Like Dave McElroy, featured in a story by Sara Deseran in the May issue of 7x7, my husband is somewhat of an "extreme home cook." He relishes designing extravagant menus and wowing hungry guests with elaborate concoctions. (Though we don't have the benefit of the lush-looking kitchen shown in the Deseran story, which is no small source of anxiety to me, the dishwasher. Somehow my husband manages to deal with the janky oven, the lack of counter space, and the inevitable broken glasses a little more elegantly than I do.)

So, not content to forever be relegated to the sink at the end of the meal, I decided a while ago that I should be contributing more to the cooking side of things. I write about food; I enjoy food; I should make food. (And I'm forever fearful of being tossed aside like McElroy's wife, who is described in Deseran's story as "squeamish" -- she doesn't like to cook.) So I am now the ice cream maker in the family.

Ice cream is one of the easiest things to make, and the payoff (i.e., the guest appreciation) is big. Last night I made honey ice cream to accompany some fresh spring strawberries. A delicious apricot pie made a surprise appearance, brought by a guest, and it all came together beautifully.

The recipe came from "Chez Panisse Cooking" -- it was supposed to be chestnut honey, but I had a jar of Marshall Farms Buzzerkeley Wildflower honey so I used that. (Which means that, with dairy from Straus and eggs from Petaluma, this recipe was almost entirely local. The sugar was the only foreign offender.)

Because dessert comes, naturally, at the end of the meal, the photographic evidence is slightly, well, blurry.

The recipe called for 6 tablespoons of chestnut honey and 2 tablespoons of clover honey. I just used 8 tablespoons of the Marshall honey; next time, I would reduce that to 6 tablespoons because it was a little too sweet.

6 tablespoons honey
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks

Warm the honey in a saucepan. In another saucepan, heat the half and half, sugar, and 1 cup of the cream; stir to dissolve the sugar. Whisk the yolks in a bowl. Add the hot half and half mixture to the yolks, whisking constantly together. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine sieve into the remaining 1 cup cream. Stir in the warm honey. Chill and freeze in an ice cream maker.

Another recent venture into the world of frozen confections yielded a really surprisingly good olive oil ice cream (recipe from "The Babbo Cookbook"). The summer ahead holds many icy delights.

What does an award-winning Italian chef make for family and friends at Easter? We know what he makes for Christmas, but Easter? Why lamb chops stuffed with prosciutto, fontina and wild mushrooms in a red wine sauce of course! Not to mention 3 types of pasta and one enormous chocolate easter egg.

I spent Easter with M & B who for the past 3 years (well 13 really) have opened their home to me, fed me, and helped me pack at 1am when I was in a complete melt-down. M, comme d'habitude (as usual), created the menus, delightful and dazzling wrapped in an Easter bow. The night before we filled plastic eggs with a few coins, some chocolate eggs and reese's peanut butter cups and hid them throughout the house for the kid's (not mine!) easter egg hunt.

When the kids arrived they immediately started casing the joint, knowing full well that little round treasures were hidden right in front of them. When they got the go ahead, J immediately headed for the stuffed dog under which I thought I had so cleverly hid an egg. A, his older sister, just looked at me and rolled her eyes. Scary how a 5 year old can outsmart you and an 8 year old can find you to be so uncool.

Once the kids separated out and counted their stash and the adults had consumed copious amounts of Prosecco, it was time to feast. L had a wardrobe malfunction and came running in straight from Nordy's out of breath but looking fabulous. So to answer my rhetorical question above, this is what an award winning chef has for easter. I was just grateful to be there to share in the food, friendship, convivialite.

asparagi bianchi alla veneta
steamed white & green asparagus drizzled with egg vinaigrette

pappardelle al tartufl nero e funghi
wide ribbons of pasta tossed with black truffle and wild mushrooms

tortelloni pasqualina
homemade tortelloni filled with cheese and prosciutto in a green pea & creme sauce

risotto all'aragosta e asparagi
creamy aborio rice with maine lobster, asparagus, cherry tomates and white wine

costelette di agnello repiene
lamb chops stuffed with prosciutto, fontina and wild mushrooms in a red wine sauce

and grilled salmon for the lone vegetarian....

torta di choccolato e lamponi
chocolate torte layered with fresh raspberries

and we can't forget the wine.... a fabulous '97 Brunello de Montalcino! actually a few '97 Brunello di Montalcinos..... which is why the picture of the dessert is so blurry! ;-)

Some tips on vinaigrettes....

