These are slightly over-baked - still good but, don't make this mistake! My daughter Christin has blood sugar issues. There are times when she just can't keep her blood sugar up high enough. This has been going on for a long time and we have exhausted all the possible medical issues. So today after taking her to lunch where she quickly inhaled a crabcake sandwich on a ciabatta bun after two rolls and butter and claimed she was still … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2013
The Tomato and Friends – Gazpacho – It’s Fresh, it’s Cool
Confession: I love picking out beautiful heirloom tomatoes and bringing them home - they are evidence of nature's artwork Well, I like growing them too, but somehow, mine never look like these! I have never been a fan of cooked tomato soup for some reason, but I love Gazpacho. It's fresh, it's cool. I distinctly remember being offered, of course, Campbell's Tomato soup at a friends house on several occasions when I was very young, and, … [Read more...]
Broken and Grainy – The Perils of Confection Perfection
Photo courtesy Sylvia Weinstock (NOTE ON THIS POST: for those of you who read my post early on yesterday, an error was made and it has been corrected - I did not beat the butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes - that is the cupcake part - that's what you get when you are trying to remember what you did at 5:30 am - the butter and cream cheese were obviously just a little "too" warm and soft, I guess and the creaming that I did do did indeed … [Read more...]
It’d Better Stop Raining……Brain Drain and Donuts
photo courtesy Cookingwithmykid.com aka - Brain Drain: When Bad Weather Makes Me Crave Bad Foods Ok, so it has been raining since last Sunday and frankly, I am over it. I absolutely know there is nothing I can do about it except a. get over it and b.get on a plane and go to California. The latter is definitely not happening today and the former, well, I am working on that. In the movie, You've Got Mail, Kathleen Kelly says to Joe Fox … [Read more...]
Zest, Peel, Juice and Supremes – Citrus, Invaluable and all-parts-partners
Contraband Blood Orange from Sicily In America, well, except in California, we consider this time of year to be the end of citrus season. While available in the market all year round, citrus fruits tend to be celebrated most in the Winter months here. Of course in Italy, lemons and blood oranges are all the rage now! Lucky people! I last wrote about Citrus on December 27, 2012, but, visiting Italy has re-ignited my interest and kept … [Read more...]
Surprising Taormina, Sicily
View from Villa Sant' Andrea - and so I believe we saved the "best" for last, if that could be possible - based upon the number of my pictures and my many infatuations here.... This post is dedicated to all children of the immigrant generation of the late 1800s and early 1900s, whose grandparents and great-grandparents emigrated from southern Italy, and especially from Sicily, and who may share my sentiments of this place. And, especially to … [Read more...]
The Rolling Stones, I mean Scones
I have had all sorts of crazy things swirling through my head since I arrived home from Italy last Saturday - chalk it up to severe jet lag or something. Anyway, I haven't baked in ages - like three weeks? Unheard of! I have been thinking of cinnamon buns and scones and all sorts of items I have missed. My husband accuses me from time to time of having bad flashbacks - I assure you I do not - it's just the way my mind works and I'm trying … [Read more...]
Remembering 79 AD – A Visit to Pompeii
At Pompeii with a placid looking Vesuvius in the background Today, I dedicate my blog post to my dear brother-in-law, Dave Hanley, he being the history officianado in our family. Two of his favorite people, Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, figure prominently in the history of Pompeii. History notes that a surviving letter by Pliny the Younger describes his eye witness account of the destruction from the famous eruption. He … [Read more...]
It’s a Vertical Life, in Positano – It is Squisito!
To say it is a feast for the senses in Positano is an understatement. The term, Sensory Overload gets its meaning here. It takes time to digest, adjust and appreciate the gifts of life in a place such as this..... For those of us who live near and around where I do on the east coast of the US, life is a series of roamings along relatively horizontal hills and dales. Basically, it's a flat life. Our eyes and equilibrium are very much … [Read more...]
Walkabout – finishing up on Rome
My favorite night shot at the Spanish Steps I feel compelled to wind up my stories and pictures of Rome and move on to the rest of my Italian holiday in Positano and Sicily. There is so much left in the picture inventory and it is worth cataloging, I think. Based on the postive feelings I have gotten from my trips to London, Paris and Italy over the past few months, I guess I am realizing I am much more of a "roamer" than I ever thought I was. … [Read more...]