cooking

Weekend Meanderings-Persimmon Bread and Holiday Gifts

November 26, 2022 By kimwheeler 26 Comments

On this Weekend Meanderings- a fantastic persimmon bread to make for family or gifts, my Thanksgiving table, and gifts to grab now.

How was your Thanksgiving? We had a cozy low-key one with my sons and dad and we had a nice walk after the dinner. After three days of cooking, Max and I came to the conclusion that next year we are doing something else.

It’s about the 24th year we hosted, and except for my dad, we realized the kids aren’t crazy about Thanksgiving food. We really do it for ourselves and we started thinking, maybe we don’t need to! Next year we will either go someplace for a few days with all of us, or order some dishes to bring in. Have you changed your Thanksgiving traditions or is your family still keen on it all?

The best part to me is Friday and the weekend after! We were blessed with some gorgeous weather and did this hike at Aptos I wrote about here, in June, and grabbed sandwiches. I love having us all back together in one spot and I try to enjoy every second with the guys. Griffin goes back to school in Utah on Sunday.

Look what a beautiful day it was at the coast in November. It was in the 70’s.. We took a few snaps I hope I can use for my holiday cards.

Persimmon bread

I know I’ve written about persimmons a lot and I swear I am not being paid by the persimmon board!

I just love the look and taste of these very seasonal gems, so I was excited when a friend recently brought a loaf of persimmon bread to a tennis gathering.

This recipe surprisingly uses the Fuyu varietal, the most common persimmon I see around here which is pumpkin shape and kind of squat. It is also firmer and better tasting. This is my friend Adriana’s recipe… I changed it slightly with a bit less sugar.

Adriana is one of those cool people who had a very international upbringing growing up in Mexico City and attended the German school there before coming to America for college and Silicon Valley for work. She has baking talent. One thing I like about the tennis group at our humble club, is the chance to meet people I otherwise wouldn’t. It’s wonderful to make new friends at this stage of life. I adore our group of women!

Persimmon Bread

A delicious and dense and sweet bread to enjoy in fall and winter. Perfect to share as a gift, bring to a gathering, or just with a cup of tea on a wintery afternoon. This recipe uses the smaller Fuyu persimmons, that are all over Northern California in late fall and winter.

5 from 2 votes

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Course Dessert

Ingredients

2 C sugar
3 C flour
4 eggs
1 C canola oil
1/2 C water

1 C persimmons pureed (Fuyu)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 C walnuts or other nuts (optional)

Instructions

Chop persimmons into large pieces leaving out hard core bits and tops. Puree persimmons in a blender or food processor until liquidy, with the water.
Mix together sugar, spices and then add in whisked eggs. Add in oil and puree mix. Mix flour, salt and baking soda together then gently mix into wet ingredients. Fold in nuts. Spray two loaf pans, and fill pans 70% full.
Top with more walnuts, or a light sprinkling of sugar.
Bake at 350 F, 50-60 minutes. These also freeze well for later use!

Keyword persimmon bread

My Thanksgiving Table

I’m a bit of an impromptu person when it comes to holiday tables. I like to see what inspires me in nature and what is available in the grocery and such. I went to a local home store, Home by Ling Interiors, in Los Gatos, and found a cute dark green striped tablecloth that looked just like my kind of thing. I took it home and stopped by Bunches florist, also in town, and saw these pretty straw flowers and eucalyptus, and thought bingo those will pull my table together.. with my yellow napkins and candlesticks from Juliet..

I ended up using the big arrangement later on the sideboard with the pies and making small bouquets in my Glassybaby votives for the actual table intermingled with clear votives with tea lights.

The pies were my favorite part and Jackson and his girlfriend Kristin made an apple pie that was as pretty as it was delicious! Max made a pumpkin and I made a pecan pie with satsuma tangerine in it…

Gift Ideas

I know the holidays are upon us so I will post gift ideas every weekend post in December. I always need ideas for female friends and relatives. Below, a few things that caught my eye and I will add more as I see them..

These Ugg Shearling Slides are on my own wish list.

Cute flannel pjs here and here.

Some modern cool small X demi-fine earrings in gold or silver for your younger, hip relatives or friends.

