The recent break I took over the Thanksgiving holiday was the first time in six years that I’d gone a whole week without posting a video. Well, since everyone was so understanding, and seemed genuinely happy that I was taking a vacation, I’ve decided to take another one.

That’s right, it seems as though I have a few more days of vacation time to use up, and it’s either take them before the end of the year, or risk a terse email from Human Resources. 

This actually works out perfectly, since I’m flying back east to spend the Christmas holiday with my family. My hope is that you’re all be so busy eating, drinking, and of course, shopping, that you’ll hardly notice I’m gone.

By the way, I know I’ve mentioned heading back to New York many times, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever specified exactly where. Here’s a map with good ol’ Machester, NY pinned for all to see. You’re welcome, stalkers. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week, and I promise this will be the last vacation I take this year.

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Today is the last day of my vacation, and I'm sorry, but I just couldn’t not post any longer. So, I wanted to say a quick hello, and thank everyone who sent along their well-wishes during the break. By the way, I loved seeing the pictures many of you posted on Twitter and Instagram of our Thanksgiving recipes!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to golf as I'd planned, but I did keep myself busy with a few fun projects around the house. One of those projects was definitely not an awesome and illegal pizza oven built from a pile of bricks found in the garden (not pictured here). Nope, that didn’t happen.

Anyway, I’ll have a brand new video recipe tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned for that, and as always…I missed you!

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One of the things I love about my partnership with Allrecipes.com is that they actually make me take these things called, “vacations.” Apparently these periodic breaks are quite common in corporate America, and supposedly help the employee relax, rest, and recharge. Since I’m going to be golfing, that’s not going to happen, but still, I appreciate the time.
 
I’ll be off for a week, and by “off,” I really mean “off.” While comments will be published, I will not be monitoring the blog while out, so when it comes to cooking questions, you’ll be at the mercy of fellow foodwishers and Google. Good luck with that. Anyway, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and I look forward to getting back to work next week. Enjoy!

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Thanksgiving is almost here, and we'll assume you already have a great turkey and gravy recipe, so today we are focusing on the side dishes (btw, if you are still sans bird recipe, don't panic, and just check out our critically acclaimed, two-part video series, How to Make Turkey and Gravy).
 
Everyone knows, it's not a great turkey that makes the meal, it's what you pair it with. What good is a beautiful bird sitting next to a bunch of so-so sides? With that in mind, here's a little collection of thanksgiving appropriate dishes from days gone by. Don't let the poor producton value on the older videos fool you, these are some great sides, and would make a lovely addition to your holiday spread. Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach

Creamy Corn Custard

Pecan and Apricot Sourdough Bread Stuffing

Green Bean and Blue Cheese Gratin

Lime and Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Celery Root and Potato Puree

Cold Broccoli Salad

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin

Butter Roasted Cauliflower

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I don't want to get bogged down in the details, but sometime Friday we'll be posting our annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce recipe. One hint, and possible spoiler, I really think you'll go nuts for this. Stay tuned!

Photo courtesy of USDA

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Just in case our recently featured pumpkin cheesecake isn't your thing, here are some additional ideas as we head towards the Thanksgiving holiday. It's kind of a mystery why we only enjoy these recipes this time of year, since they're all made with available-anytime ingredients, but whatever it is, it's probably the same reason people don't make s'mores in the winter. 

Anyway, I hope you give some of these great pumpkin recipes a try soon, while there's still time. Just click on the recipe title links, and away you go. Enjoy!

	Pumpkin Pancakes It's a crime these aren't a regular item on diner menus.
	Pumpkin Scones There are some colors that only occur with food, and this is one of them. Look for "pumpkin scone" on a paint chip near you.
	Best Pumpkin Pie Ever Since no one can prove otherwise, my legal team is fine with this recipe's outrageous claim.
	Low Fat Pumpkin Flan There are some things that just shouldn't work, but they do, and sometimes those things are low-fat flans.
	Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls You can pretend these are healthier for you than regular cinnamon rolls, since they're made with nutritious pumpkin, but we know the truth.

