From the category archives:

Winter

Thumbnail image for January at the RGB | Curry Chicken Wings with Honey and Sriracha

January at the RGB | Curry Chicken Wings with Honey and Sriracha

January at the RGB (clockwise from top left): A daffodil sprouting out of the ground. Pink rose. The number of eggs we’re getting each day. Geranium. More daffodils. A daisy. Sage… strawberry… and the Cuckoo Marans (who started laying last week; her first egg was a double yolker!). – With Super Bowl around the corner, [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Bistro Eats | San Marzano Lamb Stew with Meyer Lemon Risotto

Bistro Eats | San Marzano Lamb Stew with Meyer Lemon Risotto

Date Nite. Every. Friday. Night. And can I make a confession?! It still gives me butterflies. Because last week was cold and stormy, Mr. RGBistro made a request to go someplace cozy. (Can you see why I love this man?!) We were about to head down to Britta’s Café (our usual haunt) when I suggested [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Tangerines with Pomegranate Seeds and Orange Blossom Water | Shadowing Others

Tangerines with Pomegranate Seeds and Orange Blossom Water | Shadowing Others

Sisters. Where one goes, so does the other. It has been a joy to watch our new dog find her way around our home. She does this by shadowing her sister. From the moment they leap out of bed every morning to the moment they’re taking their evening nap, they’re never more than ten feet [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Braised Short Rib Hash | December at the RGB

Braised Short Rib Hash | December at the RGB

December at the RGB (clockwise from top left): Meyer lemons. Kale. Sage. The black Silkie we had to give away because he started crowing. Parsley. The buff Polish we also had to give away because he started crowing. Lavender. Stattice. The annual cut-back on the massive fig tree. – Braised short ribs. At Marché Modèrne [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Tangerine Strawberry Banana Kale Smoothie | Grown-Up Habits

Tangerine Strawberry Banana Kale Smoothie | Grown-Up Habits

There’s something sexy about a man who reads the morning paper, likes his coffee black and pays our bills on-time. So… grown-up. I don’t look like a grown-up… not even close. At the moment, I’m wearing a green shirt with orange tights… and brown boots. And maybe a purple headband. Oh, and my eye shadow [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Mandarin, Soy, Ginger and Garlic Chicken | The RGB’s Last Mandarin

Mandarin, Soy, Ginger and Garlic Chicken | The RGB’s Last Mandarin

Winters in Southern California are quite glorious. With a mild cool season and plenty of sunshine, we’ve hauled in a lot citrus this year. Sadly, while we’ve had a good run with them (crumb bars, duck breasts and winter salad), we’re down to our very last basket of mandarins. Because we also had chilies and [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Winter Salad with Blood Orange and California Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette | Late-Afternoon Glow at the RGB

Winter Salad with Blood Orange and California Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette | Late-Afternoon Glow at the RGB

While traveling through the South of France, we befriended an artist who said she painted “in the evenings because that’s when the light is best.” Later that week, while driving around the countryside, we found ourselves surrounded by that late afternoon glow… and realized she was right. And ever since then, my favorite time of [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Silky Leek and Celery Root Soup | Detox for the Intoxicated

Silky Leek and Celery Root Soup | Detox for the Intoxicated

To assist with our 21-day meat-free and alcohol-free detox, we recently wandered through the local library to look for meal ideas. A few magazines and an armload of cookbooks later, we spied a vegetarian leek and celery root soup from the 2007 Fine Cooking Annual Cookbook. We were first introduced to celery root soup during [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Shrimp Etouffee | Bridging the Gap

Shrimp Etouffee | Bridging the Gap

Hello, friends! Today we’re changin’ it up and doing a guest post for Gwen over at Bunkycooks. Head over there to see what we made with our winter garden pepper this week… And because we’re still giving stuff away, make sure you leave a comment (at Bunkycooks) for your chance at a box of herbs. Happy day! [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for King Crab and Avocado with Yuzu Aioli | The RGB Knocks Off Marché Modèrne

King Crab and Avocado with Yuzu Aioli | The RGB Knocks Off Marché Modèrne

    Marché Modèrne in Costa Mesa is self-described as a “modern French bistro.” We love it because the chef is creative, the dishes are beautiful and the food is delicious. Their 30-tap wine bar is pretty fantastic, too. On a recent (New Years Eve) visit to the bistro, we lunched on a Dungeness crab [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb | Winter Beginnings

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb | Winter Beginnings

In 2008, Mr. RGBistro gifted me with a bag of Narcissus bulbs for our first Christmas together, and on New Years’ Eve, we spent an entire day planting them, along with a carload of garden flowers and vegetables. I didn’t know it at the time, but that “date” of a day was just the beginning [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake| Christmas Morning Bites

Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake| Christmas Morning Bites

Christmas morning was, for the most part, just like any other. After sleeping in, we booted up the espresso machine, fed the dog and started on the last night’s dishes. And because there was no formal agenda, I did what I normally do – wiggle the computer mouse, browse through my Google Reader and look [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Mandarin, Meyer Lemon and Balsamic Glazed Duck Breasts | Around Our RGB Table

Mandarin, Meyer Lemon and Balsamic Glazed Duck Breasts | Around Our RGB Table

In Spring of ’09, Mr. RGBistro and I snuck out of the country and had a little rendezvous in the South of France. Maybe it was the thrill of being in a new relationship, or the fact that we were in. the. South. of. France… but regardless, that trip was magical from beginning to end. [...]

