San Francisco, here he comes... Va Di Vi (Walnut Creek)

Kelly Degala.

A genius with seafood on a small plate.

The first man in whom I had no romantic interest who managed to convince me to try a dish outside my comfort zone.

A down-to-earth "celebrity" chef we're proud to call a friend.

Look out, San Francisco, here he comes!


Va de Vi
1511 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925-979-0100

Technorati Tags: Restaurants | Restaurant Reviews | Dining Out | National Blog Posting Month 2006

Pour some sugar on me...

Every open house is a little different, from a culinary perspective.

Sure, the pork, the spinach dip and the mushroom tarts are always a hit.

But from there, the first-to-go dishes vary year-to-year.

In 2000 it was a smoked salmon mousse.

In 2003, it was a simple jar of Caramel Sin with some bananas sliced for dipping. When the bananas disappeared, guests improvised with meatballs. Hey... we have eclectic friends.

In 2004 it was a loaf of ciabatta sliced and smothered with brie, sprinkled with brown sugar, spotted with walnuts, and slid under the broiler.

This year, that honor belonged to the desserts. First, Fine Cooking Magazine's Chocolate Stout Cake had people reaching for their dessert forks.

But the real honor of the day belongs to my new friend Peabody and her Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. We took a handful of pictures as we prepared the recipe, sensing from the silky quality of the cheese filling and the earthy-sweet smell of fall in the pumpkin swirl that it was going to be a winner. And I had every intention of photographing a slice of the final product. Heck, I had every intention of *tasting* a slice of the final product.

But this cheesecake may have broken a record on my buffet table. I put it out, made my way around the living room collecting empty wine glasses and plates for deposit in the kitchen. And no more than ten minutes later, the cakestand was empty. A dozen people asked me for the recipe. Several mentioned having taken "small slices" "just to taste" the latest dessert -- and found themselves back in line to retrieve "the rest of [their] serving."

Thanks Peabody. You've got several new Bay Area fans...

Technorati Tags: Food | Recipes | Dessert | Recipe Links | Tastes of Fall | National Blog Posting Month 2006

Party!

'if I were invited to a dinner party with my characters, I wouldn't show up.' (Dr. Seuss)

Nintety-some of our friends. An unseasonably warm Northern California November afternoon. A handful of tried--and-true recipes, and a couple that turned out to be instant-favorite must-repeats. An annual event in my adult life that has roots in my childhood.

For as long as I can remember, my father held and "open house" party the day after Christmas.

He invited everyone he knew. Co-workers. Neighbors. Friends from church. Dog show judges (one of his many hobbies was showing his beloved cocker spaniels). Disney collectors (Disney figurines was another).

The guests often didn't know each other, but no one stayed strangers for long. A neighbor whose son befriended my brother discovered he shared a love of astronomy with an English teacher. And thus new friendships were born.

The menu included lasagna or ravioli, a roast turkey with stuffing or a beef roast with yorksire puddings or a huge ham wrapped in puff pastry -- or all of the above. The sumptuous feast displayed buffet style in the dining room inviting guests to partake.

To drink a handful of popular sodas, a jug or two of Dago Red and a fully stocked bar with a full bottle of Mo's favorite: Bombay Sapphire served on the rocks with 3 skewered olives on the side.

Mo's open house was legendary among his friends -- a bigger production in our household than any of the traditional holidays.

My father's birthday was the day after Christmas, but less than a dozen people knew that. Most thought he'd chosen the date to avoid conflicting with other obligations during the busy holiday season. Others figured he was just a bit eccentric. Late in life he shared the secret with me: his gift to himself was to surround himself with his friends and watch them enjoy one another's company.

So when I moved to my first REAL home five years ago and it was time to start thinking about a housewarming, I knew *exactly* how I was going to structure the celebration. John wasn't sure at first. How would it work when our guests didn't know each other? I wasn't sure how it would work, but I'd lived it long enough to know it would. And the first time one of our square dance friends connected with one of my co-workers and spent 45 minutes shared their passion for performing Shakespeare in a musical format, I understood why Mo considered the whole thing an indulgent gift. It's an opportunity to see our friends outside of whatever original activity brought us together -- to get to know them in an entirely different setting.

