From the category archives:

Spring

Thumbnail image for Baked Eggs on Sourdough with Garden Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Basil-Mint Pesto| Chicken Here, Chicken There, Chicken Everywhere

Baked Eggs on Sourdough with Garden Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Basil-Mint Pesto| Chicken Here, Chicken There, Chicken Everywhere

We’re surrounded by chickens… because the eight baby chicks we picked up in June have somehow multiplied into eighteen. I don’t know how it happened.  We officially fail at chicken math.  Sunday was a big morning at the RGB: it was the day fifteen baby chicks were old enough to move from the brooders in [...]

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Thumbnail image for Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup | Appreciation for The Dirty Life

Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup | Appreciation for The Dirty Life

I recently finished a wonderful book called The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball. A farm is a manipulative creature. There is no such thing as finished. Work comes in a stream and has no end. There are only the things that must be done now and things that can be done later. The threat the [...]

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Thumbnail image for King Crab and Asparagus Omelet with Hollandaise, Chevre and Dill | Finding My Bliss

King Crab and Asparagus Omelet with Hollandaise, Chevre and Dill | Finding My Bliss

In my 20s, I had a mentor whose mantra was find your bliss. You want me to find my bliss? Yeah… sure, ok. I’ll do that… right after I return some phone calls and finish my staff report. Too busy chasing rainbows, I never knew what he meant. Now, I know. While pouring me a [...]

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Thumbnail image for Burrata with Pea and Asparagus Puree over Pan-Toasted Baguette | Beyond the Dust

Burrata with Pea and Asparagus Puree over Pan-Toasted Baguette | Beyond the Dust

Until you’ve been through the middle of a home remodel, you cannot image how much dust can collect. It doesn’t matter that there are ET-like plastic walls everywhere, that piles are neatly stacked in corners, or that Mr. RGBistro actually still vacuums. By time I come home from work, it is hours after the days’ [...]

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Thumbnail image for Diver Scallops with Caramel-Mandarin and Soy Sauce | Dinner for One

Diver Scallops with Caramel-Mandarin and Soy Sauce | Dinner for One

At this very moment, Mr. RGBistro on a sailboat with four of his best dudes. On this, their bi-annual sailing trip to Catalina Island, no dudettes are allowed; the boys have a 5-day nag-free hall pass to sleep in, golf all day, banter about sports, scratch their !@#$ and talk like Pirates. Lovingly excluded, I [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pernod-Scented Mussels | The Girl and the Fig

Pernod-Scented Mussels | The Girl and the Fig

Sonoma Wine Country Springtime is lovely for an 8-hour road trip to the Sonoma Wine Country. Pulling into Sonoma Square late in the day, our road-exhausted selves were starving, thirsty… and miffed because we couldn’t find parking. (Thanks, Sonoma Film Festival.) So when we finally got out of the car, we ducked into the first [...]

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Thumbnail image for Fresh Strawberry Pie | Springtime FAWG Dinner Party

Fresh Strawberry Pie | Springtime FAWG Dinner Party

About this time last year, we planted over 75 pots of ranunculus. This year, we’re happy to report that about half of them made it back.   If it weren’t for regularly scheduled dinner parties, we would never see our loved ones. You see, we’re gearing up to tear down our home, gut it all out [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pacific Clam Chowder | Springtime at the RGB

Pacific Clam Chowder | Springtime at the RGB

      Hello, friends! We know it’s been awhile since we’ve posted. No good excuse, except for I had a horrible February/March. First it was the flu… which turned into sinusitis and bronchitis… then we went to San Francisco for a weekend (no agenda, just to roam)… then I got hit with strep throat. [...]

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Thumbnail image for World Cup Brunch

World Cup Brunch

When it’s 11 AM on a Sunday and your loved one is 1) wearing yesterday’s shorts, 2) hasn’t budged from the couch and 3) declares today is “World Cup Day,” you make nice and fix him breakfast. There was one minor issue: I was craving my runny morning egg, and Mr. RGBistro doesn’t do runny [...]

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Thumbnail image for Perhaps the World’s Best Unorthodox Game-Day Dinner

Perhaps the World’s Best Unorthodox Game-Day Dinner

Some days, I rock. Today is one of those days. It is one of those days because I successfully fueled a raging sports fan with a Game-Day Dinner revolving around spring onions. You heard me; spring onions. Not exactly what comes to mind when your intention is to serve “bar food” for a basketball game. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Blueberry Salad | Quick Weekend Getaway

Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Blueberry Salad | Quick Weekend Getaway

   Sometimes, a girl just needs a weekend Holiday. Not because the house is a disaster, the spouse has gone missing, or the dog has gone batty. Just because.  So this past weekend, a girlfriend and I holed up at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, CA. It was everything we wanted it to be: [...]

