Truffled Cheddar Cheese Holiday Nibble Suggested by Ruth Paget

Truffled Cheddar Cheese Holiday Nibble by Ruth Paget 

People who like the tangy flavor and dense texture of aged cheddar cheese might enjoy trying Modesto, California’s Fiscalini Farmstead’s truffled cheddar cheese as a holiday nibble. 

I bought Fiscalini truffled cheddar cheese at Nob Hill in Salinas, California and Petaluma, California’s Rustic Bakery Olive Oil and Sea Salt Flatbread at Star Market in Salinas as a handy wafer for the truffled cheddar. 

I like to eat tangy cheddar cheese with ale beers. Truffled cheddar has an earthy, tangy bite which I think would pair well with Belgian ales like Duvel (Flemish for “devil” – I drink these in mini versions) and Lindeman’s classic lambic beer. Georgia’s Blue Moon Belgian-style white ale would probably work with the truffled cheddar as well. Belgian ales are available for purchase at Total Wine in Sand City, California. 

This truffled cheddar snack and ale go well with shelled, walnuts to tone down the tangy flavor, which you can buy at Costco in Sand City, California. 

Happy last minute shopping for holiday snacks!

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Foods of Sicily & Sardinia and the Smaller Islands Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Foods of Sicily and Sardinia and the Smaller Islands Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

I purchased Foods of Sicily & Sardinia and the Smaller Islands (Elba, Giglio, Capri, and Ischia) by Giuliano Bugialli after vacationing in the Sicilian city of Arcireale between Taormina and Syracuse when my husband Laurent and I lived in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Bugialli writes that Sicily has been at the crossroads of war and invasion for centuries beginning with the tug-of-war between ancient Rome and Carthage. Even Swabian Germans from the area around Stuttgart had been invaders of Sicily at one time. 

The Sicilians have developed a civilizations that is able to withstand misery, maintain cultural values, and eventually become rich enough to entice new invaders to chase out the old ones. I wanted to see what I could learn about survival in the 21st century from my trip there and used Bugialli’s cookbook to ferret out some great recipes and clues about how towns and lifestyle are organized in Sicily from the book’s photos. 

I chose the following four recipes to show how inventive the Sicilian are with vegetables, olive oil, lemons, oranges, red wine vinegar, herbs, and fish (California has all these ingredients and can do the same thing by the way.): 

*melanzane marinate (grilled and marinated eggplant) 

This dish calls for a marinade that will later double as a sauce. You marinate eggplant slices in a mix made with anchovies, garlic cloves, rosemary leaves, sage leaves, lemon juice, oregano, and olive oil. You then grill the eggplant and use the marinade as a sauce. 

*zucchini marinate (grilled and marinated zucchini) 

For this dish, you grill zucchini slices in olive oil and then let them marinate in a mix of olive oil, salt, basil leaves, mint leaves, salt and pepper, and red wine vinegar. 

*pesce all erbe aromatiche (swordfish or tuna fish marinated in aromatic herbs) 

For this recipe, fish strips are sautéed in olive oil and then marinated in a sauce made with mint leaves, verbena leaves, basil leaves, parsley, sage leaves, rosemary leaves, capers, oregano leaves, red onion slices, lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. 

*insalata di arance (orange salad) 

This recipe is made with peeled orange slices laid out on a serving dish with chopped celery hearts and walnuts strewn on top of the orange slices. The oranges are then drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. 

In addition to well-written recipes, this cookbook provides cultural information with photographs about sheep shearing, the Vucciaia Market in Palermo, and the Sicilian cassata Easter cake. 

To enhance meals out to Sicilian restaurants in the United States or travel to Sicily, reading Foods of Sicily & Sardinia and the Smaller Islands by Giuliano Bugialli can serve as a great reference. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Venetian da Fiore Cookbook Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Venetian da Fiore Cookbook Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

The da Fiore Cookbook: Recipes from Venice’s Best Restaurant by Damiano Martin has several recipes that are doable at home that could be served on the weekend or for a lunch with a Venetian Carnival theme or for a New Year’s Bal Masqué (Masked Ball). 

The recipes that I thought looked delicious and easy to prepare for a weekend lunch or party follow: 

*da Fiore Steamed Mussels made with garlic cloves sautéed in olive oil with chopped plum tomatoes, brandy, chopped basil leaves, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper -gratin of taglioni pasta with radicchio and shrimp 

-taglioni is a pasta that is thinner than spaghetti and made from eggs. Radicchio is a favorite lettuce-like vegetable in Venice that has a ball-like shape and red-purple leaves. Radicchio is bitter raw, but mellows with cooking, especially if mixed with Parmesan -

In this baked recipe, da Fiore calls for braising the radicchio and shrimp in butter with onion, white wine, and cream as a sauce. -boiled taglioni is placed in a baking dish with the sauce mixed in and Parmesan on top before heating. 

