From the category archives:

Summer

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 Zucchini, Onion and Goat Cheese Feta Frittata| July at the RGB

Zucchini, Onion and Goat Cheese Feta Frittata| July at the RGB

The grapes were ripe about fourteen minutes before the birds came and stole them all. Fortunately, they spared us the strawberries. And they ignored the blooming artichokes. With tomatoes coming in, we can now plan for gazpacho. There’s plenty of parsley to go around. Lastly, Meyer lemons and tangerines are target for December picking. ———– [...]

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Thumbnail image for Salmon Sashimi with Shishito Pepper Sauce | In Sketch We Trust

Salmon Sashimi with Shishito Pepper Sauce | In Sketch We Trust

I was 22 the first time I had sushi. I don’t remember it being so glorious because it was likely an overcooked tempura shrimp concoction with krab. Probably smothered in sweet sauce. And topped with brown avocado. To be fair, it was only $8.99 for all-you-can-eat, and that’s a steal! Fast-forward a few years. I [...]

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Thumbnail image for Grilled Artichokes with Balsamic, Soy and Ginger | Sunday Shout-Out: The Taste Place

Grilled Artichokes with Balsamic, Soy and Ginger | Sunday Shout-Out: The Taste Place

Blooming artichokes mean were at the end of the season. Farewell until autumn, when the second batch comes up! Once upon a time, when my good friend Jeff and I were both single, we occasionally took turns cooking for one another before settling onto the couch for an evening in front of the TV. On [...]

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Thumbnail image for Summer Market Platter | It’s Okay to Keep it Simple

Summer Market Platter | It’s Okay to Keep it Simple

If I had a second sub header for the RGB blog, it would probably be: How to make really complicated food using over ten ingredients, three burners, two people and a very long time. This doesn’t work very well when you’re in the middle of a remodel.

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Thumbnail image for Fried Tempura Squash Blossom with Seared Scallops and Apricot Salad | June at the RGB

Fried Tempura Squash Blossom with Seared Scallops and Apricot Salad | June at the RGB

June at the RGB: grapes dangling over the trellis, neglected artichokes blossoming, and radishes so plentiful we don’t know what to do with them all. Last year’s Meyers are still on the tree. Figs will be ready next month, squash even sooner. And each afternoon ends with another handful of strawberries. [Enter happy dance here.]  [...]

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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 Wolfgang Puck’s Tortilla Soup | Cooking from the Heart with Love

Wolfgang Puck’s Tortilla Soup | Cooking from the Heart with Love

“Cook from the heart, and with love.” – Wolfgang Puck As summer turns to fall and the days get shorter and shorter, I struggle with the strain of not being at home as much as I’d like to. It’s not that I’m spending more hours at the office; it’s just dark on both ends of [...]

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Thumbnail image for Celadon Mojito | Bon Appetit RSVP Redux

Celadon Mojito | Bon Appetit RSVP Redux

Be careful what you wish for, right? It got hot this week. So hot, we broke all-time high temperature records in Southern California. Have I mentioned we live without air conditioning? And in a house with picture-windows that don’t open? We’re dying here. Because I’m a big procrastinator, I waited until Monday evening after work [...]

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Thumbnail image for September Garden Ratatouille | A Late Summer Harvest

September Garden Ratatouille | A Late Summer Harvest

Because it was so mild this year, our crops never did well. In fact, we only picked up three eggplants this season. Three. So when two of the three were picked over the weekend, I was bound and determined to make something “special” with them. I had even dreamt of slicing them up, dredging them [...]

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Thumbnail image for Toad in the Hole | Sunday Shout-Out: A Communal Table

Toad in the Hole | Sunday Shout-Out: A Communal Table

Is it terrible to admit I love my “internet” friends as much as my “traditional” friends? Or that I adore that the internet has connected me with so many wonderful people that I otherwise would not have an opportunity to befriend? Happy sigh. Earlier this summer, I tweeted about spending an afternoon at the RenWes kitchen showroom in Lake [...]

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Thumbnail image for Mozzarella Sliders with Aioli and Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Mozzarella Sliders with Aioli and Roasted Red Pepper Spread

I’m beginning to think that all we do is experiment. While reading one of Kelly’s posts at Sass and Veracity a while back, I was inspired to make some garlic confit and aioli. The trouble with that is… what the heck do you do with all the garlic confit (about 3 cloves’ worth)… and the [...]

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Thumbnail image for Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms | Another Weekend Experiment at the RGB

Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms | Another Weekend Experiment at the RGB

We’ve haven’t shared with you our non-edible garden photos in awhile, so here is a recent favorite:   This morning, we hit up the Irvine Farmers’ Market specifically to pick-up some hummus and pita from the guys at the Baba Foods stand for a Greek-themed dinner event tonight.   You mean we’re not making anything fancy [...]

