Raising The Bar Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Bar Ice Cream Sandwiches Dessert I scream, you scream we all scream for … ice cream sandwiches! After seeing a luscious photo of homemade ice cream… Read More

Celebrating The Red, White And … Green Amerigo Vespucci Tour – San Pedro, CA July 2024 Thanks to a heads-up from my friend Denny who lives in Canada, on America’s 248th bi… Read More

Hot (Slaw) In Cleveland … Tennessee Hot Slaw Side The Week magazine arrived in the mail (so old school!) featuring a New York Times’ recipe as its Recipe of the Week for Hot Sla… Read More

Seeing How The Other .00001% Live Hearst Castle – San Simeon, CA Visited: May 2024 Tracy and I love exploring castles and palaces when traveling abroad, but it had been more than three… Read More

A “Grand” Idea Grand Marnier Grilled Chicken Main Here in Southern California, we’ve had a late spring with plenty of April showers and May gray which has been good for my… Read More

Go-Go Garbo’s Glorious Gardens Ramble Ventura Botanical Gardens – Ventura, CA Visit: May 2024 When Tracy learned that the Ventura Botanical Gardens allows dogs on Wednesdays and… Read More

All Bets Are Off: Mai Tai Tom’s 66 Hours In Las Vegas Chapter Three: Sunken Treasures To Neon Pleasures Day Three: We’re Off The Hook, On A Roll, Somber Reminders, The Unsinkable… Read More

Fluffy Delight Pistachio Marshmallow Salad Sweet Side or Dessert From my vintage recipe archives… here is a recipe from my Aunt Ann which I have not made in years and I don’t kn… Read More

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Potatoes Lemon Mashed Potatoes Side Lemon mashed potatoes where have you been all my life? Wow! We were blown away by the citrusy deliciousness of these mash… Read More

All Bets Are Off: Mai Tai Tom’s 66 Hours In Las Vegas Chapter Two: Don’t You Step On My Blue Suede Shoes Day Two: Hey It’s Worked For the Last 24 Years, Don’t Be Like… Read More

All Bets Are Off: Mai Tai Tom’s 66 Hours In Las Vegas Chapter One: A Mob (Museum) Scene & Lost In Venice Day One: Is There A Sporting Event Coming Up?, Must Be A Sign, Pinball Wiza… Read More

If You Knew Sushi Like I Know Sushi Sushi Bake Casserole Main or Starter I love a good California roll so when I saw this recipe in the New York Times described as a deconstructed California… Read More

Stunning Centro Histórico Dining Azul Histórico – Mexico City April 2023 One of the best things about our marvelous Mexico City trip included the number of fantastic dini… Read More

Revisiting An Old Favorite Norton Simon Museum – Pasadena, CA Last Visited: August 2023 & January 2024 It had been some time since Tracy and I had visited one of our favorite local… Read More

Oh, Oh, Oh, Au Gratin! Three Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin with Leeks, Fennel and Bacon Side This recipe is upscaled from an ad for Wolf Gourmet that I saw in Fine Cooking many years ago. The fi… Read More

Morning In The Mercado Mercado González – Costa Mesa, CA Visited: December 2023 Tracy and I have had Mexico City on our brains since our incredible April 2023 trip, so when Trac… Read More

Flavorful & Full of Fiber Chili Pumpkin Chicken Chili Main I like pumpkin but I am not one of those people who stands in line the first day Starbucks rolls out its Pumpkin Spice Latte (t… Read More

A Delicious (Apple) Slice Of Life Caramel Apple Spice Dump Cake Dessert October is my favorite month and autumn is my favorite time of the year. After a long, hot summer it is so nice to hav… Read More

The Light Of Learning! Los Angeles Central Library – Los Angeles Visited: June & September 2023 Seven years ago I was quite blown away by a visit to the library, the Los Angeles… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Epilogue – Marvelous, Magnificent & Memorable Mexico City I wouldn’t say it was a surprise we had suc… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Nine: Conchas, Churros, Crisscrossing & (Near) Catastrophe Days Nine & Ten: Thanks Eva, Exploring Rom… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Eight – Chapultepec Castle & It’s Another Tequila Sunset Day Eight – Where’s That… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Seven: Exploring Chapultepec Park & Museo Nacional de Antropología Day Seven: Charming Boutique Ho… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Six – “Russian” To See Coyoacán’s Museums & Music To My Ears Day Six &ndas… Read More

