• Whatever, Martha

    Whatever, Martha

    Last week, Martha Stewart caused something of an uproar in the blogger community when she said, in an interview with Bloomberg TV: “Who are these bloggers? They’re not editors at Vogue magazine…I mean, there are bloggers writing recipes that aren’t tested, that aren’t necessarily very good, or are copies of everything that really good editors…

  • Al Di La’s Chocolate and Pear Cake

    Al Di La’s Chocolate and Pear Cake

    There are people in this world who can read the same book over and over again. That’s hard for me because I view my time on this earth much like Dorothy views the red sand in the Wicked Witch’s hourglass, constantly sifting downward until there’s nothing left. I almost never read the same book twice…

  • Soup of Cannellini Beans with Pasta and Rosemary

    Soup of Cannellini Beans with Pasta and Rosemary

    Well if the banner says it’s autumn, it’s autumn. So let’s make soup. Soup really tests your cooking prowess because there’s always a way to make it taste better. Even if you’re not crazy about the results, you can fix them. For example: when Gina DePalma taught me how to make her lentil soup (which…

  • Spaghetti with Sun Gold Tomato Sauce

    Spaghetti with Sun Gold Tomato Sauce

    Look, I can’t pretend it’s autumn here in L.A. To be blunt: it’s as summery as it was in July, though the mornings and evenings are cooler. The telltale sign is what I’m seeing at the farmer’s market: sure, there’s kabocha squash–and I made a very excellent risotto out of it–but, way more present still…

  • No Sweetener For You (Do Coffee Shops Go Too Far?)

    No Sweetener For You (Do Coffee Shops Go Too Far?)

    You can divide coffee shops, these days, into two categories: those pushing the sugar (Starbucks, The Coffee Bean, Dunkin’ Donuts) and those scorning the sweet stuff. Most of us start out in the former camp–I began my coffee-drinking habits with Frappuccinos–and migrate to the latter camp, the independent coffee shop where the beans are of…

  • The Art of Eating Artichokes

    The Art of Eating Artichokes

    Once upon a time, I Tweeted: “Artichokes: not worth it.” As with all Tweets like this, it had its share of supporters and detractors. Though I was being tongue-in-cheek, I was also sort of being serious. I hate dealing with artichokes. For my cookbook, the terrific chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero taught me how…

  • Kabocha Squash Risotto

    Kabocha Squash Risotto

    Usually I have a gage in my head that lets me know how good the dinner I’m making is going to be. At some point, while prepping this Kabocha Squash Risotto (based on this one in Bon Appetit), I figured it would be pretty good but not great. Several reasons: the squash, which you pan-fry…

  • My Ever-Morphing L.A. Restaurant To-Do List

    My Ever-Morphing L.A. Restaurant To-Do List

    [photo taken at Gjelina] On my web browser I have a folder called “LaFOOD” and any time I see an article or a blog post about a restaurant I want to try, I save it to that folder. As you can imagine, after two years here, that folder’s grown quite unwieldy. I was just about…

  • Shopping is Cooking

    Shopping is Cooking

    When you’re having friends over for dinner at 7:30, and it’s getting on in the day, time grows precious and you have to prioritize. Do you spend it shopping or do you spend it cooking? More often than not, I spend it cooking. My usual cooking routine goes: rush to Gelson’s, gather up overpriced ingredients,…

  • Gina DePalma’s Creamy, Dreamy Ricotta Cheesecake

    Gina DePalma’s Creamy, Dreamy Ricotta Cheesecake

    For years, I’ve wanted to make a ricotta cheesecake. One time, long ago, I did it in a coffee mug–I was going through a weird phase of my life, then–but that was it. I never actually made a real ricotta cheesecake. Then, this weekend, I was supposed to bring a dessert to a dinner party.…