Vicki Bensinger Perfil

I'm originally from St. Louis but live in Madrid, Spain for past 25 years. Would have loved to been able to join a small group like yours - sounds like a great idea. Not real active on this site but plan to step up my participation with items from my family cookbook i compiled in 1972 and new recipes I have invented from traditional Spanish foods.

I am so glad we are friends. I look forward to seeing many of your new recipes.

I'm looking for a hotel or small boutique hotel, not a B&B. Which are some of the nicest and favorites among the locals? Living there I'm sure you know what's best or even what's best that others don't know about. It's hard to say the budget. If you could recommend places then I could look at their websites to see how they are. I know there's a broad range.

Our anniversary is this month but we won't be able to go anywhere so I'm thinking in September we could go and bike, etc. Do you happen to know if Michael Chiarello offers culinary classes? I think he's great and would love to cook with him. Of course Thomas Keller would be great as well but I'm sure that would never happen.

There are so many great chefs and restaurants in the Napa area. I'm such a foodie and teach classes myself. I'd love to take one from one of them.

Any info you could share with me would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi there, so glad to get to know you. I'd be delighted to recommend some places up here to stay and eat..what sort of budget are you working with and do you want a B&B or a hotel??

What do you mean to exchange links? I'm not sure what you're talking about.

By the way, I know that you haven't posted the pizza with barbecued chicken topping, but I have a very vivid imagination. I can almost smell it. If you want to share that recipe with me I'd appreciate it, otherwise I will try my rendition and then let you know how it turned out

Vicky, thanks for requesting my friendship. I feel honored to be asked to be friends with a real chef. I loved your chiplote chicken pizza, and can't wait to try it. I make pizza a least once a week, because it's so easy to do when I have my dough already mixed. I make fresh bread daily with my no knead recipe, so some days I just fit in the pizza too. Your topping recipe will be the next I will try, and I will let you know what I think, but from the combination of ingredients I can't see how it wouldn't be delicious. The reason I put sugar on my pizza, which is a very little amount, is to enhance the flavor and aroma, helps retain some moisture, makes the dough a little crispier and retains the bright color of vegetables. Just a little trick I learned over the years. Would love to exchange links with you, what do you think?
Regards,
Marianna