Fresh From The Sea Mariscos del Patio – Mexico City Seafood – April 2023 We had many excellent meals in Mexico City, but one of our best (if not the best) took place at a family… Read More

Easiest Cheesiest Potatoes! Tom’s Twice-Baked Potato Casserole Side (or for Tom … Main) We love potatoes at the Casa de Mai Tai. For Thanksgiving we always make Tom’s Mom… Read More

Give This Lisbon Gem A Shot! Taberna Moderna – Lisbon, Portugal Portuguese (with a modern twist) – September 2022 Before leaving for Lisbon on our 2022 fall Portugal trip, I had… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Five: Diego Rivera Mural Day Day Five: Passports Please, No Dark Glasses, The History of Mexico In One Hour… Read More

Whisk It Good! Make-Ahead Zabaglione with Mixed Berries and Amaretti Topping Every vacation Tom falls in love with a new dessert.  One year it was panna cotta, the next year tarte tatin… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Four: Pyramid Scheme & The Miracle Cloak Day Four: Heading To The Pyramids, Drinking & Shopping, Ther… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City Chapter Three: Exploring Centro Histórico & Los Tres Grandes Day Three: A Gran Tiffany Stained-Glass Ceili… Read More

Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To Mexico City Prologue: “You’re going to Mexico City? Aren’t you worried?” This was the response from many when I… Read More

Still The Best Museum You’ve Never Heard Of! The Nethercutt Collection – Sylmar Last Visited: March 2023 Who knew that because so many women use a certain cosmetic product line t… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Epilogue: Final Thoughts About Portugal I began planning for an autumn 2020 trip to Portugal in 2019. Little did I know that it… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Nineteen: O Sé Can You See & Farewell Portugal Day Twenty-One: Up On The Hill, Porto’s Cathedral, Nap T… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Eighteen: Seeing Red & Taking In More Of Porto’s Sights Day Twenty: Hello Lello, The Broken Nose, Seeing Red… Read More

Getting Tracy Off The TSA Watch List Annoyed by Secondary Screening? You May Need a Redress Number (Report by Tracy … March 2023) – I have had a Known Traveler Number through Gl… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Seventeen: Porto Palace & A Stroll Across The River Day Nineteen: Ooh It’s A Holiday, On Track For Even More A… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Sixteen: Enjoying Energizing Porto Day Eighteen: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, It’s Almost Like I Know You, G… Read More

Irish Whiskey Dessert Takes The Cake! Chocolate Irish Whiskey Cake Dessert BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER! And so easy. A friend served this for dessert (and breakfast the next day) and it could b… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Fifteen: Rolling On The Douro Day Sixteen: To Everything Turn Turn Turn, Any Port In A Heatwave, Glorious Gardens, Casa… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Fourteen: Viseu, Lamego & On To The Douro Day Fourteen: A Stop In A Medieval City, Is That An Orange Julius?, Stairw… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Thirteen: Combing Coimbra Day Thirteen: Agile Breakfast Servers, That First Step Is A Doozy, Big John, What Tour?, Booki… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Twelve: Tomar To Coimbra Day Twelve: Arch Supports, Skipping “Our Lady,” Massive Magnificent Monastery, In S… Read More

A Cultured Dish Tom Sez “Wow” Yogurt Marinated Chicken Main Here is a recipe we have been making in Mai Tai Tracy’s Kitchen since 2010. The first time I told Tom we would b… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Eleven: Traversing Templar Tomar Day Eleven: Hanging With The Templars, Barely Beating The Crowd, Window of Opportunity… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Ten – Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites On The Way To Tomar Day Ten – Two Towers Are Better Than One, Where Di… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Nine: Magical, Mystical Monserrate Day Nine: The Early Birds, A Lovely Walk, Stunning Palace, Less Is Moor, The First La… Read More