Vinegar come from the french words vin (wine) and aigre (sour) and is the result of fermentation in wines and other alcohol. When making a vinaigrette, consider what you are dressing before selecting your oil and vinegar. If you want a light dressing for a more delicate salad such as mache, grab for the bottle of vegetable oil. if you want a strong more robust dressing, consider a strong extra virgin olive oil.

The same is true for the vinegars. If you are making a salad with fruit or it's a hot summer day, consider a champagne vinegar. You can also use lemon juice, orange juice, or blood oranges! One of my favorites when making my green bean and red baby potato salad is a deep aged balsamic with dijon mustard and a friend's home made olive oil.

Getting the ratio of oil to vinegar is key so start with 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil. Then add the oil slowly whisking constantly until you have the desired taste and consistency. Taste it with what ever you will be dressing as it will be less strong when tossed on mache or potatoes.

Also, if you are adding herbs, shallots, or garlic to your vinagrette, add them to the vinegar first and let them infuse. Add the salt and pepper then as well because once the oil is incorporated, the infusion slows down.

Experiment with different oils and vinegars such as sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar or fruit juices. With oils, try sesame oil or hazelnut oil and if they are too strong alone cut it with a light flavored vegetable oil. And with the summer right around the corner, this is a perfect time to start.

Buona Pasqua d'Italia et Bon Appetit de Paris!

I joined a fitness boot camp that started this past Monday. It is really kicking my butt, but it is giving me the needed discipline that I don't have on my own. Sure, not showing up would mean wasting my money, but I think the most important thing about the class is that I am reporting to a group. I feel a sense of responsibility and a great ability to stick to my goals.

I didn't even think of the parallels between this and the Eat Local Challenge until I read cookiecrumb's comment in this post referring to the Eat Local Challenge as a sort of boot camp. Those of us who have agreed to take the challenge starting on Monday and lasting through all of May are accountable to the over 700 other people taking the challenge along with us.

Why have so many people agreed to try and eat food that is derived close to their homes? There are as many reasons as there are participants, but most of us do it to become more aware of where our food is actually coming from. The average food on the dinner plate of Americans has travelled 1500 miles. Chad Heeter wrote an article last month entitled "The Oil in your Oatmeal" that was published in the Chronicle. It outlines the amount of fossil fuel it takes to produce, package and ship a typical breakfast.

So we are dedicating the month of May to try and eat food that is grown within our foodshed, or as locally as possible. For some, that will be within a 100-mile radius. For others, it will be their state or their region. Some of us will take the challenge very literally and try to eat as many things as possible within our area and try to cut out all that is not local. Others of us will keep coffee and bread and other items that are very difficult to source. Some of us will aim for eating one meal a week that is all local, while others of us will try for every meal.

In my boot camp, people are in the class for very different reasons. Some are trying to get their running times down. Some are trying to lose weight for their wedding, and some like me are just trying to show up. Every day that I show up at the camp is a victory in my mind. Every day that I focus and pay attention and push my body as far as I can go is a boon. Just like the boot camp, all of us must set very personal challenges for the Eat Local Challenge and do what we can.

I can promise you that if you decide to take the challenge that your eyes will be opened. Even if you don't meet all your goals, you will have changed the way that you think about your food. And every time you are able to ask a supermarket manager or butcher where your food is from, you will be reminding that person that we care to know where we are getting our nourishment from.