Six years later, the format's changed a bit from what I remember. Rather than a full meal on Chinette, John and I go with the finger-food approach which is much more our style. (And feels like a bit of rebellion, since Mo and I often butted heads over whether my beloved appetizers spoiled people's appetites for the "real food".) Wine has replaced the classic cocktail as the beverage of choice among our friends (though at this year's party, we went through a record 7 pots of coffee as well).

But more than once across the week or so we spend focused on the open house... when shopping for groceries, molding the hundredth meatball, schlepping the vacuum up the stairs, greeting the first guest or saying good-bye to the last, I thank Mo for showing me the joy of celebrating friendship.

Technorati Tags: Reflections | Memories | Entertaining | Food | National Blog Posting Month 2006

An exercise in organized chaos

T-minus-24-hours.

All except the last minute bread-and-ice shopping is done.

The pork's marinating.

The tartlett stuffing is assembled and mascerating in the 'fridge.

The crab cheesecake is in the oven.

The living room's mostly vacuumed, and all of the hard surfaces *except* the kitchen floor have been mopped clean.

We're making progress.

Slowly.

I've learned not to panic -- it doesn't get things done any faster. And in the end, it all comes together. Sure, we may drop a planned item from the menu for lack of time, but our guests are none-the-wiser (unless they're reading this on Monday comparing Tuesday's list to what actually hits the buffet tomorrow). But no one walks away hungry.

Bu-uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

There's the oven; the cheesecake's done.

Now excuse me while I go elbow deep in meatballs...

As promised, the recipe for Dom's Mom's Meatballs:

2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
2 cups Italian flavored bread crumbs (up to 3 cups, depending on the moisture content in the meatball mixture)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup pignoli (pine nuts) (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Let stand 1/2 hour. Shape into medium-size meatballs. Fry gently in olive oil until lightly browned, or place on foil on a cookie sheet and bake for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees. Gently place in your own hot spaghetti sauce and cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour.

We typically opt for plan B and bake the meatballs for 20 minutes at 350. We skip the sauce and stack the almost-baked meatballs in a four-quart countertop oven (think Nesco) set at 250 about a half hour before our guests are supposed to arrive. We occasionally serve a zesty mustard or a BBQ sauce on the side, but they're perfectly good "naked".

Technorati Tags: Entertaining | Food | Recipes | Party Prep | National Blog Posting Month 2006

Channeling the Caribbean

It's been a rough enough day that last week's vacation seems like a distant memory. Allow me to reminisce...

The home that Mo and Jo built

Perhaps it's the approaching holidays.

Or the fact that my brother and I will soon be letting go of a critical part of our childhoods as we put our family home on the market.

Something's certainly got me reflecting on the home that Mo and Jo built fo us -- the lessons they taught and the traditions they passed on -- the sights, smells and sounds that will forever remind me of home.

The cherry tree in the back yard is long gone, but I remember rushing home from school and quickly changing out of my uniform to climb that tree for the refuge, the view, and during the late spring, the sunsweetened goodness it offered.

The lemon trees in the front yard remain -- and I'll soon be looking for a way to graft them and hang onto that piece of home. It's lemons were critical to summertime 10c lemonade -- and we had no idea that the small sweet-tart fruit with which we worked had a name and would one day be trendy. The neighbor kids have figured it out -- they were selling lemonade this summer for a dollar a dixie cup!

Every Friday and Saturday night was a party -- a handful of friends gathered for family-style dinner and a game of pinocchle or monopoly with dessert. BIG parties featured Great-Aunt Lena's "touthlach" ravioli on Christmas day, Grandmother Kathryn's cinnamon buns with Easter brunch, Henri's "company carrots", Linda's torta di riso and dozens of other plates of goodness from around the globe.

This is a transitional holiday season for me. I'll be baking lemon bars in my kitchen using lemons from the aforementioned trees. Serving the touthlach on it's traditional 50-year-old serving platter to a new set of friends and adopted family on my parents' dining room table with my mother's wedding china in my dining room. The mingling of the past, present and future are palpable for me this year -- and strangely comforting and awkward at the same time. I guess that's a part of the process -- the delicate balance between hanging on and letting go...

