Lotusland’s Japanese Garden
Japanese gardens possess four main elements
Guest Stars
Pretty Petals
Santa Barbara is blessed with talented floral stylists all over town; this picky recipient was blown-away and totally impressed by the variety, beauty and talent in these arrangements.
Wino Wednesday: Santorini Sigalas 2010
A dry white wine that is fresh, bright, and at roughly $20 a bottle, is just about the most perfect thing for chugging or sipping (your choice) in summer.
Tuesday Tool: Elizabeth’s Perfect Pie Crust
By the time we were done making pie crust, Elizabeth had taught me so many things, and helped me feel truly comfortable with the process. Not to mention, our families got to reap the delectable rewards of our work!
Father’s Day Gift Ideas
Happy Father’s day! Dad’s are tough to buy for, to say the least! Here are some gift ideas we came up with for dad that revolve around our favorite things: eating, drinking and gardening.
New Style Roasted Chicken
New Style Roasted Chicken is a super easy recipe that is absolutely delicious (and really really forgiving). I make it at least once a week (Monday nights tend to be our roast-a-chicken night) because the whole family loves it.
Mollie’s Beet Pasta in Beet Sauce
If you’re bored with the same old beet salad with goat cheese, here is a creative and unusual way to use beets that will woo your senses. This beet pasta is beautiful, healthy, and delicious like you wouldn’t believe.
Cooking Class with Chef Mollie
We had a so much fun at our cooking class. Mollie is beautiful, bubbly, feisty, fun, and funny. As you can see in the video, I was having a blast the entire time!
Cal Stamenov’s Risotto
This risotto is sort of a “base recipe” that can be prepared in a ton of different ways. At my birthday party, he added wild mushrooms and served it under tender slices of roasted duck. During a spring visit to the Bernardus Lodge, we had it with fresh peas, and for our wedding, we chose to have it topped with white truffles.
Chef Cal’s Carrot Cake Cookies
Every time Cal and Ben come to the house, Ben bakes some amazing carrot cake cookies. This recipe makes a huge batch, but these cookies are so wonderful and delicious that you’ll be happy to store the extras in a sealed container in the fridge.