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Thumbnail image for Dutch Babies | A Saturday Morning at the RGB

Dutch Babies | A Saturday Morning at the RGB

  What cereal was introduced in 1963? (Answer below in Mr. RGBistro’s crossword puzzle.) I really hope your Saturday morning routine is a little like ours; sleeping in, snuggling with the dog and steaming lattes… Breakfast also comes with a garden view, a crossword puzzle and morning fetch with Britta the weimaraner.  – Our garden [...]

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Thumbnail image for Arugula and Strawberry Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing | Foraging in the Backyard

Arugula and Strawberry Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing | Foraging in the Backyard

In France, people hunt for truffles. Up north, they’re lookin’ for morels. At the RGB, we’re scoutin’ for arugula. Arugula? Arugula.   Last spring, while weeding in the backyard, Mr. RGBistro sniffed the air and declared that he had smelled arugula. Turns out – we have wild arugula growing between the rocks in the lower [...]

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Thumbnail image for Meyer Lemon Strawberry Muffins | My Baking Addiction

Meyer Lemon Strawberry Muffins | My Baking Addiction

      Strawberries are most beautiful when they’re plucked straight out of the ground… but since they have a shelf life of about six and a half minutes, what would you do with them once they became a little “old” or “bruised?”  Someday, we’re gonna to get around to opening The Bistro, and when [...]

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Thumbnail image for Burrata Chive Omelet and Thyme Potatoes | Second Chance Burrata

Burrata Chive Omelet and Thyme Potatoes | Second Chance Burrata

  The RGBistro has a dilemma. What would you do if one of your recipes was so simple, it’d be silly to write it up? We’re big fans of burrata cheese. If you’ve never had burrata… or never heard of burrata, go here and see my neighbor’s really great description of what this ooey-gooey cheese [...]

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Thumbnail image for Strawberry Lemonade | Smith Bites

Strawberry Lemonade | Smith Bites

      For the record, we’re uber flattered by the #FF mentions on Twitter, but we’re not always at good at reciprocating the love. That’s because I leave for the office at 6:45 AM on Friday mornings and don’t come home ‘till date nite’s over. (Yes, Mr. RGBistro and I still go to date [...]

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Thumbnail image for Caldo de Carne Seca| Tweakin’ the CIA’s Recipe… Because it Made Sense

Caldo de Carne Seca| Tweakin’ the CIA’s Recipe… Because it Made Sense

Two things happened this week: the cilantro went into bloom and the carrot tops grew taller than the yardstick.   Keeping that in mind, and not feelin’ like watching yet another Lakers playoff game with Mr. RGBistro, I went to my stack of checked-out library books for some inspiration. About 2 minutes into my search, I [...]

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Need Sun, Will Travel

OK, what happened to all that beautiful sunshine we had just a week ago?! ????    David Austin roses over the garage. They’re so far up, I can’t reach them to cut any down.     These tissue-paper beauties are gorgeous. If only I could reach one… it’d be lovely on the nightstand.   It’s [...]

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Thumbnail image for Chilean Sea Bass and Wild Scallops with Shiitake Risotto and Fresh Asparagus | Scott’s Seafood, At Home

Chilean Sea Bass and Wild Scallops with Shiitake Risotto and Fresh Asparagus | Scott’s Seafood, At Home

   Poll: How many of you eat better at home than you do at a restaurant? Around here, and with rare exception, Friday night is always date nite. Recently,  we had tickets to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, so we had dinner at the nearby Scott’s [...]

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Thumbnail image for Tequila Lime Chicken and Garden Salad with Cilantro and Lime Dressing | A Moment of Genius

Tequila Lime Chicken and Garden Salad with Cilantro and Lime Dressing | A Moment of Genius

Today’s RGB garden photo: A Dutch Iris, popping up near the mandarin tree. A moment of genius happened at the RGB on Friday. I had been spending much of the week hibernating in the kitchen as a result of a one-time project. So when noon rolled around and I realized that Mr. RGBistro had just [...]

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Thumbnail image for Celery Root Puree | A Celery Fanfare

Celery Root Puree | A Celery Fanfare

We. Heart. Spring. And the new ranunculus garden. !!!!! Here’s a few Springtime at the RGB photos: Little fern leaves… uncurling their way into April.   Anyone have any idea what this is? It’s lived here longer than we have; we have no clue what it is, but it’s beautiful!   Diana Princess of Wales [...]

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Thumbnail image for Zuppa Toscana | Sweet Memories

Zuppa Toscana | Sweet Memories

When I think about college, I often think about 146 Esplanade; the place where I became an adult. It was during this time in my life that I was also addicted to study breaks at The Olive Garden. My druge of choice: bread sticks and zuppa toscana. I had to have it. all. the. time. [...]

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