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Thumbnail image for Blueberry Buckle | Smith Bites

Blueberry Buckle | Smith Bites

I turn into a whiny !@#$ when I get sick. Somehow, I’m also more productive. Between sniffling and sneezing on Saturday, I made a pot of chicken stock (and saved the fat for a batch of flaxseed dog biscuits), harvested and roasted about 5 lbs. of garden tomatoes, made a batch of tomato soup, roasted [...]

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Thumbnail image for Multi-Tasking at the RGB | Garden Tomato Sauce

Multi-Tasking at the RGB | Garden Tomato Sauce

August at the RGB means we’re swimming in tomatoes. This month alone we’ve had RGB tomatoes in our pasta, in a pizzetta, under some burrata, over some toast, sliced with salt… and most recently, in homemade tomato sauce. For us, homemade tomato sauce ranks high on the small effort / big return scale. It only [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pacific Oysters with Herb Mignonette | Pearls of Wisdom

Pacific Oysters with Herb Mignonette | Pearls of Wisdom

Mr. RGBistro and I are gettin’ smart. Last Saturday, we planned out an entire morning of errand-running: 1) Irvine Farmers’ Market, 2) Roger’s Gardens, and, 3) lunch at Taco Rosa’s. We wanted to hit the market first (before the rest of the free world arrived), but the dilemma was keeping the goods cold while we [...]

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Thumbnail image for Fresh Summer Peach Crumble | An Ode to Peaches

Fresh Summer Peach Crumble | An Ode to Peaches

In Southern California, we’re fortunate enough to have regular access to Russ Parsons, The California Cook of the Los Angeles Times. Because that’s not enough, we also keep his “How to Pick a Peach” on our bookshelves. Russ taught me how to pick a peach. We’ve all been there. We “buy a peach at the [...]

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Thumbnail image for First Impressions

First Impressions

I knew I’d marry Mr. RGBistro before we were even dating. A couple of years ago we had arranged to spend a mid-week evening together. We’d been bragging about our home-cook skills and decided it was time to flex them. Mr. RGB volunteered his bachelor kitchen, which I accepted because it seemed a lot better [...]

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Thumbnail image for Gettin’ Hitched – Part I of II

Gettin’ Hitched – Part I of II

You can’t plan fate. You just have to let it happen. When you call Chez Panisse on a Tuesday (7/20) to ask for restaurant reservations, and they tell you they can take you in at 9:15 PM on Friday, you gladly give them a $25 deposit and let them know you’ll be there. Since you [...]

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Thumbnail image for Lunch-Hour Leftovers

Lunch-Hour Leftovers

We seem to be on a Vietnamese kick lately. After only eating two pieces of our grilled lemongrass ginger chicken from earlier in the week, we tucked the remaining four pieces away in the fridge for a second meal. Enter: a French-Vietnamese Baguette. Usually made with a combination of rice and wheat flour, it’s light, [...]

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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 Grilled Lemongrass Ginger Chicken | Happy Accident

Grilled Lemongrass Ginger Chicken | Happy Accident

I’m calling this a happy accident. I screwed up breaking down my whole chicken so my drumstick kind of fell away from the bone. I still have no clue what happened… but I thought it might be a good idea to slide the meat down, clump it into a ball at the end, and marinate [...]

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Thumbnail image for Church & State Bistro: Moules Marinière

Church & State Bistro: Moules Marinière

Romance in Los Angeles? To paint the picture: It’s early Wednesday evening. We’re in downtown Los Angeles, and we need to eventually get home. Instead of sitting in two hours + of stop-and-go rush-hour traffic on the I-5 freeway, we opt to wait it out by having a nice dinner in the Industrial District of [...]

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Thumbnail image for Barefoot Contessa: Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Barefoot Contessa: Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Blueberry Streusel Muffins   Dear Migraine, you’re on your fourth day. Would you please go away and leave me alone? Ugh. So last night, while Mr. RGBistro caught Mystic River on Netflix, (good flick), I caught up on a few books I had checked out from the Tustin Public Library. When we called it a [...]

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Thumbnail image for Happy Summer, Y’all!

Happy Summer, Y’all!

RGB Caprese Salad   Can you believe it’s already summer?!?! Yikes!!!! While most of you may be looking forward to the warm days and sunny skies, we’ve been dreading this moment. Absolutely dreading it… Because, my dear friends, we live in Southern California. Without. Air conditioning. To reiterate, we live… in Southern California… without… air [...]

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