On this holiday that is completely centered on the idea of being thankful for the things each of us have in our lives, we’re meant to stop and take a moment to remember those things.  I even believe that most of our traditions, no matter... Continue

  It might be something about the crunchy rust-colored leaves littering the yard, the nostalgic scent of wood smoke drifting in the crisp autumn air, something about the memories of childhood hay rides and picking apples in my aunt’s North Carolina orchard, but during the... Continue

I stumbled around the new Williams-Sonoma store in a hazy fog of culinary lust, my desire for everything near blinding.  The just opened -- reopened, I might say -- compact shop is utterly packed with swoon-inducing cookware, stunning dishware, and delectable looking gourmet goods.  I longed... Continue

I have great respect, love even, for a restaurant that serves a twice-baked potato.  The simple combination of fluffy potato innards combined with a luxurious amount of butter and cheese, and often bacon and green onions, will always be adored, and will always endure through more... Continue

Sonoma, of course, is famous for wine and us locals certainly do our best to sip it any and every chance we get.  Thing is, us Sonomans are also pretty coffee-obsessed.  We take drinking our morning brew seriously, gathering at any number of the amazing... Continue

I think it was the frantic sound of wine bottles angrily rattling against each other, the clank-clank-clank of glass, so insistent that I braced myself for the inevitable crash, the shattering that would surely follow, that yanked me from my sleep.  A terrifying heat washed over... Continue

Do you know that feeling when you dine out, the feeling when you exit the restaurant into the fresh air of the real world outside, and you feel so completely content that it is nearly impossible to not sigh a really big sigh, look up... Continue

It is inevitable that I will fall hard for a place sporting collard greens.  Throw in some hush puppies and you know it is all over for this Southern gal.  Add in crafty, thoughtfully prepared cocktails and the atmosphere of a historic dancehall and I... Continue

Those lovely, tiny cherry tomatoes that are spilling from their little green baskets, the teeny red ones, the tear-shaped yellow, and especially the almost-purple-black ones that are abundant at the market right now, are like bits of candy.  Better than candy, really. These miniature tomatoes... Continue