Have you ever had one of those days where no matter where you ate, what you ate, it just wasn’t very good? That each meal became more disappointing than the last? Maybe it is just me, and possibly I am a bit too dramatic when... Continue
One of the very best parts about living in Sonoma is that downtown Napa is just a quick jaunt over the hill, a mere fifteen minutes away. It seems that each time I buzz through downtown, usually on my way to slurp some oysters or... Continue
One of my earliest memories of my grandmother was of her gripping the handle of her gigantic cast iron skillet, almost as big as she was, and flipping a batch of corn bread high into the air with that easy way Southerners have of doing... Continue
My last ditch, month-long guide, crusade if you will, of what you must do to soak up every juicy morsel of what is left of this amazing Sonoma summer. 1. Make “summer sauce.” There is not a summer day where a large Mason jar of... Continue
Continuing the theme of shamelessly throwing myself into summer before it sadly comes to an end, I declared a recent Sunday to be filled with nothing more than cruising Wine Country backroads with the top down, golden sunshine on our faces, finding yummy things to... Continue
People are already starting to talk about summer in the past tense and it makes me want to cry. I’ve heard the hushed mention of back-to-school and thought, really? I mean, there are still green tomatoes on the vine. And darn it, I have not... Continue
Sonoma is easily the most delicious town I have ever lived in, easily the most delicious town in the states. From our spectacular farmer’s markets, wonderful grocery store, and farm-focused restaurants it is truly simple to follow the ‘Slow Food’ way of living and eating:... Continue
If I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them slowly, taking in the curious scene around me: the vintage, four-foot-tall stuffed stork perched above the entry, hovering, beady eyes watching, and the silver-haired, artsy, well-to-do hippy diners quietly raising forks and paper thin wine glasses... Continue
There is one wonderfully delicious result of this month’s relentless heat… tomatoes! This past weekend, I practically lived on the most gorgeous tomatoes I snapped up at Friday’s market. That evening, I whipped up a luxurious batch of tarragon-filled homemade mayonnaise that we slathered all... Continue
I am always torn which season in Sonoma I like the most. I do love those cozy, wintery, wet days. Spring, there are the fresh peas, the asparagus, the roses, the first days in flip flops. Harvest consumes Wine Country in the fall and that is... Continue