I have seen Michael Pollan speak several times in the past few weeks, and a couple of times audience members have asked him if there is any hope. Big industrial food has taken over much of our society, and the food choices we have seem put upon us and hopeless. His response has been great. Compared to big issues -- the war in Iraq, terrorism, immigration, slave labor -- Pollan believes that food is one with the most hope. Of course, there are many policy changes that would help change the food industry, but eating is something that each of us does every day, usually three times a day. Each and every time we choose to put something into our mouths, we are voting for that food and that producer and that grower. We can, in small ways many times a day, make a difference.

Think you might be interested in the Eat Local Challenge? Check out the Locavores site or this Eat Local Challenge Announcement.

Would you like more information on why eating local food is important? Begin with this post called "10 Reasons to Eat Local."

Interested in writing about your Eat Local Challenge experience? Send me your blog url and I will add you to a list of over 40 bloggers writing about their challenges around the country.

Normally when we go on hikes or road trips, I take it upon myself to make sure we are fully fooded up. Some cold pork loin sandwiches with apple stuffing here, a bit of cheese there, and then to wash it all down with sparkling water or mayhaps some special wine. However, there are some trips where fasting until we get to wherever we're going pays off. Enter the new Cowgirl Cantina at Pt. Reyes Station.

I've worked at Ye Olde Stanke Cheesehoppe on and off for over a year now, but this was my first visit to Pt. Reyes Station. A few weeks ago, we were just. So. Sick. of the rain and had to get out of town. Somehow dealing with rain 40 miles up the coast seemed more appealing than dealing with rain in the city.

After twisting ourselves around Route 1 for over an hour (yeah, we smartened up and took Lucas Valley Road back to the city. I mean, the Route 1 views can't be beat, but the acid eating a hole in my stomach for the last ten miles could've pulped several car batteries.), we arrived at cozy Pt. Reyes Station hungry for food and views. Views they definitely got up there. Quiet green mountains leaped in my sight wherever I turned, and gentle frontier architecture swallowed up the unpaved streets.

As for food, well, Cowgirl Creamery recently took over the cantina counter in the renovated barn, and Chef Chris Douglas is doling out food that is damn well worth the twisting and acid eating. The menu is comprised mainly of freshly-made soups, salads, and sandwiches, but you can also get roasted chickens or lavender-brined pork loins to have for laters. We definitely made some happy laters out of the Curry-Spiced Boneless Roast Chicken.

Because we ordered St. George Raclette with Fingerling Potatoes and Cardamom-Braised River Dog Cabbage, I got to see a racelette machine in action. The verdict? I'm putting it on my wish list.

We also grabbed a thick, crusty sandwich of Niman Ranch Tri-Tip with fava bean purée, shreds of mint, and glossy onion jam. If that was the only thing they ever had on their menu I'd be blissfully happy, but for people who need more variety, they fill out with smoked fish and chicken breast sandwiches and a variety of salads. I'm sort of distressed that their menu will change daily because that plate of raclette, potatoes, and cabbage? *Groan*

Speaking of orgasmic foods, Rachel Cohen, the manager of Cowgirl Creamery's Ferry Building store and former pastry chef, personally makes Scharffenberger Double Chocolate cookies for the Cantina. Now, I'm pretty picky about cookies. I don't usually go in for the soft and chewy variety; I like a bit more snap and crunch to my chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin. These particular cookies gave me the best of both worlds. Though chewy as a warmly dense brownie on the inside, the exterior had a thin, crisp chocolate crust that completely satisfied my need for crunch.

We took our heavy plates of food and sat out back of the barn where the sun actually came out until we finished our lunch.

Cowgirl Cantina
80 4th Street at B (one block in from Hwy 1)
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Wednesdays - Sundays 10am-6pm

What store holds "anti-oppression training" doesn't carry meat because they "think of animals as our friends" and is open on Independence day but closed for the Gay Pride parade? It ain't Real Foods, it's Rainbow Grocery. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think Rainbow Grocery is the best store in the world. But I love it just the same.