-this long description shows how much I love gratins! 

*pennette with sea scallops ad broccoli florets -In this dish, boiled broccoli is mixed with sautéed scallops to go with small tubular pasta cut on the diagonal and topped with Parmesan 

*spaghetti served with clams in a tomato-white wine sauce 

*whole wheat pasta (bigoli) with salsa made of sardines, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, and onions 

Finally, a dish I would leave to a personal chef or restaurant to prepare is pumpkin gnocchi with Parmesan, sage, and white truffles from Italy. (This dish just calls for extra dabs of butter.) 

Fish and seafood lovers as well as home gardeners will find many recipes of interest in The da Fiore Cookbook about Venetian cuisine in Italy by Damiano Martin. This cookbook also has dramatic, skyward photos of Venice that make it a nice coffee table book. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Wonton Glass Noodle Soup at Chopstix in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Wonton Glass Noodle Soup Shout Out for Chopstix in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I learned to love wonton noodle soup when my sister K. worked at the Ho-Ho Inn in Detroit, Michigan and later when I would order it for take-out from Mekong House in Chicago, Illinois after work when I ate at home in the Marina City apartment building next door. 

Both the Ho-Ho Inn (Chinese) and Mekong House (Vietnamese) made delightful pork-scallion wontons soup. The dumpling wrapper was pinched together at the top to look like a little coin purse (so cute and delicious at the same time). 

It is pretty safe to say that I am predisposed to like wonton soup even before tasting it, but I really did like the wonton glass noodle soup made by Chopstix in Salinas, California that I ordered for delivery recently. (I like having a reasonable priced delivery option. I would have used this all the time when I lived in snowy and icy Chicago). 

The bottom bowl in the delivery kits was halfway full of transparent, glass noodles, which are usually made of mung beans. On top of these, Chopstix mounded up layers of steamed vegetables: broccoli florets, mushroom caps, slices of Napa cabbage, half moon slices of zucchini, thin slices of carrots with zigzag edges, and a few small slices of chopped onion. 

Over these vegetables and noodles, you use the second container of broth and wontons to pour over the pork-scallions wontons, shrimp halves, shredded chicken breast, and broth. For a large container of soup, there were easily three pours of soup to go over the noodles and vegetables. 

The broth itself tastes of onion, cilantro, and salt with the combined stocks of pork, chicken, and shrimp. I love flavorful, nutrient-rich stocks like these. Shrimp broth, for example, has calcium, selenium, protein, and antioxidants in it. 

For a robust comfort food soup, wonton glass noodle soup with vegetables at Chopstix in Salinas, California is pretty hard to beat. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Pucker: A Cookbook for Citrus Lovers Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Pucker: A Cookbook for Citrus Lovers Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

Pucker: A Cookbook for Citrus Lovers by Gwendolyn Richards, a Calgary Herald food writer from Alberta Province (Canada), provides several recipes of interest for agricultural sales in places like California. 

The recipes that I thought looked especially interesting include:

-baked ricotta dipping pots with lemon and chives 

-shaved Brussels sprouts, shaved shallots, and chopped walnut salad with lemon dressing 

-chopped asparagus cubes (raw) with chopped green onions and sliced almonds with lemon dressing  

-roasted sheet pan lemon potatoes with garlic and oregano. After 15 minutes of baking, you add chicken stock and lemon juice to make the potatoes very tender. (A rimmed baking sheet would cut down on oven mess.)

-linguine with tuna and lemon dressing with arugula leaves mixed in 

Citrus lovers will enjoy the recipes for lemons, Meyer lemons (a cross between lemons and oranges), limes, and grapefruit in Pucker as well as chefs, busy young professionals, college students who like gourmet food, farmers’ market patrons, and world travelers. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Chicken or Shrimp Caesar Salad Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Chicken or Shrimp Caesar Salad Recipe Created by Ruth Paget 

Note: Alone a Costco Caesar Salad is a great value. You can serve 4 people a large salad with it for less than $9 in California. I use one as a part of more protein rich salads in this recipe also using ingredients from Costco. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

-1 Costco Caesar salad serving 4 to 6 people 

-4 (4-ounce) chicken breasts at room temperature 

-2 tablespoons olive oil 

-4 tablespoons steak seasoning 

Steps: 

1-Squeeze lemon juice on the Caesar salad and toss it to double up the volume of the salad. Sprinkle croutons across the top of the salad. Place salad dressing in a small serving dish alongside the salad. 

2-Heat a frying pan with olive oil in it on high. Add chicken breasts. Sprinkle with seasoning on both sides. 

3-Cook chicken for 15 minutes, turning several times to cook all the way through. 

