Author: LivingLifeForté

University lecturer. Freelance wine geek. Local food enthusiast. Staff photographer for the mountain garagiste: Cachagua Mountains Winery.

“Inauthentic” Shrimp Po’Boys

Now that you have extra brioche hotdog buns … We all know that hotdogs and buns never come out even. And that is even more true when there are just two people. So here we sat with extra buns. A snoop through the freezer revealed shrimp that we had left over from my mom’s visit….

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Adventures in Education

Part of what keeps me enthused is my value of lifelong learning. And my newest adventure on the other side of the desk includes earning a Teaching English to Speakers of Foreign Languages (TESOL) credential (finally). And it has definitely sparked some creativity.

Rolling in the Dough … and salt

Soft Pretzel Bites In the time B.C.19, I traveled to Pacific Palisades to help wish my niece good travels as she returned to Australia for vet school. One evening, the family visited a neighbor’s home where I encountered a blast from my 70’s childhood: cheese fondue. But it was never as amazing as this. Smooth…

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Dungeness Crab Rangoon

We love crab season. And buying them fresh from our backyard, Monterey Bay, is extra great. And this year, with the quarantine, we really needed a special at-home treat. We grabbed a couple of the largest crabs we could find at the wharf, did a simple boil of water, wine, and salt, and dove in…

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Turkey Pot Pie in an Au Gratin

@lecreuset has small au gratin bakeware that are just the right size a turkey pot pie for 2. But I make 2 this size so we can each have our own leftovers. Pretty take on what we had in the fridge and freezer. #quarantinecooking Makes 2 pies Pastry 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, plus more…

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THE Madre’s Soft Cream Jumbles

Few remember “the year of the cookie debacle” in which I spent months trying to make a decent sugar cookie. Tears were shed, cookie sheets thrown into a snow bank, Martha Stewart cursed. Finally, I sought out THE Madre who led me step by step through her Soft Cream Jumbles and to success. The secret:…

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Then I Saw Her Face

Then saw her face
now I’m a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I’m in love

In Sync

We have been through a lot of late. But here they are.

Touch of Grey

Grey vireo holds a wisp of moss … or is that one of my grey hairs?

León marino

We took the little dog to see the sea lions. She was not impressed.

Rough winds do shake

… the darling buds of May. Sonnet 18 is easily the one of the most recognizable Shakespearean sonnets. And it danced through my head as I walked the dog in the neighborhood today. May has been exceptionally windy, and the little dog stopped to stand faced into the blow from the bay, eyes shut tight….

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