I thrive on culture shock - it engages my senses and is intensely stimulating. I love arriving in an unfamiliar country and experiencing the sites, the sounds, even the unusual odors! I long for days, even weeks, where life is in sharp contrast to my ...
Main Dishes
Chiang Mai Chicken on Endive Spears
Chiang Mai Chicken on Endive Spears is a impressive appetizer that is easy to make. Recently I was invited to a lunch cooked by Chef Katie Chin, an Asian food expert, cookbook author, TV host and food blogger. The meal was wonderful and Katie ...
Zucchini Blossoms… painting, procreating & preparation!
Zucchini blossoms are delicate by design, exquisite to eat, and pleasurable to paint. But today I didn’t just paint Mother Nature… I tampered with it. Really, it wasn't my fault - the birds and bees were busy elsewhere. I shamelessly did the bee’s ...
Roasted Cherries with Salmon
I have a love-hate relationship with cherries. I love to eat them and I hate to pick and pit them. Back on the farm in Iowa, we had a sour cherry tree that represented countless hours of pure drudgery to a child. I endured the pain for the taste of ...
Duck Breast with Pomegranate Reduction
There is nothing sexier in my book than cooking French. That could explain why I traveled 6,000 miles to take cooking lessons in France from a gifted cook and teacher Susan Herrmann Loomis. Her culinary classes became my destination. Why ...