thinking Vintage Chances are, right around the corner from you is a treasure trove of holiday shopping. Not only might you find a most unique gift or two, but chances are you will get a bargain compared to what you might have chosen at the mall. Yesterday, I had the best time Christmas Shopping - in an Antique Shop. It was so refreshing! Antiques have suffered a great amount of "out-of-style-syndrome" lately and some of my favorite … [Read more...]
Making a List, Baking it Twice – Featuring, The (Brain) Science of Cookie Baking
need inspiration? this photo should do it! (Crunchy-Cherry Pistachio Biscotti - photo courtesy King Arthur Flour) leaving my favorite cookie bowl on the counter makes for a pretty irresistible invitation…….. Baking a batch or two or three of biscotti, pulling them out of the oven after their second baking, smiling at their simple beauty, and then sitting down to enjoy one with a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa and feeling the warmth and … [Read more...]
Oogle, not Google Here – Regional Italian Dolci “.doc”
Candelaus from Sardinia (image courtesy ItalianTourism.com) "Learn Something New Everyday". Martha Stewart Even though the holiday technically dedicated to giving thanks passed by a couple of weeks ago, I am assembling my own bucket-load of thankfulnesses for the Christmas Season. One of my most prominent thankfulnesses has to do with my obsession of dreaming of being in Italy and eating all of the food that they have made an entire … [Read more...]
Full Plate on The Front Burner: Jaçques Pepin, The Affective Memory – No Coaching Needed
image courtesy Jaçques Pepin and NYT One thing I can say for sure, I may not remember what I had for lunch yesterday, where I left my keys or where I am supposed to be today at 10:30, but I do, most very certainly have a full, sharp and poignant encyclopedia of food memories from my past that are intact. They come with a full complement of time, place and details of the physical surroundings, in addition to the food itself. For those who … [Read more...]
The Best Gifts in Life are Free; Tasty Treats from Cell Phones to Cardamom Hazelnut Crescents
just one of yesterday's finest gifts What is the price of distraction? Have you ever passed by the same place thousands of times and because you were single-mindedly focused on finishing a task or just plain thinking about something else, you passed by something that has the potential to turn out to be the highlight of your day? Yesterday, I had the most fun photographing a small flock of sheep about a mile away from my house. I have … [Read more...]
Classic Cookie Recipes, Kicked Up a Notch – Bittersweet Peppermint Snowballs
Christmas Cookie favorites are really a very personal thing. In every home, you are likely to find a combination of nostalgic favorites and those which appeal and you can choose from the panoply of offerings found all around you at this time of year. Some are simple to make and some are more involved. Every year I find the list of offerings to experiment with to be an ever-growing encyclopedic collection, which I try to assemble on my Facebook … [Read more...]
December in New York 2015; It Lifts You Up
There are so many things you can say about December in New York. It is maddening - with the hoards of people, moving along the streets in swarms that you can not get around or, once embedded are stuck there. You get bumped and shoved along with the flow. You can't drive anywhere without hours of commitment that you must give into. Stores are crowded and hot and if you have a Winter coat on, you can become overheated and cranky. Inevitably, … [Read more...]
How to Compose a December to Remember and, One Christmas Wish
ready for hanging How does one make a December to Remember? I mean, in a good way. If I had one wish to be granted for Christmas, (aside from having my Mom back, my daily wish) it would be to have my paternal Grandmother's recipes hand-delivered from heaven to me on Christmas morning. Now, that would be incredibly powerful and serve to end the decades-long effort to recreate her specialties - those that I remember with such devotion and … [Read more...]
Just Pressed: So Into Cider – (It’s “Go-time”), Have a Cocktail!
these days, it's my favorite place to visit (photo courtesy Melick's Town Farm) BTW - Happy Thanksgiving to Winston and Joanie, my favorite porcine friends! (giving thanks that they're not turkeys!) Tick-Tock! Time's Up! Here we go…… If you are still relaxed enough to consider recipe ideas, here are just a few more last-minute tantalizers to send out wafting aromas and little lovely undertones to your table … [Read more...]
Grieving and Yearning for Paris, an Addendum
who could believe, after days such as this? who can believe at all? Not one single day has gone by since Friday, November 13, that I haven't re-imagined myself back in Paris, combing, sponging, soaking, feeding, enveloping, and basically dancing a jig in my heart every moment that I was there. For now, at least, my heart is broken for all Parisians and for the City itself. Beyond the deep sadness I feel for the people of Paris, I feel a … [Read more...]
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