Hisakazu Watanabe, Wikimedia Commons Few can resist the call of a fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll. There is something about cinnamon rolls that I find irresistible. Well, okay, a lot more than one thing. Many things, such as their aroma, especially fresh from the oven, their tender texture, the sweetness, the taste and satisfaction all combine to provide a wonderful experience. I know this is an appreciation shared by many others, as there are entire businesses that cater t

Many readers like to munch on something while they pore over their books. Others enjoy the cool refreshment of a bowl of ice cream while turning pages. Well, some of the best ice cream in the world comes from valley cows and is processed in a valley creamery. There are several places in the Central Valley that are truly “destinations” that bring people to enjoy their beauty or uniqueness. Hanford used to have two of them. Imperial Dynasty was legend for those who enjoy a sit-

Foodie Girl, freerangestock.com Corn and black beans go together very well. Adding some colorful bell peppers to the mix is even better. It seems like we sort of get caught in a revolving door, going from one holiday or special event to another, barely getting a chance to catch our breath. I understand that the world of marketing and advertising tends to promote special days very early, because most businesses need to make a profit. And those businesses provide us with a grea

Andy Li, Wikimedia Commons Salmon is a popular choice for many who enjoy poke bowls for a meal. I first heard of the delicacy known as a poke bowl from my youngest son, Cody. He enjoys living in an area that is rich with popular foods that represent many different nations and cultures. I had to look up how to pronounce the Hawaiian word “poke,” which as far as I can tell, is enunciated “POH-kay” or sometimes “POH-keh.” Different versions of the poke bowl are popping up in man

Sakurai Midori, Wikimedia Commons Enhance your morning with delectable sticky buns, along with a cup of coffee, cocoa, tea or juice. The morning I sat down to write this, I was wondering what type of recipes to feature. While wondering, I was taking bite after bite of a delicious apple-cinnamon sticky roll, all gooey with a buttery, brown sugar glaze. Then it occurred to me that sticky buns/rolls would be a great subject. I won’t be able to share the recipe for the grocery-st

Feast Catering, Wikimedia Commons One of the most popular bar cookie is the lemon bar. Just about everyone loves them. Yes, we’re talking about bar cookies. Not found in a bar, but they are cut into bars. I like to make bar and drop cookies because they don’t require rolled-out dough, cookie cutters or cookie presses. These days, I find myself less eager to try recipes that take a lot of time. As a retiree, I am amazed that I have much less free time now than I did back when

Ahha, Freerangestock.com Seafood lovers cherish a platter of tasty crab legs. A cooked artichoke is a good go-along for such a meal. A favorite meal at our house involves each person getting a whole cooked Dungeness crab, cleaned, cracked and ready to eat, along with a big artichoke, both fresh from the coast. If we are very lucky, the crab has been sourced right from the docks and not from a freezer. As I am writing this, my husband is cooking and cleaning the crabs. He aske

Jim Lukach, Wikimedia Commons Enhance your Saint Patrick’s Day meal with some freshly-baked Irish soda bread. I wasn’t going to write about the typical Saint Patrick’s Day (coming up on Tuesday, March 17) meal of corned beef and cabbage, but I decided to give it a little attention. I went grocery shopping about a week ago, and had corned beef on my shopping list, followed by a question mark, because I wasn’t sure the stores had put any out yet. I found some, just two or three