Like Shuna , I tend to reject anything that seems the slightest bit "hippy-dippy". Many of the folks working at my local Real Foods are just plain dippy. Like the guy behind the meat counter who can't answer any questions because he doesn't eat meat. You might think Rainbow Grocery is "hippy-dippy" but it really isn't. It has a vibe that makes me smile. Here's why:Start with the parking, it's lousy but on really busy days the store sends someone out to play parking attendant. That's nice.

The moment you enter the store you reach my favorite thing, the bulletin board. I've actually tried to convince several employees, sorry, worker-owners, that they ought to publish the comments in book form. One person comments that they don't like that some men working at the store wear skirts. Another person responds, that they love that men wear skirts and think ALL the men should wear skirts. Another comment, no uniforms should be allowed, everyone should be free to wear what they want.

Someone always accuses the store of a conspiracy. Why don't they carry spirulina spelt tortillas anymore? (ok I made that up) Don't they know that was the only kind of tortilla I can eat? Are they trying to ruin my life? And then some nice store person will respond--sorry, the supplier no longer offers them but that the store is trying to find another supplier. Finally there are the comments about Odwalla. Doesn't the store know that it's owned by evil Coke? Yes, they know, but customers want the product and being a cooperative and all they voted and Odwalla stays. Feel free not to buy it.

At this point I'm smiling like, well, a stoned hippy. I move on to the bulk section which is amazingly organized and clean. It's also full of obscure seaweeds and heirloom beans and the like. The olive bar is quite nice. The dried fruit section is a bit creepy for some reason. All those refrigerated boxes of brown fruit just give me the heeby jeebies.

The produce section provides information about where each item comes from, perfect for designing your menu ala "Watsonville Strawberries and Cream". There are lots of organic products and prices are considerably better than what you find at Real Foods. But more importantly, nothing is rotten. Slime alert! At Real Foods stay away from the mung beans and mushrooms!

Each category of items, be it jam or crackers, seems to have a store recommendation. That way you can find the most fair trade, organic, local, sustainable product made by skirt wearing men. The dairy section is enormous and includes so many types of eggs you might have a breakdown trying to decide which to buy, except that they print an egg-buying guide, to help you along. The cheese section, unlike the one at Real Foods is actually staffed. Staffed by people, people who know about cheese. I know, crazy, but true.

Now the check out clerks can sometimes be a downer at Rainbow Grocery. They don't have that Trader Joe's perkiness. But still, it's been a great trip.

Want to find out about customer appreciation day and where you can find 20% off coupons for Rainbow Grocery? Head over to Cooking with Amy .

Sometimes when I meet people they ask me what my "real name" is. Or they just smile in that slow easy way, knowingly commenting, "Your parents were hippies, eh?"

My name was given to me. By parents in the process of "dropping out," becoming radicalized, and writing about the civil rights movement. I saw too much. I went to a red-diaper school where we attended anti-war protests and learned how to tie-dye.

I have top-notch hippy credentials, as you can see. But because at age 5 I moved to New York City, land of sarcasm and brutal reality, I did not grow up wanting to celebrate my former lifestyle. I never went to a Dead show. No Birkenstocks in my closet. I have never believed in free love.

These reasons are the stupid ones I used to avoid Cafe Gratitude. The first snuck into my old neighborhood on Harrison and 20th street and even though I heard Tracy Chapman was going there and the girls were cute, I stayed away fearing contagion.

Recently at the Berkeley farmer's market I ran into an old aquaintance, Miele, who cheerily reported that she and her partner were managing the latest Cafe Gratitude just blocks from my new home in Berkeley. One Saturday night, two weeks later, I found my mouth suggesting it as a dinner possibility. Not only was I not disappointed but I have been back since.

