Food & Wine. Art & Food History at Abi's Farmhouse Kitchen
OKAY. I admit it. For years back in Los Angeles, I mostly sipped sh*t wine. Thinking it was good wine. And good for me. At $5-12 per bottle, inexpensive wine fit my wallet but still made me feel like I was “healthy.” A glass or two of red wine a day is supposed to be good […]
This Holiday season was a first in many ways… The first Annual Holiday Tea Party. The first passing of family china to me. Complete with my grandmother’s jade dinner ring. The first antique “new” heirloom meant for Anni to inherit — a 19th century Samovar Tea Urn. The first Christmas without my Grandmother. “Taking Up […]
Sonoma and Napa Valleys LOVE and thrive on the Tourists flooding our wine regions each year. Bringing their laughter, joy, and that “aah” feeling experienced on vacation. However, there can be a small percentage every year who do NOT love us back. Who have packed their insecurities into their carry-ons, only to vomit them all […]
My husband’s family hails from Bassano del Grappa and neighboring town of Borso in northern Italy. Just outside of Venice in the lower Alps. The Family is still there. It’s just my Dean, his brother Tom and our families in America now. The rest of the extended clan are still cooking beautiful dishes in their ancestral homes, […]
“It doesn’t all have to be Thomas Keller, Abi” Wilson said. I was arranging broccolini “just so” before snapping a quick shot. Maybe another. And THEN serving the hungry legion of family gathered ’round the table. Seeing me for exactly what I was… BEING LAME. Well, in all fairness…what I still AM. Which is an oft […]
Beauty Matters. It’s a favorite thought these days with Spring riotously awake. I’ve been happily saying these words on posts and to friends lately because that’s what happens: Seeing something lovely makes you feel Happy. It just does. You can’t argue with Beauty. You’d never win. Beauty is visceral. Intrinsic. Adding wonderful Value to our […]
For weeks, I wondered what to say at Mima’s funeral. I truly thought about just reciting her Buttermilk Waffles recipe. But flying down on Friday, the stewardess gave me a free glass of white wine. Anni played a new Dinosaur game. And inspiration struck: “The morning after Mima died, I was surprised how much harder […]
My hunky husband is a bit of a naysayer on this whole social media “thing” of mine. Lately, enough to make me stop and think about why it is I enjoy sharing this lovely, beaded-brow world of food and wine with friends, acquaintances, and now a surprising number of global strangers. I am first, honored. […]
I promise this delicious dish redeems that hideous plate of mulch I posted last week! Broccoli Rabe (Raab) or Broccolini is everywhere right now. These baby broccoli are flavorful, verdant and, I bet, in copious amounts at your local Farmer’s Market. This recipe is a more of an Italian twist on a recent New York […]
Oh dear Christ, this was a hideous experiment. I’ve been spot on and feeling rather proud these past few weeks of relatively impromptu cooking and writing here. But this? Oh God. It was like eating Lawn. Pretty. But totally wretched. To be fair, I added far too many Pea Shoots. But they smelled so delicious! […]
