Last night I ate a dish cooked by Andrew that I presumed I wouldn’t really like much.

It was definitely the best thing I had eaten since Sunday night.

The lesson here is don’t presume… just eat.

Oh, and Andrew, you better share the recipe!

Indeed — Sundays are a special cooking day when the whole family has time to savor the preparation as much as the meal itself.

Sundays are for cooking and today we have a friend coming over to cook Filipino food. I can’t wait.

No.

A little photo of my tomatoes and crooked neck squash taken today.

Yellow Brandywine, Black Japanese (from Estonia actually!), San Marzano and Lemon Boy. Lemon Boy is not an heirloom but a terrific tomato to grow.

— John

With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy. Lope de Vega

Last night I had an early dinner at one of my favourite LA restaurants (Locanda Portofino). I ordered spaghetti alla vongole (with clams). To my amazement, the clams had been washed in tap water and were overwhelmingly flavoured with chlorine. What a disappointment. Chefs should know better.

While the rest of the world gobbles the last delicious morsels of the Harry Potter series, I have been devouring the excellent and inspirational early biography by Jaques Pepin. He may have been at the center of the revolution that has shaped the American culinary landscape, but it his passion for both life and cooking that has captured my imagination in a compelling grip.

A thorough recommendation for the Apprentice: my life in the kitchen is forthcoming.