Culinary tricks for beating the summer heat
When it’s sauna hot and sticky outside, it seems the only thing you’re inclined to make for dinner is reservations. Here are some savvy seasonal tips for keeping cool, refreshed...
All Stories
Stone fruits are in now season!
Sadly, summer’s stone fruit growing season is way too short, but oh so sweet! Did you know:• Plum trees are grown in every continent except Antarctica.• The peach has a...
Take your licks! It’s National Ice Cream Month
"I spent last night with my two boyfriends, Ben and Jerry.” — AnonymousIn 1984, President Ronald Reagan, who had a real soft spot for ice cream, designated July as the...
Perfect timing is key in the kitchen
Like most things in life, timing must be perfect — and cooking, baking and food preparation is no exception. Slice an avocado prematurely and it’s hard and bitter, past its...
What your tastebuds tell about you
While savoring a fine meal, all five senses play a key role in the dining experience: Presentation gives us eye candy, aromas draw us in, textures and temperatures seduce the...
June serves up National Ice Tea Month
A British exhibitor from the India Tea Commission laid a solid claim to the creation of iced tea. In 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair, he wasn’t getting too...
Things I’ve heard through the grapevine
“Beulah, peel me a grape.” — Mae WestPlump, juicy grapes in rich royal jewel tones have invaded supermarket aisles and farmers market stands, piled high in luscious mounds. When you...
Migraine Mitigation: Kick the enemy to the trenches
Spring blusters up quirky climate conditions, pressure changes, and fills the air with pollen and other allergens, creating the perfect storm for headaches of all varieties. Mine are debilitating migraines...
San Diego cooks conjure concoctions for Literacy Council event
Fine foodies mingled with devoted bibliophiles May 14 at NTC Promenade’s McMillin Center to celebrate the San Diego Council on Literacy’s fifth annual “Eat. Drink. Read.” event, amping up awareness...
Don’t be shellfish, share your scallops
June celebrates the rich bounty of oceanic offerings with a designated National Seafood Month. The king of the mollusk family, the mighty scallop dates back to biblical times. It is...
Relish the thought: Celebrate Burger Month
“Man who invented the hamburger was smart; man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius.” — Matthew McConaugheyThe beloved burger, a culinary national treasure is honored in the month of...
Short cuts in the kitchen
Here are tips for transitioning into the spring season with energy-boosting foods and ways to shorten time spent in the kitchen.Exhilarating Eats• A dose of bittersweet chocolate (with cocoa content...
Go gaga over spring foods
Spring is when Mother Nature throws a coming out party for her animals, minerals and vegetables. The supermarket produce aisles are brimming with a bounty of delicate shoots, beans, peas...
Eat healthy and prosper: National Nutrition Month, Part II
While 50 million people a day in this country scarf down on fast food, a swelling industry with yearly revenues ka-chinging to the tune of $110 billion a year, it’s...
Eat healthy and prosper: National Nutrition Month, Part 1
“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”— Doug LarsonAccording to the World Factbook, as of 2008, 33 percent of the adult...
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we salute the cabbage!
A century ago cabbage was sneered at as a peasant’s food. Today, it is lauded as a nutritional powerhouse with anti-cancerous and anti-aging agents:• Loaded with the amino acid glutamine (especially...
The Cane Mutiny: Pushing sugar to the sidelines (Part 1)
Considered one of the most energy-depleting foods, studies have shown sugar to be as addicting as cocaine, and linked to causing serious dental, mental and physical diseases and ailments. Sugar is...
Almond joy: Nutty aphrodisiac for Valentine’s Day
Tying first place on the A-(phrodisiac) List, knocking the lowly oyster (loaded with mercury, cium and PCB’s) out of the running, and neck-and- neck with bittersweet chocolate is the divine,...
Science meets food: Salk’s gustatory experiment
A holistic medical pioneer in ancient Greece nearly 2,500 years ago, Hippocrates prescribed that food be used as medicine since it was the most powerful healing agent against diseases. That...
