THE LATEST FROM FRAN BERGER
Blogs
Tips from a Pro: Your “Cooking 101” Lesson for The Day
I’m always surprised when I’m in a restaurant and my meal comes and it has absolutely NO flavor. There is no excuse for a dish to come out of a kitchen (yours or anyone else’s, including a restaurant’s) with no...
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Simple Recipe for a Night With a Friend
Simple Saturday Night with a Girlfriend There are those nights when you’re tired but you’d still like to get together with a girlfriend. They’re easy to do with almost no planning at all. I always keep some fresh pasta in...
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Perfect Appetizer for a Pot-Luck: Baked Brie en Croûte with Honey, Dried Cherries, Rosemary Pecans
Perfect Appetizer for a Pot-Luck – Baked Brie en Croûte with Honey, Dried Cherries, Rosemary & Pecans Author: Recipe by Jennifer Segal I’m always searching for great websites that I can use as references for recipes. One of these is...
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I will Travel Far and Wide for Good Food
One thing I know is that sometimes the food that I’m craving is not at a restaurant close by – wherever I am. It doesn’t matter what city I’m in, whether I’m traveling or at home, this holds true. There...
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Recipe for Sunday Brunch: Mini Artichokes with Curry Mayo
Mini Artichokes with Curry Mayo More than 30 years ago, I was asked to help host a baby shower for a close girlfriend. I said yes, of course. Then, I was asked to contribute a dish for 25-30 women for...
Read MoreSĀMBĀR: Craving Indian Cuisine in Los Angeles
SĀMBĀR I love Indian food, but my favorite place closed a few years ago. I hadn’t been able to find a new place to satisfy my craving until recently when one of my best friends, Akasha Richmond, opened SĀMBĀR in...
Read MoreAlways 15 Minutes Late: What to do About Chronically Tardy Friends
One of the things that absolutely kills me is when a friend is chronically late. They will say “Oh, I’m just a few minutes late!” when they are always 15 minutes late or more. I’m not talking about the person...
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Recipe for a Smashing Rack-Roasted Chicken Dinner
Easy Brined Rack-Roasted Chicken This recipe is by Dai Due, from Austin Texas. I have no idea why, but I’ve always thought that a simple roast chicken would be so hard to do well. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never...
Read MoreFriends That Stay Connected No Matter What is Going On
My family and friends mean everything to me and I make sure I “touch” them on a regular basis. I don’t mean physically touch all the time, it might be a phone call, text or simply thinking of...
Read MoreThe Quest for Food Memories
As long as I can remember, I’ve loved reading recipes. I didn’t cook them often while I was growing up, but I loved reading them. Reading cookbooks was a favorite too. While I was reading a recipe that caught my...
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Recipe for Personal Dining: Wine Blends
Back to Wine Basics with “Blends” All of my friends know that my wine of choice always includes bubbles – pink ones if I’m to be completely honest about it. But, having said that, I just love a good bottle,...
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Don’t Get Crazy Over Something You Can’t Control
Are you driving yourself crazy over things that are beyond control? Anybody that knows me knows that I can be a little bit of a controlling Type A personality. Actually, some of you may think “little bit” doesn’t really apply!...
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Fresh Ricotta Recipe – Quick and Easy Share With Friends
Fresh Ricotta Recipe with Roasted Grapes, Fresh Thyme, on Grilled Bread I love to invite my girlfriends over for a party and I especially love to try new recipes on them but my problem is that I tend to go a...
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Difficult Relationships: Sometimes, People Fire Themselves
A friend of mine owns a successful small American restaurant in Los Angeles; great food, atmosphere and has always had a really professional staff. I’ll tell you who it is later because this post isn’t about the restaurant. It’s about...
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Sfixio, Discover Your Secret Italian
I’m going to make a confession here – my favorite cuisine is Italian and my hands-down favorite Italian restaurant is Sfixio in Beverly Hills, CA. It’s the closest to any food I’ve eaten in Italy that I can find in the...
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