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This is the perfect dish to serve when you're craving steak and have a nice bottle of red wine that you want to open. It's also a tasty dish to serve if you're having company. Or maybe even for New Year's Eve! I happen to have a little herb garden on my patio with just the right herbs which made this a nice dish to make. Of course if you live in the great white North it's hard to have an herb garden in December. Here in N. California it's easy peasy. I don't even have to water the pots thanks to mother nature. Filet Mignon and Whole Grain Mustard Sauce   4 (6oz) beef filets 1 T butter Mustard Sauce 3 T butter 1/2 onion, diced 2 T shallots 1 T whole grain mustard 1/4 cup red wine 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth 2 T olive oil 1 T fresh tarragon, chopped 1 T fresh sage, chopped 1 T corn starch 1 T water 1. In a sauce pot over medium heat, add 1 T of the butter, onion and shallots...

Here's an easy dinner that you can make anytime. All you need to pick up is some fresh salmon. Or try the frozen salmon from Trader Joe's. The rest of the ingredients are pantry staples you should have on hand. This recipe is easy, yummy and foolproof. You have to try it. And if you shop at Trader Joe's you're in luck. Because the recipe is right on the wrapper. And the best part? It's quick. Dinner in less than 30 minutes. Don first discovered the recipe. And he usually makes it - which is so nice. I made it the other day and I'm happy to report it tasted just like when Don makes it. You know that's a good recipe when two people make the same recipe and it tastes the same.  Now I'm not sure if kids will like it - or young kids anyway. Elli eats it. But she's a little more adventurous than the average nine year old. You know your kids. You'll have to be the judge. I wanted to jazz up some brown rice so I made up a recipe (below.) It would...

Everyone has their Christmas morning traditions. One of our long standing traditions is enjoying a hot cheesy breakfast casserole after all the presents have been opened and the kids are hyped up on Christmas candy at 9am. We have two recipes. One with chiles and one without. We vary it depending on our mood - and who is there. The casserole is perfect because you assemble it the night before and just have to pop it in the oven in the morning.  It's also great to serve when you have company in town. Add a fruit salad and you have breakfast for a crowd. It would also be perfect for New Year's Day when you're not quite ready to jump in the kitchen and need to feed people. Know what I mean? Spicy Breakfast Casserole 4-6 slices wheat bread buttered, no crusts 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated 1 lb mild sausage, cooked 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained 2 t. diced jalapeno 9 large eggs (or 7 xl eggs) 1 c. milk 1 t. sal...

Still have company? Here's a great new chicken dish that will impress them. Of course it's so yummy it may make them want to stay longer. Which could be a good thing - or a bad thing. Depends on your company! Ha. This is not a complicated recipe. But it's definitely not one that I would casually whip together on a week night on a whim. (Unless you are super mom.) Mainly because I wouldn't have these items on hand unless I planned it. So save it for when you have an hour and can drink a glass of Sauvignon Blanc while you're cooking it. Not that you can't do that on a week night - - but you know what I mean! Thai Stuff Chicken Breast and Slaw 1 cup jasmine rice, cooked 1/4 cup shredded coconut 3 green onions, finely sliced 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped 4 T sweet Thai chile sauce 3 limes 4 large, boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 cup all purpose flour 1 t. kosher ...

Christmas is over. It's time to get back to the usual shtuff. So since I know a BUNCH of you are off this week. I'm going to post some new recipes for you. Woo hoo! So roll up your sleeves. It's time to cook people! First up : Short Ribs When I think of short ribs I think of Betelnut Restaurant in San Francisco. They have amazing, fall-off-the-bone, tender, short ribs. They are so yummy and craveable. We have to go a few times a year for the ribs, edamame and firecracker calamari. We recently had short ribs when we were up at Williamson Wines in Healdsburg and they were pretty darn tasty too. And I have the recipe! This short rib recipe does not have an Asian flair, but they are just as good. And you can make them at home. But you might want to do it on the weekend when you have a few hours. 'Cuz these babies need to roast in the oven. This is a good Sunday night meal. Malbec Glazed BBQ Beef Short Ribs 4 T vegetable oil 8 short ribs 2 medium onions, ...

We're spending Christmas at home this year. It's going to be quiet. And we're going to miss being with our extended family. But it's what we have to do. Elli is a trooper. Instead of being sad that she won't see her cousins, aunts and uncles, and grand parents, she's looking forward to having Santa come to her house this year. I'm sure we'll have a SKYPE session or two to keep in touch. Because she's going to quickly realize at about 10am tomorrow that there is no one to play with and she's boooooooored. I better touch base with some of our friends that will be in town. I could have one cranky little monkey on my hands. I hope you'll have a holiday weekend full of family, laughs and good food. That's what we plan on doing. Even if it's only the three of us. Painting ornaments with friends. Decorating the tree. The annual Christmas tree skirt dance. The stockings are hung. ...