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According to Twitter, today is National Chocolate Day, and to celebrate I'm re-posting one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy this ancient pleasure, the Savory Chocolate Sea Salt Crostini. You can read the original post here, but to summarize, these are awesome. Enjoy!


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As I mentioned last week, I'm in Seattle for the 2013 International Food Bloggers Conference, and want to apologize in advance if I'm unable to answer questions and respond to comments over the next few days. Feel free to reply to each other until I'm able. Thanks!

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I’m driving up to Seattle this week for the 2013 International Food Bloggers Conference, and since I’ve never done the drive before, I was wondering if anyone has any great food recommendations along the way? I’ll be staying on Interstate 5 all the way from the Bay Area, stopping about halfway for the night. Thanks in advance for any tips that come this way!

The video below was shot the last time I was in Seattle for this event, and it features one of my favorite things to do when traveling; improvised hotel room cuisine! If you’re interested, you can read whole story here. Enjoy!

Hotel Room Cup O' King Salmon

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I’m sure you’ll have no problem coming up with lots of meaty ideas for tomorrow’s Labor Day cookout, but new and exciting seafood options can be a little more challenging. So, just in case you’re going to eschew the traditional four-legged fare, here are some alternative ideas to surf through. If any of these catch you hook, line and sinker, just follow the link in the caption to see the original post, and get the ingredients. Enjoy! 

Grilled Tuna with Fresh Horseradish

Grilled Salmon with Garlic, Ginger & Chilies

Grilled Swordfish Bruschetta

Fennel-Smoked Salmon

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I'm back in San Francisco, and will be posting a new video recipe tomorrow featuring a rather successful experiment involving Korean-style, beef short ribs. Also, my sincerest thanks to all those who sent their thoughts regarding my uncle Bill this week. They were very much appreciated. Stay tuned!

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My uncle Billy passed away a few days ago. He’d been having health issues over the last few years, but the news still came as a sudden, and very sad shock. He was one of my earliest inspirations for becoming a chef, and as many of you know, we filmed several recipes together over the years from his kitchen in Manchester, NY.

After I left the California Culinary Academy to start Food Wishes, I gave him one of my chef coats, and whenever I’d visit, he’d be wearing that coat, busily cooking away, looking every bit the part. He was a barber and hairstylist by trade, but Uncle Billy could have been a world-class chef. His passion for food, and for life, was boundless. Running up the stairs from his second, basement kitchen, carrying a giant pan of food, smiling broadly, talking loudly, wearing that old, white chef coat, is how I will always remember him.

I can think of no better tribute than to re-post the videos he was involved in below. In the “Homemades” video, you can actually hear Uncle Bill helping me with the narration. Of course, in true Food Wishes style, we only see his hands, but by watching the stylish way he handles the food, it’s very easy to see that he had a special touch.

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to my Aunt Angela and the rest of the family. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult this is for them, but hopefully they can take some comfort in knowing just how much pleasure Uncle Billy brought to those around him. Not only did he feed the party, but he was usually the life of it too. He will be dearly missed.

Rest in peace, Uncle Billy. We loved you, and will continue to love and remember you through all the amazing dishes you so generously shared. I know one thing, the food in heaven just got a lot better. Enjoy.

Homemades - Making Pasta with Uncle Bill (read original post here)

Chicken D’Arduini (read original post here)

Arancini - Italian Rice Balls (read original post here)

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Hello there! I wanted to share two cellphone shots I took this weekend, along with a couple of announcements. When I posted our watermelon agua fresca video last week, I got a bunch of comments on YouTube saying that cantaloupe makes an even better one. So, I had to immediately test one out, and...it's a tie. Both melons make marvelous agua frescas! 

