living the life of reiley
My crazy life, for better or worse, as it unfolds.
when food became the enemy (how I survived the first trimester of pregnancy)
You might have noticed a dark period in my blogging last October/November. I was struggling just to survive the day as a food professional; there was no room left for blogging. Food had literally become the enemy. It is only now that I am feeling good enough to talk about it. Here’s what happened: One... »
hunting the wild truffle
About 10 years ago I read the account of an American travel writer in France who wrangled a spot on a local truffle hunt. The story stuck with me for years, not in the way a travelogue should, whetting your appetite to visit a region and experience its goodness in person. No, every... »
an appetite grows in brooklyn
Whenever I visit my friend Annette in NYC, we plan epic, day-long food tours, roaming Manhattan from morning until the wee hours. But on my latest visit to the Big Apple, while nearly seven months pregnant, a walking tour of Manhattan’s finest culinary creations lost some of its allure. So instead we decided to... »
trend spotting at the natural products expo
Last week was the annual Natural Products Expo West. I’m a fan of the event, which serves as an excellent trend forecaster for the natural food business. (That means its also a great trend forecaster for the aphrodisiac realm, since nutrition play a prominent role in the world of love foods!) This year was... »
eating seattle
Although Valentine’s Day may be over, the book tour for Romancing the Stove is still going strong. In planning the trip to Oregon for the Pacific Northwest leg of the tour, it seemed like taking a couple of extra days to experience Seattle was a necessity. I don’t really know much about Seattle beyond... »
lessons from friends
You don’t always need a cooking class, Food Network show or a famous cookbook to get a great lesson on cooking. At one time, the art of cooking was passed down through family, generation by generation. Although that tradition has all but vanished, we can still look to those around us to teach us... »
valentine’s weekend as the aphrodisiac queen
The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day are normally extremely busy for me. With the launch of a new book thrown into the mix, this year was exceptionally crazy. But, thanks to the nature of my work, there were also many delicious moments. y Valentine’s season came to a climax (dirty pun intended)... »
truffle shuffle
I’ve said before that I love my job and recent a weekend in Napa with all-you-can-eat truffles reminded me of just how good it can get. The occasion was the second annual Napa Truffle Festival. The event encompassed every aspect of truffle culture from truffle cultivation and the business of truffles to cooking with... »
from providence to vancouver, the way I like to eat
I’ve been on a bit of an eating orgy for the past 10 days. First I spent Thanksgiving weekend in LA with my family… eating. (That’s what you’re supposed to do Thanksgiving weekend, after all!) Then from 80 degrees and sunshine I slapped on the winter boots to head for Vancouver to… eat! (Isn’t... »
a vineyard named bien nacido
few weeks ago, I was invited on a press trip to California’s Santa Maria Valley. The trip was organized, to a large extent, by the Miller family of Bien Nacido Vineyards. And it was the Bien Nacido name that influenced my decision to accept the invitation. As a syndicated wine columnist and EatSomethingSexy’s... »