By incorporating versatile ingredients into your holiday cooking, you can make a vast array of tasty seasonal goodies. For example, California grapes are abundant throughout the holiday season and add taste and visual appeal to dishes of all kinds, including in the recipes … read more

Autumn brings the final ripening of the garden, and tomatillos are at their sweetest-best as the vines begin to decline. Tomatillos, or “husk tomatoes,” are native to Mexico and have been cultivated since pre-Columbian times. A member of the nightshade family (Physalis), they … read more

Melanie Dressel was a banker and the CEO of Columbia Bank. She knew values. She knew the value of small towns like Colville, Washington, where she grew up; and the value of her husband, Bob, and their family. She knew the value of … read more

The unmistakable, booming, Italian-accented, jovial voice of Michele “Mike” Simone leaves no doubt Il Lucano is Gig Harbor’s iconic Italian restaurant. Simone makes the rounds of tables, greeting customers, inquiring about the quality of food and thanking them for patronizing his business. “I … read more

Tom and Tessa Aydelotte of Bainbridge Island know their way around a kitchen. The couple own two restaurants, Doc’s Marina Grill on Bainbridge Island and in Port Townsend, and their livelihood is all about food. So, when their thoughts turned to updating their … read more

Choosing cabinetry for a remodel project or a new construction home is serious business. Really, it is. Cabinetry has the biggest impact on a kitchen remodel both visually and financially (for bathrooms, it is usually the plumbing or tile that comprises the largest … read more

In the early ’70s, my husband’s job took us to Yuba City, California, which lies at the confluence of the Yuba and Feather rivers. The region is a lush growing area for almonds, walnuts and peaches. Our next-door neighbor’s mother grew several varieties … read more

“Abundance” is the name of a Corning pattern on dishes, bowls, casseroles and compatibles. “Abundance” merits product analysis. Think back 27 years when NAFTA was in the wings waiting to enter the trade arena, and Bill Gates was professing to a skeptical audience … read more

Fresh eyes see new possibilities and that is undoubtedly true of Blake (from Texas) and Jennifer (from Tennessee) Yarbrough. They met while studying music at the University of Cincinnati. After graduation, Blake joined the U.S. Navy Band as a French horn musician, and … read more