Eye-Catching Chicano Art at “The Cheech!” Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum – Riverside Visited: December 2022 Tracy and I have… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Eight: Quinta da Regaleira and Palácio da Pena Day Eight: Early Birds, All’s Well, Dante’s Inferno, M… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Seven: Sintra … Colorful City of Palaces Day Seven: Beautiful Residence, The Three-Year Deposit, High Chair, Isa… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Six: Final Day In Lisbon Day Six: We Won’t Be Taking Our Luggage, “Portuguese Versailles”, No Crowds… Read More

Windows Of Opportunity Cathedral Window Candy Dessert Here’s a blast of nostalgia that arrived in my in-box recently, Cathedral Windows. The last time I had one of these chocolate mars… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Five: Tell ‘Em We Love Belém! Day Five: Manuel Labor, Get Here Early!, Boy Are They Strict, Tower Of Power… Read More

Swedish Sensation Swedish Saffron Cake (Saffronskaka) Dessert Here is a moist, delicious cake I came across in an Eating Well article on saffron. The cake originated in Sweden where it is ca… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Four: Crisscrossing Lisbon Day Four: Justa Wrong Way To Go, Escalators To Heaven, Carmelite Treasure, Don’t Judge… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Three: Fall Comes Three Days Early In Lisbon Day Three: That’s The Ticket (Finally), Underground Transportation, W… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report Chapter Two: Exploring Lisbon Day Two: Out Of Order, Early Birds, By Jorge, When You Gotta Go, Tombs Tiles And Tales, Portugal&r… Read More

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom (Trip) Report Chapter One: Finally Lisbon! Prologue: The Third Time Really Is The Charm After having to postpone Portugal twice due to Covid, we (Tracy an… Read More

Overnight Sensation Make-Ahead Tom’s Gruyère Mac and Cheese Main We’ve hosted Thanksgiving almost every year since 1990. (I can’t remember ever being that YOUNG!!) I… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: Glasgow … Art, History & Dead People Days Twenty One & Twenty Two: T… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder:  2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER TWENTY: On To Glasgow Day Twenty One:  Missed View, Conan Not The Barbarian, A Hidd… Read More

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Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER NINETEEN: Oban, Inveraray & In-Between Day Nineteen: Sleeping In, No Whisky For You, Julie… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Killin To Oban … Spectacular Scottish Scenery Day Eighteen: It’s A Loch… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Horsing Around From Edinburgh To Killin  Day Seventeen: Decision, Shut Out Agai… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Hooray For Holyrood Day Sixteen: Playing The Palace, There’s Something About (Qu… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Royal Time In Edinburgh Day Fifteen: Yacht See, Would You Like A Pint?, Exceeding Ex… Read More

Roman Influenced Dinner In L.A. Bacetti – Echo Park (L.A.), CA Last Visited: August 2022 Every so often, I turn to a website called The Infatuation to get some ideas of places to dine… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER FOURTEEN:  Edinburgh/Dean Village Day Fourteen: Another Great Scott, Where’s Anne?… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Mai Tai Tom and The Holy Grail (and Exploring Edinburgh) Day Thirteen: Where’s… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER TWELVE: The Scottish Borders Day Twelve: Kath’s Cookies, Fleurs At Floors, Scotland&rsquo… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER ELEVEN: Bamburgh Castle & Holy Island Day Eleven: What The “H”, Another Visit W… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER TEN: Trying Not To Get Poisoned In Alnwick Day Ten: Parking Problems, Please Don’t Eat Th… Read More

Bamburgh & Warenford RestaurantsDining In Northumberland, England We stayed in Bamburgh for three nights on our England/Scotland trip, and each evening we had a great dinner at three sep… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER NINE: Enjoying The Northumberland Countryside Day Nine: Mirror Image, Going Back To The Seventh… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER EIGHT: An Unusual Day In Durham Day Eight: “Excuse Me My Husband Is Lost”, Is That… Read More

