I am kind of on a cocktail kick these days. Fresh off the success of my Dolores Park-inspired drink, I decided to take another stab at creating a sweet, spicy, tart cocktail. A sweltering spring day called for an ice-cold concoction with muddled strawberries, fresh lemon juice, vanilla paste, and a jalapeño slice. A healthy pour of vodka and some agave to sweeten it, and another great cocktail was born.

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I like eating edamame as a snack or appetizer, but boiled is just so blah. Since nearly everything is better roasted, I decided to toss some of the whole frozen pods with a couple of flavorful ingredients and roast them in the oven. This yielded a terrific snack that went from freezer to table in about 20 minutes flat.

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Ever since I made the incredible miso butter roast chicken from Use Real Butter, I have been trying to find as many other things as possible to slather with miso butter. In this recipe, I combined asparagus and Brussels sprouts and cooked them with a bit of wine, which gives the dish a tart note that offsets the butter and miso.

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There really is nothing better than a spoonful of slightly warm, wobbly, vanilla-scented custard… is there? I think it’s one of the most satisfying and comforting desserts of all time. This version is simple to make and comes out fabulously every time.

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Yesterday, we closed on a beautiful new house in the Castro, so we’ll be moving from our beloved flat off of Dolores Park. The new place needs about a year’s worth of construction before moving in–including lifting up the house three feet to add a garage. Only in San Francisco! Last night I made a special cocktail to toast this momentous occasion. Gin, lemon juice, cardamom bitters, agave syrup, and a muddled habañero pepper balance and layer perfectly. It’s tart, sweet, spicy, herbal, and complex–just like Dolores Park.

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What could be better than spending the day with dozens of sweet, energetic dogs pulling sleds through the snow? In a word, nothing. Sure, it’s cold and snowy, but the exhiliration of guiding your own eight-dog team takes care of that quite nicely. A major plus of this experience is that I got to spend a little time in the picture-perfect Old West town of Livingston – a treat whether you’re hanging out with huskies or just on your own. 

I arranged my dog sledding experience through the funky and fabulous Chico Hot Springs Resort. Rumor has it that Teddy Roosevelt once stayed there, too. 

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I don’t know why more folks don’t use wine in cake batter. It makes for a very tender crumb and adds richness and acidity that’s especially welcome in a berry-laden cake like this one. And keeping the strawberries in big chunks lets them sink into the batter and transform each bite into jammy, gooey goodness.

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Another day, another snack. This time I took sweet potato slices to the oven, seasoned with salt, thyme, and a vinegar tang. Fantastic!

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I am a big-time snacker. I love a salty snack with wine or cocktails before dinner, during that afternoon lull around 3 PM when I get sleepy and unmotivated, and late at night watching a movie. I can’t just sit around eating bags of chips all day, so I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting snack ideas that aren’t totally terrible for me. These crispy edamame, seasoned with parmesan and garlic and baked in the oven, are the latest snack craze in my house.

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I am guessing you have never heard of Matera, a city in the far south of Italy. Despite its incredibly unique and beautiful architecture and its fascinating history, it doesn’t even make it into most Italy travel guides.  Truth be told, I had never heard of it until I saw an obscure article about a hotel housed in old cave dwellings. I put it on my mental bucket list and found myself thinking about it from time to time. When a family trip to Italy was in the works, I knew I wanted to make a special trip to check it out in person.

It is stunning.

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