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One of my favorite topics to share with my readers is tips that save money when preparing or cooking food. I read several food magazines each month, so I’m always on the lookout for helpful tips. Today’s column includes many money-saving tips and salad dressing recipes to accent the salad greens you’re preparing. Cheese rinds [...]
Baked macaroni and cheese is definitely a family comfort food. Today’s column includes a basic recipe, two stove top recipes and inventive additions to delight your diners. Classic baked mac cheese — Ingredients: 8 ounces fusilli or other short pasta, 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, plus 1 teaspoon more for the baking dish, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, [...]
The Feast of Saint Valentine is observed on Feb. 14 and for some feast is the operative word. The day promoting love with the exchange of flowers, confectionery and cards can be a time to spend time with a loved one dining on sumptuous morsels. In El Dorado County there are several venues presenting specials [...]
D and D is my shorthand for today’s column since it includes a main dish for dinner and a “cool” recipe for dessert. The first recipe is courtesy of my workout friend, Kay. I trust her judgement, because she eats healthy and likes to cook quality food for her husband. She cooked for her whole [...]
“All four elements were happening in equal measure — the cuisine, the wine, the service, and the overall ambience. It taught me that dining could happen at a spiritual level.” — Charlie Trotter Café Luna A group of us were invited to dinner at Café Luna, 451 Main St., Suite 8, in Placerville (Creekside Place). [...]
“Only in America do we buy hot dogs in packages of 10 and buns in packages of eight.” — Claimed by several people Old Town Grill As I mentioned before, my daughter brought the grandkids up for the Christmas Parade last year. The kids wanted French fries for lunch (hey, it is a parade day), [...]
No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odor to the nostrils.” — Henry Ward Beecher Crepe Town Café I first heard about this place a couple of weeks ago when I was at a wine and food event. Two days later I received a call [...]
Welcome to the new year and a full column of savory snack recipes excellent for creating a festive feeling to any occasion. Recipe ingredients are available at the supermarket and require little or no cooking. Garlic-herb dip — Halve three heads garlic crosswise. Place in an oven safe dish. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap in [...]
Zucchini is abundant at the Farmers Market and in gardens. Today’s column features my family’s favorite zucchini recipe, Awesome Zucchini Pizza. It has the flavors of pizza without the carbs. I’ve made Awesome Zucchini Pizza every summer for more than 17 years. The pizza’s base is grated zucchini, eggs and cheese, not pizza dough. Both [...]
Several weeks ago I was handed a large flat box by my editor and told, “Give this a try and tell us how you like it.” Inside was a plastic chopping tray from Argee Corporation, which is located in Santee. Called the “Chop Keeper,” it is a plastic cutting board 18 inches wide and 12 [...]
The West Coast’s premier Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest is inviting home, amateur and professional chefs to stir up some cooking creativity with its call for entries for the second annual Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest. The winning contestant will receive a grand prize of $10,000 plus a one-year supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken. Recipes [...]
Recently I read an article about the adventurous spirit of California diners. I celebrate Californians for being at the forefront of maximizing flavor in California cuisine. That adventurous spirit, to me, is analogous to California’s history of the adventurous gold miners. The newest take on California salads, taking Californian flavor to the next level, is [...]
“Anybody who doesn’t think that the best hamburger place in the world is in his home town is a sissy.” — Calvin Trillin Ten years and going strong On Jan. 1, Old Town Grill will be celebrating its 10th year of business in downtown Placerville. “Continued support from the wonderful people here is what keeps [...]