Comforting cabbage rolls have international history
Stuffed cabbage rolls, a blend of sweet, sour and savory flavors, are popping up everywhere from diners and delis to five-star restaurants. They are the new mac-and-cheese, but comfort food with...
Kitchen Shrink: When moo shu meets matzo: Horsing around Chinese New Year 2014
Strolling through the cookbook aisles of my local bookseller searching for something fun and creative for the Chinese New Year, two titles caught my eye: “From Lokshen to Lo Mein —...
Catch some zzz’s with these sleepy bites
“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.” ~W. C. FieldsLiving in a stress-filled electromagnetic soup has created a nation of insomniacs. According to the Centers...
Some funky food forecasts
Culinary predictions for the new year include this Kitchen Shrink’s observations for what to expect on restaurant menus and supermarket shelves. As the economy hobbles into a slow- healing recovery, some...
For fun and flavor, make it a holiday full of ginger
“An I had but one penny in the world, thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread." — William Shakespeare, ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’Gingerbread is the quintessential treat for the holidays. A...
Kitchen Shrink: The seedy side of pumpkins
Folks across the land are gearing up for festivals, gordo gourd contests, and family jack-o’-lantern bonding as they carve welcoming symbols for Halloween. Most of the time the precious innards...
Inquiring La Jolla foodies want to know
Chewy Chocolate Chunk Pecan CookiesAdapted from the Neiman Marcus Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, softened1 cup light brown sugar3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 large egg1 teaspoon...
Fall in love with cinnamon
Nothing heralds autumn like the sweet, woodsy aroma of cinnamon. The spice perfumes entire airport terminals blessed with Cinnabon stores. Starbucks added Cinnamon Dolce Lattes to its repertoire (along with...
Precious Papaya: Beat the rivals to a pulp
The powerhouse papaya is moving up in the tropical fruit ranks, giving mango, ion fruit and guava some stiff competition. The behemoth beauties, nicknamed “Fruit of the Angels” by Christopher...
Press for success with the local Panini Queen
After graduating with an M.B.A. from Stanford, Northern California-born Kathy Strahs has gone on to earn her culinary stripes in the art of Panini-making. In her new book, “The Ultimate...
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches: Persona non grata in school yards?
“Peanut butter is the pâté of childhood.” —Florence FabricantChances are a majority of back-to-school lunch boxes will contain a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, especially since (statistically speaking) the average...
Hail Kale! Turn over a new leaf this summer
The mighty green warrior with Herculean healing powers has shoved leafy cousins to the produce sidelines. Kale rocks and has been popping up in everything from chilled soups and salads...
National Banana Split Day has lots of appeal
One would think that national holidays are reserved for commemorating momentous events. However, in our foodie culture even s’mores and banana splits are feted with a national holiday — they...
Deepak Chopra partners with UCSD center for whole-person healing in La Jolla
When mind-body medicine man and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, M.D., aligns with the venerable power team at UCSD’s Center for Integrative Medicine, you get a holistic prescription for healing from...
Time to bring home the bacon
It’s Chanel No. 5 to the culinary world, fried bacon perfumes a room like no other food. Traditional and trendy at the same time, bacon continues to pop up in...
Watermelon time! Get ’em while they’re ripe and juicy!
Picture Frida Kahlo’s still-life oil painting, “Viva la Vida,” (which translates from Spanish into “live the life”), a table bursting with an array of succulent pink watermelons with glossy black...
Break the ice and cool your heels this summer
Ice has been used to put the chill on food and drinks, and ease bruises, shiners and pulled muscles for thousands of years. Today it’s a bed for fishmonger’s best...
If you hear an onion ring, answer it!
June 22 will bring a tear to my eye as I celebrate National Onion Ring Day. Let’s peel away the layers and see what’s beneath this scrumptious, savory rival to...
Culinary boy toys for Dad on his special day
Some of the country’s top chefs are also devoted dads (Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Brian Malarkey, Gordon Ramsey) who frequently concoct scrumptious treats for their kids. Whether your special guy...
