Buy My Books
Shop Chronicle Books
Archives
-
Categories
-
Connect with Vanessa
Copyright Information
The recipes and images on this site belong to Vanessa Barrington. Feel free to link here and if you’d like to use a recipe or image, please ask permission first. Thank you.Twitter Updates
- Chickpea and Salmon salad with spring vegetables...portable, easy, #healthy, and fast http://t.co/DlOlj7Rm 2012/05/15
- @cookingwithamy so happy you were inspired to make tortillas. It's definitely a craft, and so worth it. 2012/05/15
- @StrausOrganic cream makes the best #DIY creme fraiche. thanks for sharing my recipes in your newsletter http://t.co/AwAqs6Yh 2012/05/14
- My Latest RT @ecosalon: RT @amytropolis: What the Foie? California's Ban on Force Feeding Ducks: http://t.co/dl5oBIDq #foiegras #ban 2012/05/09
Author Archives: Vanessa
Jammin’ Summer: Wild Blackberries and Feral Plums
There are two summer themes this year—gathering free fruit to make jam, and seeing how little sugar we can get away with using and still call it jam. Ok, sometimes its sauce. But I’m ok with that. I’ve been obsessed with making low sugar jam ever since I served as a judge in the Good [...]
Posted in DIY, Food and Drink, Travel, foraging, fruit, pantry staples, preserving Tagged foraged fruit, foraging, low sugar jam, plum jam, processing jam, wild blackberry jam Leave a comment
Fried Green Tomatoes & Burrata for Impatient Gardeners
Chilly Bay Area summers make waiting for that first green tomato to ripen like waiting for Congress to negotiate a budget. Thankfully green tomatoes have a lot more going for them than our typical legislators. They’re way more fun; they have a movie AND a book named after them; they’re tasty; and, instead of making [...]
Posted in entertaining, gardening, hearty Tagged basil, burrata, buttermilk, cornmeal, fried green tomatoes, gardening, recipes from the garden, tomatoes Leave a comment
Plum Gorgeous & Cherries Galore
If you’re a person who reads cookbooks as much for stories as recipes, and aspires to an elegantly rural, abundant lifestyle, then Plum Gorgeous by Romney (Nani) Steele will speak to you. If you swoon over gorgeous photos of seasonal fruits set in dreamy tableaux, Plum Gorgeous, with photos by Sara Remington, will send you [...]
Easy, Sustainable Seafood Stew (with variations)
Here’s a method for making a quick seafood stew that’s both sustainable and perfect for casual summer dining. No need to turn the oven on or fuss for hours in the kitchen. Sustainable seafood is a complex topic. Even if you conscientiously refer to the guidelines of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, you’ll [...]
Posted in DIY, food sustainability, from the market, healthy, seafood Tagged clams, Monterey Bay squid, Mussels, Seafood Stew, sustainable seafood Leave a comment
Kitchen Hacker: Cowboy Stovetop Buttermilk Biscuits & Sorghum Syrup
I enjoy a kitchen challenge. My favorite variety of challenge is when I don’t have the necessary equipment for what I want to accomplish and I have to make do with what’s on hand. I think problem solving in the kitchen makes us smarter cooks. Recently a special someone and I had a hankering for [...]
Hands-On DIY Delicious Cooking Class in Healdsburg
If you’re looking for something fun to do in a beautiful setting on Memorial Day weekend, you should consider joining me for a hands-on DIY cooking class at River Myst Haven. It’s a gorgeous place that’s nestled among the hills west of Healdsburg on Westside Road. From scratch, we’ll create building blocks of the DIY [...]
DIY All-Purpose Red Chili Sauce, Posole, and a Little Appreciation
A couple of months ago I was gifted a lovely chile ristra by Annabelle Lenderink of La Tercera Farm. That same day, my friend Ellen came by and I shared some chiles with her. The next thing you know we’re scheming up dishes to make with dried chiles. It’s funny how one really special ingredient [...]
Posted in DIY, Food and Drink, Latin American, from the market, hearty Tagged dried chiles, homemade red chile sauce, hominy, posole, red posole Leave a comment
Will Cook for Art—Beth’s Ultimate Dinner
My friend Beth is an artist. I am a cook and food writer. I can’t afford art. At her last open studio event, I was admiring this piece portraying East Oakland. She suggested I cook her an “ultimate dinner” in trade for the piece. I gladly accepted. The deed went down a few weeks ago [...]
Homemade harissa d’espelette—a many splendored condiment