We have friends in town this weekend. And you know what friends in town means. Swiffering the hair off the bathroom floor. And also: brunch! Now that we’ve awkwardly linked hair and food and I’ve lost a good number of readers, let’s the rest of us delve a little more into the brunch thing. From my (clearly very chaotic) point of view, brunch is the king of mealtimes for a numbers of reasons. A) It’s a hybrid word. Maybe the first ever. In fact, yes, I’m pretty sure linguistic anthropologists would tell you that back in the day, like when … Read More
(Almost Vegan) Caramelized Onion White Bean Dip

I had such good intentions for how I was going to spend today. With Chris off traipsing around with one of his two-wheeled concubines, my Saturday was slated to begin with an early morning run (thanks again to that birthday gift we discussed), a jaunt to the market, several late-morning hours of intensive literary study via young adult romance, and an afternoon in the kitchen working on this week’s recipes for you guys. And then something deliciously derailing happened. I slept in. (If you didn’t gather, this is a rare weekend occurrence likened only to something as epic as the … Read More
Berry Tropical Sunrise Smoothie (guest starring: carrots!)

I smell Chinese food. No, not like the dead people thing. Like I am currently smelling Chinese food, and it’s driving me insane. One, because Chris is sitting across from me wolfing down white corn tortilla chips, which in no way can or should smell like Chinese food. And two, because I’m fairly certain I’ll begin gnawing on the Pottery Barn catalog if a platter of black bean chow fun does not find its way into my face in the next 60 seconds. Perhaps I’m being just a touch dramatic. And now I’m hardly sure where to go from here. … Read More
Gorgonzola Grilled Plums with Maple Syrup & Chilies

Sometimes there are those evenings when all you want to do is rip open a bag of chips, pour them into a bowl and grab a spoon. Sometimes the spoon is totally optional. (Duh, who eats chips with a spoon?) Sometimes you find yourself with crumbies all up in the micro-knit of the corporate polo you’re wearing. Always you fear what will happen if hubby learns just how many of those crumbies ended up on the couch. Maybe you got down real close and carefully removed each little piece of evidence with the tip of your tongue. Maybe you didn’t. No … Read More
Minted Spring Pea Paté on Crostini (also, #HeatWave2013)

Today has been kind of ridiculous. To start, it’s almost triple-digits here in the Bay Area. Which means, oh, I dunno, it’s almost intolerably hot. I say almost, of course, because it’s actually quite lovely when you take into account the perfect excuse it makes for a beach day. Think tanning, picnic, young adult novels galore and ice cream. Marianne’s Ice Cream, just to be clear. Studded with toffee-coffee goodness and stacked doubly tall in not one but two crannied waffle cones. (The gang’s all here.) Just try and tell me how wonderful a Saturday that does not make. Go ahead. … Read More

