a creative and tasty competition

Things have been a little nutso lately, and I completely blanked on telling you where I got the recipe for homemade crackers. Sunset, naturally. It's from their new book called The One-Block Feast.

A couple years ago, Sunset's food editor Margo True was kind enough to invite me down to the Sunset ranch for an al fresco lunch that inspired the original One-Block feast article. Let me tell you, eating cucumber deviled eggs as the chickens that laid the eggs softly clucked nearby was quite the treat. And that was only the first course. It was a warm, slow, languid afternoon of inspiring food and conversation as we moved from the garden to the wine cellar to the outdoor patio.

Now the Sunset team has turned the article into a book. And the particular greatness of this book is that it’s divided into seasons, and alongside each season’s recipes are garden plans for the season, as well as plant varieties and tips for planting, watering and harvesting – drawing from the long knowledge and experience of the their garden team.

They sent me a copy and I've already made a couple things: the crackers, and kale colcannon for St Paddy's Day. And it turns out you can get in on the action. The book just went on sale and to celebrate, Sunset is holding a DIY competition for gardener-entertainers. That’s you, right? You can get the details here but hurry, you only have a couple days to dream up your creative and tasty entry. 

a nice thing

Yesterday evening, after an 80 degree day in the city, we brought the dog to the beach and hiked up to an abandoned battery for sunset matadors (tequila and pineapple juice with fresh squeezed lime juice), and sipped as the sun sank into the Pacific.

and sunset too!

Check out a couple projects I created for Sunset’s December issue. Rocks become personalized magnets or paperweights with rub-on transfers. And if you want to etch a custom set of glasses, you can use the stay warm template I made for Sunset readers right here.

When you create a project but don’t have control over its final presentation, it’s always a little nerve-wracking. But there’s none of that fear with Sunset – look at these lovely groupings and such gorgeous styling! It’s a thrill to appear in these pages.

picnic projects preview

I got my current issue of Sunset in the mail yesterday and kind of wanted to make out with it. A friend of mine tells me he felt the same way about the 1987 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

The targets of my lust are articles and recipes for getting outside this spring and summer. I already had a few picnic-related craft projects taking shape on the dining room table, so we can be out the door in a flash when the mood and weather align. Here’s one of the projects I’m working on – a kind of wipe-able cutlery clutch for carrying utensils to and from a sunny meadow.

Besides the picnicking feature in Sunset, there’s also a piece on the best campsites in the West, complete with a menu that includes a berry cake you can make over a fire. We just happen to have our first camping trip of the season already on the books for next weekend. I'll be stashing some berries in the cooler, no doubt.