Author: LivingLifeForté

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

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 largest crabs we could find at the wharf, did a simple boil of water, wine and salt and dove in for…

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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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