Barbara Hansen

  • Tried These Quirky 2018 Trends Going Mainstream in 2019?

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Even foods known to be healthy and delicious since ancient times need to be renewed and improved these days.   We spotted trends in 2018 that we predict will become mainstream. They range from beautifully colored foods being used to describe clothing, foods used as party floral decoration and bouquets, t...

  • How to Celebrate Mezcal Day October 21!

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Celebrate Mezcal Day October 21st or any other day with this refined spirit.  All you need to remember is that  All Mezcal is Tequila but not all Tequila is Mezcal — because of the unique way that mezcal is processed from a variety of agave plants (like tequila is) that instills a special smoky [&hel...

  • A Farm Dinner and the Film “ESFUERZO”

    This taco is amazing–and that’s in a day when tacos are everywhere in any form you can think of. This one appeared at a dinner at Buttonwood Winery & Vineyard in Solvang. The tortillas were made with locally grown green Oaxacan corn dried and processed into masa....

  • The 5 top tastes of August, 2018

    It’s been so hot this summer that the August top tastes are all cool, starting with two salads, one Vietnamese and the other Indian. Next comes the Mediterranean eggplant dish baba ganoush, which is served at room temperature, followed by the perfect drink for a scorching day, an icy agua fresca....

  • Tasting the Wines of Irvine & Roberts

    Ashland, Oregon may be famous for its Shakespeare Festival. But it’s also a place for good food and very good drink, thanks to wineries such as Irvine & Roberts Vineyards, a beautiful facility at the edge of town....

  • The 5 top tastes of July, 2018

    This month’s top tastes are global, but that’s not surprising in an area as rich in ethnic cooking as Los Angeles and surrounding communities. The five dishes represent five countries: Korea, Vietnam, Jordan, Turkey and Armenia, in locations ranging from Los Angeles to Fountain Valley and Westminster....

  • Big Wines from a tiny Oregon Ava

    This is Oregon wine country at it’s best–a glorious Pinot Noir paired with an equally glorious view. The wine is from Brandborg Vineyard & Winery in Elkton, a tiny AVA in the far northwest of the Umpqua Valley in southern Oregon. There are just seven labels in the Elkton AVA (American Viticultural Area), which w...

  • A new look at Southern Cooking

    Southern cooking today isn’t just grits, fried chicken, peach cobbler and the like. It’s also Chinese char siu pork, Mexican posole, Thai larb, Venezuelan arepas and Korean grilled beef ribs. These are among the 80 recipes in “Secrets of the Southern Table” by Virginia Willis, a book that is as much about...