Cafe Gratitude is indeed contagious. After a mere two years of being in business, Matthew and Terces Engelhart have 3 locations under their belt, a San Francisco main central kitchen --operating 24 hours a day -- and plans for others in cities where devotees of raw whole food eating are growing.

"We're not necessarily in the restaurant business, we're in it for the community it builds," Ms. Engelhart said happily in a phone conversation about the popularity of Cafe Gratitude. "We create an environment of unconditional love for our employees and make a huge commitment to the quality of their lives."

Although much of the food is prepped offsite, the lines-people have a lot of input as to how the dishes are plated and seasoned. Sometimes Ms. Engelhart suggests ideas and the kitchen workers tweak recipes, other times un-cooks bring dishes they've come up with and "a lot of the food has made it to the menus." Luckily for us, a recipe book is in the works. These delicious secrets are well worth the wait.

Until Millennium and Angelica Kitchen, I'd not had a professionally cooked vegan meal I found inspiring. In childhood my mother went through both a Pritiken and macrobiotic phase. And I'd eaten more than my fair share of ashram and communal-house cooked meals.

Cafe Gratitude's food is delicious, texturally explicit, mystifying, daunting, and their menu is large enough to challenge anyone's inner bored diner. Unbelievably it's completely soy free! No tepid tofu here, no fatty aftertaste of soy milk in the smoothies. When Ms. Engelhart solidified my guess at soy's complete omission, she mentioned soy's difficult digestibility and the desire not to participate in a legume with such strong ties to Genetically Modified Organisms. Matthew and Terces Engelhart have owned a 16-acre organic, apprentice-run farm on Maui for the last 11 years and work directly with farmers to get the large supply of produce and nuts needed for their cuisine.

When entering Cafe Gratitude for the first time, I suggest opening your mind as far as it will go. If you enjoy the attention of the entire restaurant on your birthday, this is the restaurant for you. The staff is ebullient, if not always efficient and aware.

Menu items have names like I AM MAGICAL stuffed mushrooms: Six cremini mushrooms stuffed with sprouted sunflower seed-walnut pate, sprinkled with Brazil nut parmesan, $7; I AM FLOURISHING Mediterranean plate: Live walnut-almond falafels served with sprouted almond-sesame seed hummus, spicy olive tapenade, seasoned almond toast, and cucumber tzatziki, $12; and my favorite: I AM GIVING kale & sea vegetable salad: Kale and sea vegetables marinated with sesame orange dressing, tossed with cucumbers, shiitakes, pine nuts, and sesame seeds, $9. If you have never attempted to eat raw kale, I invite you to try this dish. Each bite is a new adventure in taste and texture. The menu is overwhelming, but the food is a varied mix of strong and subtle, crunchy and creamy, bright and complex.

Silly as it may sound, it's fun to tell the waiter what you want in the first person. Having heard the shakes were a highlight of Cafe Gratitude, I ordered I AM DELICIOUS An almond malt smoothie: Young coconut milk, almond butter, dates, maca, and vanilla, $6.50. If for any reason you find yourself being unable to chew, living off these shakes and live juices would be possible. Not in the mood for something thick? Cafe Gratitude's almond milk is house-made and more refreshing than you might expect.

Vegan cookery, or, in this case, vegan raw, is a mystery to me. But more than the savoury food, which anyone can conjure if pressed, vegan baking, or un-baking is beyond my comprehension. After a surprisingly innovative, well-balanced, gorgeously plated meal of grean leafies and mushrooms and nuts in various incarnations, I was to taste possibly one of the best desserts in my eating career.

I AM AWAKENING is aptly named. A Key Lime pie with coconut meringue and macadamia nut crust is as acidic as bravely biting into a lime wedge, but perfectly balanced between a seemingly buttery crust, and rich, smooth, light "custard" set with Irish moss. My friend and I fought over the last bite.