Anthropologie has the most darling mug and plate collection called Holiday in the City Paris, San Francisco, New York, and London are some of the cities. They also have dish towels and candles, wrap and puzzles in this theme. The little mugs each say something, the San Francisco one says ‘Peace, Joy & San Francisco’

By Terry Rose Lip Balm, is a treat and a nice gift for a friend or relative in these winter months!

Deeda Blair’s book Food, Flowers, and Fantasy is on my list and people say it’s a great. Deeda Blair shows how she lives simply, despite having an extraordinary life- and some great recipes.

This Week’s Home for Sale..

I noticed this pretty house when I was looking a few weeks ago, and honestly can’t believe it’s still listed. It’s a late 40’s charmer in the heart of Willow Glen. I adore the big windows, and how the home is situated – taking up a large corner ( 1/4 acre) lot, and is wrapped around a yard. It just needs a new kitchen, baths, and a few updates, but has location and curb appeal in spades..

Holiday Blog Posts..

This Wednesday I’ll have a special post joining some new blog friends on a holiday home tour… If you subscribe, you’ll also get a special holiday outfits edition of our Signature Style, and a hometown holiday traditions post -in addition to the regular posts in December! Kind of fun. If you haven’t yet subscribed to the blog, and would like to, you can sign up here.

And that is my weekend meanderings for this week. Please stop over at Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what fun they are sharing…and have a lovely weekend!

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

PINECONES AND ACORNS

Kim

Last weekend’s post was Thanksgiving tablescape ideas, and side dishes, Bloomingdale’s dresses and a little celebration for Juliet up in San Francisco.

If you’d like to get an email when I post, please subscribe to the blog here for a post in your inbox a few times a month and every Saturday for Weekend Meanderings.

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Friday Book Chat- Audrey at Home

February 6, 2016 By kimwheeler 16 Comments

I love everything about this week’s book, Audrey at Home. I’ve had this book for a while and have been savoring it.

Audrey Hepburn was my mother’s favorite so from an early age I was very familiar with everything Audrey. Long before there were VCRs and cable television, mom and I would spend Saturdays on the couch watching afternoon specials of her movies. By time I was ten Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday, Sabrina and Wait Until Dark (mom claimed it was her best role), were my favorite films. My mom even looked like Audrey and had the same hair styles and big glasses. That may have been on purpose now I think. My mom also loved Audrey’s elegance and unique style. This book really had me thinking so much of my lovely mom who will be gone a year next week. I only wish I could have gotten her this book. I know how much she would have loved it.

After Audrey had her boys she rarely did movies, but I did have a chance encounter with her when I was in college…

One day, in the late 1980s, I found myself in Beverly Hills on a road trip with a boyfriend and decided to get a manicure at the Elizabeth Arden salon for fun. It was $16- pretty steep for me then, but I splurged. The salon was buzzing with chatter and ladies under dryers and such. While I waited for my polish to dry I heard a very familiar voice out of the corner of the room. It was so familiar in fact, I thought it must be the television. I turned to see it was an elegant lady, also getting her nails done and yes it was Audrey Hepburn. My heart started racing and I thought I was going to faint.

She was talking about an upcoming movie she was doing and they were showing her clothes or nightgowns and she’d say. ‘Oh maybe years ago darling not anymore,’ about some of the selections. (I think the movie was with Robert Wagner called Love Among Thieves, one of her last.) She was pretty and tiny and funny -just as she was in the movies. I could hardly breathe. I wanted to run up and tell her how much I loved her and how my mom did especially. In the end, she was moved to another room to finish up and I never did. She did flash a smile my way before she went. I flew out of there and straight to a payphone to call my mom. She was unbelieving at first and then mad it was me not her to see our Audrey. Today, I still cannot believe it happened. The best $16 I ever spent.

This book is a joy. I just loved it. I just soaked it in. I have many Audrey books, but this is a glimpse into her real life as a mom and wife. Her son Luca Dotti has done a great job conveying what a special spirit his mother was. The personal photos and anecdotes that go along with the 50 recipes make this so much more than a cookbook.

Audrey’s greatest joys were home, family, her pets and her garden. As a child of World War II who nearly starved in Nazi occupied Holland, she never took anything for granted. She reveled in creating a home for her sons and being with her close lifelong friends.

