Roast Vegetable Ragout
2 large heirloom tomatoes, preferably green/purple variety or other rich color
2 large carrots, peeled & trimmed
1/2 medium onion
6+ garlic cloves, peeled & trimmed
1/2 red bell pepper
Cut all vegetables into chunks; carrots diagonally. Put into baking dish, toss with 1/4-1/3 C olive oil, pleanty of sea salt & cracked pepper. Cook for 45-90min until [...]

On a budget of $120 for four people, a good friend and “astro-twin” who claims herself as a vegetarian but eats seafood and strangely, bacon, asked me to make a belated birthday dinner for her friend (my acquaintance). Because of the graces the bay area allows us in grocery shopping, and with many thanks to [...]

We’ve enjoyed dinner with my friend Peter before, but about two weeks ago I worked hard (read: begged) for another home cooked meal in the city.
Friend and I headed from Berkeley to the city for pre-show dinner at Peter’s (we were to catch the MF Doom/Pigeon John performance at the Independent, but when we arrived [...]

I walked tonight from my somewhat new home to my good friend’s new home for a late-night housewarming party and found it quite romantic. Berkeley at night, when the air is still and quiet, smells of all the many flowers growing wild in million dollar homes’ yards’. Jasmine, blooming orange trees, calunda.. It smells sweet [...]

A few years ago, someone turned me on to a little bakery specializing in cupcakes. Located in a little “mall” in the Gourmet Ghetto district of Berkeley, and now a short two block walk from my house, this place cranks out amazing mini cakes in all sorts of flavors, always perfectly moist, never stale, perfect [...]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a small chain called The Cheesesteak Shop (you can find locations, menus, history and more on their website). I’ve been going (primarily) to the location on University Ave in Berkeley for a little over a year–a stop a previous boyfriend and I would make on our way [...]

A few days ago, I moved to a great location in Berkeley, between downtown & the “gourmet ghetto.” Since then, I have been gleefully enjoying my neighborhood–one I was previously familiar with, but always drove in to, hasseled with parking, and felt like a visitor in. After just three nights here, it feels like home.
In [...]

So I had this craving for the traditional meat ravioli that the Italian population in St.Louis is known for (I was feeling a little homesick). I can’t replicate the “fried ravioli” (nor do I really want to right this moment), but the filling is really the important part and I felt inspired. However, I had [...]