I love making desserts and hubby loves eating them (shhhh, I do too). Having them once or twice a weekend would be fine, but when I make a cake, brownies, bread pudding or other sweet treat, it’s a piece a night for four or five nights as neither of us likes to waste food (that’s our story and we’re sticking to it!).
These little cakes are outrageously decadent and perfectly sized for two and so easy whip up. Make the cakes earlier in the day and then fifteen minutes before you want to serve dessert, make the ganache.
These ingredients are always stocked at the Alameda Grocery Outlet with different flavors of chips available depending on the season. The ones I used were actually caramel flavored. If I had used white chocolate chips, I’d have added an 1/8 of a teaspoon of vanilla. And if you are a chocolate aficionado, by all means do chocolate on chocolate!
Somewhere around the 5th Century, Christianity was brought to Ireland by a British missionary, Bishop Patrick, who became the patron saint of Ireland long after his death. Irish natives converted (or were forced to convert) to Roman Catholicism, which is still the predominate religion in Ireland.
Ireland refused to accept the new King and deposed King James attempted to take back the crown in a bloody battle in 1690 famously known as the “Battle of the Boyne.” King William handily won and Ireland was added to his territory of reign. This marked the beginning of the change from personal rule of the Stuarts towards a Parliament rule in Britain. An interesting side note: William had his wife Mary, a born and raised Catholic, named as co-sovereign in an attempt to ease political tension. They reigned together until her death in 1694.
I’m 100% Orange Irish. For those who don’t know the difference, in a nutshell: Green are from the south, Catholic and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Orange are from the north, Protestant and celebrate July the 12th. (The story goes much deeper; I’ll save that for another day!)
Brian will leave January 2020 for New London, Connecticut. He will be gone for 17 weeks of intense training in classrooms, on the Academy grounds and on the USCG Tall Ship Eagle (yes, I am so very jealous!). Upon completion he will no longer be an enlisted man; he will be commissioned as an officer. And no, the family doesn’t get to go with him while he is in school. They will stay in Novato, California, until he receives orders to their new duty station, which they won’t know until a few weeks before his graduation in May. He could very well remain here in Northern California, or be stationed on the east coast, Alaska (God forbid) or anywhere else where his skills and leadership are most needed.
My job at a Jewish non-profit is most likely ending sometime this summer. Our branch is in the process of consolidating with two other regional branches and my work with community impact grants will be absorbed by the bigger over-all organization. That’s okay with me. I’m looking forward to not being tied to a 9-5 job and might take on part-time work with a flexible schedule or just dedicate myself to writing, prepping the boat and being a Nana. (Not necessarily in that order!)
Aaron has been teaching himself how to use our heavy-duty 
The sour-faced woman raised her eyebrows after scanning my ID card. “I’m sorry, we can’t accept your vote.”
I’m a big fan of one-pot meals. Living on a boat, I have very little counter space and the dishwasher is me for the most part so the less items, the better. My prep surfaces are on top of the sink, stove and fridge so I need to stage all ingredients, chop and measure, and be ready to go. This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and thickens as it sits: serious comfort food!
Backyard barbecues and potato salad just go together. Everytime I make it, it’s slightly different depending on the guest list, and this is the basic recipe from my Nana. During the warm summer months our family spent many lazy afternoons in their backyard, with Papy barbecuing chicken and hotdogs and Nana making the side dishes and setting the picnic table while my sister and I played on the grass or on the beach. All of these ingredients are stocked at our local 
Sometimes the simplest meals are the most delicious. It’s all about using fresh ingredients that pair nicely together. Our local 
It has been brrrrrrr on our little piece of the Alameda Riviera in Northern California this week. We rarely dip below the mid-50s in the winter and we were seeing low-40s … This weather calls for soup! This meatball soup is inexpensive and easy to assemble. Our local 
