Last Sunday, photographer Windsor Andersen and I headed to the Boulevard restaurant in San Francisco to cover the Cooks with Books luncheon for culinary icon, Alice Waters. It was an amazing afternoon that celebrated Waters’ philosophy of cooking and eating local, seasonal, and sustainable food with a menu selected from her latest cookbook, The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution.
 
We arrived early and set about photographing the beautiful, belle époque-inspired restaurant for our Cooks with Books feature article, Rediscovering the Table in a Big, Blog World. As we moved about, owner-chef, Nancy Oakes gathered her wait staff together and spoke about the food being served, its origins and Waters’ philosophies. The produce, she explained, was from the farmer’s market, while the duck for the main course came from a farm in Petaluma.
 
Alice arrived and went over the final details of the menu with the kitchen before settling in to greet her fans and sign several hundred books. The restaurant filled with anticipation and excitement as the guests checked in and received their books. Many came with friends; some had driven long distances while others were celebrating special occasions. When it came time to meet Alice, many beamed and chatted while she signed. Some brought cameras for a reminder of “their moment.” One lady cleared the line, flipped out her cell phone, dialed and screamed, “Aaaaa, Oh my God! I met her! She’s wonderful! I can’t believe I met her!” She clutched her book and headed to the dining room.
 
Windsor and I were thrilled to be seated at Alice’s table. It was a chance to chat informally and enjoy the beauty of simple, exquisitely prepared and presented food that is her passion. We all talked animatedly about Alice’s Edible Schoolyard program and shared our personal stories about teaching children the importance of knowing where their food comes from and how to cook and share it with love. Despite the fact that Alice Waters is one of the great American culinary figures of her time, she is warm and open, eager to spread the word to new friends. It’s a joy to witness her message rippling through a world raised on fast foods and the idea that it’s quick and easy or nothing.
 
 
Luncheon Menu
 
Recipes from
The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Revolution by Alice Waters.
 
Marinated Beet Salad
Carrot Salad
Warm Olives
Herb Roasted Almonds
Stuffed Eggs
 
Sauteed Scallops with Salsa Verde
Celery Root Remoulade
 
Braised Duck Legs with Leeks &
Green Olives
 
Soft Polenta, Broccoli Rabe with Garlic & Hot Pepper
 
Tangerine Ice
Ginger Snap Ice Cream Sandwich
 
Read Rediscovering the Table in a Big, Blog World and learn more about the Cooks with Books program.

When it comes to holiday food traditions, the cooking is often just as satisfying as the eating—sometimes more so. No wonder it felt so good to welcome my grandsons into the kitchen and dust off the recipe for Easter Bunny bread.

When my own kids were small, I loved to surprise them with a tray of freshly baked bunnies on a bed of green grass decorated with jelly beans. Ian reliably went straight for the tail, Windsor for the ears. Today, I gathered their boys, Jackson and Sammy—both three—to bake the same orange-flavored breads.

Kids this young are curious and want to smell, touch and play with the dough. They’re excited to help, but might not have the patience for mixing and kneading, so I prepped everything to the assembling point. Both boys watched intently as I rolled the dough into a large rectangular piece, then cut strips for the bodies and heads. Jackson helped form the first strip into a “snake,” then smelled it and exclaimed “orange! It’s orange!” I took a good whiff of the familiar, fruity scent. Sammy tried his hand at a tail, then squished it and asked the inevitable question: “Can I eat it?”

Ian, the original little boy, couldn’t resist the scene any longer and joined us at the table. Soon the bunnies were in the oven and the house filled with the intoxicating scent of baking bread. I opened the oven door and the boys gasped at how much their bunnies had grown.

Once the breads had baked and cooled, we all drizzled on the icing and dug in. Like his daddy, Jackson went for the tail. Sammy bit into an ear, and we all agreed that Easter Bunny Bread is one very fine Adams tradition worth passing on.

Get a printable Easter Bunny Bread recipe and have a hopping good Easter.

My daddy always said, “the best places to eat are those with all the work trucks parked outside. People who are working hard go where the food is good, plentiful and fairly priced. And that’s where life happens.” Years ago, I followed the trucks to the unassuming Shoreline Coffee Shop in Mill Valley—and I’ve been a regular ever since. In fact, the Shoreline has been a fixture in my life for so many years that by now, I count owner Santi Ojeda among my life friends.

The shoreline is a family place where I first taught my children their manners—the simple courtesies of “please” and “thank you.” Once when correcting my five year-old, I told him we didn’t scream in restaurants. He replied, “this isn’t a restaurant, it’s my home!”

The coffee shop has always been a second home to me. It’s where I come alone to read or work and eat. In graduate school, I took up residence in the back booth during the quiet hours, studied, drafted my masters thesis on a yellow table, and drank gallons of black coffee with plates of huevos rancheros. This is where I planned the Beyond Wonderful website, and wrote many of its recipes.

Everybody’s got their favorite dish at the Shoreline, from pancakes to cheeseburgers. Ask my daughter and she’ll tell you of a childhood filled with the best strawberry shortcake on the planet. But what make’s Santi’s place truly special is the menu of classic Mexican dishes from his native land—carne asada, chilaquiles, enchiladas, huevos rancheros, huevos Mexicana and a variety of fresh salsas.

Earlier this week, Santi and I got together to adapt his huevos rancheros recipe for the home cook. The red sauce—salsa roja—is perfection. Take a look. It’s easy, and I’ve created an illustrated, step-by-step “How-To” for assembling the dish. Just remember, the secret is using the freshest ingredients. Anything less compromises the flavor of this terrific Mexican breakfast and brunch classic.

Get a printable Huevos Rancheros recipe and How-To for success in your kitchen. Then prepare yourself for the kind of flavor life’s memories are made of.