|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
I met Leslie Dabney at a local wine event and thought she looked familiar. When she talked about being a TV host, I recognized her as The Vineyard Mom on Saturday KRON4 cooking segments.
Beyond hosting on KRON4, ABC and Fox affiliates, Dabney creates food and wine pairings for wineries and shares recipes and entertaining ideas on her lifestyle social media platforms. At one of her recent cooking classes, I left with tasty, homemade pickled veggies.
The name The Vineyard Mom came easily to Dabney. A longtime resident of Livermore, the busy mom and swim coach served a hot dinner for her husband and two daughters every night.
“When I was young, we moved four times to different states. Dinnertime with the family, wherever we lived, meant consistency, comfort and deliciousness,” she said. Dabney learned culinary skills taught from mother and grandmother, both talented home cooks, and took cooking classes.
Living close to Livermore Valley wineries led to Dabney’s interest in food and wine pairing. She started blogging recipes and authoring her book, “Take Me to The Vineyard”, as The Vineyard Mom in 2020. Though he is not currently working as a winemaker, her husband Bill Dabney has a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis and advises her on the winemaking process.
Dabney’s specialty is developing recipes to pair with wine. A brand ambassador and content provider for wineries from Livermore Valley, Napa and Sonoma to France, Spain, Italy and Argentina, she creates recipes based on their wine. She also publishes monthly recipes with wine suggestions for South Livermore Magazine and Edible East Bay.
“My cooking philosophy is simple. Everyone can make the recipe and adjust them to their tastes. You won’t need to buy special spices or order Himalayan goat milk,” said Dabney. In the Himalayas, goat milk is prized as a healthy beverage.
Dabney’s recipes are well described in her blogs. On Nov. 14 on KRON4, she demonstrated a recipe for Mini Apple Crumble Pies, and my ears perked up. Making pie dough is my least favorite kitchen task. But I like pie, and the simple recipe takes pantry ingredients — and store-bought pie dough.
You cut the dough into four-inch rounds which are fitted into cavities of muffin tins. Sliced apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon are mixed and topped with a crumble mix. Bake, top with whipped cream, and serve. The easy recipe eliminates the last-minute hunt for the pie slicer and pleas for “only a tiny slice”.
Her portfolio of TV hosting, writing and leading classes includes expertise in lifestyle entertaining. She shares news of her activities and alerts on recipes on her Instagram account, TheVineyardMomLiving. Dabney emailed some practical holiday hosting tips.
– No need for fancy centerpieces or flowers. Baskets of fall fruit and veggies, votive candles and greenery from your yard will not only look beautiful and colorful but will be cost effective. Place utensils in a napkin, wrap it with twine and place a sage or rosemary sprig under the twine.
– When serving buffet-style, stack plates, napkins, utensils and glasses in a separate area or room to free up counter space.
– Prep in advance and set the table the day before. Double check that serving utensils are available for each dish to be served.
Holiday beverage tips
Serve a red and a white wine depending on personal choice. Red wine like Pinot Noir and Sangiovese pair well with turkey; white suggestions include sparkling wine, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Serve a favorite beer brand and non-alcoholic drinks such as apple cider and sparkling water. Dabney recommends making a signature cocktail that can be made in advance and batched so guests can serve themselves.
At her “Let’s Get Pickled” event in early November at Pruett Farms Winery, I saw firsthand how Leslie makes cooking easy. Coordinated with owner Bob Pruett, we tasted Pruett wine while pickling cauliflower, green beans and cucumbers. Dabney was organized and affable during the class.
Pruett welcomed everyone with a glass of his sparkling wine. He noted that his winery was the only one in Livermore Valley with a bus stop outside. Sometimes, he said, he rides the bus downtown to meet friends. His property on East Avenue features his house and Chardonnay vineyard, plus horses and a barn which serves as the tasting room and event space.
Lighthearted like Dabney, Pruett told the group that the red blend was a GSM, meaning, “Gimme some more”. He then explained it was a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre blend. He served several of his Chardonnays made in different styles from crisp and citrusy to fuller bodied.
Dabney gave options to the class on cutting their vegetables and adding dill or not. She prepared the pickling brine in advance.
At the end, we labeled our veggie jars, I chatted with Elizabeth Thompson of Pleasanton who liked the pickling exercise and may attend more of Dabney’s classes.
The labels on my jars blandly stated the veggie name. While observing other culinary creations, I noticed a jar of long green bean pieces labeled “Alien Fingers”. The creator was Dabney’s daughter, Katie Dabney, who lives in San Jose. Katie confirmed that her mom cooked all the family meals and added, “We only went to restaurants for special occasions.”
After the event, I contacted my tablemate, Amy Levin of Dublin, who told me, “My pickled veggies were crisp and refreshing. I look forward to serving them as Thanksgiving appetizers. Paired with Pruett wines purchased at the event, they will commence the poignant and rich meal with loved ones.” I have taken a more mundane route and replaced celery with the diced, pickled cauliflower for crunch in a lunchtime tuna salad.
Though Dabney’s “Take Me to the Vineyard” is out of print, she is working on another, yet-untitled book with easy-to-make recipes for appetizers, salads and pasta. Now she is planning her next KRON4 TV segment and preparing for holiday meals which include the family’s cranberry relish dressed up for the occasion with orange zest.
Ignoring transfer rules has forever changed high school athletics – and at what cost?December 16, 2025 11:03 am
ShopConsciously offers ethically sourced, unique gifts at Pleasanton's first self-serve storeDecember 16, 2025 4:44 pm