Do you ever have one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong? Your hair has enough static to start powering small appliances. You’re already running late and then a phone call comes; it’s the person (and I’m not saying who) that you can’t get off the phone. Your coffee maker is broken. You wrongly decided to weigh yourself this morning and the construction next door is throwing your dust allergies a party. At this point, I’m grabbing for a nice bi... Read Full Story

We were invited to attend Cook.Eat.Drink.Live, yet another food event. It seems like these are popping up every other week these days (in NYC). Held at The Tunnel/La Venue, there was a room for wine tasting, a long corridor of food tastings, and two stages with scheduled demos. There was also one room that seemed to be dedicated to a few Italian products and an Italian restaurant but that room was fairly empty. I guess I’ll point out a few highlights, though it’s not really sayin... Read Full Story

I love hot pot and if you love hot pot, you’re surely familiar with the soup at the end. Once it gets cold out, I start craving that soup, the melding of so many flavors. It’s soothing and nourishing, exactly what the doctor ordered. But, hot pot is a group activity, a perfect way to have a lengthy relaxed meal with friends and family. Yet, I’m often stuck having lunch all by myself. Even though I’m willing to spend a lot of time making elaborate meals for others, I r... Read Full Story

One of our favorite stops in Los Angeles was Porto’s Bakery. Everything was fresh and delicious at shockingly low prices. I’m dreaming about them expanding to New York one day but I know that’s a long shot so I may have to recreate some of their treats for myself. One of the pastries we enjoyed was a flaky and buttery pastry with a guava and cream cheese filling. They called it the Refugiado, but I’m not sure why it’s called the Refugee. (Hey Latino friends, holl... Read Full Story

I bookmarked this Michael Anthony (of Gramercy Tavern) cauliflower recipe on Smitten Kitchen, attracted by how interesting it is. Of course, everything on Smitten Kitchen looks delicious, but this was a recipe Michael Anthony created to convince his wife (when they first met) to like cauliflower. See, Lon does not like cauliflower, though I’ve tried a few times, and this just seemed different enough, perhaps…I finally did bring him over to the fungus side (he did not eat mushrooms... Read Full Story

By request of our friend Bill, I’m starting early on Thanksgiving recipes this year. As I thought about side dishes, I surprised myself with a general feeling of disgust. Do I dislike Thanksgiving? No, I do love Thanksgiving. Any holiday with lots of food is a friend of mine for sure. The problem is, a few traditional side dishes do turn me off, particularly that sweet potato dish, the one covered in marshmallows. It’s sugary sweet, too busy competing with desserts, and not pullin... Read Full Story

We are constantly inspired by some of the photography we see.  By other bloggers (like WoR Couple), by friends & family / semi-pro photographers (like Steve, Bill, and Eddie), and by others.  And while we’ve received many wonderful compliments on our improving skills, we realized it was time to upgrade our equipment, it’s not the first time. After seeing what Eddie’s Canon 7D could do at Sorella we knew that was the choice for us.  Especially since we are interested in m... Read Full Story

Happy Halloween! Our friend Marcos gave us an adorable little Halloween book, . If I got the story correctly, Marcos’ wife is a teacher and one of her students’ mother is the author, Sharon Bowers. It’s full of great ideas for Halloween treats, many that you can do with kids, and there’s enough in there to last you for years. Lon liked the idea of bones, made with pretzels, marshmallows, and white chocolate. It’s only three ingredients so you can still slip this... Read Full Story

When I first made pumpkin lasagna last year, I was afraid it wouldn’t work out so I made a small portion in an 8×8 dish. It turned out to be one of my favorite fall recipes, one that I am always bragging about to…well Lon and Ice (my dog). I’m just so proud of it. When pumpkins started showing up in the farmer’s market, I knew I was going to make this dish again. I figured I would re-do the old pictures, that did not do this Pumpkin Lasagna any justice. Then I rea... Read Full Story

Pumpkin is not just for jack-o-lanterns. They do start appearing everywhere right before Halloween, but that’s not because of Halloween, it’s because pumpkins are in season. From just before Halloween to a little bit after Thanksgiving, it just feels right to have pumpkin. Your favorite coffee shops start selling pumpkin spiced lattes, the bakery is offering a pumpkin scone (love the ones at Alice’s Tea Cup), and racks of pumpkin pies are taking up that whole entrance area o... Read Full Story