Serve me this soup daily for lunch and you'll hear no complaints. Tender, translucent pasta pillows, pale green from their pea-stuffed bellies, are buoyed by yellow split peas in a simple clear broth. Golden puddles of olive oil are suspended across the surface, pooling in various cracks and crevices. Your lips will glisten after a few slurpy

The Doritos Dilemma: Giving Kids Junk Food [ doritos.jpg] I have a confession to make. For a couple of weeks in April, I allowed my daughters to place a little bag of Doritos in their lunch boxes. Many people will think I’m ridiculous for feeling this is something to confess to, but I know a lot of you out there struggle with the same feelings

Events: Fireworks & Farmers I know, fireworks and farmers aren’t usually uttered in the same sentence, but why not? In San Francisco you can have up close and personal access to both at these special events. [ Waterbar] Every year KFOG puts on a fireworks extravaganza. You can fight the crowds on the pier or treat yourself to an upgrade

In the kitchen making hundreds of biscuits. Waking up at 4;40 and 5 am. Seeing best friends who've moved away. Laying awake at night thinking about my bank account. Taking much needed naps. Receiving very odd emails from cooks who work at my old job. Trying to keep my house clean after 12 hour days. Wondering whether the way I've been teaching

After finally producing a decent basic hearth bread, I decided to venture into the forbidden territory of baking improvisation. My goal was to try to recreate fig anise bread from Sel de la Terre in Boston. Warning: These are just notes to myself so that I remember what to do next time. No story or recipe this time. Sorry

Event: Farmers Market Cocktail Demonstration [ cocktail]I’m looking forward to the CUESA-hosted Farmers Market Cocktail Demonstration and tasting that will be held on Wednesday, May 14 at the Ferry Building in participation with San Francisco Cocktail Week. The Farmers Market Cocktail Demonstration will feature cocktails using seasonal farmers

[ dessert giveaway] There's another contest over at Glam Dish today! Win one of three prize packages that each include a signed copy of a Gale Gand cookbook, bakeware and 12 coupons for a product that was named to Time Magazine's list of the 100 greatest consumer products in 1998. It was invented 60 years ago. Do you know what it is?

Food Hacks [ Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan]Although I couldn’t attend this past weekend’s Maker Faire, with its inaugural section dedicated to food, I did have a chance to learn a few new tricks for the kitchen. It’s not a recent phenomenon for cooks to hack their utensils and ingredients—Homo “Handy Man” habilis figured out that

[ olives] When I think of processed foods the first things that come to mind are newfangled convenience and artificial ingredients. But that's not the case with all processed foods. In Spain, preserving vegetables and seafood is a very traditional craft. Olives, piquillo peppers, anchovies and tuna are just a few of the most common "conservas"