Houston trip: Les Givrals and Giacomo's cibo e vino

I'm visiting my daughter, Helen, granddaughter, Grace, and Will, Helen's boyfriend and his son Atticus, in Houston for Memorial Day weekend.  This weekend I have not done any cooking and instead was fortunate enough to have some great meals here.  Helen lives in the Bellaire area, close to everything, so she didn't blink when I asked to try Les Givrals, a Vietnamese restaurant.  We went Saturday and enjoyed their Bahn Mi sandwiches and spring rolls. All were freshly made with just the right crispy french rolls.  The spring rolls were tender, not rubbery as is often the case, and there were several sauces available to spice...

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Kentucky Food: Paducah Deployment

From May 15-22 I was in Paducah, Kentucky for a United State Public Health field training and deployment.  In my "other life" I am on active duty with the USPHS and the deputy team leader of a Mental Health Team.  We train to deploy for disasters and other emergency or crisis situations. We stayed in the Air Dome in Paducah. We called it the giant marshmallow, the bubble, and many other things, but it was like staying in a hangar. The ceiling seemed to be 3 stories high and there was always a whirring sound from the generators.  We slept in cots, out in the open, both men and women together. My cot is first one on the left. ...

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Azle Garden Tour, May 15, 2011

Time to eat!  Front walkway  <> We are ready!  Several months ago, our friend, Peggy Davis, an Azle resident and chair of the Green Scene committee, asked us if we would agree to have our home on the garden tour this year.  Benefits from the tour will go toward a new "welcome to the city of Azle" sign.  I not only agreed, but offered to do a cooking demonstration during the tour of our house.  Was I crazy or what?  I have a full time job, after all, and then the part time chef business.  My husband let me know right away that we would both be working in the garden overtime to make things look good. ...

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Ft.Worth Japanese Society Japanese Cooking Series: Donburi

I have been teaching cooking classes at the Ft. Worth Japanese Society and May 7 was the second in a series of three classes.  The first one was in April and I covered sukiyaki and mizutaki.  The class on May 7 was on donburi. Donburi is Japanese comfort food. A simple bowl of rice, topped with meat, vegetables, or fish.  The deep serving bowl is called the "donburi".  You can find donburi everywhere in Japan from small family cafes to large department store restaurants.  The donburi is usually served on a tray with a bowl of miso soup and a small dish of pickled vegetables.  Often the donburi has a...

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Italy Trip, Part 3: Visit to the Fish Market, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, and La Congrega dei Liffi

 Pietro Scapinelli   We set out Friday morning to meet Pietro Scapinelli, director of La Congrega dei Liffi, the cooking school we would be visiting later in the evening.  He wanted to show us the fresh Mediterranean seafood he would be selecting for our dinner.  Chef Scapinelli has written an important book about how to prepare seafood and is very well known in the area.  We met at a local food market, Le Querce, early in the morning. We were greeted and shown to a little eating area within the store where a breakfast buffet was awaiting us.  You'll never guess what we were served for breakfast! ...

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