I was fortunate enough to spend two wonderful days in the Napa Valley during the misty January weather. I have always loved visiting this region of California, which is about two and a half hours from Santa Cruz. I have many memories over the last 30 years of visiting there with different girlfriends or with my husband. It has always been fun. The devastating fires that raged through the area in the fall of 2017 were devastating. My heart goes out to all the people who lost their loved ones, homes and belongings.

The Napa Valley is beautiful with its oak-covered hills, crisscrossed by vines and small towns. Here you find the kind of pastoral beauty rarely seen outside Tuscany. 

My driver (and husband) decided to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to get us to the town of Napa where we stayed the first night.

Napa has a fabulous food culture with some great stores. Our hotel, the Westin Versa, was within walking distance of the 40,000 square-foot Oxbow Public Market. It is a foodies' paradise. I bought a bottle of brandy cordial and some bitters from a Napa Valley distillery.  I would have had some oysters or ice-cream, but already had a delicious sandwich from the "Fatted Calf Charcuterie," which was out of this world. I tasted some lard with truffles, since it was truffle week in Napa. I never saw so may sausages as I did in this store. Next door is the "Model Bakery," which supposedly has exceptional oversized muffins. Unfortunately, I missed tasting them because I had one of those "have to have oatmeal" mornings.

That evening, we had a special dinner at "La Toque," a Michelin-starred restaurant which is Chef Ken Frank's landmark eatery. The restaurant pairs wine with the food. We chose the "Core Menu," where you can make a selection from a list of different dishes. If you are in the mood to splurge, this is the right place for you. The food is inventive and delicious and the service is flawless. 

While in Napa, we visited three wineries. Everything I know about wine, I learned from my husband. He is a very knowledgeable wine lover. He belongs to a wine club which gives us access to some of the smaller wineries in Napa Valley. Our first stop was the Foley Johnson Winery. My favorite wine was the 2014 Estate Meritage.  

We also visited a very small winery called Altvs, where I bought my husband a special bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The last winery was Kuleto Estate. The wine was great, but I fell in love with the setting and the place. It's like a Tuscan villa, and would be gorgeous and on a sunny day. So, I will come back to this magical place, even though you have to go up a steep and winding road to get there. They have tours of the property on weekends. 

We all have special places in our lives, and for me, one of those places is the pool at "Indian Springs" in Calistoga. This pool is filled with water from a geyser on the property, the same as the drinking water you buy in the store—except this is an oversized pool filled with 103 degree hot mineral water. It is heaven. Years ago, Indian Springs used to be a funky place with small cabins, but they have beautified it and added a restaurant where I had a delicious breakfast with homebaked bagels and home-cured lox. It was delicious. I will always come back here and float in the pool as long as I am able to. 

I should have put this on my Wanderlust blog, but because I can't send an email from that page, it is on my food blog. I had kohlrabi with crab at La Toque. Kohlrabi is an everyday vegetable in Germany. My mother grew it in her garden and loved to cook it all the time. She was a farm woman and her food was simple but good. Here is a recipe I posted years ago when I visited her and we cooked kohlrabi with meatballs together. 

If you feel like a fancy dinner, here is a recipe for crepes filled with fennel and salmon in a white sauce. 

My girlfriend and I had this fabulous waffle with fresh fruit, ice-cream and fruit sauce in our favorite Italian Ice caffee in Northeim.  Our village is also near Göttingen, an old university town with the greatest Konditorei  (bakery) ever. Cron und Lanz has been baking delicacies since 1876. You get the best cookie ever when you order coffee or tea, as well other treats. I could not get enough this time and found a reason to get something from them every day.

After the village, I went to Lüneburg to visit my niece and her husband. While there, I went to the Christmas markets and a remarkable brewery museum. It was in an historical Sud house of an old brewery that started in 1485. Lüneburg is the cutest postcard-perfect German town.

Then my niece and I spent a wonderful weekend in Berlin. Since she is often in Berlin on business, she took me to all her favorite places. My young friend, Tara, also lives in Berlin and they had a great time together.

I made my chocolate walnut pie using pecans instead. It’s a great dessert that can be made days ahead of time. I will serve it as dessert when I make my cioppino  dinner.

One of my favorite treats is my fruit and chocolate bark. This year, I used whole hazelnuts and yellow raisins mixed with some dried cranberries. I bought a very expensive bark like this not long ago. I used roasted hazelnuts from Trader Joe’s. It was a cinch to make.

Another favorite cookie of mine is the Austrian Kipferl, a crescent-shaped pastry, which is an ancestor of the French croissant. I rolled them in my homemade vanilla sugar.

A  friend’s son gave me boxes of persimmons from his gorgeous tree. I made my persimmon bread and persimmon chutney, which took some trial and error. I will post the recipe in 2018

Did I say 2018? The passage of time amazes me and seems to go by faster the older we get. I like this quote from Heather Babcock, “ Time doesn’t really march on. It tends to tip-toe. There is no parade. No stomping of boots that it is passing. One day, you turn around and it’s gone.“
And with that, I wish all of you holidays that are peaceful and tranquil, filled with love, warmth and good food. A special thanks to all the people (I am amazed at how many of you there are) who are taking the time to visit my little blog. 

Fröhliche Weihnachten and may your New Year be filled with hope and happiness.

​If you  click on the highlighted words you will get to the blog posts and recipes.

Of course for me it is not turkey day until I have cranberry sauce,   chestnut stuffing, and a lot of gravy.

