Recipe by Mom It’s been more years than I’ll admit since I helped my mom make potato salad. And yet, I’ve never made it at all since I left home decades ago—until now. The secret of Mom’s potato salad is that the potatoes themselves are highly flavored. This eliminates the need to flavor-compensate with seasonings like mustard, dill seed, and pickle relish.  The potatoes themselves are the stars of the salad, complimented by a large quantity of eggs, a variety of finely chopped crunchy veggies, and of course mayo. The first secret to the potatoes’ yumminess is simmering them in their ..read more

Recipe by Robin “Shelter in Place” is better with chocolate, don’t you agree? Before the pandemic, when I was working, I’d perfected some smoothies for my 15 minute lunch break, notably Chocolate and Fruit Smoothies and Green and Pink Drinks. I really don't miss those hurried (lack of) Power Lunches. Given the gift of more time to create and to enjoy meals and snacks, my mind veered from the healthy to the decadent, from the basic to the beautiful. It wandered from an efficient chocolaty beverage to luscious chocolate cake with whipped cream and sweet cherries. While the the Black Forest Sha ..read more

Chiffon Cake: Light and Airy Recipe adapted from Moosewood Cookbook Sour cream in a chiffon cake is a really not right. But I’m dubbing this recipe a chiffon cake because its fine light texture relies upon separated eggs, like the classic chiffon. Stiffly beaten egg whites folded in lightly just before baking make the magic in a chiffon. Typically oils are used to allow chiffon cakes to rise and be light. But despite this cake’s sour cream and butter, it's light and airy—with added richness from the dairy products. Looks Great Even Upside Down (see below) Like typical chi ..read more

Sizzlin' Goodness Recipe by Robin and Bruce One thing I’ll say for the Pandemic, it’s given us virtual ways to show up and do just about anything. Still, 18 months into it, the Black Hat Virtual Tea Party, created by my friend Rox, was a new one on me. Participants each brewed favorite teas and made or otherwise obtained some favorite tea-friendly foods. Menu-wise, the second thing that came into my mind (after scones) was the delicious sausage rolls we’d bought in early morning from London street vendors. Warm, juicy, and fragrant, the delicate puff pastry surrounding hearty sausages ..read more

Recipe by Robin You say teatime, I say scones. Tea with scones is the perfect pick-me-up combination: slightly sweet, lightly fruity, and caffeinated. Both festive and easy to make, scones can be created in endless varieties. You can freeze them either before or after baking, and they taste perfect after a short time in the oven. I’ve blogged Classic Currant Scones and Chocolate Chip Orange Scones. For our recent Virtual Tea I wanted smaller scones to match the scale of the other foods, plus a richer flavor. So I made cream scones using heavy cream and egg, and divided the dough into 16 scone ..read more

by Robin The Black Hat Tea must go on, even during Pandemic times! Created by my friend Rox and scheduled in mid-October, it’s our annual way of getting together with friends for tea, traditional noshes, and celebration before the holiday commitments start pulling us in separate directions. Previously hosted in tearooms owned by friends Cindy and Danny, with a gap during 2020, in 2021 Rox scheduled a Zoom tea. Of course, this meant guests were responsible for their own tea and goodies. I can do this, if I work methodically, I hope. Challenge accepted! Scones Baked Just Before Tea I ..read more

Recipe inspired by Moosewood Late summer begins the parade of peppers at northern California farmers’ markets. All colors and shapes abound, specific types varying with the weather and farmers’ locations and whims. I love the rich variety of flavor and spiciness. Peppers originated in the Amazon basin, with wild varieties dating back about 18 million years. All wild species are super-hot. Farmers have cultivated 50,000 varieties over the past 5000 years, each with its own color, flavor profile, and level of capsaicin. Thatsa lotta peppers! Choose as many as you like for this dish: the more va ..read more

Retro Salad Still Popular at Potlucks Recipe by Robin Childhood memories are slippery. What one person remembers about someone else can be 180 degrees different from what a sibling or cousin remembers. Yet certain people’s distinctions are indisputable. For example, my Auntie Vel was universally known as our family’s best cook. She was most creative and nuanced, plus knew how to throw one helluva party. Three bean salad was one of her summer staples. Nobody else’s recipe came close to the perfect sweet-sour flavor of her dressing and combination of soft beans and crunchy veggies. But ..read more

Recipe adapted from Angela’s About 25 years ago, my friend Angela surprised me with a gorgeous strawberry whipped cream cake on my birthday, toting it all the way down to a beach party no less. She said the recipe was so simple that her 9 year old son could make it all by himself. The very first time he made it he was so excited that he ran to show it to Mom. But sadly he slipped on a rug, lost his balance, and the top layer of cake, cream, and fruit all slid off onto the floor. Poor kid! Fair warning: put the cake where you want it before you assemble it. Let the cake settle for an hour or s ..read more

Soup for Springtime, or Anytime Recipe by Robin It’s early June but it’s been pretty chilly for Santa Cruz. I’m NOT complaining! In fact, the cool spring gives me hope for a cool summer. Year-round soup days—YES! Recently we received 2 large bunches of celery in our food share. Celery is a basic ingredient that adds subtle flavor base to soups, stews, and casseroles. Cooked on its own its flavor is neither shy nor overpowering. Combined with a couple potatoes and homemade cashew cream, it becomes a satisfying first course, light lunch with crackers or toast, or late night snack. Also ..read more