On my second trip I AM AWAKENING was, sadly, unavailable, so I tried I AM HEAVENLY mudslide pie: Raw chocolate crust filled with a creamy raw chocolate and almond butter filling, rippled with cashew whipped cream. Heavier and denser, like its distant cousin-twice-removed, the cheesecake, this slice was a little too unctuous for me, although I could have eaten the crust on its own!

Whatever your feelings about vegans, live foodists, or the vague philosophies of a modern day business model based on "being present to the endless beauty and bounty of life," Cafe Gratitude has some unique and exquisite foods worth trying.

Cafe Gratitude
2400 Harrison SF 9 AM- 10 PM daily
1336 9th Avenue SF 10 AM- 10 PM daily
1730 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley 10 AM- 10 PM daily

You've done two television shows now, is there anything out there that, if given carte blanche, you're really itching to do on television?
I'd like to fully exploit the genius of Mario Batali. The REAL Mario Batali--in all his Not Ready For Television glory. (I LOVED casting him as Clemenza in the New Jersey show.) I'd like to feature Christopher Walken in a show (He's a passionate cook and food enthusiast.) I'd love to do a scene where a supposedly enraged Emeril Lagasse pistol whips me, then jabs a broken bottle of Old Crow into my neck. (I've actually approached him about this.)

I Tivo'd every episode of Kitchen Confidential, the sitcom, why do you think it failed?
I never concentrate on the Mysteries Of Hollywood. It's a world I don't presume to know. Why audiences watch what they watch is something I have no understanding of, and I've never concerned myself with trying to figure out What Audiences -- or readers -- might Want. I do what I feel I can do, as best as I can do it. My experience with the Kitchen Confidential show was a good one. I liked the people who made it, I think they made a good effort at making it as good as it could be, given a sitcom format. I never expected it to be the book. I didn't take it personally when the show failed. I met a lot of nice people, made some money and had a lot of nice, free lunches. All good.

Do you think Mario Batali has "jumped the shark" now that he has put out Mario Tailgates Nascar-Style? And by the way, when is "Anthony Bourdain Cooks for Pro Wrestlers" coming out?
Mario is Cool For Life. He could breakdance in a tutu and fright wig on American Idol and STILL be the coolest chef on TV. He's a Magnificent Beast and good for the world. As far as my involvement with pro wrestling? Think not. Big, waxed muscle guys in tiny little bathing suits make me nervous...

Your new book, The Nasty Bits, is coming out in April, and in it you've collected some of the more outrageous experiences you've had trotting the globe -- of all the stories you tell, what do you think readers will be most surprised by?
Maybe my "happy ending" Christmas fable. It's uncharacteristically optimistic.

Wow, "optimistic"? Can't wait to read that. It is often said that you easily shock people outside the intimate world of the food professional, but have you yourself ever been shocked by anything you've come upon in the food world?
Well..since you asked...A few years back, I walked into the bathroom of a restaurant I was working at to find the busboy -- who'd just emigrated from rural Pakistan -- washing his ass in the sink, bare-handed. That shocked me. Of course, I hadn't seen the world outside my kitchen yet. Now, I doubt I'd blink. While travelling I'm occasionally shocked when my dinner is still alive a few minutes before cooking. But less and less so.

Being in Northern California, we have heard tales of this extraordinarily inedible vegan picnic you ate in Berkeley -- can you tell us more about it? What did you eat that was so awful?
It just seems to me that if you're a loud proponent of a Vegan lifestyle, you should know how to cook a damn vegetable with some care and respect and proficiency. What shocked me in Berkeley was how AWFUL it was. That they so ineptly dressed their salads, that their knifework was so clumsy, that they ruined their veggies by overcooking them, immune to their worth. Destroying any attractiveness or texture and even their vitamin content. Most steak houses cook their vegetables with more respect.

Have you ever had any vegan food that you thought was worth putting in your mouth and, more importantly, swallowing?
Sure. In India. They know how to do vegan in India.

Are you still planning on taking an extended hiatus in Vietnam?
Yes. As soon as the Travel Channel wises up and cancels my ass.

