Eat and drink what’s in season and you’ll never grow bored, your menus will be less complicated, and everything will taste better. That’s my motto and as a Southern California native, serial entertainer, master gardener, passionate home cook and margarita maker, it is the inspiration behind every post you see here. I live in Santa Barbara and have been fortunate enough to call it home for more than 20 years. Naturally, it occupies a large part of this space- from my kitchen & garden, the farmers market, the architecture or natural beauty- this city has greatly influenced my take on California style.
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my ever-growing collection of seasonal recipes, cocktails, wine recommendations, gardening tips, and secrets centered on seasonal living. The connections I have made with readers make the journey worthwhile.
Stay tuned for the upcoming release (May 2021) of my cookbook: Lush Life: Food & Drinks from the Garden. A labor of love that includes what, when and how to plant a garden that will feed and inspire all year round. Wine commentary by James Beard Winner Raj Par and Forward by Suzanne Goin, Author of Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Find us on Social Media at #LUSHLIFECOOKBOOK
Connecting with my readers makes my (cooking in the kitchen/yoga pants/talking to the dogs) day! Please feel free to leave comments on posts; I read every single one. If you have any additional questions, email me here.
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Additionally, you can see what I’m up to on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest (oooh, I do love pinterest!)
My blog is tied around my favorite things — seasonal cooking and drinks, wine suggestions, garden tips and tales, and travel. Every recipe is tested again and again to make sure it will be a hit in your kitchen. Unless otherwise noted, I snap all pictures myself with my Canon or iPhone.
When I couldn’t find a pretty, functional, and/or flattering apron, I decided to design my own. The designs are created to look equally great over denim jeans or an elegant cocktail dress. Take a look at the collection here.
Unless otherwise stated, all photos on this site were taken and are copyrighted by Valerie Rice and belong to Valerie Rice (that’s me). From time to time, I get elbow-deep in flour, potting soil, or cocktail salt to handle a camera safely. On those occasions, a professional photographer or videographer will be called in to help; credit is always given on those posts to those individuals. Thank you for respecting the copyrights of Valerie Rice, Eat Drink Garden with Valerie Rice, and our contributors.
