So easy to grow sprouts at home. They add a gourmet look to some dishes and provide a really big nutritional punch. We found this to be an easy and healthy swap for the usual salad ingredients. And since this is an example of eco friendly eating, it also makes a good project for kids.
Read More
We live in Santa Cruz, California, one of the areas where the Monarch butterflies gather after their migration, and we regularly see Monarchs in our garden. Their populations have been declining drastically. Scientists have said that planting milkweed would help, since Monarchs require milkweed for their life cycle. They lay their eggs on the milkweed and the young feed on the toxic plant, making the caterpillars undesirable to birds other prey. Planting milkweed also provides flowers for bees and other butterflies as well. So we added some milkweed to the garden this year.
Read More
We are sharing some of our photos from Strasbourg France, but also an incredible recipe for making homemade pizza dough. This recipe is so easy and foolproof we use it almost weekly. It is the perfect make ahead meal and can be a fun family meal project or a healthy food swap, depending on how you make it.
Read More
We ramp up the flavor on may dishes by adding garlic olive oil. It makes a great substitute for butter and is a healthy alternative. We make it ahead and consider it part of the routine of stocking the pantry. By leaving the garlic in the oil, we also have sauteed garlic, or garlic confit, ready to use.
Read More
Just after a rain is a perfect time for photographing mushrooms in the Santa Cruz hills. We only hunt them for photographs, and are not foraging.
Read More
We just realized how easy it is to grow Shiitake mushrooms at home. The mushroom log is sold with mycelium plugs in it.
We shop locally as often as we can. Getting a variety of mushrooms could not be easier now that Far West Fungi opened a shop in downtown Santa Cruz.
Read More
These are some of Tony’s best photos of seabirds taken in Santa Cruz, California. Many of them are from Seacliff State Beach.
Read More
Making fudge for Christmas is a tradition for us. This year, we tried to improve the recipe by finding the best ingredients possible, and the best technique.
Read More
We always include a non alcoholic drink choice when we entertain. Martinelli’s sparkling cider is perfect for the holidays, especially for New Year’s Eve, since it looks lovely in a champagne glass. We are also shopping local, because the Martinelli’s apple juice company is very close to our house. The south part of Santa Cruz county is filled with apple orchards. The ocean fog creates the environment that the Pippin apples prefer, making Santa Cruz ideal for cider.
Read More