-
Ken Morris, Cooking for Comfort in Napa Valley: Super easy soups | Food Columnists
KEN MORRIS The sun was already starting to go down and I still had no idea of what to make for dinner, which is kind of embarrassing if you write about food. Ken Morris One of the things I learned while I was in the Navy is not to panic if your ship is sinking and mine appeared to be taking on water. Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $5 for your first 5 months! So, I calmly checked my shelves to make sure I had an
-
Cooking for Comfort in Napa Valley: A Roast Chicken: Three Ways | Food Columnists
I became familiar with Chef Verge when I took a week of cooking classes at Julia Child’s summer home near the French Riviera. Our instructor, Kathy Alex, had worked for him for a bit since he ran the nearby Moulin de Mougins, a famous restaurant near Cannes that attracted celebrity guests from the Cannes film festival. He called his food Cuisine of the Sun, a variation of Provençal cuisine that focused on fresh, local ingredients, instead of the heavier, and traditional cuisine classique. No, we did not get to dine at his restaurant, since it was booked months in
-
Ken Morris, Cooking for Comfort: My pandemic year in the kitchen | Food Columnists
Late night searches on the Internet for a good deal on a semi-automatic espresso machine (automatics do everything for you, and if I were going this far, I wanted to be in control of everything) led to me finally buying a machine. Naturally, this led me to then buying a better coffee grinder that could be infinitely adjustable for the fine grind necessary to turn out a good espresso shot. And, then, it got worse. When we moved into our home 21 years ago, we stripped off the quant English wallpaper, painted the walls and had a handyman repaint the
-
Ken Morris, Cooking for Comfort: Crab for the New Year | Food Columnists
The best crab cakes are simply crab and a small amount of panko dried bread crumbs barely held together with aioli or mayonnaise. Dungeness crab is a local favorite to herald the New Year. The opening date for Dugeness crab season, Nov. 15, was delayed because of the possibility of migrating whales getting tangled in fishing lines. KEN MORRIS Just in time for Christmas, the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season opened statewide, which
-
Going vegan? Try going slowly with your shift in diet, Ask the doctors columnists say
Dear Doctors: Our 16-year-old daughter wants to become a vegan. Her father and I think that may be a bit extreme, so we’ve compromised, and first she’s going to try being a vegetarian. What’s a good way for a growing teen to safely make the transition? A. We’re parents ourselves, so we understand your concerns about your daughter’s nutritional needs. A vegan diet, which cuts out all foods derived from living creatures — including eggs, dairy products, gelatin and honey — can send you on a steep learning curve. Even the more lenient parameters of a vegetarian diet take care
-
John Healey: Change in food bank distribution service sets off alarm bells | Columnists
COVID-19 has meant many Californians are struggling to stay healthy, keep their jobs and put food on the table. In this moment, organizations that provide food to the needy are serving more Californians than ever before. So why has the state chosen now to dramatically change the way commodities are distributed to food banks? The California Department of Social Services is awarding a multimillion-dollar, no-bid contract to an unproven entity – CalFoods Logistics – that formed about five months ago. As of Jan. 1, CalFoods Logistics will be responsible for distributing millions of pounds of food to food banks throughout
-
Recipe for success: 5 ways to enjoy your holiday meals without regret | Lifestyles Columnists
There is a lot to be excited about when the holidays roll around, and the food you get to enjoy tops the list for a lot of people. Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes are more than enough to make your mouth water and stomach growl. Unfortunately, when you enjoy the food too much, you might find yourself carrying around a couple of extra pounds. Luckily, you can have your pie and eat it too. With some willpower and healthy strategies, you can plan ahead to enjoy your holiday meals without overdoing it. Here are some ways
-
H. Dennis Beaver: Are cooking shows legally responsible for the obesity epidemic? | Columnists
Dennis Beaver “Recently, some of the largest manufacturers of opiates have entered into multi-million dollar settlements for their role in facilitating America’s opiate epidemic,” began an email from “Pete.” “Shouldn’t the same reasoning be applied to television cooking programs which contribute to the obesity epidemic? Laura, my wife, and our three children have become terribly obese after watching these TV shows, especially America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country, where, like Rachel Rey, the hosts have become obese before viewers’ eyes. “Laura watches these programs and then prepares meals using their recipes. I tell her, ‘Just look at the hosts, how
Raising the bar for remarkable food & cooking