Gustatory gifts for the graduate
Concerned parents of college-bound grads want culinary guidance to along to their kids. Here’s a primer to help put the skids on the Freshman 15 and those disastrous dorm...
If you have been wondering…
… about the mysteries of food, cooking and healthy nutrition, here are a few discoveries I have made while sleuthing through the offerings found in kitchens, markets and restaurants.Did you...
Beef it up for National Burger Month
America’s quintessential food of all seasons — the mighty burger that can be tricked out with more combinations than a SuperLotto ticket -- is being honored with its designated holiday...
These womanly foods are for Mother’s Day and always
Since moms are so precious to us, the best gift we can give them on their special day is a list of foods to keep our gal pals healthy, happy,...
Don’t be shellfish: share crustaceans on National Shrimp Day
Americans love their shrimp, chowing down 1.7 billion pounds a year. We’re paying homage to this beloved, multi-tasking crustacean that can be dressed up in cocktail sauce at a black...
Get all your duck eggs in a row – they’re delicious!
A die-hard eggovore, I never met one I didn’t love. Scrambled, hard boiled, over easy, poached, Rocky Mountain toast, frittatas, omelets and deviled. Of course, we’re talking about chicken eggs,...
Betcha didn’t know some of these spring food facts!
Spring gently drifts in, bringing with it a stream of festivals, holidays and sporting events accompanied by a crop of tender shoots and other traditional foods celebrating rebirth, rejuvenation, freedom,...
In gallops the King of Condiments, Hurray for Horseradish!
As a little girl, I hovered around the kitchen after school, especially when my beloved grandma, a governess and trained chef, came over to give my mom cooking lessons. Grandma...
Touch down Super Bowl Sunday with foods from the seafood capitals
By Catharine KaufmanTailgate parties will be heating up throughout the Big Easy on Feb. 3 making a pit stop at New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome 6:30 p.m. ET. Super Bowl XLVII...
Soup’s On! around the world
By Catharine KaufmanSoup has truly evolved from its primitive beginnings, which coincided with the very origins of cooking to a pop cultural phenomenon. Soup has entered the culinary worlds of...
There must be 50 ways to lose your love handles
By Catharine KaufmanAs we ring in 2013, most of us carry some baggage from last year. I’m talking cottage cheese thighs, muffin tops, beer bellies.According to a recent article in...
What’s new foodie? Here’s a peek at the latest gustatory trends
By Catharine KaufmanAs 2012 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the best and worst of the food trends, and get a glimpse into what’s hot for the...
It’s the time of the year to go nuts about chestnuts
Catherine-KaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanThe Nat King Cole Christmas tune chimes in my head, “chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” and I go gaga over these holiday delights. Shiny, mahogany gems are...
The Holidays and weight gain: Put the skids on the ‘Seasonal Seven’
By Catharine Kaufman’Tis the season for packing on pounds — from Halloween’s candy orgy through to New Year’s cocktail culture with some fatty, carbo-loading pit stops in-between — Thanksgiving, Chanukah,...
For fun and flavor, make it a holiday full of ginger
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine Kaufman“An I had but one penny in the world, thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.”— William Shakespeare, ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’Gingerbread is the quintessential treat for the holidays....
Re-strutting its stuff – a lesson in turkey
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanNow that you survived the Thanksgiving gustatory orgy, the nation’s next culinary challenge rears its head–what to do with the carcass and uneaten meat from roughly 46 million...
When Murphy meets Tom in the Thanksgiving kitchen
Catherine-KaufmanCatharine L. Kaufman“My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.”— Henny YoungmanThanksgiving is, hands down, the holiday when both seasoned and rookie cooks create unprecedented (and quite humorous)...
Turkey tips just in time for your Thanksgiving Day feast!
"My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way!" — Henny YoungmanThanksgiving is, hands down, the holiday when both seasoned and rookie cooks create unprecedented (and quite humorous) gustatory gaffes....
