Observations
May 13, 2012 - Los Angeles, 1961
When I look at this picture of my mom and me, words fail me.
So let me just wish you all a very happy Mother's Day, for our mothers, our grandmothers, and for everyone who mothers.
May 2, 2012 - Shimogamo Jinja, Kyoto, Japan Forgive me please, for a brief diversion from our usual posting of recipes. I recently took two weeks off from cooking and blogging to travel to Japan, my first extended vacation in the nine years or...
July 31, 2010 - Greetings from Cape Ann, Massachusetts, where I'm now sitting, on a veranda looking out across the Annisquam River over Wingaersheek Beach, around the corner from Lobster Cove and down the road from Gloucester. Have you ever read Kipling's Captains Courageous...
June 20, 2010 - To all of you dads out there, a very happy Father's Day to you! As many of you know, my dad is the behind-the-scenes partner for Simply Recipes. It's his love of trying out new recipes that has provided inspiration...
March 14, 2009 - Once in a while, the universe smiles at you and decides to let you have a lovely, wonderful, joyful gift. It's impermanent, like all things; eventually the tide comes in and washes that sand castle away. But for a moment...
December 17, 2008 - Here is the kitchen that my parents have cooked in since the mid 70s. The house was built in the early 60s. Not one bit of touch up or improvements have been made in over 30 years. For the last...
November 24, 2008 - Thanksgiving week is here, and along with it the mad rush to make sure that the dinner is organized, travel plans on schedule, and the beds are made with fresh sheets for out-of-town guests. People often ask me or my...
May 11, 2008 - Elise's mom in the kitchen (more photos) I was recently asked to write about what I've learned from my mother about cooking. Since I cook with my mom almost every day, this wasn't a difficult exercise. I'm still learning from...
November 22, 2007 - From the my earliest memory, we have said grace at the table before our family dinners. It's a simple blessing, our Catholic grace. I think growing up we kids didn't think much about it, just that it was one of...
September 20, 2007 - See photo set. One topic of conversation that comes up often in our house is the fact that most people these days don't know where the food they eat comes from - who grew it or how and where was...
March 4, 2007 - A few days ago I was interviewed on the radio by Jeffrey Callison of our local Sacramento NPR affiliate Capital Public Radio. The interview was 20 minutes long, and we chatted mostly about Simply Recipes, how it got started, the...
November 29, 2006 - There are many reasons why I love Jello. It's pretty. It wiggles. It's sweet. It's completely unpretentious. It reminds me of my childhood, watching dad mix hot water with the contents of a Jello packet, putting it in the refrigerator...
November 24, 2006 - I often get emails from readers wondering what camera and lenses I use to take the photos on this site and I thought I would take a minute to describe the equipment and process I use here. Camera Equipment Canon...
November 20, 2006 - What are your favorite foodie films? My favorite by far and away is Tampopo, a Japanese film about a young mother trying to run a noodle shop, and several loosely tied-in hilarious vignettes, all having to do with food...
September 3, 2006 - For your Labor Day weekend viewing pleasure. Something for foodies to look forward to next summer, Ratatouille - from Pixar writer and director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles"), a film about a Parisian rat who loves the great food of...
May 29, 2006 - I recently had the pleasure of attending a small class on Chinese tea and tea ceremony, given by Chinese scholar Bing YeYoung, a former professor of Chinese culture in Beijing who left China and came to America following Tiananmen Square...
November 4, 2005 - A Narragansett Turkey Photo copyright American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Republished by permission. Photo by Frank Reese, Jr. The turkeys my parents remember eating when they were young were a lot different that the turkeys we now eat for Thanksgiving. Over...
