We went over to East Bay to picnic with new friends from our baby class. It’s nice to get-together with people who have babies similar in age to Oliver. We can compare experiences and share our learned lessons.

While everyone was bringing their own food and it was a potluck per se I wanted something that was easy to share, well, because I like the feelings that sharing engender. I was searching for something familiar but more refined than what people would have around everyday. I decided to make herbed goat cheese balls, which go great on bread.

When I was 14, my Mom bought me a Le Creuset dutch oven and “The Way to Cook” by Julia Child. It was the official start of my being a cook and I took a systematic approach to the book starting from Chapter 1: soups.

Several weeks ago I saw a recipe for Adobo chicken – the national dish of the Philippines – in the New York Times recipe section.

Reading the recipe I had to double check the amount of vinegar – 1 1/2 cups – are they sure. – that seems like a lot I did a google search and found many other Adobo recipes – each with a totally different set of ingredients and spicing – in fact, the only thing they all agreed on was the amount of vinegar. Ok, I guess that’s right then.

Hoppin John is a traditional southern New Years day dish that’s spread across the country to become an american tradition. Said to bring luck and fortune with the new year it’s a hearty way to start the new year.

I made a version titled “southern collards” in my Pow! Sauce post. Give it a try and report back if you got lucky in the New Year.

It’s cold and dark out there, even in sunny California. Yes it’s true, we get rain and it’s almost freezing here. Needing to warm up our attic kitchen I was hunting for something to bubble away on the stove for an afternoon. As soon as I read this chicken soup with dumplings recipe I would be making it soon.

One remarkable thing about the recipe is the simplicity of the broth. Rather then mix vegetables, herbs and spices with leftover chicken parts you start with bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and just boil them in salted water. The broth is intensely chicken flavored and utterly delicious – and what could be simpler than chicken and salt in water?

Since we returned “home” to San Francisco over a year ago, we’ve found ourselves exploring new neighborhoods. Some of these places are unchartered territory for our older selves, who are less compelled by the hike-till-you-drop glory of cliff faces and late nights in dark bars. What can I say, these days we’re just in a more family friendly mood.

We’ve felt particularly pulled towards Geary Street, a six mile stretch of traffic clogged roadway that traverses San Francisco from ocean to bay.