The recipes are uncomplicated and the kind of comfort food one masters and adds to a repertoire of a life’s favorite dishes. Vichyssoise, soups, pesto pasta, sea bass in paper, and chocolate cake are just a few of the simple and delicious from her collection. Audrey’s favorite though was Penne with Ketchup, which is better than it sounds, followed by a dish of vanilla ice cream. She loved staying in and eating pasta curled up on the couch with television, her family and dear dogs. Makes me want to do more of that in my life!

Some of the personal photos from this book…

The cover of the book is wrapped with a painting Audrey did of her garden in Switzerland. This is a beautiful book for your kitchen and already I am loving the soups, dressing and pastas that are so easy and fresh. This book is a guide to the sweet life you can create by surrounding yourself with the uncomplicated joys of good food, friends, family and pets. What more does one need?

Charm, kindness and gratitude are what made Audrey one of a kind and I enjoyed reading how she carried that with her throughout life.

We could all use a little more Audrey style, no?

Luca Dotti has written another more photographic centered book called Audrey in Rome about his mother’s time in the eternal city and her other son Sean Ferrer has also written a sweet book called Audrey Hepburn, an Elegant Spirit, which is also beautifully done. She must have been a wonderful mama to those boys for both to have written books about her.

Happy weekend friends!

‘Eating Rome’ a Fantastic Trip Through the Eternal City

April 24, 2015 By kimwheeler 16 Comments

Life has been crazy busy, more than I can even share in one post, but this week I had to make time for a book I promised I would review. I began this lovely book on vacation and finished this week. It was a wonderful escape, engrossing and transporting which I really need right now.

The book is Eating Rome by Elizabeth Minchilli, and it’s a memoir/cookbook/guidebook to Rome. I knew of Elizabeth through her beautiful blog so I immediately accepted the offer to read and share this book. I have been to Italy and Rome was undeniably my favorite. Something about walking among the ruins, the vespas, fountains and beautiful Italians- the whole mix is so glamorous and magical. Given a chance to relive it just a little sounded fun and it was!

Elizabeth, an American, grew up much like myself in the 60s and 70s, but in Saint Louis. She came home from camp in 1972, to find her parents planning to move the family to Italy. Thus began a unique adventure and a lifelong passion for Italy. After her family moved back home to states, she later did graduate studies in Florence and eventually fell in love with an Italian and moved to Rome where she lives today. There she and raised two daughters, and began her blog of Italian life and food.

Her style of writing is so enjoyable. I loved Elizabeth’s personal stories of food and experiences that guide you through the chapters. In this book you’ll learn how to order coffee like a Roman, and yes there is a proper way to! We also learn how Italians eat cookies for breakfast, pasta everyday and full fat everything and yet are not overweight.

I especially loved the chapter on artichokes! Being a Californian I didn’t know there were so many ways to enjoy them. Friend and breaded artichokes are on my list of things to try next.

You learn a lot of food and Italian life here too like Roman children are introduced to mini versions of regular adult foods and are not given the mushy bland things American babies get. Italians also consider vegetables one of the main parts of the meal and meats are used a a flavoring much of the time, and not a course in itself. That said they also eat offals which are internal meats, in sandwiches and other foods.

The recipes are sprinkled throughout the book, but with detailed instructions for making this simple food taste fabulous. There are tips on stocking a pantry, shopping for pasta-fresh vs. dried, and many wonderful cooking tips and secrets shared here. Let me just say this is not a book to read while hungry. I found myself craving everything and so far have made two of the pasta dishes which I will now add to my regular repertoire…

My photo here and below.

For a lunch I made the Italian version of buttered noodles, pasta con burro, which every Roman child grows up eating. The secret to making a rich sauce is adding in the reserved pasta water and unsalted butter. It was the best buttered noodles I have ever had.

This week I made my family cacao e pepe, or a Roman version of mac n’ cheese with pecorino cheese. A huge hit and I added arugula and tomatoes which made it seem a little bit healthier, though no less delicious.

At the end of each chapter is a guide to Rome’s best, from coffee spots to bakeries, trattorias and even the rooftop cafes! The photos are gorgeous and had me planning and dreaming about another trip to Italy as well as trying to recreate that simple elegance here at home.

A few of the gorgeous photos in the book.

I have never read any of my cookbooks cover to cover, but this I did. If you have a love of Italy, good food and want to take in a little more la dolce vita, you will love Elizabeth’s book. Check out her blog too for inspiration and restaurant recommendation, and general loveliness! Elizabeth also conducts day tours as well as a week in Rome trips, which are found on the blog.