Rice With A Little Crunch Crispy Saffron Rice with Chicken and Lemon Zest Main The gift that keeps on giving! Amazingly, I still have some saffron my friend, Joanne, brought from the Spice S… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER SEVEN: An Abbey For The Ages & On To Durham Day Seven: Home On The Grange, Dear Abbey, Stud… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER SIX:  Final Day In York – Minster, Merchant & Mansion Day Six:  Phew!, I Fo… Read More

Très Magnifique! Rustique – York, England French • May 2022 Danny at our York B&B, St. Raphael Guesthouse, recommended Rustique near Clifford’s Tower for classic… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER FIVE: An Incident In York & Hitting The Walls Day Five: Five-Star Garden, High Chairs, No M… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER FOUR: Stepping It Up In York Day Four: Where’s Boris Johnson?, An Explosive Pub, My Life… Read More

So Good We Ate Here Twice! Lucia York – York, England Italian – May 2022 We hit it out of the ballpark on restaurants in York on our 2022 England/Scotland journey (link to trip r… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER THREE: Greenwich … It’s About Time & Dinner With The Churchills Day Three: The… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland CHAPTER TWO: A Whale Of A Day In London Day Two: Tap and Pay, St. Paul’s, No Whispering, The Real… Read More

Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: England & Scotland 2022 CHAPTER ONE: Somehow, We Make It To London Prologue: Cancer, Covid & Calamities Nearly Derail The… Read More

Remi’s Ojai Outdoor Outing Ojai Deer Lodge & Ojai Olive Oil Company – Ojai Since losing Frankie to cancer in October, we try to do something exciting with Remi every weekend… Read More

Slices Of Heaven Ina’s Filet of Beef Carpaccio Starter Here’s one for the meat lovers in your family. Before I met Tom, my favorite cut of beef was the end cut of the prime rib… Read More

Caloric Burger Quest Mai Tai Tom & Tracy’s Best Burgers: 2021/2022 May is National Hamburger Month and, just for our loyal subscribers and readers, Tracy and I have consumed quite… Read More

Anytime Frittatas Mini Frittatas with Roasted Red Peppers, Spinach & Prosciutto Breakfast Here is a recipe that I made for Easter brunch, but it would be perfect for Mother’s Day… Read More

“It’s A Beautiful Day For A Ball Game” Dodger Stadium Tour – Los Angeles Visited: April 2022 Although I unwisely became a San Diego Padres fan while in college at San… Read More

Sumptuous, Sweet, Citrusy Sensation Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta Dessert Every vacation Tom falls madly in love with a dessert which he orders the entire trip. Recently, friend Mary made this Lem… Read More

Inviting Italian In “The City” Fino Ristorante – San Francisco, California Visited: February 2022 • Italian San Francisco definitely does not have a shortage of very g… Read More

Irish Eyes Will Be Smiling Irish Stout Cake with Irish Cream & Espresso Buttercream Frosting Dessert When Cooking Light magazine briefly went out of business, they sent me Eating Well in… Read More

“The Pride Of The Pacific” Fort Point National Historic Site – San Francisco Visited: February 2022 So you say you didn’t know there was a fortress constructed in the… Read More

Healthy and Delicious Red Lentil Soup with Saffron Soup After opening the tin of saffron that my friend Joanne brought back from Dubai to make the Roasted Carrot and Saffron Risotto, I need… Read More

Legendary Burger & Coastal Seal Sanctuary Hike The Spot & Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve – Carpinteria Visited: February 2022 Very early on a recent Saturday morning, Tracy… Read More

I Never Met A Park I Didn’t Like! Will Rogers State Historic Park & Ranch – Pacific Palisades Visited: December 2021 It’s hard to believe as a native Angelino, I had ne… Read More

Starchy Saffron Sensation Roasted Carrot and Saffron Risotto Main, Starter or Side My good friend Joanne brought me a tin of saffron from the Spice Souk in Dubai. The saffron was a deep, ri… Read More