Chewy Fig Walnut Bars

I’m lucky to have a friend with a giant fig tree in her backyard, and around this time every year I reap the benefits of her fig harvest. One year when I was in the mood for a chewy treat, I made these bars with figs, shredded coconut, and toasted walnuts. Yum! Now I make…

Maisel Day

Living in LA, you see lots of TV studios promoting their shows in the lead-up to the Emmys. Most of the time I just ignore them, but this year Amazon did a massively scaled promotion for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel… 1959 prices for goods and services at some of LA’s most iconic retailers! Most of…

Blueberry-Lemon-Coconut Loaf

Cookbook Club – Baking at Republique We did a bonus Cookbook Club event in June, using Margarita Manzke’s Baking at Republique. She shares recipes for many of the baked goods available at Republique. I was pretty excited about this, since I have eaten my fair share of baked treats at that LA restaurant and pretty…

Fresh Fruit with Chilli Sugar and Lime

Cookbook Club – Chin Chin: The Book I was traveling and missed our official Cookbook Club events for April, but I did manage to make it to the bonus event where we used Chin Chin: The Book by Benjamin Cooper. We did it as a bonus event because this book is not easy to get…

3.14 Pi(e) Day III

It’s March 14 again, and that means it’s time for what I’ve officially decided is my favorite holiday of the year… Pi(e) Day! Back by popular demand, we held our 3rd Annual Pi(e) Day Party. To gain entry to this coveted event, you must home-make a pie. Bonus points if you invent a pie (not…

Pina Colada Pie

March 14 is upon us, and that means my favorite holiday… Pi(e) Day! I throw an annual Pi(e) Day Party, with cost of entry being a homemade pie. I tell people they get bonus points if they invent a pie. Not that points count for anything haha, but since I’m asking my guests to do…

Salted Butter Break-Ups

Cookbook Club – Holiday Year in Review The December event seemed like the perfect time to look back on and appreciate all of the fantastic food the Cookbook Club explored over the past year, so rather than selecting a new cookbook we asked everyone to make a recipe from any of the books we’d used…

Sweet Potato Bebinca

Cookbook Club – Friendsgiving Instead of choosing a cookbook for November, we had a Friendsgiving celebration where everyone brought either a favorite Thanksgiving dish or one they’ve been wanting to try. It was a fun and food-filled way to gather together before the busy holiday season really gets going. Go to my Cookbook Club site…

Papaya Cream Pie with Amaretto Blueberry Topping

It’s become something of a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for my cousin Doug and I to see the latest Pixar/Disney movie and invent a pie. Last year, we saw Coco and created an apple persimmon pie with a goat cheese and pistachio topping, but in the Thanksgiving frenzy I failed to document the Guessipe… we’ll have…

Lemon Mousse

Cookbook Club – BraveTart In July, our Cookbook Club actually had two events, because Anthony organized a bonus dessert pool party (I love that people are so excited about the club that they’re now organizing additional gatherings!). We used BraveTart by Stella Parks, which celebrates classic American desserts. Go to my Cookbook Club site to…

Le Comptoir Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #69 Le Comptoir is one of the most intimate experiences on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. There are only two seatings per night, in which 10 lucky people get to sit at the counter watching Chef Gary Menes prepare and plate the 8-course set menu. He starts with an introduction describing that…

Manuela Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #67 I think Manuela makes Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list as much for its atmosphere as for its food. Located downtown in the Hauser & Wirth building, the restaurant blends into the art galleries with specially commissioned lighting and artwork of its own, and a patio that looks out onto the sculpture…