In 2009 we published “The Holm Family Cookbook” with our mother, an aunt, and a cousin. We started this blog at that time and maintained it for a few years, so many of the posts are a bit dated, but the recipes are still good!
For several years Fenestra Winery in Livermore has kicked off the new year with their soup and wine "Souperbowl" where they pair soups with wine. Last weekend the Calhoun Sisters were at the Souperbowl serving Country Pea Soup from our Holm Family...
Our first winter garden has been producing well, and with two varieties of kale and temperatures in the 30’s, I decided to make some Caldo Verde, Green Portuguese Soup! I also had some cilantro and Italian parsley growing, to make up the three basic “greens” to get...
I follow several family owned ranches on Instagram. Before the COVID pandemic, a few of the ranchers were selling beef directly to consumers. Some, like our sister Nancy, were selling beef to local customers, others were shipping regionally, while others were shipping...
With the gray cloudy weather recently, a nice hot bowl of soup has definitely been top-of-mind. We have a French bakery close to work, Casse Croute, and they make homemade soup every day, with 3 to 4 choices on the menu any given day. One of our recent favorites...
One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and now it comes on a few early mornings every week, so we watch it over coffee. A couple of weeks ago one of our favorite Northern California dishes was featured, Cioppino, and...
Beef barley soup, corned beef hash, and Rueben sandwiches were made with our leftover corned beef Our mom is currently in the hospital receiving care for the side effects from the chemo-like drug she is taking to hopefully prolong her life in her fight against...
The paternal side of our family hales from the Portuguese island of Faial in the Azores, and put down roots in the San Francisco Bay Area and Livermore Valley at least 5 generations ago. Our dad, Wayne Calhoun, and his brother Ken. They grew up fishing on the...
It must be the Portuguese blood in me that loves this soup. The traditional Portuguese soup, Caldo Verde, is a bit different than the recipe shared by Ann Perry Mueller. She had made the soup for my parents and they raved about it! When I asked her how she prepared...
Growing up in the Livermore Valley, we were surrounded by vineyards and wineries. Many a Livermore native worked at one winery or another in the bottling room, cellar, or tasting room, including myself and many of my family members. On the drive to our grandparents...
First full day of Fall and I’m lookin’ for soup recipes, especially because it has, once again, been unseasonably cold ‘round these parts (40-something outside this morning). I remember going back to school in September and it being 105 degrees, this year is freezing,...