Fans of Anthony Bourdain have followed him from the printed page to the Food Network and to his latest show, No Reservations on the Travel Channel (Mondays at 10). We recently talked with Tony about his latest foray into television. Tomorrow we'll post part two of the interview.

How has working with the Travel Channel been a different experience from the work you did with the
Food Network?
As much as I hate to appear the corporate suck-up, I have to be honest and say that Travel Channel has been utterly wonderful from the get-go. They have pretty much indulged me in every way one could hope for. I go the places I want to go--and only the places I want to go. I make the shows I want to make. I make the show with a very creative, close knit team of friends. Essentially, I actually get paid to do what I want to do. Whatever I want to do--and wherever I want to do it. Content, location, music, I'm as involved as I want to be.

At the Food Network, there was constant pressure to do more domestic shows, to pander to their core demographic--meaning "more BBQ shows! How about you go to a dude ranch? Interested in showing your audience how they make a Twinkie?" that sort of thing. It's amazing they let me on that network in the first place. Travel Channel has been much cooler, much more interested in foreign locations--showing people what they HAVEN'T seen before. And they have a sense of humor. I think the Adult Advisory at the beginning of every segment of No Reservations says it all.

Which episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations have viewers had the strongest positive and negative reactions to?
I think Malysia and the Asian episodes in general have provoked the strongest positive reactions--hopefully because I felt most strongly and passionately about those places myself. I like to think so anyway. While the snarkier episodes may be funnier, I'm always a little uncomfortable with falling back on that. It's a sign of failure. Most negative reaction? I don't know. Though very proud of it, I suspect that some people are going to be VERY upset with the Inuit scene in the Quebec show.

Do you ever feel the urge to recreate some of the fantastical things you've eaten on No Reservations at home, or is that impossible for reasons such as availability, technique, etc.?
Never. I am not so arrogant as to think that just because I've seen someone make Peking duck in Beijing--that I'll have something to add to the process after only a brief encounter. Most of the time, the dishes I see made or eat on the show are the end result of a lifetime of trial and error--and hundreds if not thousands of years of tradition. When I'm abroad I'm there to eat and experience the place. I'm not analyzing. I'm a French cook. That's what I'm good at. And it took me almost 30 years to get good at that..

How does the current season of No Reservations compare to last season?
More exotic locations, better locations, a desire to always change, not repeat what we've done before, to say something new--and show the audience something new...Also--as me and my crew continue to travel and work together, we (hopefully) are getting better at what we do, as with any band on tour. And back home--the same goes for the editors. As we shoot, we know which editor will be working on the show--and we're getting better at playing to their strengths. It's like a kitchen in some ways--over time you get better at working together--at the choreography.

It's so much easier on Saturday mornings to stay under the warm covers with my cup of coffee and my newest book, but I have been trying my hardest to motivate and go to a farmers' market on Saturdays or at some point each week. I am making a point of doing this for the farmers. They have had an unusually rough season, and the most important thing we can do right now is to go to markets in the rain and support them.

This doesn't mean that you have to buy gads of produce that you don't want, but it does mean that you should give the small local farmers a chance. A chance to explain why prices are high, a chance to explain why their produce is looking a little bedraggled, a chance to tell you how the rain is affecting their farm.

The situation was best explained in the weekly newsletter produced by CUESA: "The anticipation that seasonal eaters feel in early spring has turned into more of an ache this year as farmers forecast smaller harvests on later dates for our favorite foods. But the ache we feel is trifling compared to the devastating losses for those whose livelihoods depend on California's fertile soil and sunshine. Storm after storm has discouraged pollinators, muddied fields and rotted flowers and berries; many farmers are struggling through the wettest season they've seen in at last twenty years."

How will this unusually wet season affect what's on our plates this year?

Berries: The rain has decimated strawberry crops throughout the area. Swanton Berry Farm which usually has an abundance of berries by this time has just brought a small fraction of their usual harvest to market. My own CSA had to cancel their May strawberry days due to the small yield of inferior strawberries.

