musings about food, travel, creativity and life
With the days getting shorter, I so enjoy nestling under a blanket, sipping my morning latte and writing about all that I am grateful for. So much… •life, health, my husband John, our doggie Cosi •our dear family members and family […]
I now have a new cookbook—surprise! It’s called Seafood Simple by Eric Ripert. Eric is a French chef and co-owner of New York City’s Le Bernardin, a three star Michelin restaurant and James Beard award-winner, as well as being the author of six other cookbooks […]
“Fun”—that’s what the tag on my travel bag says. Thankfully, I have had much of it on our East Coast trip. In between the cornerstones of loving times with family and friends have been unique on-the-road discoveries, many of which centered around food—what a […]
A gentle approach to joy this month…a simple question: what makes you smile? 😊Here are a few “smile creating” events for me this month, all first-time events: discovering “Spaghett”—a summer cocktail consisting of Aperol, Miller High Life Beer and lemon juice […]
Here we are in Sun Valley, Idaho, enjoying what feels Iike a summer camp for adults. One round of activities was provided by the annual three-day Sun Valley Writers’ Conference. We had the opportunity to attend or live-stream many of the free-to-the-public events that […]
“We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist.” Wendell Berry Do you have a Farmers’ Market near you? I hope so. We do—only ten minutes away by car—so last Sunday we […]
”Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” —James Beard I love traveling—here, there, everywhere. Right now, we are in Madison, Wisconsin, where […]
There we were at one of our favorite San Francisco Italian restaurants. I was looking for some soft pasta since I had just given up a tooth to the Tooth Fairy. I found what I wanted—Cacio e Pepe, a traditional Roman pasta specialty. When […]
The sun is out today—woo-hoo! We need that! These last few months in California with one atmospheric river after another have been challenging. To stay strong and resilient, everyone had to look for hope and inspiration wherever they could. For me, some of […]
We have been doing mini-trips lately…easy little jaunts that give us new tastes of local-ish life. I have been amazed at how “little” and “close” can give so much. Take our trip to Santa Cruz the other day…just under 60 miles from our Carmel Valley […]
❤️ As some of you know, I have a rabbit fetish. In honor of the Year of the Rabbit which officially began on January 22, I have gathered all my ceramic, wood and cloth rabbits together on a bookshelf top; they are happy little […]
It isn’t easy writing “up” things when I, or those I love, are experiencing sadnesses or hard challenges. You’ve heard me talk about this dilemma before. Right now our little community and much of California is experiencing rain and flooding. People are evacuated and waiting […]
How are you doing out there in holiday land? I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for comfort and joy this holiday season. Oh, yes. And here’s what I’ve come up with so far… ❤️My morning lattes with my chocolate almond waiting on the […]
On just one day last week, I found three fun treats for the holidays…wine, chocolate and a new cookbook. First, the wine. 🍷 “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” Yes, this year’s vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived! It was just released in […]
Discovering fun new food is always an upper for me. So in Madison, I’ve been “up” a lot! One food find, a bread purchase at the Farmer’s Market, led us to the bakery source, interestingly enough called Origin Bakery; while there, we saw the bakers […]