Also, I've started playing around with the "cronut." This croissant/doughnut hybrid has all the food fetishists in a tizzy, and I was encouraged by this first attempt. Not sure exactly when it might make its official appearance, but stay tuned!

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I’ll probably never write a book on healthy eating (I know, you’re shocked), but if I did, I’d like to think it would be similar to “Foodist,” the new book by my friend, and favorite neuroscientist, Darya Pino Rose. I’ve never been able to articulate it as well as Ms. Summer Tomato, but have always believed that delicious food is the solution, not the problem; and that relying solely on willpower to change behavior never works, for anything.

Genetically predisposed appearances to the contrary, I live a relatively healthy lifestyle (or “healthstyle” as it’s referred to in the book). I’m quite active, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and generally stay away from processed foods. At this advanced age, I know what makes my body and mind feel good, and I try to eat as many of those foods as possible.

Of course, I’ve based most of my personal eating theories on intuition and anecdotal evidence, so it was nice having someone who actually understands all this stuff explain the science behind it. Besides learning why all those diets you tried didn’t work (spoiler alert: it wasn’t your fault), the smartly organized book is chock full of great tips and techniques, presented in an entertaining, often irreverent style.

I really did enjoy the book, and despite my complete lack of objectivity, I would enthusiastically recommend it to others. For more information, you can follow this link to Amazon, where the book is getting rave reviews (by people who actually paid for it).  Enjoy!

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I'm back in San Francisco, and tomorrow I'll finally post the long-promised, updated homemade mayonnaise technique. Homemade mayo was one of our earliest and most popular videos, and I've wanted to do a new and improved, high-res version for years. Stay tuned!

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I can't believe it's almost Memorial Day weekend! Seems like just yesterday I was watching people shoveling snow and scraping ice. Of course, I live in California, and that was on the Weather Channel, but still, seems like yesterday. I blame my beloved Golden State Warriors for making the playoffs, and throwing off my seasonal clock.  

Anyway, the upcoming long weekend is considered the official start of cookout season, and to celebrate I thought I'd repost this collection of grill-friendly recipes. By the way, in addition to looking and tasting great on their own, these dishes all have a proven track record of pairing well with cold beer. Enjoy!! 

Santa Maria Tri-Tip	Grilled Lamb Chops
Grilled Pickled Veggies	Grilled Korean Short Ribs
Grilled Flank Steak	Grilled Lemon Chicken
Cornell Chicken	Grilled Barbecue Chicken
Grilled Pork Tenderloin	Grilled Asian Skirt Steak
Spicy Tarragon Grilled Chicken	Grilled Calabrian Chicken

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I wanted to share this video by my pal, and super-talented video storyteller, Liza de Guia, featuring another dear friend, Jennifer Perillo, from In Jennie’s Kitchen. If you’re a regular on this blog, you know I’ve shared many of Liza’s gorgeous, entertaining videos before, and this one is no different. This video is part of Food Curated’s Why We Cook series, and it shows exactly why I’m such a big fan of both these talented women’s work.

I’ll let the video speak for itself, but I couldn’t agree more with Jennie’s thoughts on fear in the kitchen. By the way, Jennifer has recently published her first cookbook, Homemade with Love, and it’s getting rave reviews. I’ve not read it yet, but will be doing so very soon. If you’re interested in taking a look, you can check it out here. Special thanks to Liza for letting us share her work, and also to Jennie for being a continuing source of inspiration. I hope you enjoy this, and find it as moving as I did.

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I'm back from Arizona after a very relaxing week of golfing, watching baseball, and enjoying gorgeous weather that can best be described as the exact opposite of San Francisco. Hot and dry with just enough breeze to carry the smell of grilling hot dogs to my well-lotioned nose. It was great fun, but I’m ready to get back to business.

I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to Anna, who by all accounts did a masterful job of moderating the blog. I know you guys aren’t used to prompt, polite, and thoughtful replies to your questions, but I thought you handled it very well. Stay tuned for a brand new video Monday!

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