From the category archives:

RGB Recipe Index

Thumbnail image for Nine Day Countdown | Vietnamese Rice Porridge

Nine Day Countdown | Vietnamese Rice Porridge

In less than ten days, the RGB will be hosting a very happy occasion; our very own wedding reception. You may recall that two summers ago, we eloped to the Bay Area so we could make our 7:30 PM dinner reservations at Chez Panisse. By the end of the evening, we had a signed cookbook [...]

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Thumbnail image for Romance in Paris | Skillet Sugar Crêpes

Romance in Paris | Skillet Sugar Crêpes

We spent our last afternoon in Paris strolling through le Jardin des Tuileries. It was getting late in the day, and we were hungry, again. When I spotted the crêpe vendor, I stepped aside and asked my beau to pull out his change. We had spent most of our Euros on lunch, so it was [...]

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Thumbnail image for Soup for the Weary | Udon Noodle Soup with Fresh Spinach and Chicken Egg Recipe

Soup for the Weary | Udon Noodle Soup with Fresh Spinach and Chicken Egg Recipe

It happened again. I made a poor, poor decision that led me down a treacherous road… a path of tremendous discomfort and violent consequences. Looking back, the cues were so obvious I’m stunned I missed them. We were the only patrons on a Saturday night, and I ordered food from the sea, in the form [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Brahma and the Birthday | Grand Marnier Soufflé with Crème Anglaise

The Brahma and the Birthday | Grand Marnier Soufflé with Crème Anglaise

I heard the Brahma that morning. She squawked, squawked, and squawked. I could hear her from inside the house… clear on the opposite side of the property. When Mr. RGBistro brought in the GIANT egg, I understood right away. Ouch is an understatement; the rock weighed in at 105 grams. (A typical large-sized egg is [...]

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Thumbnail image for Bistro Eats | San Marzano Tomato Puree

Bistro Eats | San Marzano Tomato Puree

Ouch. I’m at home recovering from having my wisdom teeth yanked. Don’t ask me why I hadn’t done it sooner. Afternoon bounty. Evidently, this is what I miss every afternoon while I’m at work. Mr. Bistro took in a record-breaking 7 eggs today. Two of them are from first-timers. We suspect the French Marans and [...]

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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, [...]

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Thumbnail image for Date Nite to Ecco Pizza | San Marzano Lamb Stew with Meyer Lemon Risotto

Date Nite to Ecco Pizza | 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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Thumbnail image for Ten Basic Rules for Perfect Scrambled Eggs | One Shot at Perfection

Ten Basic Rules for Perfect Scrambled Eggs | One Shot at Perfection

Some things only happen once: first kiss, first soufflé, first marriage (ha!)… so when the moment arrives, you want to make it perfect… you need to make it perfect; you HAVE to make it perfect.

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Thumbnail image for Roasted Butternut Squash Puree with Apple Cranberry Relish | Refining Rustic

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree with Apple Cranberry Relish | Refining Rustic

I prefer a rustic kind of lifestyle: I collect dishes in my sink, flour on my apron and chicken poop under my shoes. I like my edges sharp, my lines wavy and my dots splashed. I believe in guesstimates and rough chops. In handfuls I trust. Most of the time, I can get away with [...]

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Thumbnail image for Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel | We Can’t All Be Winners

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel | We Can’t All Be Winners

Let me tell you a story about my dog. I have a beautiful dog. She’s sweet, tender, kind, and… famous. Friday comes from a pedigree of outstanding Weimaraner dogs and Weimaraner people. When she was a puppy, William Wegman photographed her for the cover of the Weimaraner Puppies Calendar. At six months old, she obtained [...]

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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 Cooking by Heart | And Sneak Peek of the RGB’s New Kitchen

Cooking by Heart | And Sneak Peek of the RGB’s New Kitchen

Friends… we’re back! And for the record, it feels wonderful to be standing in a kitchen again. I was worried that after ten long (and grueling) weeks without a refrigerator, or range, or sink… or counters, it would feel somewhat foreign to cook. Could I still dice an onion? Crack an egg? Boil water? I [...]

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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 The Dirty Life | Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup

The Dirty Life | Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup

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 Swiss Buttercream Frosting | Old-School Networking at Camp Blogaway

Swiss Buttercream Frosting | Old-School Networking at Camp Blogaway

How would you bake a cake if you didn’t have an oven? Better question: What would you do if, knowing you were missing an oven, had lined up a Plan B, but the Plan B didn’t work out, you were EXHAUSTED from being at Camp Blogaway, you still had a dinner party to attend, and [...]

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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 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 [...]

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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 [...]

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