With the long, holiday weekend looming and the FIFA World Cup entering the quarter-finals on Friday, it’s a perfect opportunity to score a hat trick of futbol, food and fun.    As expected, Spain triumphed over its neighbor, Portugal, earlier this week. The Spaniards will try to head off Paraguay at the goal post  at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.  With the hot weekend looming, why not invite over some fellow soccer aficionados and serve them a refreshing gazpacho with a… Read More »

One of my favorite summer salads  is Fatoush, a Middle Eastern bread salad made with pita and a savory blend of cherry tomatoes.  cucumber, mint, cilantro and parsley. It makes a perfect dinner on a hot night, and it gets a little kick from the zahtar, an aromatic herb and spice blend used widely in the Middle East. You can order fresh zahtar from a Petaluma company called Whole Spice, which sources premium herbs and grinds it all fresh.  (wholespice.com)  This recipe… Read More »

I don’t know about you, but I’m loving this warm weather, mostly because it makes dinner time a snap. Just  throw some protein on the barbie, make a quick salad and you’re good to go.  This recipe, from Jamie Purviance for Weber, offers a simple marinade for chicken with a killer sauce made from toasted walnuts, roasted red bell peppers, balsamic vinegar, bread crumbs and cumin.  It’s great on chicken, and I suspect it would be good on cardboard, it’s… Read More »

As a June baby, I have a particular affinity for garden parties. Sitting outdoors in my garden, where I am usually  weeding and digging and pruning,  is a rare event. Throw in a few friends  and a sweet treat or two, and I am in heaven. This June, for the first time in many years, I will be not throwing a garden party for my birthday. I’ll be back in  Philadelphia  with my family. As a gift, I am leaving behind… Read More »