Ciao!

Kim

Please pop over a visit the fun Lifestyle Linkup I am joining today with Jennifer at A Well Styled Life and Heather Of StyleMindChic! Lot’s of inspiration there today!

photos via Eating Rome and also Northerncalstyle

Good Things and More..

November 26, 2012 By kimwheeler No Comments

Thanksgiving weekend is over and so fast! I really savor these long holiday weekends and all the down time! Our Thanksgiving dinner was fun and we so enjoyed seeing our family and spending time with them all. My dad made us turkey breasts this year instead of the whole turkey and they were amazing. So good. All the sides seemed to be okay and the green beans above were a hit I think. The recipe was from one of those William-Sonoma leaflets they hand out each year at Thanksgiving. I’ve had it many years and decided to try this. It’s basically browned butter with shallots, mushrooms and then tossed with the green beans then add toasted walnuts. I got so lucky finding these very fresh ones last Sunday at our town’s farmers’s market. The dish wouldn’t have been as good without fresh beans. Finding organic ones, fresh, in November was totally luck… I love anything with walnuts of course being a Northern Cal girl.

Everyone provided wonderful wine and drinks and pies and rolls and so many good things. We had a huge feast. I wanted to include a pic of us all, but it was so hilarious, it could easily be included in one of those bad family photo books. My dear husband thought he’d do a auto-shot from a low chair, well needless to say it appears as though a bug took it and we are all legs, with a few heads. :{

The boys commandeered their own table. Cousins always have so much fun together.

My darling niece Veronica! She had the cutest dress with a leather skirt on.

I never have done Black Friday shopping, but was considering dashing out to see what I was missing when my youngest son, Griffin wanted to try making bear cookies from a recipe he saw. I figured it was probably a mob scene, so we stayed in and made these cute guys.

They’re pretty easy. The recipe calls for refrigerator sugar cookie dough mixed with one cup of oatmeal. I used the healthier dough from Immaculate Baking Company because I hate the million ingredients on the usual brand. After you mix the two together, you freeze for 10 minutes and then roll different sized balls for the torso, head, arms, legs, ears and nose. Mini-chocolate chips are needed for the eyes and belly button. You then bake them at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes.

Griffin asked his friend Abby to help and they managed to make all of these themselves! They are quite the little bakers. I have to say the bears are yummy and not too sweet. With the Immaculate dough and the oatmeal, they are sort of healthy almost.

In other holiday news, (Yikes, I’m not ready), we got our tree! I know I can’t believe it either. I am usually the kind that needs to ease into the next holiday. Thanks to a tip from my friend Jen we popped over to Whole Foods and checked out their $39.00 Noble Firs. We now have a gorgeous 7 foot tree! Jen and I both love Nobles and here in Northern Cal, you have to buy them at a tree lot. They are usually grown only in the Pacific Northwest. Around here most folks get Douglas Firs. You can get Dougies at tree farms all around. I however, have always preferred the firmer and more spare branches of the Noble. Usually they run closer to $75 and up. Right now all the Whole Foods 6-7 foot Nobles are that cheap. So we got it early, putting it in water until next week when I can get my decorating mojo in gear for coming tide.

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And last, but not at all least, some fun news. I was given two awards. One, the Sunshine Award, by sweet Adrienne, of The Rich Life on a Budget. Adrienne, is one of the nicest and most inspiring bloggers out there. She always makes me want to live smarter, greener and have the best life possible while not forgetting about what really makes life rich, as her aptly titled blog will attest! Please stop by and check her out.

The other was the Leibster Award from the stylish Heather of stylemindchic. Another very cool person, Heather is a psychologist who shares her passion for life, travel and style. You will love escaping to her blog! Thank you so much Heather. I am very flattered to be chosen.

The rules of the Liebster award are to share 11 things about yourself and pass the award to two other, “Up and coming,” bloggers. One of the requirements of winning the Sunshine award is answering questions given by the awarder. I think I’ll answer Adrienne’s and hopefully that will count for both.

Okay here goes Adrienne, I’ll do my best.

1) What’s your favorite scent and how long have you been wearing it?
I love Dolce and Gabbana’s The One and have worn it for a few years. I also love Michael Kors’ solid perfume for Summer. It has a gleam to it and is a little musky. It reminds me of Summers when I was young.

