About once a quarter, Mike and I commit to a little ‘liver rest’ by going on the wagon for a week or so. As we wrote in The 6-Week Cure, alcohol is a delicious poison that must be detoxified by the liver, which adds to its work burden. In excess, of course, alcohol, can lead to the development of fatty liver, which can fuel insulin resistance, mid-body weight gain, and any of the host of maladies that make up the syndrome. Thus the prescribed two-weeks of abstinence from alcohol that begin The Cure.

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I’ve written before about the lovely Meyer lemon tree in our back yard in Santa Barbara. Small, but prolific, it keeps us supplied with more lemons than we can possibly use. This summer, it positively outdid itself, leaving us awash in fragrant fruit and wondering what to do with them all. An article in the local paper about hand-crafted aperitivos and digestivos gave us an idea.

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In most of the country, it’s hotter than blazes, which means it’s a good time to make something light and cool for dinner. Our local newspaper, the other day, gave me a perfect idea: Viccyssoise.

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Several of you have written in reference to a comment on one of Mike’s posts mentioning my mayonnaise recipe. I thought I’d post it here, instead of in the comments, since more people will be able to find it if it’s a blog. I don’t think you can search my comments…yet.

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The family gathered for a little Father’s Day/Mike’s birthday get together this past weekend. I’d planned a casual light meal for the evening that incorporated several of Mike’s favorites: steak and tomatoes.

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We just had a quick bite tonight at Dargan’s, our favorite Irish pub in Santa Barbara, where they’re already gearing up for St. Paddy’s Day and today’s paper was filled with recipes for everything Irish. There was a recipe for lamb stew, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish Coddle and a lengthy discourse on Guinness. Clearly, that day when everybody sports a shamrock and wishes they were Irish is just around the corner and with it another holiday to challenge a person’s low-carb commitment.

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Nothing says love on Valentine’s Day quite like sweets, particularly chocolate, which can make it a mine-field for the low-carb devotee. But here’s a solution that may surprise you: truffles!

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As promised (by my darling husband) here is the recipe I have used for years for an authentic Spanish Andalusian Gazpacho. Mike proclaimed it difficult, which it really isn’t. Time consuming and in parts a pain in the keester, but not difficult. In the summer, when the tomatoes are at their peak, I use fresh tomatoes, but otherwise, the canned diced ones, particularly the fire roasted ones that are now available everywhere, are a tastier option.

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This past New Year’s Eve, we had (as we often do) a number of friends over for dinner to ring in the new year. I had intended to post the menu, photos, and some recipes long before now, but life has been a bit hectic in our neck of the woods, with multiple projects with looming deadlines on my desk, so I apologize for my sporadic attention to this blog.

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A reader just commented that the link to the Butternut Squash Soup recipe wasn’t functioning and bemoaned the recipe’s not being available. Until I am able to figure out what happened, I thought I’d repost the recipe here and now, since it’s the perfect season to enjoy this savory, filling soup.

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