On my last trip to Los Angeles about two weekends ago, I was locked out of Porto's. I was three minutes late. Regardless of how much I begged the lady guarding the entrance ("I drove ALL the way from San Diego!") or my posse behind me (some guy who had come from San Francisco and... Continue Reading →
Bargaining chip cookies
My Thanksgiving four-day holiday was great. I got to sleep in late, eat a ton of food, nap and catch up on a stack of things to do. One of the things I wanted to do was get a start on the Christmas cards. My rough sketch for our holiday card.Since last year, Paul and... Continue Reading →
It’s a cupcake thing
I've bought some really disappointing cupcakes lately. (Posts to come later.) But the principal idea behind cupcakes still makes me cheerfully happy inside: a serving of cake for one with tons of frosting. Sharing is optional.So when I heard of Johnny Cupcakes in Los Angeles, I knew I had to visit and check it out... Continue Reading →
Ready-made sushi kits for the Walmart crowd
I don't make it a habit to go to Walmart on a regular basis. I try to avoid it at all costs. But admittedly they do have great values on, say, soap. But what they have in cost savings doesn't make up for the dread of walking into the store and coming face to face... Continue Reading →
Please. Don’t judge.
I've been ill the past few days and work has me busy until the end of the year.But look! It's eggnog season already.
Accept no imitations — Mother’s vs. the Keebler elf
When Mother's Cookies announced a few weeks ago that they were closing for good, I was saddened at the loss of a long-lived cookie institution. Not because I was fond of the cookies -- they aren't the best cookies I've ever tasted -- but for the retro factor of it all. Mother's Cookies to me... Continue Reading →
Political cookie
A sugar cookie with an icing flavored with hope and with a dash of change.The cookies were part of Porto's cookie election: buy either a donkey to support Obama or an elephant for McCain. The elephant cookies looked crumbly, stale, disappointing and appeared to be the same old, same old.
Food and mail — what not to do
So did you hear about the news this week where someone mailed bacon to a Republican Congressman as a message about pork barreling? Turns out it wasn't such a good idea. The bacon leaked through the package and forced evacuation of the office. A bomb squad came in and discovered it was just food. Personally,... Continue Reading →
Summer days driftin’ away, to uh-oh those summer nights
I'm sad summer is over. It's been eventful in many ways: a summer vacation to the Midwest, a marriage proposal from my best friend and — of course — the annual comic-con in San Diego where I met many old and new friends that I don't see far too often.Abby Denson's rocking Hello Kitty purse!One... Continue Reading →
My Burning Kitchen... on the road 