Ho hum, life is moving at a slow pace this week and I’m getting lost in it. 

I’m catching up on some summer reads I’ve been waiting to dive into.

We’re watching our syrah grapes ripen in the sun.

We’re building tents out of canvas tarps in the backyard. 

We’re taking long naps under the ceiling fan during the hottest days.

We’re picking our share of blackberries.

We’re begrudgingly back to school shopping.

And I’m making grown up sorbet ~ a healthier alternative to my ice cream fixation. 

Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet

2 cups water

1.5 cups sugar

24 oz. blackberries

2 tbsp lemon juice

2-3 tbsp cabernet

(or any dry red wine like merlot or syrah)

Bring water to simmer in small saucepan, then stir in sugar until dissolved to make syrup, refrigerate to cool.  Meanwhile, rinse and puree blackberries, then pour through mesh strainer to remove seeds.  Add blackberry puree, lemon juice and wine to syrup, blend together.  Process mixture in ice cream maker per manufacturer’s instructions.  Freeze processed soft sorbet at least an hour before serving. 

Wishing you long leisurely days spent relaxing in the summer sun, enjoying what’s left of the season before the beauty of fall is upon us.  

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There is a strawberry field on a corner of Arnold Drive that I pass every time I visit  Sonoma.  You’ll see cars pulling in all day long for a batch of the farmer’s strawberries fresh picked that day. 

We eat store bought strawberries all summer long, but there’s something extra special about picking your very own as they ripen in the summer sun. 

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It all started with this strange whirring sound in the middle of the Fourth of July party.  I was catching up with my girlfriends when the sound of a small appliance began to compete with the iPod playlist. 

Turns out, my hub had decided in the middle of the party to make homemade vanilla ice cream.  Huh ?  It was one of those moments where you look at your spouse that you’ve been married to for over a decade and realize perhaps you really don’t know that person at all. 

Apparently, he had pulled the never-been-used Krups ice cream maker (so ancient, it’s now discontinued) out of its dusty box the day before and frozen the bowl in anticipation of making ice cream in the middle of the party.  That’s just how he rolls. 

I confess, I mocked him.  “What’s going on here?”   Reply:  “Obviously, I’m making ice cream.  What’s a Fourth of July party without homemade vanilla ice cream?”   Perplexed and befuddled was I.   But my bewildered smirk gave way to a satisfied grin when I tasted his concoction.  He said, “Don’t you remember, we said we would make homemade ice cream this summer?”   That’s right, I did say that. 

Unfortunately, he’s now created a dangerous monster because I’ve been obsessed all week with my ice cream maker.   Oh, it all started so innocently, with plain vanilla. 

My vanilla soon morphed into pralines and cream with some caramel sauce and chopped pecans. 

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Hey everyone, it’s summer berry season, so I’m off to the farmer’s market this week to make my annual batch of preserves.  This is a repost from last summer, but I just had to share it again ! 

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Every summer, I go to the farmer’s market to buy enough summer berries to make my mixed berry preserves.  I was given a recipe by Mr. CG’s grandmother years ago for refrigerator preserves.  I tweaked her recipe by adding my own special ingredient, and then learned how to can it four years ago.  Now we enjoy mixed berry summer preserves even on the coldest wintery day.   

I start with the freshest fruit.  I use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  After they’re rinsed, they look just like this.   

 This recipe does involve the canning process, but don’t be intimidated if you’ve never canned anything before!    All you really need is a very large pot and you can make these preserves quite easily.   

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I love lemon.  I love lavender.  What better way to indulge my affections than to combine the flavors and bake a cake.  So I did.  And it’s absolutely scrumptious if I do say so myself.   This family of five devoured it in less than 24 hours – we couldn’t help ourselves.   

Since I harvested some of my French lavender last weekend, one of my first inclinations was to use it in the kitchen.   Lavender has been used in cooking for centuries – you’ll often find it in the ‘Herbes de Provence’ seasoning blend.  You have to be really careful with lavender.  Just like truffles, all you need is a tiny bit, you definitely don’t want to overdo it.  But what a fantastic culinary flavor it brings to the table !