Grapes: If the rain continues in the next couple of weeks, the size of the 2006 local wine harvest could be much lower than predicted.

Stonefruit: Cherries, peaches, apricots, and other stonefruit are in jeopardy. If we continue to have warm days like today, then we may be in the clear, but more rain (as is predicted at the end of this week) may jeopardize the stonefruit crops.

Tomatoes: Though tomato season is months away, farmers have been unable to get their seedlings into the ground due to wet and soggy conditions.

Lettuces: All types of lettuces are being hard hit. Prices will be higher for a while, and the quality may not be what we're used to.

What can we do about all this gloom and doom news? We can't really stop the rain, so we will have to support farmers to the best of our ability with our wallets.

We can hit the farmers' markets. Bundle up if necessary, and wear your galoshes. The farmers will be there, so let's give them a reason to drive their trucks into the city. Small crowds are discouraging to the farmer after they've worked so hard to bring what they do have to market.

We can taste before judging. Chances are that when apricots come to the market, they will be sort of ugly and have some brown spots. But there is a good chance that they will actually taste great. Don't be quick to dismiss the ugly fruit, and listen to the farmers when they tell you why it looks the way it does.

We can adjust our spring repertoires to match what's available locally. I am as ready for spring peas and strawberries as the next person, but instead this week I was cooking yet another butternut squash. In the grand scheme of things, a few more weeks of butternut squash isn't going to kill me, and I feel good supporting my local farms instead of buying foreign strawberries to meet my craving.

For more information, you can read some of the great references below, or you can head out to a market and ask your local farmers how the rain has affected them and what we can expect in the coming months.

Greenleaf Produce Newsletter, 4/17/06 (pdf)
CUESA Newsletter, 4/14/06
Grape growers fret about persistent rain, SF Chronicle, 4/6/06
California rains spell produce woes, Anchorage Daily News, 4/12/06.

While a sizable portion of America is atoning for sins in church today, or something like that, another faction of sizable Americans is considering what, exactly, to do with all that Easter candy. Here are a few suggestions -- revolving around two mainstays of the Easter basket, the Cadbury Creme Egg and the almost indestructible Peep.

Easter Turducken
A blogger adapts the rather excessive Thanksgiving concoction that involves stuffing a chicken into a duck into a turkey. He takes a miniature Cadbury creme egg, stuffs it into a marshmallow Peep, and then stuffs the resulting crime against nature into a hollow chocolate bunny (offering the rare chance to take a power tool to an innocent sugar-based creature):

Voila, the loathsome hollow bunny is transformed into several thousand calories, as God intended. Many children wonder around Easter how it is that bunnies lay eggs. As a side benefit, Easter turducken illustrates clearly that this "theory" is wrong. Obviously bunnies lay chickens, which then lay the eggs. Mystery solved.

Cadbury Egg Cake
It was bound to happen: you want to make an Easter cake, and you're out of eggs. But the Easter Bunny delivered a fresh batch of Cadbury cream eggs this morning! Perfect. This blogger has a little trouble extracting the egg from the shell, but Easter gods (or whatever) are on his side, and he prevails. (He notes: "Cadbury eggs are a little yolk-shy. I am learning that basically, you just need to forget everything you THINK know about eggs because man, you don't know anything. You know nothing about eggs. Eggs is like 'You don't know me! Don't even play like you know me!'") Delicious.

Peep Waldorf Salad
This one's a little old -- but timeless, really. Heed the warning to use the pink or yellow Peeps, because the "lavender ones make the salad grayish." This alarmingly practical bit of advice suggests that people have actually made/will actually make this salad.

Homemade Cadbury Cream Eggs
In case you get a craving for these sugar bombs after the all-too-brief window of opportunity, or if you are just so DIY that you must craft your own (would it be possible for Locavores to make them?), you can.