Cold salad vegetables, water and fruit are always a key part of my survival strategy once the weather gets hot–and by hot, I mean by Pasadena standards, 90-plus, which it’s finally started hitting–along with a very large part of the US this week. It’s normal here, even though we had an unusually cool and rainy ..read more

I have to apologize. In recent years, especially the last five or six, when daily outrage at the headlines suddenly became normal, to say nothing of the pandemic, I’ve been known to take a few months between posts, partly because in that environment I had doubts–how does food match up in importance with the current ..read more

This vegetable-filled quiche is a flexible dairy main dish with a Mediterranean vibe thanks to its fillo crust. It looks a little fancier than an ordinary quiche, but it's not actually difficult to put together, and you can reheat and recrisp individual pieces quickly in the toaster oven the next day ..read more

Purim is the festival where we remember and celebrate the heroism of Queen Esther, who rescued Persia's Jewish community from a massacre. A microwave makes it easier to create a vegetarian Persian-style platter either for "grilling" either side dishes or stuffed peppers ..read more

Sorry–this is not about food, and only marginally about trying to ensure food aid. Links to a few key aid organizations are toward the bottom of the post. I have not slept well this week; I keep getting up and checking the headlines in the New York Times and the Washington Post and AP and ..read more

In honor of Absolutely Fabulous and almost in time for Valentine's Day--or week, or any time you need a quick but serious kick in the desserts to lift your spirits: a much-lighter, faster and more powerful mousse au chocolat, with no lingering regrets the next day. Cheers, Sweetie ..read more

The Rose Parade is something I've looked forward to seeing every year since I moved to Pasadena. This year's parade is the first since the pandemic began, and the weather turned sunny after a week of unusually hard rains. A good sign, and this year the themes include vaccination access for all, music, new experiences, and vegetables. Yes, that's right, the true stars of the floats are vegetables, seeds, beans and spices. Especially brussels sprouts. We could all do with more of those ..read more

Irish soda bread is easy, quick and adaptable, but it has a reputation for going heavy and rocklike within a day. Most people blame the whole wheat or the lack of yeast. I blame the soda. You can lighten up and get better flavor and texture at the same time ..read more

I've just got my booster so I'm a little wiped out--and Chanukah starts tomorrow night. Didn't we just do a holiday two days ago? What do I bring for the potluck? Here I've updated my list of easy, fast and unexpectedly delicious things to make for Chanukah that are mostly fresh and not mostly latkes ..read more

But a "just us" Thanksgiving...the menu I've put together is fresh, fast and mostly microwaveable--artichokes, wild rice pilaf, salmon, broccoli, salad, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and maybe some mushroom caps. Add a cheap cheese freak's appetizer plate and some olive-rosemary faux-sourdough and you've got a party ..read more