2) Do you prefer city living or the country life?

I live in a smallish town of a large suburb. I love that we can bike to almost everything or walk to coffee or the grocery store. We are surrounded by beautiful mountains that are full of trails so it feels like the country a lot, plus you run into everyone you know. I just love that small town feeling and being close to nature. That said, I like nothing better than a day in San Francisco and love wandering big cities on vacation.

3) Lipstick, lip gloss or chapstick?

Used to love lipstick only. Now that I’m over 45 it’s lip gloss only. It’s more youthful and lipstick tends to age most women. I hate sticky gloss though. Laura Mercier and Bobbie Brown make the best glosses I think.

4) If you could have a chef, a housekeeper, a driver or a masseuse at your service 24 hours a day, which would you choose?

The housekeeper hands down! With three men, there is no end of stuff to do here and I like my home tidy. Also, I could cook all I like and someone else could do the dishes. I think that’s my most hated household chore.

5) Where do you do most of your shopping for clothes: online, malls, discount stores (like Ross), boutiques, thrift and consignment shops, or outlets?

Well, I do like to try to buy from local merchants in my town. I love having them here and I would hate to lose them by buying at only chains. I especially dislike the mall and would never go if I can buy it in town. I do shop at discount and department stores too. I’d love to do more thrift and consignment shopping. It’s so much better for the earth and smarter.

6) What is one food that you can’t stand the taste of?

I’m not a meat eater and never have been.

7) What’s the last movie you saw in a theatre?

We just took our boys to see, Wreck it Ralph, a very cute movie about a video game character who jumps out of his game into another. It’s really original and fun. We also just saw Skyfall, the latest Bond movie and I loved that. Fantastic. Argo, is another must see that I just watched. I’m dying to see Anna Karenina. Just need to find someone to go with me!

8) Drugstore or high-end designer makeup?

Both! The drugstore makeup is such great quality now you’d be crazy not to. I still have to buy high-end foundation though to get a color pale enough to match my skin. A little high, a little low. It’s all about finding what works for you I think.

9) If you won a round-trip ticket for two to any destination in the world, where would you go and who would you take?

Wow, tough one. I think I’d love to go back to Rome with my husband. We just love that city.

10) Real “old fashion” books made with paper or electronic reads?

Paper all the way! I just love a bound book, and bookstores. I’d be sad to see that go away. I love having the book after it’s read on a shelf too. Thinking I may reread it someday and just seeing it there makes me happy. Browsing through bookstores or libraries is one of the greatest joys to me. You can’t do that with Kindles!

And I would like to nominate a few blogs that I recently found and personally adore that have under 200 followers for the Sunshine Award. Each are blogs which are all very different and unique! Love to hear their answers to the questions above also.

Ryzenberg On

The Silver Bunny

The Good Life

Please don’t feel any pressure to “do” your award. It’s completely optional. It’s fun to get to know more about everyone though!

Have a great week!

Kim 🙂

Super Natural Northern California Cooking

May 29, 2012 By kimwheeler No Comments

It’s getting the season where I am ready to spend more time on outdoor entertaining and cooking for friends. I have been more than inspired by a darling cookbook I picked up at Anthropologie and wanted to share it with you. It’s called Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. I adore this book for many reasons, first being the recipes are simple, but delicious. What Heidi uses are the freshest and healthiest ingredients to make the most luscious food. This is what it’s all about now isn’t it? We need to eat as much as we can from the earth and make it fast and easy too.

So far I have made this white bean spread, which is so simple and a great appetizer or lunch with crudités or crackers. This would be a perfect with some crisp white wine in summer.

Also made this cauliflower soup. I added whole grain bread from LaBrea bakery, my favorite and drizzled with California olive oil.

I love this cookbook because Heidi is not an extremist. She uses lots of whole grains and natural ingredients, but occasionally uses white flour and sugar at times in baking when needed. She tries to encourage the use of local foods that haven’t traveled far. By, “natural,” she means food that is straight from the plant or animal with minimal or no processing used. This cookbook had me at breakfast, through lunch, salads, tea, treats and even popcorn. Next up I want to try her Buttermilk Cake, and her Honey and Rose Water Tapioca. There really is something for everyone and you can feel a little better knowing you are eating something great for your body too. You just may fall in love with this way of eating.