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Baking for Bocce III: Chocolate Dump-it Cake

Baking for Bocce III: Chocolate Dump-it Cake

Our bocce team is no longer in last place. I think we’re second to last– but still, let’s celebrate the small victories. Chocolate seems to help. We definitely play a little better. I noticed this when I made Katherine Hepburn’s brownies a few weeks back–so…

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Not My Bag

Not My Bag

I’ve always said in an alternate life I’d like to be a baker. And seeing that I’m only 30, I keep telling myself it’s really not too late to make that happen in this life. So when I saw an ad for cooperative bakers at a pizza…

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The Charms of Fair Food

The Charms of Fair Food

I never wanted to go in the first place. The dogs needed to be fed, it was getting late, and we’d had a long day canoeing on the river. I wanted to go home and grill burgers, make a big salad with the tomatoes and wax beans…

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Ode to Amanda Hesser

Ode to Amanda Hesser

You know where to find Grains of Paradise (or even what they are) and smoked paprika. You love beets, fatty fish, and biscotti. You use the word “tangle” to describe salads, judge people for their restaurant choices, and hate doing dishes in the morning. You…

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Baking for Bocce III: Chocolate Dump-it Cake

Baking for Bocce III: Chocolate Dump-it Cake

Our bocce team is no longer in last place. I think we’re second to last– but still, let’s celebrate the small victories. Chocolate seems to help. We definitely play a little better. I noticed this when I made Katherine Hepburn’s brownies a few weeks back–so last week, I…

Read More
Beets, Blog Headers, and the Future

Beets, Blog Headers, and the Future

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…

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The Charms of Fair Food

The Charms of Fair Food

I never wanted to go in the first place. The dogs needed to be fed, it was getting late, and we’d had a long day canoeing on the river. I wanted to go home and grill burgers, make a big salad with the tomatoes and wax beans from the…

Read More
Subtle Satisfaction in Ferry Building’s Mijita

Subtle Satisfaction in Ferry Building’s Mijita

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 of heaping…

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Strawberry jam to ease a heat wave

Strawberry jam to ease a heat wave

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 past weekend,…

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Pesto, Built on a Lie

Pesto, Built on a Lie

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 morning light begins…

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Food Memories

Food Memories

I would be a horrible game show contestant. In fact, I’d last all of five minutes. It’s not one of my strengths to come up with answers to anything quickly. I often know the answer but it takes me a second to conjure them up…Recently as I was…

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Baking for Bocce II: Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies

Baking for Bocce II: Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies

For people who love brownies, these are legendary. There are a few different recipes floating around claiming to be the definitive one and there are different stories about how the brownies came to be. The one most commonly held to be true is that Liz…

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After a Week, Still Thinking About Food Inc.

After a Week, Still Thinking About Food Inc.

When I was eating my blueberries and kefir this morning, I noticed a label on the blueberry container: “Who Grew These Blueberries? Please visit www.oregonberry.com, click the lot code printed on the front of this label and find out information about the grower.” Wow. Really? Well, I…

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Ben and Jerry’s “Flipped-Out” Fails

Ben and Jerry’s “Flipped-Out” Fails

I can define certain moments of my life in Ben & Jerry’s flavors. In junior high, there was Rainforest Crunch (you know you miss it). I had to beat my dad to it or hide it in deep, dark tunnels in the back of the fridge.

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You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat

I remember a few years back observing my family eat at the Olema Inn in West Marin. I was so sick that weekend. I laid in bed sweating out a fever, having delusions that the stuffed squirrels on the mantle were dancing around my bedposts. So…

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Winging it With Gazpacho

Winging it With Gazpacho

It’s finally hot here. Like really, really ‘summer has certainly arrived’ hot. As I write, the dogs are sitting at my feet panting away, the fan is blocking out all street noise, and things are very, very still. No breeze. No squirrels darting across the…

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Baking for Bocce

Baking for Bocce

Being relatively young and living in Marin often proves to be a bit tough…socially. Thank god for Friday night bocce league. Yes, there is certainly an older crowd, but there are also young couples and groups of coworkers, downing PBR, getting rowdy, and staying up…

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Remembering Mobile Austin…Fondly

Remembering Mobile Austin…Fondly

Ah…food out of Airstream trailers. What could be better than gathering around outside a parking lot with dozens of other Austin hipsters waiting for a savory crepe, a slow roasted green chile pork taco, or fried chocolate chip cookies? For my 30th birthday, I went…

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Pizzaiolo

Pizzaiolo

Pizzaiolo 5008 Telegraph Avenue Oakland (Temescal Neighborhood) Well…I finally did it. I convinced the ladies to hop in the car and head over to Oakland to try this thin, wood fired pizza I’ve been hearing so much about. Now let me start by saying…

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Very First Post

Very First Post

Hi there! I’m so happy you’ve made your way to A Sweet Spoonful. My name is Megan Gordon, and I’m a San Francisco-based food writer. I work on this blog mostly at night or early in the mornings–recording the previous night’s kitchen fumblings or recent restaurant excursions. I…

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Stiff Drinks, Smokey Beans, & Really Good Posture

Stiff Drinks, Smokey Beans, & Really Good Posture

Sunday was basically a wash. I had a great run along the Mill Valley bike path. The sun was out. I felt strong. Stopped by Peet’s for a mid-morning latte on the way home, took a hot shower, watered the lawn and got ready to head…

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Baking for Bocce II: Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies

Baking for Bocce II: Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies

For people who love brownies, these are legendary. There are a few different recipes floating around claiming to be the definitive one and there are different stories about how the brownies came to be. The one most commonly held to be true is that Liz Smith of Better…

Read More
Remembering Mobile Austin…Fondly

Remembering Mobile Austin…Fondly

Ah…food out of Airstream trailers. What could be better than gathering around outside a parking lot with dozens of other Austin hipsters waiting for a savory crepe, a slow roasted green chile pork taco, or fried chocolate chip cookies? For my 30th birthday, I went to Austin to celebrate.

Read More
After a Week, Still Thinking About Food Inc.

After a Week, Still Thinking About Food Inc.

When I was eating my blueberries and kefir this morning, I noticed a label on the blueberry container: “Who Grew These Blueberries? Please visit www.oregonberry.com, click the lot code printed on the front of this label and find out information about the grower.” Wow. Really? Well, I did just…

Read More
A Sweet Spoonful

A Sweet Spoonful

Hi there! I’m so happy you’ve made your way to A Sweet Spoonful. My name is Megan Gordon, and I’m a San Francisco-based food writer. I work on this blog mostly at night or early in the mornings–recording the previous night’s kitchen fumblings or recent restaurant excursions. I…

Read More