Technorati Tags: Reflections | Food Memories | National Blog Posting Month 2006

Planning a party (or pandering to my inner list geek)

In less than four days, a hundred or so of our friends will drop in over the course of the afternoon and evening for a glass of wine, a plate or two of finger food and a chance to spend a bit of time together before the holiday season takes over. In it's sixth year, our annual open house has become what one guests affectionately calls "one of the highlights of the season". The regular guests know the drill and the newbies quickly catch on to the very simple rules:

1. We'll do the cooking. You don't need to bring anything.

1a. If you must ignore rule #1 ...a bottle of wine or some other libation would be lovely. but not necessary.

1b. Because of rule #1, it's critical that we know how many of you will be here. Running out of food is not cool. Neither is eating leftover meatballs on New Years Eve. (even if they don't suck with caramel sauce). So pl-EEEAA-se RSVP.

At not quite the 11th hour, we have 71 confirmed "yeses" and 44 on the "not yet responded" list. John's mission over the next 72 hours is to get commitments one way or the other from them.

MY mission over the next four days is threefold.

Cleaning. Lots of cleaning. But because we very strategically schedule this gathering, no decorating.

Last-minute menu planning.

Grocery shopping.

The second two tasks appealing to my inner list-geek, and providing me with blog fodder.

First, the menu -- mostly a list of old standbys, with a couple of new things to try:
Cooking Light's Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin -- the most-requested recipe on our menu.
Dom's Mom's Meatballs (for the recipe and the story of the assembly, check back tomorrow)
Tyler Florence's Wild Mushroom Tartlets
Sauteed mini-sausages
Emeril's Crab & Wild Mushroom Cheescake
Brie Kisses
Everyone's favorite spinach-sour dough bread dip (we damn near had a riot the year we dropped this from the menu)
Alton Brown's Onion Dip and Fromage Fort.
Cooking Light's Hot Asiago Dip
An antipasto plate of assorted cheeses, meats and olives
Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate Stout Cake
Sliced apples & bananas with "Caramel Sin"
Peabody's Pumpkin Cheesecake

Technorati Tags: Food | Party Food | Recipes | Entertaining | National Blog Posting Month

Dim Sum means one of each - Loon Wah (San Jose)

One of the things I'm really enjoying about NaBloPoMo is the opportunity to revisit restaurants we visited and dishes we prepared at home, the corresponding photographs on my hard drive -- and finish the partially written posts about them.

Restaurants like Loon Wah - almost an accidental discovery. Driving through San Jose on a mid-summer Sunday between social events, we both had a serious jones for dim sum. Loon Wah had been on our "to try" list for several months, making it the obvious choice.

There's one challenge with dim sum. When John and I are ravenous (which we were) we tend to go overboard and order way too much food (which we did). Chow Mein noodles. Barbequed Pork Buns. Sui Mai. Potstickers. We pretty much eyeballed the menu and said "yes." Which resulted in a large-ish collection of takeout containers.

Our impression of the food? Good, solid basic dim sum. Some of it a little greasy. but all of it tasty. In larger than average portions. At reasonable prices. Loon Wah's strength is in their "pastry" -- the pork buns, rice noodles and custard buns are consistently quite good. Potstickers are the only dish we ordered that need som fine-tuning; they were a bitl rubbery and the filling had an odd chemical taste. In short we wouldn't traverse the bay for a meal at Loon Wah, but when in the neighborhood, we wouldn't hesitate to stop in. We have -- twice -- since our initial visit.

Loon Wah
1146 S De Anza Blvd., San Jose, CA 95129
408.257.8877

Technorati Tags: Food | Restaurant | Chinese Restaurant | Restaurant Review | Chinese Food | National Blog Posting Month 2006

Mindless drivel...

You Are an Excellent Cook

You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning. It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire...

Are You A Good Cook?

