Tips & Recipes

What’s a hearty bowl of authentic Texas chili without a slice of warm, cheesy cornbread on the side? While Texas chili might be all about bold spices and tender beef, this Cheesy Cornbread with Creamed Corn brings a perfect balance of sweetness, creaminess, and just the right amount of crunch ...

Growing up in Southern California with a mom from the Midwest, chili always meant something familiar and comforting: ground beef, tomatoes, and plenty of beans. It was hearty, filling, and perfect for a cool evening—but it wasn’t until I moved to Texas six years ago that I realized authentic Texas ...

Just across the border, in the state of Tamaulipas, is the town of Nuevo Progreso. It's an easy 30-minute drive from where I live so I am fortunate to be able to go often. I go to shop, get a pedicure and, of course, eat. Over the past three years, ...

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it's time for my annual Most Viewed Posts article. But I'm a bit of a statistics junkie so I love contrasting and comparing lists from one year to another. I enjoy seeing which posts resonate the most with readers. It's very enlightening and ...

Every year since I started this blog, I have written a "Most Viewed Posts" article for the previous year. Even though I still wanted to do that for 2020, it seemed very different. When travel came to a screeching halt last year, I had to cancel two 2-3 month RV ...

When you are single, cooking for one can sometimes be a challenge. Sure, I like casseroles, soups and roasts and have my freezer stocked with leftover meals, but a single person can't cook like that every night. The freezer would be overflowing in no time. And what do you do ...

It's that time again when I get to write one of my favorite posts -- the most viewed posts of the year. I love writing these posts for two reasons. Most important, I get to take a close look at what was most popular with and useful for my readers ...

I don't eat out a lot so, when I do, I look for restaurant recommendations from locals-in-the-know wherever I am. Review apps can be helpful but those reviews are often by tourists who may not know about local favorites. Checking out the "Best of" winners in local newspapers is a ...

I have to admit, when I was growing up, barbecue was not one of my favorite foods. Barbecue, to me, always brought to mind neighborhood parties with chicken on the grill with burnt on barbecue sauce. Or maybe it was dry baby back ribs, which don't have enough meat on ...

When I was on my RV trip from California to Texas, one of the things I thought about often was getting some real Tex Mex food. I'm not sure what I thought it was going to be but I was positive it would be something wonderful. Color me confused when ...

This is one of my favorite posts to do each year. It is so fun for me to look back over my articles and see what was popular and resonated with my readers during the year. It gives me food for thought about what to include as future posts. 2018 ...

Last year, when I wrote a post about my most viewed posts of 2016, the blog had only been in operation for just under 10 months. During that time, I wrote 34 posts, an average of over three a month. I didn't meet my goal of at least four posts ...

The first time I went to Jamison's Ale House and Oyster Bar in Amador City, CA, I knew I would be going back often and would want to share it with you. UPDATE Fall 2018: Sadly, Jamison's Ale House and Oyster Bar is permanently closed. It was sure fun while ...

Wine Bloggers Conference Food - Recap Part 2 In my last post I promised to tell you about the Wine Bloggers Conference food. I had two meals while I was at the conference that were absolutely outstanding and wanted to share them with you. Jordan Winery Dinner Excursion When I ...

What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of Australia? Is it olive oil? Probably not but, after you read this, that might change. I have been wanting to delve into learning more about local olive oil for some time now so when one of ...

Even though, as a single person, I usually cook for just myself, I still like to buy in bulk to save money. However, buying in bulk doesn't save you money if your food spoils before you use it. For example, I like to buy cheese in two-pound blocks. Even when I froze ...

Of all the things I've done so far in Gold Country, one of my favorites is the Roaring Camp Saturday Night Cookout. It is an evening full of adventure, food, fun, entertainment, education and history. Descent into the Mokelumne River Canyon Your adventure begins at the Roaring Camp office on ...

UPDATE 2/15/22: Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms is permanently closed! Ryker retired in August and sold his equipment. Mushrooms are one of those things that I think you either love or hate. Even if you hate them, though, learning about them is pretty fascinating. When I contacted Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms in Sloughhouse, ...

I absolutely love nuts, all kinds of nuts, and I put them in pretty much everything. Nuts are a healthy addition to your diet (good thing for me) and add flavor and texture. Some tout them as a healthy snack but the problem with nuts is that they are high ...

Several weeks ago, the Vineyard Vixens had a pasta dish for lunch at Villa Toscano that we all just loved. Executive Chef, Tim Benham, explained his process to us and told us the ingredients but didn't give us any specific amounts. I played with the recipe and tweaked it until ...

It's the beginning of a new year and I've been reflecting on the blog, looking back at old posts and setting some goals for 2017. Even though the blog hasn't been in operation for a full year yet (my first post was published on March 7th), I thought you might be ...

For a while now I've been promising a microwave version of my Vino de Mocca fudge. I love that old-fashioned version but I learned the hard way why it is considered an "expert" level recipe. The first time I made it, it was perfect. The second time, my arms started giving ...

Recently, the Saucy Sisters cooking group took a foodie field trip to Sacramento to visit, among other places, Allspicery. When Jan, the organizer of the field trip, told me the Allspicery story, I knew I would want to tell you about it. As a cook, I enjoy experimenting with herbs and spices ...

It seems I've been on a bit of an unintended hiatus from the blog. I've been so busy doing research, photograpy and coming up with ideas for content that I haven't had (taken) the time to write it down. Now I have so many things in my head it is almost overwhelming but I will ...

I enjoy each and every one of my Saucy Sisters meetings but when I learned that we were going to be doing sourdough I was kind of excited. I haven't done sourdough since I was in my 20s. Hmm, is that a theme? So many things I haven't done since ...

Ever since the Saucy Sisters baked pizza in a wood-fired oven for one of our meetings, I've really been craving pizza. I hardly ever have pizza for a couple of reasons. First, it isn't the most low-calorie food. Second, as a single person, I always have so much left over. I ...

When it's hot out, who wants to turn on the oven and heat up the house? I don't have air conditioning so I know I sure don't! But there are lots of alternatives to cooking your meals in the oven. I lived in a ghost town in Nevada for five ...

I love fresh, hot-out-of-the-oven, home baked bread and I bet it is a pretty safe bet that you do too. If you are like me, though, you probably aren't very fond of the kneading part. I have some things to assist me with the kneading part like my Kitchen Aid ...

Kelly and I were headed back up the hill after a day at Horse Expo in Sacramento. Since it was still early, we decided to stop off at Drytown Cellars. I had been wanting to get some of their Vino de Mocca ever since I first tasted it a few months ago and ...

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet up in Santa Rosa with a friend from Southern California. It's almost a three hour drive for me but a lot closer than Southern California so I was excited to get together with her. It was her 65th birthday and she was having ...