The power of pom
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanThose gorgeous magenta spheroids, eye candy in the produce aisle, pull you in and beckon to be taken home. Although high maintenance and labor intensive, they are worth...
Fall in love with autumn’s harvest
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine Kaufman‘Tis the season for hearty veggies with pungent aromas, divine rich flavors and interesting back stories to dial-up your dishes and answer your culinary curiosities. Let’s get to...
Fig Out this Fall
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanThe season is short and sweet for fresh and fragrant figs. So grab a basket at the market while they last — rich and luscious dark purple Black...
In the Battle of the Bulge: Slow and steady wins the diet race
By Catharine Kaufman“The bestsellers are cookbooks and the second best are diet books; how not to eat what you’ve just learned how to cook.”— Andy RooneyWe have become a nation...
Sow some wild oats this fall
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanWhile scoping out new seasonal products in the supermarket this week, a fellow shopper approached me as I was intently examining a label, giving an aura of gastronomic...
Breakfast’s an epiphany, so discover marvelous morning meals
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine Kaufman“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord, and dinner like a pauper.”— Ancient proverbFood gurus, school s, teachers, athletes and smart moms realize that breakfast, hands...
Wing it with National Chicken Month
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanSeptember is National Chicken month, paying homage to the more than 9 billion birds raised every year for consumption in this country. Here’s a primer to help pollitarians...
When the school bell rings, it’s time for eating smart
catherine-kaufmanCatharine KaufmanWhen Wilma Flintstone and I were classmates at Bedrock Elementary School, au courant lunches consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Wonder white, a Red Delicious apple coated...
Let’s all Scream for Ice Cream!
Catherine-KaufmanKitchen ShrinkBy Catharine KaufmanIce cream has evolved from its purist period of jerk-scooped service with mono-textures and limited flavors that could be counted on one hand with fingers left over...
Get the best out of flip flop food phenomenon this summer
By Catharine Kaufmancatherine-kaufmanA kitschy summer food trend I’ve noticed the past couple of seasons is a reversal of traditional hot and cold dishes: soups of all kinds are served chilled...
There are many edible ‘sunscreens’ to beat the burn
By Catharine L. Kaufman“Sunbathing is like grilling. Everyone knows it’s bad for you, but no one ever stops doing It.”— Laurie Colwin in ‘Home Cooking’A century ago in America tanned...
Sustainable soul mates gather to eat drink and be berry
catherine-kaufmanBy Catharine Kaufman“We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.” ~Alfred E. NewmanLast week’s “A Berry...
Dr. Andrew Weil breaks into San Diego’s restaurant biz
By Catharine L. KaufmanIntegrative Medicine Man, bushy-bearded best-selling author and rock star of healthy lifestyles, Dr. Andrew Weil collaborated with innovative eatery empire Fox Restaurant Concepts to create True Food...
And they’re off! Track-inspired desserts show around town
By Catharine KaufmanRacing fever is in the air (or mare, pardon my pun) with Opening Day at the Del Mar Racetrack just around the bend. The six-week meet that begins...
It’s time to go wild for National Blueberry Month
By Catharine KaufmanJuly brings bumper crops of plump, juicy indigo berries to farmers markets and u-pick fields throughout the land. Get the most from these precious purple gems while they...
In La Jolla, it’s lobster tales and other fish stories for National Seafood Month
For devoted pescavores, here’s a primer on getting the best and most out of this delightful treasure of the sea.Bottom-feedersCan you believe, lobster was once a poor man’s food and...
What real men should eat – for Dad’s Day and always
By Catharine KaufmanA typical guy is in culinary bliss with one mitt clutching a Doritos Fritos burrito and the other one holding a bottle or can of something that has...
Kitchen Shrink: Giada’s Crispy Breakfast Pita
By Catharine L. KaufmanTV chefs are the new rock starts of our pop culture.Recently, Giada De Laurentiis, while on tour for her sixth cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple...