Read the full article →
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 [...]

Read the full article →

Almost Springtime at the RGB

The Equinox isn’t until Saturday, but with the time change and the warm weather, we’re already sportin’ our shorts and flip-flops. Even the dog is getting her zoomies on. Britta the weimaraner getting some mid-afternoon fetch-time in.   With the warmer weather, the tarragon and chives are officially back on the block! And here I [...]

Read the full article →

A Birthday Garden for Barry

Uh oh. I let more than a week go by without updating the blog? For shame! My excuse is we’ve been busy. On my way home from a business meeting on Friday morning, I stopped by the Lowe’s in Irvine to see if they had any ranunculus. (Earlier in the week, we bought a few [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Garlic Rosemary Brined Pork Chops with Celery Root Puree and Asparagus Fries | Feasting on a Budget

Garlic Rosemary Brined Pork Chops with Celery Root Puree and Asparagus Fries | Feasting on a Budget

Today’s RGB photos: the last of the apples and the start of some fennel: Winter apple. Winter fennel. Dog-approved snack. See the half-eaten apple? Pork chops were on sale at the market this week for $1.47/lb. Our 3.85-lb. purchase came with 6 pieces, two of which we immediately pulled out to brine for lunch (the [...]

Read the full article →

Chukar Au Vin Works, Too

Today looks about how we feel… gloomy and doomy. Winter dormancy beneath the storm.   It was so wet I opted for dried thyme so I wouldn’t have to step outside. Even the dog refused to do her business (we’ll see how long that lasts). Another good day for experimenting in the kitchen with chukar. [...]

Read the full article →

With Assistance from Britta

How did 2009 treat ya? For the most part, we were glad to kick 2009 to the curb at the stroke of midnight, but we do acknowledge that a lot of good things happened, too. Among them, Britta. Yup, a dog changed our lives. This post is dedicated to Britta, because without her, we wouldn’t [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Mandarin Parfait with Candied Ginger | A Candy-Bar Breakfast

Mandarin Parfait with Candied Ginger | A Candy-Bar Breakfast

Ever wondered what the underside of a Mandarin tree looks like in the middle of January?   Note: We eat these puppies like candy; peel off the orange wrapper and pop the sugar sweetness. There were so many on the tree this week that I stood in one place to collect a whole basket (which [...]

Read the full article →

A Place for Winter Lentils

It’s another cloudy day at the RGB; perfect for a bowl of soup. Morning rain on the bronze fennel.     Droplets on the kale.   We also have some stuff lying around that need to be used: bag of lentils (purchased last week) chard from the garden (they’re overgrown) lemon # 30 (70 to [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Roasted Duck | Food Foray # 3.2

Roasted Duck | Food Foray # 3.2

This is the follow-up post to Food Foray # 3.1. The “Oregon Duck Game Day” food theme to cheer on the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl today turned into an experiment with roasting a duck; no pun intended. I’ll play with a “green and yellow-themed meal” another time. (Note to self for future reference: [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Beef Pho | Therapy for the Overindulged Holiday Feaster

Beef Pho | Therapy for the Overindulged Holiday Feaster

It’s another cold drizzly day at the RGB. That’s code-word for soup. Today’s winner: I’ve been craving pho  all week (this always happens when I overindulge on American dairy and sweets), so we raided the local 99 Ranch Market yesterday to make a pot full. While I’m waiting for my mom to give me her [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Mexican Lime Pie | A Sublime Garden Dessert

Mexican Lime Pie | A Sublime Garden Dessert

Barry hosted the 37th annual Bruce and Barry Holiday Party this year at our home. Two of our guests, Joyce and Louie, were kind enough to bring us some of their Mexican limes and oranges from their yard.  This morning, I decided I was going to use them to make my version of Barry’s favorite [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for French Onion Soup | Rained In With Julia, Louisette and Simone

French Onion Soup | Rained In With Julia, Louisette and Simone

It’s raining; it’s pouring… and our ‘lil dog is snoring (and eating ornaments off the Christmas tree). Here’s a couple of garden shots from the RGB today. Scroll over the pictures for captions of the photos:            

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Arugula, Prosciutto and Gruyere Omelet | Banishing Arugula

Arugula, Prosciutto and Gruyere Omelet | Banishing Arugula

On my way to a friend’s house in Newport Beach on Monday, I snuck in a visit to our favorite nursery: Roger’s Gardens. In honor of the Season, they’ve got all sorts of holiday lights up. They also have a lot of fake Christmas trees. ??? OK, I won’t judge.   While I was there, [...]

Read the full article →
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. [...]

Read the full article →