4-Remove chicken from frying pan. Cut chicken breasts into cubes. Place in a serving bowl to go with the salad and dressing. 

Note: Coscto cocktail shrimp can be used instead of chicken in this recipe. Cut off the tail and cut the body in two. Place the shrimp pieces in a serving bowl alongside the salad and dressing. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

UNESCO names Italian Cuisine as an Intangible World Heritage reposted by Ruth Paget

Condé Nast Traveler just posted a story about Italian cuisine being named an intangible world heritage :

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/unesco-just-recognized-italian-cooking-as-intangible-cultural-heritage#:~:text=The%2520selection%2520is%2520a%2520timely,shared%2520moments%2520around%2520the%2520table.%E2%80%9D&text=Other%25202025%2520additions%2520to%2520the,See%2520UNESCO's%2520full%2520list%2520here.

I went to a book signing by Sophia Loren in high school in Detroit.  Like a lot of groupies I told her she was beautiful.

“I owe everything to pasta,” she replied.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Playing Classic Games to Create New Ones at the University of Chicago by Ruth Paget

The following transcript repost from CBS provides a peek inside the University of Chicago’s gaming lab:

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/retro-bay-university-of-chicago-weston-game-lab/

Game on!

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Halo Founder and UChicago Alumnus Interview reposted by Ruth Paget

Halo Founder and University of Chicago alumnus Alex Saropian interview at UChicago’s Year of Games follows:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/trailblazing-halo-video-game-producer-advises-students-make-stuff

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France 

Mary Lee Sunseri - Big Kid Like her Too reposted by Ruth Paget

Mary Lee Sunseri is the Monterey Peninsula’s little kids’ entertainer that big kids like, too.

Her website information follows:

https://www.maryleemusic.com/

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Charlesworth Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget - Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

Charlesworth Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget – Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget 

I have used cemetery records for the most part to put together this mother lines genealogy project for all the great-grandmothers in our family trees. 

G1 refers to generation 1 and so on below: 

G1 – Florence Paget 

-daughter of Laurent Paget and Ruth Pennington 

G2 – Ruth Pennington 

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle 

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle 

-daughter of Frank Henry Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley 

G4 – Daisy May Bardsley 

-daughter of Edward Charles Bardsley and Etta Pearl Carpenter 

Born: April 25, 1905 

Died: April 14, 1984, buried in Arena Cemetery, Arena, Iowa County, Wisconsin 

G5 – Edward Charles Bardsley

-son of James Edward Bardsley and Anna C. Charlesworth 

Born: July 31, 1863 in Blue Mounds, Dane County, Wisconsin 

Died: July 31, 1949 in Black Earth, Dane County, Wisconsin 

G6 – Anna C. Charlesworth 

-daughter of Samuel Charlesworth and Elizabeth Catlin 

-immigrant to the United States 

Born: June 19, 1845 in England 

Died: December 22, 1912 

G7 – Samuel Charlesworth 

Born: 1814 in England 

Died: 1901 

He was a lawyer and Justice of the Peace in Dane County.

Note: Samuel Charlesworth’s wife was Elizabeth Catlin (1818 – 1905). She was born in England. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Throop Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget - Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

Throop Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget – Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget 

I used online cemetery records (Find a Grave) to develop this Throop family tree for my daughter Florence Paget and me. This Throop family tree is part of my mother lines genealogy project. 

G1 refers to Generation 1 and so on below: 

G1 – Florence Paget -daughter of Laurent Paget and Ruth Pennington 

G2 –Ruth Pennington -daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle 

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle -daughter of Frank Henry Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley 

G4 – Daisy May Sawle

-daughter of Edward Charles Bardsley and Etta Pearl Carpenter 

Born: April 25, 1905 

Died: April 4, 1984, buried in Arena Cemetery, Arena, Iowa County, Wisconsin 

G5 – Etta Pearl Carpenter 

-daughter of George Robert Carpenter and Phoebe Ann Throop 

Born: April 29, 1866 

Died: September 10, 1928 

G6 – Phoebe Ann Throop 

-Immigrant to the United States 

Born: April 20,1845 in Prescott and Russell United Counties, Ontario, Canada 

Died: February 8, 1935, buried in Black Earth, Dane County, Wisconsin Married: 1860 

May be related to Governor Enos Thompson Throop of New York. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Sparkling Light Shows 2025 reposted by Ruth Paget

Monterey Bay Parent magazine has published and posted a round up of holiday light shows for the family including one at the Monterey Fairgrounds.

The Monterey Bay Parent article follows

https://www.montereybayparent.com/holiday-lights-on-the-monterey-bay/

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Latinx Artist Amalia Mesa-Baines Information reposted by Ruth Paget

The artwork and scholarship of Amalia Mesa-Baines has had significant impact on the Central Coast of California.

