musings about food, travel, creativity and life
“Good food with friends and family is the cure of souls.” (from a Leigh Standley Curly Girl cocktail napkin) It was a very warm day on the Peninsula and I had a series of in-town appointments. Highlighting the day, though, were three events with […]
How could I not go to a talk entitled, “What Makes Humans Happy?” This talk was presented in Ketchum, Idaho a few weeks ago by Laurie Santos, Yale University Professor of Psychology. Her course called “Psychology and the Good Life” is apparently the most popular […]
Saying “A woman’s place is in the kitchen” might cause a stir. But I just finished a book called A Woman’s Place (2019) that addresses that concept in a unique, positive, and assertive way. “Yes,” the authors say, a woman’s place is in the kitchen–as […]
Summer can be a lovely mix of this and that–the familiar, the new; rest, excitement. A fullness. Trees and flowers are at their best. Festivals and picnics abound. And wine shelves overflow with pink rosés from around the world. “Rosé” says summer to me. Pretty, […]
It was that kind of week. A sad one, with our American flags again at half-mast, with words and images that made our hearts ache and our minds wonder–what can we do to be a part of a solution to all of the violence, loss […]
Madison inspires me. I love the university vibe, even though it is mellower in the summer–and hotter and muggier. Bicyclists are out in full force; music and food festivals abound; sailboats, kayaks and rowing shells sweep by on Lake Mendota. And–one of the best and […]
Here we are in Wisconsin with all of its treasures. First there are the friends–inspirations, all. And the food they share with us around their respective home tables…from white fish and trout at Lake Superior, to ratatouille fixed in a new Instapot, to a new […]
“On the road again,” and we found ourselves “on the shores of Gitche Gumee,” Longfellow’s rendition of the Native American Ojibwe name for Lake Superior. To begin our Midwest adventure, we landed in Minneapolis and then drove to Duluth, Minnesota–a first-time visit for us–along roads […]
This week I was able to “bring joy to the table” in the form of special food items from my growing-up years in San Francisco. One was a lemon from a tree my father planted in the backyard of our San Francisco home over 50 […]
My favorite morning beverage is a caffè latte with homemade almond milk. After I assemble my first cup, I travel out to our porch, take in the valley view, settle on the green love seat that was my mom and dad’s and take that first […]
We just returned from a trip to Ashland, Oregon. The four days were filled with many gifts, including these edible delights prepared by friends and local establishments…. *Sweet Potato Enchiladas from the Oh, How She Glows Cookbook, a vegan cookbook by Angela Liddon, […]
It’s been a cloudier-than-normal week in Carmel Valley. I have done some outdoor physical things, but I’ve also done a lot of indoor reading. One book I am enjoying is called Eat This Poem, by Nicole Gulotta, “a literary feast of recipes inspired by poetry.” […]
A few months ago, I was in the Phoenix Gift Shop near the Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur and I saw a delightful series of colorful little cookbooks. Each volume focused on a different ingredient or food, was curated by a well known food personality, […]
I remember Friday fish Lenten dinners around the Catholic home front when I was growing up. They were simple fare and, because I usually gave up sweets for Lent, there were no cookies, candies, or ice cream lying around to tempt me. Not so at […]
Some weeks, I just need to keep it light. Last week was one of those weeks. Here’s what I did when guests came for dinner and an overnight: 1. I had a simple table centerpiece*–one doll, two vases of flowers, three glassybaby candles. […]