting to happen! Suggestion #1: Use as a … Read More
Orange Flower Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is Italy’s answer to creme brulee, except that it’s not as rich, nor is it bruleed. Other than that, it’s exactly the same! Well, not really…. Panna cotta translates as “cooked cream” in English. It’s heavy cream that is sweetened and flavored and set with gelatin rather than eggs or egg yolks. The gelatin is what keeps it … Read More