Elli and her friend Lou Lou wrote their letter to Santa last week. They used a cute template we found on the Macy's website. It has music while you're writing and cute decorations to jazz up your letter. Plus they force you to keep it to one page. And the best part? Macy's will donate $1 for every Santa letter received to the Make-A-Wish Foundation up to $1 million dollars. Pretty cool. Lou Lou finished her letter. Then it was Elli's turn. She wouldn't let me see her list. Bah! Fortunately, she did let me take a peek at her notes. Lucky for me she put a red star by the things she really wants. Yesterday we dropped off Elli's secret Santa letter at Macy's. Woo hoo! Elli asked what I was going to ask Santa for. My list for Santa is really short. I just want one thing. A job. And I believe he'll deliver!

Wishing all of you a save and joyful holiday season filled with family and friends, good food and spirits, and lots and lots of presents (did I say presents? I meant peace. Peace on earth!)   ho ho ho!!! Love you all, Kris

SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards. For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000. Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.  So, are you like me and you've done some shopping but not everything and now it's the weekend before Xmas and you're like, Holy Moly. What am I going to do ? There's so much pressure to get just the right thing for all the special people in your life. It gets even harder when you're on a tight budget. What's the best gift you've ever given? Is there one thin...

'Tis the season for a spicy Bloody Mary. I don't know why we only drink these during the holidays. But it's kind of tradition. And I guess it would seem weird drinking them any other time. My dad is usually the king mixer of this spicy cocktail. But since he's a million miles away Don has taken over the Bloody Mary making duties. We like ours spicy, with a squeeze of lime and of course a stalk of celery. A nice olive is good too. Are you a fan of Bloody Mary's? What's your secret ingredient? Care to share your recipe? I must confess. After I wrote this I REALLY wanted a bloody mary. But sitting alone in your living room drinking a vodka cocktail just doesn't seem right. So I poured myself a glass of the mix, with a squeeze of lime and a skewer of olives and it hit the spot. aaaaaaaaaah It's like having a snack and a drink all in one. Quite tasty! Ok. I'm not exactly alone. Don and Bentley are sleeping on the couch and Elli is playing ...

It's Sunday night. 7:30pm. I worked like a dog all day Saturday and Sunday. And I am exhausted. We decorated the tree on Saturday. Which is not an easy task when the tree and all the ornaments are in a storage unit that's 25 minutes away. But Elli and I got it done. Sunday just about did me in though. I was busy from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to bed. I wanted the house to resemble Christmas. Don was not as enthusiastic. So I took it upon myself to get it done. While he got some beauty sleep. Made bacon and eggs for Don, Elli and her friend Courtney. Vacuumed the living room 5 or 6 loads of laundry Baked a loaf of pumpkin bread with Elli and Courtney Baked oatmeal cookies with Elli and Courtney Swept my neighbors patio (we were borrowing her oven - dual baking) Made everyone soup for lunch Hung all the Christmas lights outside. (By myself.) Put all the patio cushions and the rug in the storage closet for winter Swept our patio Cleaned the ...

I loooooooove pumpkin bread. It's good to eat morning, noon and night. yummy afternoon snack The recipe I have makes super moist pumpkin bread that is really more like a cake than a bread. In fact, I ate the last piece this morning with a big dollop of whipped cream on top and a cup of coffee. That is my kind of breakfast. even yummier for breakfast The Mr. left a very sad, little, broken piece in the Tupperware container.  (Which I oh-so-carefully photographed to look much nicer than the real thing.) And just the teeniest bit of whipped cream, too. Why he didn't just finish both last night is beyond me. I'm pretty sure I would have just polished it off. I mean really. But then I wouldn't have had a spectacular breakfast this morning. mmmmmmmmm mmmm So maybe he meant to do that? As much as I would like that to be the truth. I'm pretty sure he just didn't want to do the dishes. Not to rag on him, but he has a thing about dishes and the dish...

I love Wednesday. We're halfway to Friday. Which means we're closer to the weekend. Which means I can break from my regular routine of rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, and relax with my family and a glass of wine. Aaaaaaaah . That's what the weekends are for, right? Tell me this is what you do too. It's all about my peeps. Little miss Elli. The Mr. at Tennessee Beach in Mill Valley. And of course some of this! XWinery, 2007 Pinot Noir, Carneros, Truchard Vineyard Since it is Tres Chic wine Wednesday, I have to tell you about a new wine we found at Whole Foods that's ten bucks! It's the XWinery, 2007 Pinot Noir, Carneros, Truchard Vineyard . It was delish. Yes, you read correctly. I, Kris Mulkey, hater of Pinot, am recommending a Pinot Noir. It's not often, if ever, that I like a Pinot. Ninety-nine percent of them smell, and taste, like barn. Stinky old goats and dirty hay. I swear. Most of them I cannot even drink because I can'...