Technorati Tags: National Blog Posting Month 2006

Farewell, MS Veendam

As we unpack the suitcases, stage the laundry, download the photographs before we fall into bed, I share the first of many images from our week in the Caribbean. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: National Blog Posting Month 2006 | Vacation | Travel

Homeward bound

Out like a lion, in like a lamb -- our return trip to Tampa has been much smoother than Sunday's journey out. As all successful vacations end, it's a bittersweet return home for us tomorrow and a gradual re-immersion in the day-to-day routine. Look for expansions on each of the last week's post and a wrap-up some time mid-week when I've pulled my paperwork, my notes, my menus and my head into the same space.

And expect the world to get a bit more chaotic as we gear up for next weekend's open house...

Technorati Tags: National Blog Posting Month 2006

It's a world of laughter...

The Mayan Reality Tour (tm)

The one excursion on this voyage that I chose.

I was looking for a bit of Tony Bourdain.

I got equal parts Mr. Roarke and Donald Duck.

Welcome to Fantasy Island... would you like an authentic tortilla with that?

Technorati Tags: National Blog Posting Month 2006

Holland America's Pinnacle Experience...

The short story is we spent a large part of the afternoon in a hands-on cooking class with the executive chef from our cruise ship's premiere dining experience (after I spent the morning going a couple of shades of blonde...) Then we spent the evening dining in the chef's Pinnacle Grill.

The long story -- complete with pictures -- waits for a cheaper, more stable internet connection.

Next stop, Costa Maya Mexico...

Yah Mon -- Exploring Ocho Rios for Jamaican Jerk Pork

After an adventurous if not aerobic morning spent swimming with our new dolphin friend Skye and climbing a waterfall...

Do not adjust your monitors, you read correctly... I said climbing a waterfall. I can't consistently find forty five minutes a day to get to the gym or take a walk, but spent a week in the tropics and I'm signing up to climb waterfalls. I believe I've lost my mind. Every muscle in my body aches -- but I've got some GREAT pictures I plan to share when we get back next week.

But I digress. After the morning's adventure, we went searching for jerk pork. And found it in an open-air downtown street food stand/bar called Jerk Centre. A half pound of melt-in-your-mouth, spicy without melting your tastebuds off pork loin for eight bucks. A Bob Marley CD in the background.

Yep, I can see why folks call this paradise...

Searching for my lost pillar of salt...

First stop on our iternerary... Margaritavi...er... Grand Cayman Island. We opted to dine on the ship and play ashore -- a two hour snuba-dive adventure and a bit of souvenier shopping for the folks at home.

I understand internet connectivity runs in the single-digits from Ocho Rios, so I'll plan a longer update from there.

Corkscrews are for wine, not cruising...

More on yesterday's experience from a land-line, where connection is cheaper... but in the name of not blowing NaBloPoMo this early in the month, I wanted to touch base with my loyal readership and let you know that the worst of the stormy seas seem to be behind us, and that I got through the morning without losing breakfast (largely because I *skipped* breakfast)...

Tonight's dinner is formal. I'll be back from Grand Cayman tomorrow with pictures...

Reflections on the Sky Mall magazine

Okay, so I'm going on thirty hours without sleep. I'm trapped in seat 8E for four hours. To my left, an older gentleman has removed his shoes, eaten his tuna fish snack, and appears to be practicing yoga. To my right, John's bunched up my discarded sweater as a makeshift pillow and is trying desperately to nap. Some movie starring...Kenny Chesney? Tim McGraw? Toby Keith? I dunno... Broken Something-or-other... is playing, but largely because the big head wearing what looks like a neon red cotton condom in front of me eclipses the TV monitor, I didn't spring the $5 for the headphones with the soundtrack.

It's hot and stuffy and my little air vent is broken (and I'm going to be forty... someday. whine.) Every time I consider napping, the toddler behind us starts wailing or a flight attendant fires up the intercom to announce that the restrooms at the front of the plane are for first class passengers only -- the great unwashed should proceed to the back of the plane to pee.

Desperate for something -- ANYTHING -- to entertain me for the next few hours, I pull out the Sky Mall magazine from the seat pocket in front of me and search for foodie items I didn't know I needed. Amongst the three thousand dollar wine storage and the vintage carnival popcorn popper/cotton candy maker combination, I find:

The Marshmallow Shooter(tm)on page 26 proclaims that its magazine holds 20 marshmallows, shooting them some 30 feet and provides LED (safe) laser to help pinpoint your target. Um... why? And what *will* they think of next?!? Read on...

