Refusing the coup-up and having more time on my hands when shopping, what great inventions do I find but these higher protein products. Of course you can avoid them altogether to help what I call “the Covid Weight Gain”. However, I’ve also found that recipes with lots of variety and moderation does the same thing and makes life just a bit more interesting. Tired of the same old thing for...[Read More]
Italy Magazine’s article about the multi grain pizza led me to their recipe for fig and honey focaccia. I’m a focaccia foodie and have made it every which way in past years to sell locally as a caterer. Now I hear it was invented by the Etruscans??! My other haunting research topic!? Here is my recipe for fig and rosemary multi grain focaccia. I adapted Bob’s Red Mill recipe using his...[Read More]
PLAN, PREP AND FREEZE MEALS FOR “The Duration” We call the time I’ll be away on vacation, “the duration”, since my spoiled husband must fend for himself. My solution is to prepare one-dish meals. I allocated the small freezer in the garage to him and shopped carefully to find a lot of healthy meals he can heat up. Soup is a savior. In addition to loading it up with vegetables, cooked...[Read More]
FARM FRESH TO YOU is my go-to Organic CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture) supplier of fine organic fruits and vegetable to my door. Take a look at their website for easy to customize deliveries of local goods of all kinds, including farm fresh organic eggs, jams, honey, baby food, cereals, etc. etc. etc.–remarkable variety and quality....[Read More]
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), aka All Saints Day, All Souls Day, is celebrated throughout the world, especially in Mexico, South America, the Caribbean and is associated with American Halloween....[Read More]
Very trendy right now is the concept of the one sheet pan dinner. I remember our family using this idea ever since I was old enough to shell peas. For one thing, there was hardly time after a busy day in the restaurant, in the house, in the garden, wherever the chores may be, to make a fancy dinner. Yet Chef Dad insisted on fresh, home cooked meals and often demonstrated how to do it quickly. I...[Read More]
Each season, the overwhelming harvest of figs makes me frantic. They are at the farmers’ market, the orphaned neighbor’s tree, and in my own yard, bursting forth on a daily basis in tantalizing shades of greens and purples. Plump and juicy they are too delicious and voluminous to be left untended....[Read More]
The summer bounty of fruit has done its number on me. Peach, raspberry, strawberry and peach marmalade are waiting for their labels. Figs are coming on the big and small trees we have, but I’m sure to frequent the farmers markets to get in on the best crops....[Read More]
That Ubiquitous Zucchini It’s the season, they are everywhere and can be used in sautés, cakes, muffins, ragouts, stews, soups and now……..PIZZA!...[Read More]
It was close to my last day in Lucca while visiting my cousin Roberto, that one of the secrets of an Italian classic dessert was revealed to me. One of the family’s favorite gelato shops was on the other side of town, and Roberto was determined I was not to leave without sampling their artisan gelato. Of course we all know that not all gelato is the same. This recipe was from the artisan book...[Read More]
Betty is a California-based writer whose work explores local history, travel, food, and the people who shape community life. Her storytelling is rooted in curiosity, culture, and real-world experience.
Stories of place, people, and culture - told with curiosity and heart - telling stories that bring places and people to life.
Betty is a Gold Country-based writer covering regional history, travel, food, and human-interest stories, with a focus on the people and traditions that define a place.