My husband and I spent a weekend in our little cabin in the Sierra Nevada. I love to cook in my tiny kitchen so I decided to make him and his oldest friend an early Thanksgiving dinner because I am leaving for Germany on Sunday.  On Thanksgiving I probably will  be eating duck instead of turkey. I was pressed for time and used a bread mix for the stuffing and bought peeled and roasted chestnuts. By not having to roast and peel chestnuts my stuffing was easier to make. 

Even though I often use prepackaged broth for my turkey gravy and stuffing I prefer to make my own. This can be done weeks ahead and frozen. In my humble opinion a homemade broth  will make or break the gravy or stuffing. When I do a whole turkey I use the stomach and gizzard from the turkey for the  gravy. This time I  bought turkey wings. I always freeze all my leftover green veggies like the white leek ends, the tops of green onions, mushroom stems, and other greens to use in my stock. It’s great for any stock. I made the sauce while the turkey was cooking and added the pan juices later.  

Of course you can check out my whole turkey recipe which I have been making for years. If you have time try my cranberry ketchup, it is great on leftover turkey sandwiches. Oh, and don’t forget to freeze some extra packages of cranberries so you can have a feast in May.
I wish you all a relaxing and peaceful Thanksgiving with a lot of good food and company. 

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This soup is a treat for the cooler days. It makes for a light dinner or a first course for a dinner party. It appeals to the diner in you. In Paris it is a quintessential bistro staple.

 
That was the case this last time when I visited Paris in late August. (Click here to read more about Paris.) Everything was just the way I like it, except the onion soup. It was horrible—the broth had no depth, it tasted like dishwater with vinegar added. This prompted me to try my hand at making my own onion soup. Why not? Years ago, I made Julia Child's recipe from her book Mastering The Art of French Cooking. Unfortunately, I have no memory of it. I do remember making my own broth by roasting beef bones. This time I choose to use organic beef broth from Trader’s Joe’s. The soup was excellent but I think it would be even better with homemade stock. For vegetarians, you can substitute vegetable stock. If you choose to make it this way, add some juniper berries and one star anise for additional flavor.

Time has been flying by. We have had some beautiful fall weather here in Santa Cruz. The fires around us have been polluting the air making it hard to breath. My heart goes out to all the people that experienced pain and suffering. 
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I have been cooking simple meals like baked salmon with broccoli and my German green sauce. I made my quinoa salad and baked shrimp with feta for my monthly book club. I also baked my banana bread and I made my lentil salad for my girlfriend’s Open Studio. Cooking always improves my life.

Last year my girlfriend Deb and I attended the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in Sacramento and had a wonderful time. We learned a lot and saw a lot. That's why we decided to attend agin this year.  Sacramento is not just the capital of California but it calls itself the "farm-to- fork " capital of the world. California is the land of plenty-the largest agricultural producer in the country. There is a bounty of the juiciest fruit, freshest vegetables and many artisanal, farm-based products.  You can find anything from fresh goat cheese to olive oil. This year a  pre-conference excursion will go to the Cobram Estate & Olive Oil Commission of California.

Last year we went on an excursion to visit an endive farm and learned how endives are grown indoors.  It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to do this successfully.

When I got home I sautéed endives with herbs and butter and they turned out delicious.

We also visited a pear farm where we had a  delicious picnic lunch under a very old oak tree.
​I made a french pear tart with my pears when I got home.  Read about it on my blogpost and get the recipe here

A local friend of Deb took us to Estelle's patisserie in Sacramento where I was introduced to the Croixnut, a mixture of a doughnut and croissant. It was divine. I brought some home for my husband. He thought they were dangerous.

We enjoyed the Saturday evening dinner with our fellow bloggers.

The City of Sacramento  and all of California was changed by the coming of the railroads. If you are interested visit the California State Railroad Museum. The museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, dating back from 1862.  My girlfriend and I are taking Amtrak from San Jose to Sacramento. This will be my first train ride in California. 
Near our conference center is  State Capitol Park. Last year I spent some time at the Vietnam Memorial. This year I might take a walk to McKinley Park Rose Garden that is nearby. 

It is time to pack my suitcase and get ready for this year's conference. I am looking forward to learning new things and meeting new people. For those of you who are not attending the conference and feel like baking I can recommend my  German Apple Strudel Cake to welcome  in October.

I got the idea for the romesco sauce from my blogger friend, Mary Ann, who writes the thebeachhousekitchen blog. She made her romesco sauce as an appetizer with cruditées. I have made this recipe many times and usually eat it as a sandwich spread or with a salad. It is a healthy substitute for richer foods like mayonnaise or butter. For the salmon, I used a recipe from myrecipe.com. This recipe uses canned tomatoes instead tomato paste and cumin as a spice rather than smoked paprika. I don't purée this sauce as much as Mary Ann’s sauce, leaving it coarser for the salmon. Both sauces are delicious.
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The inspiration for the sorrel sauce came from the blog, Back Road Journal, and Bon Appetit. I added more sorrel because I have an endless supply of it in my tiny wild garden. Sorrel is a tart, slightly sour herb, oxalis, another common name for this herb means "sour".  I think it has a distinct lemony flavor and I find its tartness refreshing. I prefer to purée the sauce in a mixer until smooth. I love the taste of this rich and tangy sauce. It compliments a piece of salmon and other fish. I could eat it on steamed veggies or a chicken breast. It would also taste great with shrimp, chicken or salmon skewers.
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Here is a link to to Mary Ann’s romesco sauce and Karen’s sorrel sauce. Both sauces can be made a day ahead. I had leftovers and ate them for several days.

Read about my four-day trip to New York  City on my Wanderlust blog. This trip was a spur-of-the-moment decision and I am so happy I went.