On page 110, you too can purchase your very own president or historical figurine. And they'll *talk* to you. Abraham Lincoln. Hillary Clinton. JFK. Pope JP2. Albert Einstein. "W". Take your pick. Gotta wonder which "25 authentic phrases" they've recorded...

Moving steadily onward if not upward, for the lazy parent with copious disposable income, we have the Breakfix(tm) Cereal Dispenser. For 79.99, you can dispense the sugary cereal of your choice in premeasured portions at the push of a button. Fruit Loops anyone? Seventy. Nine. Ninety. Nine. Oy...

And lastly, the gift of the holiday season for the man or woman in your life who has *everything* -- an iPod docking station for the... um... throne room. With moisture-proof construction and four built in speakers.

Um. Yeah. It just doesn't get any better than that folks...

In *good* news, in the time since deplaning and drafting this masterpiece, I've eaten a solid meal and slept nine-solid hours. We're just a couple of hours away from boarding the ship. I'm off to wake John up and grab some breakfast.

Details on last night's dinner to come from some secluded spot on the Caribbean...

Technorati Tags: Reflections | Mindless Drivel | Kitchen Gadgets | National Blog Posting Month 2006

Leaving, on a jet plane...

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

Dawn's not quite yet breaking, but will be soon.

And at this hour, that's all the lyrics I remember...

Next stop, SFO.

Stay tuned -- I'll nap on the plane and touch base from the right coast...

Inspired by others

A lot of my recreational web surfing centers around exploring other food blogs. I'm amazed by some of the sensationally mouth-watering creations many of you describe. Over the months, I've gathered an impressive list of links to recipes I want to try.

Twice in the past couple of weeks I've surveyed my kitchen supplies and turned to that list for inspiration.

As our Indian summer transitions to fall, chilly weekday mornings beg for a warm toasty breakfast. Yet my not-a-morning-person-nature demands a quick breakfast that allows for maximum untilization of the snooze button. Enter Nicole's recent harvest themed oatmeal. Simple, speedy, satisfying -- with a side of maple-flavored yogurt this has become a regular in my breakfast rotation -- and kept me going through endless morning meetings.

There was swiss chard in the CSA box. Eggs in the 'fridge. And we were looking for a quick, throw-together Friday night dinner when I surfed onto Brendon's Eggs Davis. (Go ahead. Follow the link. Check out his sensational photograph. Vegetarian food porn!) Yum. Another we'll be repeating.

Two recipes down. Several hundred still to try...

Technorati Tags: Food | Recipes | Foodie Links | National Blog Posting Month 2006

NaBloPoMo

Welcome to November.

We're leaving on a cruise in two days -- seven days of rest and relaxation (and hopefully some good food) in the Western Caribbean -- probably the first *real* vacation of my adult life (Weekend getaways notwithstanding). While my blog IS recreation, internet access in the Atlantic comes at a hefty price...

Upon our return from Florida, we have a week to prepare for our 6th annual open house -- a hundred or so of our closest friends dropping in for a glass of wine, a plate or two of finger food and our sensational hospitality. Six-point-five days to get the house clean, the menu planned and prepared, the wine poured...

Thanksgiving falls quickly on the heels of the open house. We're changing the holiday pace a bit this year. After years of talking about it, we're going to take the plunge. Rather than drifting into a tryptophan-induced coma in the mid-afternoon, we're going to give back to the community. We're going to join Daniel & Tracy at the restaurant, helping them prepare and serve feast for the homeless.

Oh, and mid-month is critical to my company's success or failure with a project that reengineers our business process and its infrastructure from end-to-end. I'm a critical contributor to the project, and my long term prospects hinge on its success.

Yeah, seems like a great time to commit to daily blog posting.

I should be committed. Because that's precisely what I've done. I've joined a group of dedicated bloggers participating in NaBloPoMo -- National Blog Posting Month. So for the next 30 days I pledge that the five of you reading this will see something new from me. Something at least loosely food-related.

On a positive note, it's a busy month. I should have plenty of fodder with which to entertain you.

One down, 29 to go...

Technorati Tags: National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) 2006