At each neighborly garden swap, the attendees bring three things: A swap item to share, generally homegrown, but many homemade goodies arrive as well. A drink to share A snack to share Here is the …
Under a palapa, nothing beats a mango margarita, but on this day, I wanted to try something new. Something not quite as sweet, but equally refreshing. Something a little healthier. (O…
While I normally don’t care a great deal about presentation for weeknight meals, occasionally getting a beautiful plate is a beautiful treat. In my most recent CSA delivery, I was given
Alex and I spent the first year and a half enjoying other neighbor’s backyards. I felt like it was our turn to host. The problem was that we didn’t have enough seating for all our new friends. We a…
When in NYC…. do as Southerners do? Yes. Please do. Alex and I went to Butter Midtown before heading to see The Book of Mormon on Broadway in April. This is Iron Chef and Food Network S…
Do you ever wander through the grocery store in search of unique finds? Is the grocery store an adventure for you? Do you get excited by the idea of an ethnically diverse inventory? Call me crazy, …
Ok, maybe not the world, but India for sure. While visiting the Taj Mahal, we learned about one of the local arts which is quite prevalent at the Taj Mahal- the art of inlaid marble. The marble i…
When Alex and I had decided to make an offer on our home, we knew we had to stretch our budget. The home was listed higher than we had originally wanted to spend, but it was the only home we had fo…
We signed up to take a “cooking” class in Cabo. Ironically there is no heat involved in any of the classes. At least not in the food we prepare. They have
“Is there more rice?” No matter what wonderful food accompanies steamed rice, this is precisely the question I get each and every time I serve my husband steamed white rice. …
I’ve lost count of how many garden swaps we have had. Over 20, now. Each one better than the last. This most recent one, hosted by George & Sherri was one of the most bo…
The Smart & Final down the street from us has the BEST puff pastry. Nine sheets for $20, which is really good because they are extra large sheets. I’ve been known to make pizza’s …
It was Friday. “Did you get tickets?” I pestered Dave with yet another text. Jess, Joy, Alex and I had them already. Dave and Carmen still did not. Dave, in Dave fashion, responded b…
Nancy decided she would make breakfast for the @FPSouthoftheBorder crew. What did she decide to make? Scotch eggs. Yes, you read that right. Scotch eggs. In Mexico.
I’m part German, or at least I’ve been told that. The ancestry.com results aren’t back yet and German culture wasn’t part of my upbringing. I suppose the fact th…
Every once in a while I work from home, which are really some of my most productive days. I can really focus and get through a large volume of work. One of the things that I love to do on these day…
At Christmastime, we have a holiday ritual. We head to my mom and stepdad’s house for Christmas Eve dinner. The next morning we wake up and head back to their house for stock…
On Saturday night, Alisha texted us and asked if we were interested in going to dinner downtown. We had all been curious about a new restaurant that offered creative cocktails and sharable plates. …
My haul at the last garden swap was impressive. One of the benefits of being the host is that you get all the left overs. Let me tell you, I have herbs & kale for days. In addition to that, …
Suzee, our former social director for the neighborhood, and her husband, Jeff, began an outstanding tradition to host a supper club at a local restaurant. This was our first time attending. This …
On day 2 of my Indian adventure, we were instructed to meet at 6:30am in the hotel lobby. They sent us on our way with a box lunch, from which I nibbled only a small portion of the pastries. I wa…
When asked to join some friends for dinner, I offered to bring an appetizer. They were making curry, so I wanted some flavors that would blend with curry. Cumin is a central curry flavo…
My secret weapon only has 4 ingredients (which I always have on hand), can be both sweet or savory, takes minutes to make, and always makes a huge impression. What is it?
There’s a grocery store at the end of my street. Quite convenient. It’s a Hispanic centric market, and the produce is great. But there is something extra special at this store……
Floral Park loves our cocktail nights. You tell my neighbors there’s going to be cocktails and they come out in droves. Our most recent cocktail night was done in connection with our Garden…
I love a good Roast Chicken. Not those soggy rotisserie chickens from the store, but a homemade roast chicken. It’s cheap, simple, and full of flavor and texture, if done properly. My goal is
At our last garden swap, a friend let us know that he had never had grits before. WHAT???!?! Never?!?! Another friend chimed in that she had tried them a long time ago, but didn’t really like them.…
Who’s idea was this anyways?… Oh yeah, mine. That was what I was mumbling after 2 miles of slogging uphill non-stop. 5 more to go…
When I said there was #noagenda @FPSouthofthBorder, that was mostly true. We do have somewhat of an agenda. We all wake up
Memorial day weekend we were invited to a co-worker’s “Man-Cave” to have a little barbeque. This, however, was no average BBQ.
As usually happens when you meet a new acquaintance, they ask where you live. The conversations goes like this: Me: “Hi, nice to meet you.” Acquaintance: “Nice to meet you as well, are you from aro…
Fifteen Years Ago, Alex and I took a public city bus out of downtown Juneau, hiked up a hill from the bus stop, and found ourselves at the Alaskan Brewing Company. This was before craft …
Last week, Alex was travelling, I was working, and I had zero time to head to the store. My well stocked pantry, along with the kale & herb remnants of the most recent garden swap came to my r…
Friday evening in NYC, Alex and I ventured out to Eataly for a progressive dinner. We began, as most dinners do (should?), with a stop at the bar. Upon arriving, a man with an instrument case was j…
As I mentioned in a prior post, my mother in law and I trade off on making meals while camping… oops, did it again… glamping, that is. It greatly cuts down on the cooking effort. But he…
This is not what you think. This is not finger food. It’s not cool. It’s not portable. It’s not that simple. But it will transport you to
A few weeks ago, the Floral Park Garden Swap groupies descended upon “Casa E.” The theme of the night was soup & stories. Tanya & Greg were our gracious hosts. They purchased their lovel…
Santa Ana has a very rich Hispanic culture. Every November, a good portion of the downtown streets are shut down and families set up large altars to deceased family members for Day of the Dead. Day…
We were menu planning our next BBQ via text when it happened…
On the first night of “Glamping”, we were the host for the evening’s campfire, and we were going to have dessert together with the whole family. An, our nephew’s girlfriend, asked if we…
Two of our friends were generous enough to put together a private cooking class at Hipcooks. These two are always supporting the local community. They live, eat, and thrive in DTSA. They have even …
What is it about vegetables that makes people dislike them so much? Particularly green vegetables. A friend of mine tells me it’s the texture. Another says the flavor. …
Alex’s mom makes the BEST tamales. They are made with multiple dried chiles, which are soaked overnight, ground, and then stewed with pork, wrapped in masa, and sprinkled with two secret ingredient…
