My mother loves using these as appetizers by wrapping bacon around them, tooth-picking them and cooking in the oven until crispy, salty, sweet.
They’re relatively annoying to find in local markets and for a variety of reasons I expect them to be better made at home–organic watermelon, spices hand carried back from India, quality control. In [...]

Served with Zuni Cafe Zucchini Pickles and lettuce from our organic container garden.
I make this salad in several variations, the classic being with croutons, romaine lettuce anchovies and the dressing.
Here’s the recipe for homemade caesar salad dressing.
3 anchovies, minced finely
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
3 tsp capers, rinsed lightly and minced
1 T whole grain mustard
2 T [...]

Feel free to improvise the dairy combo in this; I used what I had on hand–full cream or whole milk would suffice, or you can combine skim and sour cream, whatever you have around.
For two
150 grams rigatoni
1 cup milk
2 T creme fraiche
1/2 tsp Italian dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, any combo thereof)
2-3 [...]

So. My organic container vegetable garden. I started thinning the lettuce yesterday to keep it producing and ensure tender leaves, so above you’re seeing little gem leaves, green leaf, and arugula.
There have been some challenges, which I’ve included in photos below, and I hope others find it helpful when growing in the future as I [...]

Epic! Bringer of many delights, apple of the world’s eye, greatest feat which mankind has eaten…the cheesecake. Those are chocolate chips my friend, consider it a bonus.

Broccoli Slaw Sesame Salad
1 stalk broccoli, stem only
1 small bunch mizuna, about 20 stems of different sizes
2 spring carrots, medium-small
2 radishes
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp gomashi
1tsp black sesame seeds
Wash all vegetables and peel the carrots as well as any easy areas of the broccoli stem. Cut both into julienne [...]

At a dinner party for six, I made a few quick courses that ended up with a fabulous “bang” on an easy, warm weeknight in the backyard.
- Pluot slices with seasoned Sheep’s ricotta and Prosciutto
- Grilled pork tenderloin with “5 spices” & rum braised peaches + rainbow chard
- Dark chocolate ice cream with bergamont olive [...]

Orange Scallops for two:
6 dayboat (nitrate free) scallops
1-2 tsp thyme
1 orange
4 cloves garlic (don’t go overboard)
4-6 T butter
Cointreau or brandy
Melt the butter at medium low heat, zest the orange. When butter melted and water evaporated, add the garlic, minced. Reduce heat to not color the garlic, cook until softening. Add half the orange zest, the [...]

I rushed home from a Saturday morning outing to cook dinner for two boys. We ate in the backyard, it was gorgeous and sunny, and I had very little time to prep. I bought some amazing artisinal corn tortillas (taco size, one pack in chipotle and one in white corn), some pre-marinated tri tip (a [...]

More Pizza at Home: this one with yellow flower squash, gypsy peppers, anchovies, mozarella & tomato.