This is my favorite soup recipe. Ever. I discovered it in Vegetarian Times when I was a vegetarian and living in Boulder, CO (fitting, I know). But more than anything, this soup reminds me of snowy afternoons in Boston. A whole pot would feed me for a…

My blogging friend Kelsey, over at The Naptime Chef, was in town recently for the BlogHer Food 09 Conference. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it, but we compared notes on where she ate in the city (and I’ll tell you, she got…

Many of you know that I’m training for the Nike Women’s Marathon this Sunday. And most of you know that currently, what I do for “work” is write about food. Now thankfully, those two things have been a really nice pair. It’s been working out just fine.

  It’s raining, it’s before 8:00 a.m., and I’m eating cookies for breakfast. But these aren’t just any cookies: they’re made without egg, so they’re almost more like pumpkin drop biscuits. They’re amazing with hot coffee and the latest episode of Dexter. I…

While recently strolling down Fillmore St., I noticed a new yogurt shop. Now, like most places on earth, San Francisco’s had a major influx (read: glut) of new-wave frozen yogurt over the past two years. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve spent many a dollar on the…

I thought that painting would be a good task today to keep my mind occupied–it turns out painting’s quite the opposite. It is methodical in a lovely way, but it’s also a large chunk of uninterrupted, alone time. Not really what I was looking for.

As a relatively new blog, I struggle sometimes with its identity: only recipes? Restaurants, too? Will I bore people with cookbook reviews? And I really struggle with how to incorporate personal writing. I gravitate towards personal writing naturally, but sometimes as a food blog, it seems out of…

As a relatively new blog, I struggle sometimes with its identity: only recipes? Restaurants, too? Will I bore people with cookbook reviews? And I really struggle with how to incorporate personal writing. I gravitate towards personal writing naturally, but sometimes as a food blog, it seems out of place. However…

I was pleasantly surprised last week when I came home to find a review copy of Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes For Entertaining and Everyday on my doorstep. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Lauren Ulm’s (or “Lolo’s”) blog, you’re…

I thought that painting would be a good task today to keep my mind occupied–it turns out painting’s quite the opposite. It is methodical in a lovely way, but it’s also a large chunk of uninterrupted, alone time. Not really what I was looking for. But it was…

While recently strolling down Fillmore St., I noticed a new yogurt shop. Now, like most places on earth, San Francisco’s had a major influx (read: glut) of new-wave frozen yogurt over the past two years. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve spent many a dollar on the clean, subtle…

As many of you know, Linnea and I currently live at my mom’s house. It’s a long story that involves my mom going back to graduate school, the family dogs, her eventually moving home, and me losing my job. It’s very temporary and while I never envisioned being…

The availability of good peaches is starting to wane…but not completely. Summer’s not quite over yet in California. To buy fruit for canning (or anything, really), my new trick is to go to the farmer’s market around 12:30. This is the magic time when vendors start putting things…

This dessert came to be for a few reasons. One: it’s the first day of fall and this seems like the perfect bridge-into-autumn dessert, using late summer berries and incorporating Bosc pears from the farmers market. Two: I’ve been awfully into rustic, free-form…

I’ve been feeling a little guilty when I think that almost a week will have gone by before I post again…no interesting recipes, certainly no macarons. I’m catching a flight tomorrow to Seattle (kind of a spontaneous decision) to attend the FoodSnap photography seminar. I’m…

I was peer-pressured into baking. I can’t say that it’s ever happened before. But recently, Jamie at Life’s a Feast and Deeba at Passionate About Baking encouraged me to join them and a few other food bloggers to a “Mac Challenge”: making macarons and sharing…

I love making lists. It’s a sure bet that at any given moment there will be to-do lists in my jean pockets, grocery lists scrawled on napkins by the sink, or post-its with songs I want to download or books I want to check out…

My Labor Day weekend had very little to do with labor, and everything to do with long days of wandering, writing, and eating. Three lethargic days showing inquisitive and delightful Anthony around the city, and time elevating my knee, cursing my clumsiness, and trying not to cry…

There’s something about the academic calendar. Even though I’m no longer a student and not teaching at the moment, fall brings out the ‘I want new pencils’ mentality in me. So with that, I’ve been thinking about making my favorite recipe for granola bars.

I’ve been eating a lot of bananas lately. And not just for an afternoon snack, or with my cereal in the morning. No, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings, try and gag down a banana, and go back to bed for an hour.

I’ve been feeling a little guilty when I think that almost a week will have gone by before I post again…no interesting recipes, certainly no macarons. I’m catching a flight tomorrow to Seattle (kind of a spontaneous decision) to attend the FoodSnap photography seminar. I’m really excited because…

On my ferry ride into the city Friday night, one of the drivers came on the loudspeaker announcing, “No we do not have air conditioning. No, the city isn’t any cooler. Have a lovely evening.” Yikes. Well, to his credit, we were all a bit grouchy. This…

In the Bay Area, we often have an Indian summer. It descends each year around this time. And each year, I always wonder why it’s heating up as we ease into September. Just when all the fall clothes pop up in store windows, when the…

The Ferry Building is one of those unique places in San Francisco that locals and tourists happily share. Residents run in for a loaf of bread at Acme or some oysters from Hog Island while tourists scoop up Scharffen Berger bars and snap photos…

When I worked at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder, CO–a lovely little paper store on West Pearl St.–the owner, Diana Phillips, used to have a bowl of matchbooks on her desk. When I’d sit talking to her about the shop or how business was going, I’d…

We all have memories of foods that remind us of Summer. For me, it’s Log Cabin ice cream. My family has been coming to the same little funky cabin in Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe for almost thirty years–beginning soon after I was born. When we lived in…

The Sebastopol Gravenstein Fair was this past weekend. I had a few food adventures planned in the city, but Craig, Linnea, and I decided a little jaunt up North might be fun. It’s been strangely cool in the mornings and evenings here; the light is…

[do not print] Everyone is off and running today. Except for me. Things are pretty mellow here. Not many emails or leads on freelance work–the kind of day where you hear the mailman drive up and head out immediately to see if there’s anything of serious import…

I’ve had some unexpected new beginnings during the past month. First and foremost, I roasted beets a few nights ago. I have to admit that I always buy them pre-done at Trader Joe’s although everyone in my family tells me how easy it is to make a little foil…

I don’t often look to Gwenyth Paltrow for recipe advice–or much, for that matter. But recently as I was looking for a good recipe for a substantial chicken salad that would be nice on hot summer evenings, I ran across this. It’s great because it has arugula…