Amateur Traveler / North America

Dining at the James Beard House, New York City-A Culinary Travelers Dream

When you are a guest in someone’s home, you try to be respectful. When you’re in the distinguished James Beard’s House, you are very respectful. It was nearly 7 p.m. and we were led into a plain brownstone with a simple plaque at the entrance stating it was the James Beard House. James Beard was...

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Latest entries
Pink Pancakes and Shrimp

Pink Pancakes and Shrimp

Sunday morning as I walked to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, I saw this cute couple sitting at the bus stop. I stopped and chatted with them while they were waiting the bus to church. Gary and Taemi live in Honolulu but he was wearing a Raiders face mask. Turns out Gary was raised...
Temecula is Thriving in Old Town and the Wineries

Temecula is Thriving in Old Town and the Wineries

I can’t remember the last time I visited Old Town Temecula and it’s more lively than before. All types of restaurants and shops and a special bakery. Oak Grove Culinary Creations sells desserts for their at risk and special needs youth. I gladly support this concept! At Devilicious Eatery most of the menu items are...
Discovering the Varieties of Food in San Diego's South Bay Communities

Discovering the Varieties of Food in San Diego’s South Bay Communities

Since I can’t travel, I went on a food exploration of the South Bay, San Diego and found so many choices. First stop was Star Dust Donuts in Imperial Beach which has been there since 1967. The sole owner sells inexpensive donuts and the community knows him well. A word of advice is to bring...
San Diego's Project New Village Is No Ordinary Fish Story

San Diego’s Project New Village Is No Ordinary Fish Story

Pictured: N. Dian Moss | Photo credit: M’L’iss Hinshaw What do food justice and fish have in common?  Plenty.  San Diego, California, with its postcard beaches, has an underserved Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) population in an older part of the city, and a coordinated project is serving this group from the sea to...
Wines of the West–Paired with the Best

Wines of the West–Paired with the Best

The following is a guest post written by Noreen Kompanik (Noreenkompanik.com) Here’s to food, wine, friendship, and good times. And cheers to some amazing family winemakers, including three women-led wineries. That’s what happens when a group of food and wine lovers get together to pair their favorite dishes with some incredible wines from California and...
Always Time for Chocolate

Always Time for Chocolate

Andrea’s Fudge Cake is my last bake with the bulk chocolate given to me. This recipe became very popular when it was published in the first issue of Chocolatier Magazine in 1984 and I have made it many times over the years. This shows how much I loved the magazine and baking with chocolate because...
Freddie's California Caramels and the Greek Influence

Freddie’s California Caramels and the Greek Influence

What does caramel candy made in California have to do with Greece? Plenty!  When Fred Georggin started his caramel making business in San Diego, Greek roots played a big part. Fred’s father grew up in Kapsia Village in the Peloponnesian mountains and eventually moved to Southern California.  His mother’s side of the family were already in Los...
Rice Krispies treats and a Favorite Fudge Sauce

Rice Krispies treats and a Favorite Fudge Sauce

Who doesn’t go back to their childhood when eating rice krispies treats!  I used more of the bulk chocolate to make Scotcheroos and the addition of butterscotch chips made this treat sweetly addictive. The rice krispies bars brought back many memories for people who grew up eating them.  They were quick and easy to make...
Holiday Season with Chocolate Specialty Desserts

Holiday Season with Chocolate Specialty Desserts

Another baking experience with the mounds of chocolate. I was pleased with the Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake and I added Morello cherry spread with the cream cheese filling before rolling up the cake. A slice of the holiday cake with hot tea is an afternoon delight. Recipe Bellyfull.net Ready for New Years but no parties...
Chocolate Dreams Come True!

Chocolate Dreams Come True!

My good friend couldn’t use all this dark chocolate and gave it to me. Geez, what will I make with this motherlode of chocolate! My first bake with the mounds of bulk chocolate was something pushing the envelope. Chocolate-chocolate chip bacon cookies. Bacon was cooked until crispy, a chunk of chocolate chopped into small pieces...
The Local Waters in San Diego with Refreshing Lunch Views

The Local Waters in San Diego with Refreshing Lunch Views

  Visiting beautiful Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla with activities worth watching in a stunning location is a must.  I remember years back when hang gliders soared over the cliffs and now there’s modern powered paragliders. There’s even a falconry experience including parahawking with trained falcons soaring around the paragliders. Talk about a unique...
No Denying My Baking Genes

No Denying My Baking Genes

As you probably know by now, baking is in my genes. This is a picture of my grandmother and her sister showing off a layer cake they had made in their San Diego home. In 1979, I visited the Betty Crocker test kitchens in Minneapolis and still remember how exciting it was watching cakes and...