Preserved Home: No wonder why one-pot dishes are deliciously easy
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
March 6, 2018
Filed under Food, NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
Today’s busy cook is veering away from just quick, to quick and healthy. It’s my opinion the days of the blue and green dinosaur shaped chicken nugget are coming to an end. People want real food.
Preserved Home: Mexican-style rice recipe recalls fond memories of Fidel’s
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
October 19, 2017
Filed under Food, NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
It’s possibly nervy thinking I have anything to serve up Southern California’s community in terms of a Mexican rice recipe, but I absolutely do. I might not have an abuela who passed down authentic Mexican recipes, but I grew up in Southern California, and know what good Mexican rice tastes like. The standard for me was set years ago at Carlsbad’s Fidel's Mexican Restaurant. It’s now called Norte, but to some of us, it will always be Fidel’s.
Preserved Home: Dumplings, grits make for old-fashioned deliciousness
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
June 5, 2017
Filed under Food, NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
Thumbing through the yellowed recipe cards from years back, I can see glimpses of times gone by — the ingredients, the lingo, and the simplicity. I loved the stains and crinkles on the cards, thinking of busy hands pulling them out of the box, hurrying to get dinner served on time. My grandmother ate poor man’s soup, but there is only a richness in the care, creativity, and even worry people faced, and still face today, about nourishing their families.
Preserved Home: Soup up tomatoes and broccoli to win over doubters
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
February 2, 2017
Filed under NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
I like to challenge myself in taking a vegetable my family doesn’t like and making it irresistible, so I decided to take on tomato soup. The result was a creamy, aromatic, tomatoey treat. Even my daughter, who has declared she hates tomatoes, quietly begged with her eyes as I proceeded to warm the last bit of leftovers for myself the next day.
Preserved Home: Spice up pumpkin with this Alfredo recipe
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
October 25, 2016
Filed under NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
Fall is my favorite season, so I jumped on the pumpkin wagon. But instead of buying something pumpkin flavored, I wanted to cook something with actual pumpkin — something fresh and creative.
Preserved Home: In a pickle over cucumbers? Try these recipes
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
June 29, 2016
Filed under NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
It’s a canning mother’s lament — finding the perfect pickle kids will like. In the past, they have been too sour, too sweet, too soft or too spicy, according to my children. Just giving them the first bite of my pickle experiment is like watching a stressful sporting event. Will they pucker? Will they run for the faucet because of spice? And could this be the one ingestible item they refuse because it’s too sweet?
Preserved Home: Sweeten the season with the tartness of lemon
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
April 19, 2016
Filed under NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
I love California’s abundance of citrus. I’ll never forget driving through the back roads of Temecula with the windows down as the fragrance of lemons filled the air. Growing up, my friend Veronica had several orange trees in her Escondido backyard, and it always seemed kind of magical to me.
Preserved Home: Use your noggin and create your own eggnog
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
December 20, 2015
Filed under NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
My eggnog drinking experience reminds me of the “Three Bears” story — one is too sweet, one is too rich, and the other one is devoid of any warm notes of spice. Until making eggnog myself, I hadn't found one that was “just right.” The search for a seasonal jug of cheer was difficult, in ...
Preserved Home: Look forward to the holidays by planning ahead
Laura Woolfrey Macklem
November 11, 2015
Filed under NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
One of the biggest challenges for the holiday host is spending time with guests while still meeting all the expectations of a holiday meal. And certainly, if you have out-of-town company, you aren’t just preparing one big meal, but several in between for your guests. The stress is enough to take the jingle o...
Swell Cafe brings art of gourmet coffee to rising tide of interest
Adam Burkhart
September 3, 2015
Filed under Del Mar, Food, NORTH COAST TASTE, Real Beans, Region, San Diego County, Solana Beach
John Vallas, the owner of Swell Cafe, wants to start a conversation about coffee, and he’s bringing it to the Flower Hill Promenade shopping center, wedged between the cities of San Diego, Del Mar and Solana beach, where Swell Cafe has opened a second location. But first, one point of ambiguity ne...
Preserved Home: Homemade vinegar can be a real mealtime gift
Laura Woolfrey-Macklem
September 3, 2015
Filed under Food, NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
My family doesn’t like store-bought salad dressing because it just tastes like oil with some flavoring. It drags the freshness of salad down, and there never seems to be enough flavor. I’m sure there are some exceptions, but I’ve never found a salad dressing that made salad shine as it should. The ...
Preserved Home: Make campouts a homey culinary treat
Laura Woolfrey-Macklem
May 23, 2015
Filed under Food, NORTH COAST TASTE, Preserved Home
It’s been said the best part of camping is the memories. My family loves to camp, but the hassle that goes into getting everything there, and back, is frustrating. Remembering everything from dish soap to salt and pepper is tedious. My husband did make a camp kitchen, which is a box on legs, storing s...
