6 thoughts on “Ask Debbi

  1. Chef Debbie! Is there a way to purchase your botanicals (lavender lip gloss particularly) on line? I’m in San Diego, California. I received a sample of your lip gloss at one of your classes and would like more, please!
    Martha-E.

    1. Hi Martha-Elizabeth,
      Yes, I’d be happy to send you some lip balm. My shopping cart isn’t working properly at the moment but if you send me a note to : info@debskitchen.com, I can send you a paypal invoice and I’ll ship what you like for free.
      Thanks for asking!
      Debbi

  2. Hi Debbi,

    LOVE your website! Not to stalk you, but I saw your post on the Edison Park site with your butterflies- I just got plot 121 , been waiting four years and I am super excited yet don’t know where to start, a little overwhelmed on how to get off on the right track with soil prepping, planting, maintaining, and a fence. Do you have any recommendations? Also, I’d be interested in attending your cooking classes, I lived in SF and miss the authenticness of your sort of recipes.

    Best,
    Jennifer
    415-740-5445

    1. Hi Jennifer~

      Thanks so much! I teach at Temecula Olive Oil Tasting Room on Main St. in Seal Beach and I list all the classes under classes and/or blog, we’d love to have you join us! We have seats still available for the upcoming class on Sept 29th if you’d like to sign up, just call the store at (562) 296-5421!
      A couple of gardening books that might help you off to a good start is Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, he has a no nonsense approach and I do recommend raised beds. First they are easier to plant and maintain, no double digging and all of that, Mel explains it in an easy way to follow. The other book that may help you is Organic Vegetable Gardening by Ogden Shepherd. I also encourage you to check out http://www.groworganic.com. They have tons of info and video’s on vegetable gardening and if you get stuck you can call them & they answer the phone! Good luck with gardening! And come learn how to use all those veggie’s you grow! See you soon!
      Debbi

  3. Hi, I just made your version of “nick malgieris quick puff pastry, only to realize that its missing 4x more folds,(nicks site says so) as i discovered after making a tartre au soleil..i havent yet baked it..but i baked off the trimmings and it just falls apart..will not be servable ..any way to salvage this.?

    1. Hi Susie~
      I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the recipe. The recipe is Nick’s recipe, word for word, from his book ‘A Baker’s Tour’. I have made it many, many times without issue. It needs to be chilled before baking and I’m not sure why the bits that you cooked just fell apart, although the pastry is supposed to be very flaky. The increased folds from the recipe on Nick’s site would create more layers making it even flakier. There could be a couple of issues, one is that there wasn’t enough butter or likely not enough water to bind the dough together and form a little gluten. Was the dough easy to handle after you mixed it or was it a little crumbly? Did you already make the tartre with the ingredients? You could bring the dough out of the refrigerator and add a little more ice water to it, then refrigerate it again before working with it.

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