The addition of lemon pudding in this recipe was my mom’s idea.  She’s been adding it to her lemon cake for years, so I stole that idea from her. 

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Yo.  It’s grilling season.  And I like to fire up the grill.  A lot.  

Yep, I cook up most suppers out on the grill all summer long.  To me, it’s so easy to roast up the meats and veges on the BBQ outside.   Barbequed food is always so tasty, and it is one of my favorite things about summer.

Now that June is here, and the Q is officially fired up about four to five times a week, I thought I’d share the creative concoction that I turn to time and again.  It has my basic requirements:  simple, fast, and tasty. 

I don’t do a lot of recipes around here, but I do consider myself a foodie, meaning I just love food in all forms, but especially the savory stuff.  So today, I’m here to share my most favorite marinade for poultry.  But you don’t need a BBQ to enjoy – you can use this same marinade recipe to enhance your poultry in a pan.

It’s simple.  It’s tasty.  Try it, you’ll really like it. 

The marinade is made from five simple ingredients – easy to store in your fridge and/or pantry.

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I’m just going to come right out and say it.  We.Women.Need.Chocolate. 

The mood lifting qualities of chocolate cannot be denied.  There is simply no such thing as too much chocolate.  At least, that’s how I see the world – through chocolate tinted glasses.

Last week, in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, I began my adventure in chocolate candy making.  What began as an experiment ended happily ever after with a blissful box of three varieties of dark chocolate candy. 

First, I started with Sea Salt Caramels dipped in Dark Chocolate.  You can read that harrowing journey right here.

My next adventure in chocolate candy making led to these two decadent delights: 

Raspberry Chocolate Squares and Toffee Bites.

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I’ve got a few savory recipes up my sleeve, and now and then I like to share them.  However, one thing I have never done (until this week) is made candy.  I’ve made brownies and fudge.  I’ve even made a ganash.  But never ever in my life had I ever dipped my toe into the pool that is candy making, whether it be truffles or caramels.

Several months ago, I stumbled across this recipe for salted caramels at Smitten Kitchen, and ever since I’ve had caramels with sea salt on the brain.  Some of you may be thinking, how do sweet caramel and salt even go together ?  But I assure you, there’s something about the competing flavors of sweetness and saltiness, and when blended together, it forms the perfect medley.

Making caramels requires a tool that I previously did not possess: a candy thermometer.  Since Valentine’s Day is approaching, I thought I’d try my hand at actually making some caramels and chocolate candies for friends.  So I bought a candy thermometer for $15 dollars at Michaels and thus began this little adventure into making caramels and other chocolate candies.

Oh yes, I know what you’re thinking.  What a darling little carton of candy !  Do not be fooled.  Yes, it’s true, all’s well that ends well, but I must confess it was a somewhat rough journey to get to this blissful box.

Originally, when I glanced at the simple ingredients for caramel candy, I was emboldened.   Butter, sugar, cream and corn syrup.  What could go wrong ?

Little did I know that complexities and complications lurked around the bend.

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I’m a sincere lover of Mexican food – I crave it at least twice a month.  When I was in college, I would indulge at the local taquería in muy grande burritos and never gain a single ounce.  These days, if I so much as look at a burrito sideways, I gain five pounds.

Two years ago, Mr. CG and I were dining at our favorite local Mexican food restaurant.  He ordered the chicken tortilla soup.  I tried it for the first time, and fell in love.  All the flavor of a delicious taco, in a bowl, but healthier and lower in calories ?  Sign me up, señor.  Since the restaurant was reluctant to share their recipe, I spent over a year trying to capture the same flavor by tweaking my own recipe for sopa de tortilla de pollo.

On a cold winter day, there’s nothing I want more than a hot bowl of soup  And a nap.  But the latter is not happening.  Here’s my recipe for ‘taco in a bowl’.  It’s yummy yummy to your tummy.  Muy bueno.  Enjoy.

Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup

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