Good Taste is the Worst Vice

Snow day lasagne

I've always tried to avoid making lasagne.  It's such a production: make the sauce, shred the cheese, boil and drain the noodles, layer the whole thing, and finally bake it. But it's such a cozy meal on a cold day. So I took a page from my mother's book and made a "cheater" version of homemade ... continue reading...


A picturebook from France

Like many of you, I imagine, I've been indoors a lot recently due to the Polar Vortex and -50 degree windchills.  So I spent some time tidying up my new condo and my iPhoto library, and came across a collection of photos from my France trip last fall that I wanted to share with you. Without ... continue reading...


Chocolate bark

Whenever I'm in Texas for New Year's, I like to come up with a few cooking projects. This time I thought it would be fun to make chocolate bark. After all, my mother and stepfather love chocolate as much as I do! I used 70% dark chocolate, but any kind would do - you could even swirl milk ... continue reading...


Tasty’s, Anguilla

Is Tasty's tasty?  That's what we wanted to find out.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist the obvious opening line!) We've driven by the brightly painted house on the main Valley road many times, but had never stopped in.  But I'd noticed a lot of great reviews online, and the story of the chef-owner is ... continue reading...


My mom’s “Waldorf Astoria” cheesecake

I love cheesecakes of all kinds - but this one is special. My mother was served this cheesecake at her bridal shower many years ago, and asked for the recipe from the hostess, my grandfather's colleague's wife.  It had the name "Waldorf Astoria cheesecake", an elegant name for an elegant ... continue reading...


Dispatches from Anguilla (Pt 2): Restaurants

One of the reasons we keep going back to Anguilla?  The restaurants!  The food, of course, and the views, and the lovely people. Smoked fish at Hibernia Here's where we ate this time: Lunches Trattoria Tramonto x3, Bamboo x3, Jacala x2, Hibernia, Sandy Island Dinners Straw ... continue reading...


A three star dinner at Maison Pic, Valence France

Let's say au revoir to France with one final memorable meal, our three Michelin star dinner at Maison Pic. We had champagne and little bites while deciding between the two menus, the Collection Pic (classics) or Actualités (meaning "current events" or "news" - essentially dishes of the ... continue reading...


Lunch at La Menthe, Lyon France

During one of our days in Lyon, we spent a few hours just wandering around, window shopping, and of course trying to decide where to eat lunch.  We noticed a long line outside one spot, and drew closer to see what it was.  Domino's Pizza!  Pass. Just at the end of the block, though, we spotted a ... continue reading...


Picante, Anguilla

As far as I can tell, there's only one Anguillan Mexican restaurant - Picante.  On an island where most menus are influenced by Caribbean, European, or even Asian cuisine, it's certainly different. And that's 1) why the restaurant was opened to begin with, 2) probably why I didn't eat there until ... continue reading...