Kits make it easy to become a self-sustainable foodie
catherine-kaufmanCatharine KaufmanThese days, intrepid amateur farmers enjoy everything from freshly laid eggs from their backyard coops and freshly picked herbs, fruits and veggies from their eclectic water-conserving landscapes to homemade...
Please pay attention to these foods that will boost alertness
I shook my head in utter disbelief when a friend blushingly told me she had locked her infant son in the back seat of her car alongside her handbag containing...
Wild for mushrooms? Learn more about your favorite fungi
Catharine Kaufmancatherine-kaufmanMarvelous mushrooms — 40,000 species in all — were once feared by the ancients as a poisonous foe. Many Roman emperors allegedly were victims of death by mushrooms, including...
Kitchen Shrink: The Last Supper: Romancing the Titanic’s Centennial
Catherine-KaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanOne hundred years ago on a chilly evening of April 14, 721 third-class engers were having a jolly High Tea on the F Deck in their spartan saloon...
Kitchen Shrink: Celebrate spring with the foods of April’s festivals
Catherine-KaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanFood is the cornerstone of seasonal celebrations expressed in its preparation, rituals and communal consumption enjoyed among family and beloved friends. Here’s a sampling of spring fever festivals...
Kitchen Shrink: April Fools’ wacky food stories: True or False?
Catherine-KaufmanBy Catharine KaufmanSpring fever seems to trigger light-hearted celebrations and other acts of tomfoolery. Many cultures around the world launch the season with shenanigans, starting with the Romans who created...
Kitchen Shrink: Eat, drink ‘green’ on St. Patrick’s
By Catharine KaufmanFor all you hibernophiles out there – Irish lovers of whom we have 40 million in this country — in the fun. St. Paddy’s Day on Saturday,...
Quinoa: It’s the old/new gluten-free super grain!
By Catharine KaufmanQuestion:My husband and I are summer sizing to get in shape for our June vacation. I’ve noticed quinoa is the new healthy grain, popping up everywhere from divey...
Kitchen Shrink: Hamantaschen is a Purim (or anytime) favorite
By Catharine KaufmanMost Jewish holidays are based on the tenet — the enemy tried to kill us, we survived, now, let’s eat! This is especially true of Purim, a joyous...
Jump for Joy – It’s a Leap Year!
This February has 29 days, a phenomenon that occurs every four years with some quirky exceptions. Called a bissextile or Leap Year, swelling the calendar to 366 days, it means...
It’s time to quarterback a winning Super Bowl soiree
Tailgate parties will be heating up from Boonville to Gary, making a pit stop at 500 South Capitol Ave., Indianapolis this Sunday, 6:30 Eastern Time.Roughly 70,000 stalwart Super Bowl attendees...
Kitchen Shrink: Counter Culture: The tip jar and you
Catharine L. KaufmanContributorThey’re popping up everywhere from the counters in coffeehouses, sandwich and frozen yoghurt shops to bakeries, bagel and donut ts. What’s the deal with those ubiquitous kitschy tip...
I’m cruising the grocery aisles with my culinary wish list of exotic ingredients
One of my favorite pastimes is strolling the supermarket aisles, trolling for new and exciting produce and products. Sure, we all need basic staples for a well-stocked pantry, prepared to...
Aquarium hosts a green bash over the blue Pacific
Catharine KaufmanCatharine L. KaufmanContributor“It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.” — Meryl Streep“Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables....
Good bets on Opening Day: Foods for a gambling edge at the track
By Catharine L. KaufmanContributorHere’s a primer on racetrack eats to give you an edge as you approach the betting window — especially on opening day, July 20. Foods for FocusYou...
KITCHEN SHRINK: It’s time to get back to our roots – Part 1
By Catharine L. KaufmanContributorWe're done for now with the light and dainty fresh veggies that enlivened and refreshed our palates throughout spring and summer. It's time to transition into the...
KITCHEN SHRINK: It’s time to get back to our roots – Part 1
By Catharine L. KaufmanContributorWe're done for now with the light and dainty fresh veggies that enlivened and refreshed our palates throughout spring and summer. It's time to transition into the...