Santa Fe Serving Historical Cookies and Wines
Santa Fe, New Mexico was the site for the 2019 International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Conference and I attended the conference to network with colleagues, plus, eat and drink in Santa Fe. The official cookie of New Mexico is Biscochitos and usually made for special occasions with recipes handed down in families. They are...
Barrio Logan, San Diego-Food and Arts with Mexican Roots
Las Cuatro Milpas Get there early and forget your diet, my friend told me. Lunchtime at Las Cuatro Milpas on Logan Avenue is known for long lines and authentic Mexican food in San Diego. Waiting in line is worth it because once inside, aromas of home-cooked Mexican food take over the senses. The menu is...
You’re Never Too Old For San Francisco
Mom proved at 91 years old, she’s not too old to fly to San Francisco, especially when it was to see her grandkids! Our adventure began with buying mom’s favorite coffee at Graffeo Coffee Roasters on Columbus Avenue. The Italian company began in 1934 and Luciano keeps the family business brewing bean by bean. Don’t...
Bavaria in the State of Washington
2 hours north of Seattle, Washington is the German Bavarian town of Leavenworth. I felt like I was back in Southern Germany with the ornate details on the buildings and interior German designs. Colorful paintings just like in Bavaria are ever present on the chalet buildings and blooming flower boxes reminded me of the alps. ...
Female Chefs Expertly Work Their Craft
I don’t know what I was impressed with more, eating at Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant or meeting co-owner Terryl Garve. Terryl started Cafe 222 downtown in 1992 and you might remember the billboards with her wearing a pumpkin waffle as a hat. She’s been a trend setter with food and restaurants even when San Diego...
Lions, Tigers and Ranch Dressing
Near Alpine off hwy 79 is Lions Tigers and Bears sanctuary for exotic animals and big cats. My grand niece (she wants to be a vet) and I spent the morning on a walking tour seeing Meatball the rescued bear, Cherry Bomb the grizzly and Maverick the tiger. There are lots of rescued animals on...
Pancakes and Donuts Bring Fond Memories
Many years ago, my good friend Nancy Ryan (Nancy Knox back then) introduced me to the Swedish pancakes with lingonberry butter, German pancakes and cheese blintzes at The Pancake House in El Cajon. Over the years, we’d meet for breakfast to eat the pancakes and catch up with each other lives. We even brought our...
Learning how to Pack Smarter From an Expert
I am a terrible packer and when I found out about the Pack Like A Pro seminar at Index Urban in Hillcrest, I signed up. You might remember this luggage store as John’s 5th Ave, a locally owned and family run store for 60 years. The seminar was taught by Briggs and Riley luggage company...
Sailing away from NYC to Bermuda
Sail away from New York crossing the Atlantic to Portugal on the Azamara Journey with 700 passengers. How fascinating it is to pass the Empire State building and Statue of Liberty with picture post card views. Always a beautiful view to behold. After two days, we docked in Hamilton, Bermuda and I was ready to...
A Cape Cod Bakery and NYC Banana Pudding
Aromas of butter swirled inside French bakery Maison Villatte, in Falmouth, MA on Cape Cod. A busy morning and I waited patiently in the long line. Since it was the start of spring, shops were reopening for the upcoming sunny season and repeat customers were picking out their favorites from the pastries and breads. ...
Martha’s Vineyard with Oysters and Ice Cream
The way to Martha’s Vineyard is by ferry and we always get a reservation ahead of time for our car and passengers. And it’s not cheap, about $150 round trip. Once on the island, we finally got to meet grand nephew Cecil and it’s true, he’s very cute and smart! Strolling on Main Street, we...
Vermont-Cake and Covered Bridges
Our drive to King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont was a dream come true for bakers like me. How I love their flours and other items for supreme baking! I use their online baking recipes and my sourdough breads come out so delicious. The company is employee owned and maybe sometime I’ll take one of...