Information about her presentations and how to purchase her artwork are available on her website below:

https://renabranstengallery.com/artists/amalia-mesa-bains/

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

First Night Monterey 2025 - 50+ Performances reposted by Ruth Paget

First Night Monterey is a family friendly New Year’s Eve Celebration featuring 50+ performances plus hands-on art to make from 3pm to midnight in Monterey, California.  

Information about First Night follows on their website below:

https://www.firstnightmonterey.org/

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Chinese Lion Dancer Leonard Han reposted by Ruth Paget

Chinese Lion Dancer Leonard Han has performed at many First Night Monterey Celebrations.

His website below details his many skills:

https://leonardhan.pairsite.com/mb/about

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Taiko Drummer Ikuyo Conant Information reposted by Ruth Paget

Taiko Drumming Japanese Performing Artist Ikuyo Consnt can be reached through the organization below:

https://actaonline.org/region/central-coast/

Ikyuo Conant and her troupe have performed at various venues throughout Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties and encourage active audience participation.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Rumsien Ohlone artist Linda Yamane on Centeal Coast Information reposted by Ruth Paget

Rumsien Ohlone artist Linda Yamane, who does workshops in the Monterey Area, can be reached through the organization below along with other artists who practice traditional art forms on California’s Central Coast:

https://actaonline.org/region/central-coast/

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Sardi's - like Birthday Party at Pèppoli Italian Restaurant in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Sardi’s – like Birthday Party at Pèppoli Italian Restaurant in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

When I was a teenager, I religiously read Shirley Eder’s column in the Detroit Free Press about local, national, and international celebrities from all art fields, many of whom performed at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. 

I especially like reading about casts from Broadway shows celebrating successful theatre runs by dining at Sardi’s in New York. 

For a Sardi’s – like birthday, my daughter Florence Paget and husband Laurent Paget took me to Pèppoli Italian restaurant in Pebble Beach, California, which has earned a highly coveted Michelin star for its food, wine list, service, décor including colorful and elegant Italian maiolicha ware, comfort, and details like having a fire going in the fireplace, white tablecloths, and muted light for nice photos. 

The scene was set for a delicious and leisurely meal for my birthday. 

We started with fritto misto, a mixture of lightly fried calamari, shrimp, thinly sliced leeks or what may have been cardoons, and thinly sliced, small Meyer lemons with a slightly peppery marinara dipping sauce on the side. I felt as if I were in Amalfi, Italy munching on fried lemons. 

Pèppoli has an extensive wine list, but I chose to drink a Peroni beer instead. Peroni is a pale lager made from spring barley, Italian corn, and hops. The Peroni website says it has a citrus flavor, but I liked the taste of grain that tasted nice with the fritto misto. It would also be a good choice for charcuterie. 

Laurent and Florence ate Caesar salads as a first course. I ordered polenta to go with my main dish and enjoyed sipping the Peroni beer as they ate. 

Florence and I ordered lasagna as our main dish, and Laurent ate pasta carbonara. The lasagna at Pèppoli is what I consider Bologna-style, because it is made with balsamella sauce (béchamel) and a ragù sauce made with tomato, chopped sirloin, and fennel-flavored Italian sausage. It is made to order with a perfectly crunchy topping of melted Parmesan cheese. Our waiter told us the lasagna was a signature dish at Pèppoli. I thought it was sumptuous and delicious for birthday mom me. 

Laurent is always happy with pasta carbonara made with pancetta, Parmesan, eggs, and salt and pepper. I made Laurent this dish weekly when we lived Stuttgart, Germany. It is easy to find great bacon in Germany. Pèppoli beats me, though, because they use house-made pasta in the dish. 

As a contorni, an Italian vegetable dish, I ordered polenta made from fine grain corn meal that has been stewed, cooled, and fried. The polenta arrived as elegant triangles standing up in a small pool of marinara sauce. The polenta was light and dainty, a definite mom treat for her birthday. 

Pèppoli is a great venue for birthdays, anniversaries, end of talent show parties for singers, wrap-up parties for theatre productions from Ariel Theatrical for young actors to Western Stage and Pacific Repertory in neighboring Carmel. Family reunion organizers might enjoy planning a catered meal here, too. 

My birthday with my family at Pèppoli Italian restaurant in Pebble Beach, California was marvelous in all aspects and a splurge as you would expect at a Michelin restaurant. It was worth every penny. Thank you Florence. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Trader Joe’s Big Belgian Chocolate bars can fill 3 stockings by Ruth Paget

Shout out for Trader Joe’s Belgian Chocolate bars that are the size of a paperback book!

One of these bars paired with a dessert cookbook would be a nice stocking stuffer.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France