cookiesinheaven

Labels: cupcakes, Martha Stewart

Labels: earthquake

After two extremely dry years, CBS 5 has learned that California will drastically slash the amount of water it gives to districts statewide.

In what could be the worst crisis in Decades, the California Department of Water Resources tells CBS 5 it will cut supplies to water districts by 85 to 90 percent. - CBS5.com

Labels: California, drought, Water

Labels: Flickr, Flickr Friday, Hawai'i, Restaurant, YouTube

Labels: Cookies, Recalls

...Consider what he does when he's not producing segments of "Tyler's Ultimate." Having just completed six holiday special segments for the Food Network, he is promoting two lavish cookbooks that hit the shelves this week.

Plus there's the construction of his latest restaurant, Bar Florence, in San Francisco, set to open in the spring. And readying Tyler Florence wine for wide distribution next year. And adding high-end cutlery to his personal line of culinary gear. And expanding retail operations beyond his flagship store. - San Jose Mercury New

Labels: Restaurant, San Francisco, tyler florence

Labels: California, Free Range Graphics, voting

• Autumn Greens Salad asian pears, candied pecans, endive, cabrales cheese,white balsamic vinaigrette
• Roasted Eggplant Soup greek yogurt, toybox tomatoes, basil emulsion

• Eastern Bass cranberry beans, haricot verts, heirloom tomatoes,lemon verbena fumet
• Organic Chicken Breast caramelized salsify, autumn spice grapes,grana padano risotto, tarragon jus
• Red Wine Braised Short Rib heirloom tomato salad, potato puree,stilton mousse,sauce bordelaise

• Coffee Pot de Crème vanilla bean shortbread
• Daily selection of Sorbets & Gelatos

Labels: Restaurant, Santa Barbara

• peace, love and granola plain yogurt drizzled with honey, fresh cut seasonal fruit, homemade granola 5.95
• irish oatmeal spiced infused maple syrup, raisins, steamed milk 5.95
• hangover helper breakfast sandwich stuffed with eggs, melted cheddar, applewood bacon, tomatoes, toasted sour dough bread or croissant 7.95

• crushed tomato basil bisque served with homemade biscuit and honey butter 4.95
• beefed up gone green mixed greens, casino cut roast beef, maytag blue, roasted red onions, tomatoes, homemade vinaigrette 10.95
• tree hugger roasted portabella, zuccini, roasted red peppers, roasted red onions, goat cheese, house aioli 8.95
• adults only grilled cheese sharp cheddar, caramelized onions, tomatoes, house aioli 7.95
• can’t commit half a sandwich and bowl of soup choice of tuna salad, chicken salad or grilled cheese. 7.95 Sub bowl of chili add $2

Labels: cafe, Food, Restaurant, Santa Barbara

Labels: cupcakes, Flickr, Flickr Friday, Halloween

Mother's Cookies, an Oakland institution for 92 years, has been shuttered, its owner seeking bankruptcy protection for the company.

The ending was abrupt: Workers for the company, which shifted its baking and distribution operations to plants in Ohio and Canada in 2006, told workers Friday that operations would cease and cookies would no longer be made as of Monday.

The company cited rising prices for raw materials and fuel, and on Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.- SFGate

Washington Mutual implodes? Times are tough. Lehman Brothers is gone? Time for some belt tightening. But Mother’s Cookies? This, my friends, is a tragedy.- SFFoodie

Labels: bankruptcy, Cookies

In the late 50s and early 60s, Steve and Gayle Henson's dude ranch was favored by weekend visitors who wanted to enjoy the natural surroundings.

The ranch menu often included salad with a dressing created by Steve from a dry mix of herbs and spices, mayonnaise and buttermilk. The dressing was so popular it soon became the only dressing served.

When a visitor asked for a batch to take back to Hawaii for a large party he was throwing, Henson knew he was on to something big. A few days later, the guest called wanting more. Everyone had gone wild over it.

...One day, he went down to the nearby Cold Spring Tavern, a popular local hang out, and barged into the kitchen to mix up some of his secret concoction.

He came out with a little white bowl, handed Audrey Ovington the owner, a spoon and asked her to taste it.

She said, “It took off in my mouth like a freight train.” She immediately put it on the menu.

...Steve Henson copyrighted the Hidden Valley name, but never got around to protecting the word “ranch”. You can find Ranch dressing at almost every salad bar next to the French, Italian and Thousand Island but not necessarily made by Hidden Valley. - Free Enterprise Land

Labels: Recipes, salad

Labels: rain, weather

We here in Santa Barbara LOVE our Avocados in so many ways!

Carpinteria's AvoFest has been going deliciously strong for 22 years!

Well, Santa Barbara County is the third largest avocado producer in North America, with Carpinteria being a major contributor. It seemed like a natural food festival in the making. Why have the Festival the first weekend in October? Oddly enough, statistics show that October is one of the sunniest months of the year with the least amount of rainfall.

And there it began...the California Avocado Festival.

• Spanish conquistadors discovered that avocado seeds yield a milky fluid that turns red when exposed to air. They used this indelible natural ink in documents that are preserved to this day.
• Sailors in the early 18th century relied on avocados for "midshipman's butter," spreading the creamy flesh on their otherwise hard biscuits.
• Bill Maher starred in a movie called "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death"

Labels: avocado, Carpinteria, Festivals

...Returning to the souffle dishes, he explained that in the great houses of ancient France, when a souffle was pulled from the oven, it was quickly wrapped in a collar of pleated starched linen "just like the collars people wore back then" so it was attractive enough to be presented at the table.

That's what inspired makers of the souffle dish as we know it today to give the outside of the dishes a pleated look.

Charles E. Williams should know. After all, he was the one who introduced the American home cook to French kitchen staples such as the souffle dish, the madeleine mold, the bain marie, the saute pan, even the hefty, mighty chef's knife.- SFGate

Labels: Birthdays, chuck williams, Williams Sonoma

An acai bowl is some variation on the following: acai blended with strawberries and bananas into a thick smoothie, put in a bowl, topped with granola, various fresh fruits, and honey.

...our smoothies dare to include ingredients such as spinach, nuts, avocado, granolas, broccoli...

...Lost stars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly and Dominic Monaghan have been spotted at Lanikai Juice for their daily açaí bowls.

Oprah lists açaí as one of the top 10 superfoods for age-defying beauty. And pro surfers Rob Machado, Pat O’Connell, Taylor Knox and Luke Egan highly recommend it, calling açaí the greatest energy food ever.

Açaí is an organic berry that grows wild in the Brazilian Amazon. Considered to be one of the top superfoods in the world, açaí is antioxidant rich and tastes like a blend of rich berries with a hint of chocolate. - Midweek.com

Labels: acai, Restaurant, Santa Barbara, smoothies