Ever heard of tomato pie? No, not the one that’s more like pizza (are you listening New York and New Jersey?). I’m talking about the southern kind, like Paula Deen makes. It’s fantastic—that is, when properly prepared. Fortunately, I’m here to save you all from the mistakes I committed when I last made this dish recently. One might argue that I should already know how to make this tomato pie perfectly every time. I’ve done it so many times before as it’s a kid-pleasing, family favorite. Well, those times are so PB (Pre-Blog)! Nowadays, I prefer to try out new recipes that might be good enough to post about and potentially end up in the family–fave folder. “No more repeat recipes, no matter how good they are!” is my mantra. It’s right up there with “So many recipes, so little time!” Read on…

A week ago, we ventured out on Thursday night for an event we had never attended—Around the World in 80 Sips. This is Bottlenotes’ signature event, held several times a year in major cities across the USA. The event has taken place in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, but this was the first time it was held in Los Angeles. The event concept is pretty straightforward—taste about 80 wines that come from all over the globe. The Bottlenotes tag line is simple—”good people, great wine”. There was certainly some great wine at the event, but the people were pretty great, too. Read on…

Today’s tomato recipe that I’m submitting to Summer Fest 2010 comes from another Food Network star (and my favorite cookbook author), Ina Garten. Ina really gets how to cook with fresh from the farm or garden ingredients (as proven by the title of the episode that featured the recipe—Farm Stand Food). This recipe is perfect for using up those tomatoes that ripen all at once in your garden. And if you also happen to have basil growing, too, then this is your lucky day! Read on…

Summer Fest 2010 is celebrating tomatoes this Wednesday, and I’m getting a head start today so I can squeeze in all the recipes I’ve been making this summer with the tomatoes I’ve been plucking from my garden. I tried growing a few more varieties this year, all producing great results for my tomato recipe needs. I’ll be posting four tomato recipes over the course of this coming week; some new discoveries and some old family favorites. Some that call for cooking the tomatoes; some that use them fresh off the vine. Either way, there will be something for everybody! Read on…

I recently discovered a cool little cross–blog food event (Summer Fest 2010) that celebrates peak harvest season by inviting everyone to post tips and recipes that correspond to a different theme each week (this week’s being stone fruit). Unfortunately, we don’t have any stone fruit trees growing on our property, but I’m still participating with a recipe for Key Lime Cheesecake Bars.

How am I daring to submit a recipe that contains nary a peach or plum? Well…Margaret (head gardener and creator of Summer Fest) at awaytogarden.com wrote a very enlightening article about stone and pome (think apples and pears) fruits and how they are all members of the Rose Family. This family even includes almonds, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries as members. Read on…

This past Saturday night, we were fortunate to snag tickets to the SoCal installment of Project by Project’s 8th Annual Plate by Plate Tasting Benefit event at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. (This event also takes place in New York and San Francisco.) We had not attended this event previously and were graciously hosted by Belle Hsu, Marketing Director of this 100% volunteer–based non–profit organization. Each year, Project by Project (PbP) throws this event to benefit a different community–based non–profit dedicated to helping the American Asian Pacific Islander community by donating a massive amount of time and effort and the net proceeds of the event. This year’s partner is Health Justice Network, a community advocacy service organized through the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California. Read on…